Coleman is a brand that is quite well-known among backpackers, boaters, campers, fishers, and hunters. The company manufactures and markets a long list of equipment for adventurers. These include, among others, sleeping bags, tents, camping cookware, lanterns, and outdoor fireplaces.

Coleman offers several models of portable outdoor fireplaces designed specifically for those who enjoy open spaces, whether in the wilderness or just in their own backyard.

If you like to camp and cook your food in forest clearings, there are several models suited for this purpose. These are:

• Dome Fireplace. These units consist of a dome assembly, screen assembly, fire bowl, grates, and leg supports. The dome could either be made of ordinary steel, stainless steel, or copper. It has an opening at the top which serves as the outlet for the smoke, and rests on the circular screen assembly that serves as a protective barrier to the fire. This barrier, in turn, stands on the fire bowl. The leg supports raise the fire bowl about a couple of feet above the ground.

• Round/Square Fireplace. These are similar to the domed type. The difference is that instead of the dome fireplace’s circular protective screen topped by a dome of steel or copper, the fire bowl of the round/square fireplaces are covered with a domed screen. This serves to keep children from touching the bowl as well as to keep embers from floating into the air. The fire bowl is made either of regular steel, stainless steel, or copper. The round kind could be 30, 35, or 40 inches in diameter, while the square type is 33 inches long. While it may be manageable carrying the 30- to 35-inch models in the back of your truck, the 40-inch wood-burner may better off in your backyard.

• Round/Square Fireplace and Grill. This type resembles the dome fireplace, except for the dome. In its place is a damper or a lid that blocks floating embers. It is a portable warmer and, as the name implies, doubles as a grill. There are two designs available, round and square units.

There are also models meant to be used in your patio or backyard.

• Patio Fireplace with Wheels. Like the portable models, patio fireplaces can also be round or square. Their design is basically the same as their portable cousins, except that they may be equipped with a fire starter fueled with propane gas. This helps ignite the wood.

• Outdoor Hearth Fireplace. Except for a few minor variations in styling and size, this is also very similar to the patio fireplace. There is, however, no fire starter for this model.

• Stainless Steel Gas Log Patio Hearth. This is a propane gas-fueled fireplace for your patio. The advantage of this is that it lights up easily and you don’t have to worry about embers and ashes, or keeping a stock of firewood. Environmentalists would also say that this is kinder on the environment than burning wood.