The fire pit is one of the most under-rated areas on our farm.  It can be a rowdy, up beat social area one night and then the next night I can find myself zoned out at the steady flicker of the coals.  Other times we’ll prepare our entire dinner over the fire pit.  Fire pits come in many different shapes and sizes and people use them in lots of different ways.  However, one thing is always constant, we all need tons of firewood for fire pits.

Choosing the Right Firewood for Fire Pits

Unless you are using firewood for cooking over the fire pit, the name of the game when choosing the right firewood for fire pits comes down to two things.  Readily available and cheap.  We don’t need to get fancy, as long as it burns that is all that matters.  Some wood will be different, but it will all burn.

What is the best firewood for fire pits, hardwood or softwood?  Only thing I care about for fire pits is DRY wood.  Your fire pit wood doesn’t have to be fully seasoned, but it does need to be dry.  Now hardwood is going to burn longer and produce a hotter fire.  Softwood like pine will start easier and if you are buying it, softwood is cheaper.  One side note, if you are using firewood for heating.  I would recommend not “wasting” hardwoods like oak in the fire pit.  Keep that for heating.

Proper Storage for Fire Pit Firewood

Firewood for fire pits should be stored close to your fire pit and remain dry.   The best option is to keep the wood off the ground and have some sort of roof or tarp to help keep it dry.  Some people get creative, others use free materials such as pallets to build storage areas.

If you are stacking and storing lots of firewood for your fire pit you should think about your storage as an area for the wood to season.  Once you have your wood split, consider ventilation and air movement when designing your storage area.

What About Firewood for Camping?

If you are heading out to a campground, firewood for camping is really the same as above.  You are either going to haul it with you or buy it when you get to your location.  Hauling it can be a pain in the neck, plus some states you are not allowed to bring firewood across state lines.  Do a little research and find someone close.  A quick Google search using “Firewood for Camping [Insert City and State].  Or, when you arrive, the goto Google search for “Firewood for Camping Near Me” always works.

There are a couple nice things to look for when buying campfire wood.  Lots of providers wrap their wood.  But not all of them provide kindling in the packs.  Super thoughtful campfire wood providers even include a couple fire starters.  At the end of the day when buying campfire wood it really should be seasoned and you want to make sure you buy enough firewood for your trip.

 In conclusion, firewood for fire pits (and camping) is really low budget stuff.  We don’t have to be as picky on the types of wood like when we are using firewood for heating.  The biggest things are to make sure you have enough firewood for your gatherings and that it is dry.  After that, just have fun.