Tabletop Fire Pit in Stainless Steel with Lid and Carry Bag

Some evenings only need a small fire. Two chairs, a garden table, a couple of mugs and enough flame to keep the light going once the sun has dropped behind the fence. This tabletop fire pit is built for exactly that: a brushed stainless steel cylinder that lives in the middle of the table and puts the fire at eye level, instead of down on the lawn where nobody can really see it.

The body is double-walled stainless steel with a ring of oval vents cut around the base. Air is drawn in low, rises between the two skins and re-enters the fire from above, so the smoke that a small fire would otherwise throw off is burned away rather than blown into the faces of the people sitting round the table. Three stainless steel legs fold out from the base and hold the pit off whatever it is standing on, which keeps the worst of the heat away from the table top.

A perforated lid drops onto the top and can stay there while the fire is lit: it calms the flame, holds sparks down and, left in place, will snuff the fire out at the end of the evening. Its ring handle folds flat when it is not being used. Inside, the base plate and the inner ring lift out, so clearing cold ash means tipping the parts out over a bin rather than reaching down into the cylinder with a brush.

It suits a courtyard, a balcony where a floor-standing fire bowl would be out of the question, a caravan awning, a campsite table or a long table at a party that needs a bit of light in the middle of it. Everything packs down into the black drawstring bag supplied with it, light enough to carry in one hand. Use it outdoors only, stand it on a stable non-combustible surface, and let it cool completely before it goes back in the bag.