Howl R3 Propane Campfire

The Howl R3 is a propane campfire built to keep you warm, not just lit. Most propane pits send their heat straight up and leave you watching a flame in a cold chair. The R3 pairs an A-Flame burner with a BarCoal radiant tube, a stainless U-tube that comes up to 1,100°F and throws infrared heat sideways at the people sitting around it, the way a bed of wood coals does. One knob runs both. You get the fire to look at and the heat to sit in.

It does this in a package that still packs. Twenty pounds, GullWing legs that fold flat, 18 by 12 by 5.8 inches closed, so it rides in a drawer or stands against the side of a cargo box. The burners are self-draining for rain and snow, and if a gust blows the flame out it relights off the BarCoal's own exhaust. Howl rates effective heating to 35 mph of wind. It is cut, bent and welded in Colorado from 304 stainless, aircraft aluminum and brass, UL certified, and designed to comply with Stage I and Stage II fire restrictions. Confirm current restrictions with the local land manager; they change by forest and by week.

Two things to know before you order. Heat costs fuel: at full output the R3 runs about six hours on a 20 lb tank, so plan on a 20 lb cylinder rather than the smaller bottles. And the BarCoal tube takes a few minutes to come up to temperature. The heat builds rather than arriving the moment you light it. Give it time and sit close.

Specifications

In the box

The R3 and an 8-foot regulator hose. Propane tank and tie-down strap are not included. We stock the R3 in Prescott, Arizona, alongside the rest of the Howl Campfires range; the Howl R1 is the lighter, flame-only option if warmth isn't the priority.