Best campfire tripod
Lodge ATP2 Camp Tripod
An adjustable, reliable campfire tripod designed with outdoor chefs in mind.
Best for dutch ovens
Diliboz Campfire Tripod
An incredibly strong, easy-to-set campfire tripod built to last for years.
Best with a grill grate
Rome Products Tripod Grill
A well-made, compact, and adjustable campfire tripod with a built-in grill grate.
If you’re anything like most campers, campfire cooking brings back some of your best memories; and the campfire tripod may just be the unsung hero among your campfire cooking kit.
As essential campground equipment, campfire tripods can make or break the campfire experience. They not only facilitate safe, easy campfire cooking by elevating the pot and keeping flames away from flammable materials, but they also take your camp dinner to a new level of flavor.
In this blog post, we’ll review some campfire tripods that have received positive reviews from campers and provide tips and advice on selecting a reliable campfire tripod for your next campfire experience.
Whether you’re looking to camp, tailgate, or just roast marshmallows in your backyard on a budget – stick around, and we’re sure you’ll find the right pick for you.
Buying guide: What to look for in a campfire tripod
OK, you know how essential it is to find a campfire tripod suitable for your needs. But how do you know which is that special one?
Ultimately, there are four key aspects to consider: the material it’s made of, hassle-free setup, portability, and leg construction. Let’s quickly go through each.
Material
Look for a campfire tripod made of durable and heat-resistant materials like stainless steel or iron – so that it can withstand high temperatures without rusting away. Steel tripods tend to be the most reliable and are typically able to hold heavier pots than their aluminum counterparts.
Also, keep in mind that some campfire tripods are coated with special non-stick material for easy cleanup.
Ease of setup
Campfire tripods are indeed a piece of essential campground equipment, but you don’t want to spend all day just setting it up. Make sure the one you choose is easy and quick to set up, with minimal assembly required.
Choose a campfire tripod that comes with quick-release pins or knobs for quick setup and takedown. This will save you from the frustration of struggling to set up a campfire tripod when it’s time to cook or move camp.
Portability
Like with any camping gear, how vital portability depends on your camp style. That is, while it’s an absolute game changer for backpackers or hikers, how easy the equipment is to move might not be of concern for car campers.
Anyway, the goal is for a campfire tripod to travel with you without taking up too much room, so look for one that’s lightweight and easy to carry.
You might want a campfire tripod with collapsible legs; this makes it easier to pack up and transport. The less space it takes up in your camp equipment, the better.
Leg structure
The legs of your campfire tripod are the foundation of its safety and stability. The last thing you want is to have an unstable campfire tripod that’s constantly wobbling and risking the safety of your campers.
Therefore, it’s crucial to find campfire tripods with sturdy legs that won’t tip over with even the heaviest of pots. Campfire tripods feature three-leg designs.
It’s also important to check the feet of the campfire tripod; they should be non-slip so that the campfire tripod doesn’t slide around while you’re cooking.
Top 3 best campfire tripods
Now that you have an idea of what to look for, let’s review our favorite campfire tripod picks on the market.
1. Best overall: Lodge ATP2 Adjustable Camp Tripod
Specifications
- Material: Alloy steel
- Weight: 11.8 pounds
- Dimensions: 24.05 x 5.75 x 3.05 inches
- Top hook height: 60 inches
- Chain length: 36 inches
Pros
- Adjustable legs
- Includes a chain with S-hook for adjustable height
- Comes with a heavy-duty tote bag
- Perfect size
- Breaks down to a small size
- Rust-free
Cons
- Durability is somewhat questionable
- Not very suitable for hard or paved surfaces
If you’re a fan of Lodge cookware, you know how much this brand cares about quality. The Lodge ATP2 Adjustable campfire tripod is designed with campers, hikers, and outdoor chefs in mind. It’s built to pair perfectly with Lodge’s collection of camp ovens, dutch ovens, and camping tea kettles; plus, this tripod offers 40-to-60-inch adjustable legs that make traveling incredibly easy.
Its specialized chain allows for a height-adjustable flame so you can enjoy your campfire dishes cooked to perfection. And the versatility doesn’t stop here; the unique design of the legs enables you to spread them to fit a larger fire pit and adjust the shape or size of the diameter however you choose.
Best of all, when the camping trip comes to an end, you can break down this campfire tripod into a size small enough to fit into a large tent pole bag, making storage effortless.
With so many positives, there come some noteworthy drawbacks. We saw some reviews saying the coating chips easily, and the bottom length of one leg is bent at about a 10-15 degree angle.
In fact, neither of these affects stability, but these little flaws can raise questions about durability. Also, keep in mind it may not be suitable for hard surfaces due to its structure being unconstrained in shape or size.
That aside, the Lodge ATP2 is still a winning campfire tripod worth every penny.
2. Best for dutch ovens: Diliboz Campfire Tripod for Dutch Oven 2.0
Specifications
- Material: Heavy-duty steel
- Weight: 3.3 pounds
- Dimensions: 14.96 x 10.04 x 9.45 inches
- Package dimensions: 10.55 x 10.39 x 2.48 inches
- Assembled diameter: 10 inches
Pros
- Comes with a heavy-duty travel bag
- Stands up the extreme temperatures
- Legs fold down for easy storage
- Setup is very quick
- Very sturdy and durable
- Great size
Cons
- Legs don’t lock and remain rather loose
If you’re looking for a campfire tripod that can handle the toughest outdoor cooking, look no further than the Diliboz Campfire Tripod 2.0. It comes in a different design and construction but is an incredibly well-made tool with sturdy legs that don’t bend whatsoever.
This cleverly designed stainless steel tripod comes with a heavy-duty travel bag and can hold up to 100 pounds (yes, you read it right), making it suitable for heavy campfire pots, pans, and dutch ovens.
Thanks to its durable construction, it can stand up to extreme temperatures, and its legs fold down for easy storage, proving it’s both very compact and portable.
Diliboz features perfect height and width for campfire cooking, and it also can fit a portable burner underneath it so you can switch between gas and wood heat sources in no time.
The only downside we noticed was that the legs don’t lock into place and remain rather loose. But that’s easy to forget when you have so many benefits at hand.
3. Best with a grill grate: Rome Products Tripod Grill
Specifications
- Material: Steel
- Grill material: Chrome-plated steel
- Weight: 8 pounds
- Dimensions: 24 x 11 x 3 inches
- Grill diameter: 20.5 inches
Pros
- Easy setup
- Very well-made
- Sturdy
- Value for money
- Compact, easy to store
- Adjustable height
Cons
- Legs are flimsy
- Some reviews report poor welding
And the final pick in the top 3 – is the Rome Products Tripod Grill, a campfire tripod that sets up quickly and easily and comes together with a built-in grill grate.
Not only is it easy to set up, but the adjustable height and heavy-duty chain, coupled with the very well-made legs, easily stand up to rigorous campfire use.
We were skeptical about quality at first but quickly changed our minds – this product is well worth the money. It works just fine over campfire rings and is compact and easy to store when you’re done. On top, the adjustable height gives users great versatility so they can get the best cooking experience possible.
On the downside, however, some reviews say the legs might be quite flimsy, and the welding can be a bit fragile and prone to break if not used carefully.
Runners-up
If you’re not sure if the top 3 favorites fit your needs, there are some other campfire tripods that might also be worth your attention. Let’s dive in!
Specifications
- Material: Stainless steel
- Weight: 5.6 pounds
- Dimensions: 56 x 45 x 45 inches
- Package dimensions: 19 x 18.5 x 4.13 inches
- Top hook height: 58 inches
- Grill diameter: 17.5 inches
Pros
- Relatively lightweight
- Easy setup and breakdown
- Stands sturdy
- Easy to move
- Suitable for large fire pits or fire rings
- Quality materials
- Adjustable height
Cons
- Not recommended to use with cast iron cookware
- Bit flimsy
- No storage bag
- Gets very hot
- Fire can melt inside strings
The Stansport Tripod Cooker with 17″ Grill is an excellent choice if you’re looking for campfire cooking convenience. This campfire tripod is super light, and setting up and breaking down only takes a few seconds.
The legs have spring-loaded fittings to unsnap from the center pole, making it extremely easy to move around. Not only do the tripod legs spread out wide enough to encompass a large fire ring, but they also lock into position so there’s no worry of it slipping or falling over.
In terms of quality, the materials used are definitely worth the price tag, plus there’s a chain that allows for easy raising and lowering of the grate to adjust for temperature. As long as you don’t put cast iron cookware on it and make sure food doesn’t roll off (as the grate hands on a slight angle), this campfire tripod will stand for years of campfire cooking.
Keep in mind that it gets hot due to being wholly made of metal, so we recommend bringing a glove or towel. The grate gets black, which means you’ll need to clean it after each campfire cooking session; but other than that, not too much maintenance is needed as fire won’t affect its performance (even if it melts some internal strings inside the poles in case the fire gets too hot).
Specifications
- Material: Heavy-duty steel
- Weight: 13 pounds
- Dimensions: 43 x 12 x 43 inches
- Package dimensions: 44.5 x 2.7 x 2.6 inches
- S hook height: 37 inches
- Chain length: 24 inches
Pros
- Folds flat and comes with a plastic pouch
- Very sturdy
- Easy to use, put down, and transport
- Adjustable height thanks to a nickel-plated chain with 2 S-hooks
- Well-built for its price
- Easy to set up as long as you’re over a soft ground
Cons
- Could be a little taller
- Not very easy to center over the fire
- Legs slide when put on a hard terrain
- Cheap coating
The Stansport Heavy-Duty Steel Cooking Tripod is a campfire tripod that you can rely on. It’s surprisingly sturdy, making it no problem to hold a large dutch oven, and the chain allows for ease of hanging your pot without messing around with “s” hooks.
With adjustable height and fold-flat capability, it’s easy to store or transport and set back up again wherever necessary. For a very small price, you truly get the peace of mind of having something well-built, reliable, and likely to last for years with proper care.
Though, this campfire tripod has some downsides; for instance, its legs tend to slide on flat hard surfaces, and there’s no connection at the top to lock them into place. So, setting up is quite straightforward only as long as you’re on top of soft ground.
The plastic coating may peel off over time which might be irritating. Also, it’s sometimes difficult to center over a fire as it does want to be a bit off due to the way all three legs are connected at the top.
Overall it could be slightly taller (small tip: you can raise it up by putting some bricks underneath if possible).
Even with those minor drawbacks, this campfire tripod remains the perfect addition to anyone’s camping gear collection.
Specifications
- Material: Galvanized steel
- Weight: 5 pounds
- Dimensions: 18.1 x 18.7 x 1.6 inches
- Grill diameter: 17 inches
Pros
- Lightweight and easy to
- assemble
- Pretty sturdy for the price
- Lots of bang for a few bucks
- Breaks down small
- Adjustable diameter to all campfires
- Self-attaching tubes
- Sliding chain design for easy height adjustment
- The grate seems durable
Cons
- Quite cheaply made
- Flimsy, sways in windy conditions
- The top doesn’t connect it all together so well
- No carrying case
Coleman’s campfire tripod & lantern hanger is a terrific choice for budget-minded campers. It’s lightweight and easy to assemble, and flipping your food with it is a breeze – just adjust the Grill until it touches all three legs and backs down to whatever height you are cooking at.
The tripod tubes are self-attaching with bungees, although you should keep them away from flames as the nylon could melt over the fire.
With its sliding chain design for effortless adjustment, you don’t need to worry about precariously balancing this Coleman tripod on rocks and logs or finding level ground.
When you’re done cooking, this little guy breaks down small enough to store almost anywhere in your camp bag. Though it doesn’t feature a carrying case, this is a part to take care of on your own.
That being said, if you plan on using a heavy cast iron pot with this campfire tripod, we recommend looking elsewhere, as the Coleman campfire tripod will not adequately support such weight. It is pretty cheaply made, so be aware that it may not be able to hold heavier items like cast iron pots and may sway quite a bit in windy conditions.
You won’t necessarily get all the bells and whistles with this Coleman product, but you will get plenty of value at a great price.
Got anything to add?
Have any questions or experience to share about campfire tripods? Drop a comment below!
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