Biolite FirePit+, control a campfire with your phone

Open fires are allowed in fewer and fewer places. With the Biolite Firepit+ you can still enjoy a campfire.

What can you do with the Biolite FirePit+?

Operating the Biolite FirePit+ is quite simple. You collect combustible material, you light it and let the flames burn. This while you have a pleasant evening at the campfire.

But that’s not all. You can use an app on your smartphone to raise or lower the fire. Furthermore, thanks to the handy included grid, you can also grill on the fire and use it as a kind of barbecue. You can use both charcoal and wood in the Biolite Firepit+.

What is the working principle of the system?

The Biolite FirePit+ is a fairly high-tech device that can control fire. For this, the device uses a combination of fans and air ducts, so that the airflow within the device is optimal and the fire burns nicely.

In a video that we post below, you can see how the airflow is distributed. The big advantage is that all the wood burns completely due to the sophisticated airflow, without a lot of unburnt flue gases being released. Much less smoke comes from the fire. According to the manufacturer, this system allows you to extract up to twice as much heat from your campfire.

Advantages and disadvantages of the Biolite FirePit+

The main reason to buy this device is the much better combustion. The second advantage is that you don’t leave any mess behind, because all ashes remain behind in the basket. You can also enjoy the flames through a grate. Thanks to the two handles you can easily move the fire basket, even while it is burning. It is easy to stoke and let it burn. Thanks to an enamel coating, the device is easy to keep clean and rust formation is prevented. Rust was an annoying problem with the predecessor. Another advantage is that you can use this device in places where open fire is prohibited.

The main drawback of the Biolite FirePit+ is that you need a source of electricity to charge it. For example, you can be a solar panel or Biolite’s special device, with which you can generate electricity with fire, the Biolite CampStove 2+. Too bad this feature was not added. Although this will make the device even more expensive. A second drawback is that the fan was quite noisy, drowning out the crackling of the fire. There is also little room for wood. With charcoal, this is less of a problem, so you have to constantly refill.

To buy or not to buy?

It’s a fairly small and quite expensive piece of equipment, but it certainly has value for hiking and camping barbecue enthusiasts. Then the small size is an advantage, although you will have to refill it regularly. You don’t have that problem when using charcoal. The price is quite hefty at €300, but if you have the money left over for your hobby, you can still enjoy the Biolite FirePit+ after a few years of intensive use.