Camping Grill

The Weber Go-Anywhere grill is made for portability. It’s designed like a suitcase with a convenient handle. And when you’re going to use it, simply extend the plated steel legs, unlock the lid, and reveal the 11.5 x 19.5-inch cooking space!

That’s big enough to feed yourself and one or two of your camping buddies.

That’s not even the best part…

There were strong winds while we were camping, and the cool night air could’ve given us problems. But the porcelain-coated cast iron material effectively retained heat and kept our food cooking steadily.

And it’s durable too! The coating didn’t peel off after several uses. We had no problems scratching off the soot even after cooking for days.

Also…

The stainless steel grates are long-lasting. They blackened in some areas, but they’re still usable.

And we loved the charcoal grate – the one you put at the base where you must place the charcoal. The ashes pool under it, which makes it easier to clean. But if you don’t like the coals to be that close to your food, you can ditch the grate altogether.

We assure you – the porcelain-enameled base can take it!

Overall…

We found that Weber Go-Anywhere has what it takes to be the best portable charcoal grill. It’s our Editor’s Choice, after all!

If you’re camping with the whole clan. But it exceeded our expectations from charcoal grills of compact sizes and weights. Especially for such an affordable price!

Cuisinart has enough cooking space for a small group of campers. Others might find it too small and shallow, but we still think it’s one of the best portable grills.

Why is that?

It has so many features that we didn’t expect from one of the most affordable camp grills you can find on the market. That’s why it’s our Best Value portable grill!

Cuisinart employs a dual venting system which allows just the right airflow to keep the heat in. When done cooking, it’s safe to cover it with the lid and keep the coals burning by opening the dual vents.

This way, you can save some on the coals while still having a great cooking experience.

Another thing…

Its firebox is enamel-coated and paired with an ash catcher! The metal grate for the charcoal might make the firebox even more shallow than it already is, but this design makes the grill easier to clean.

The chrome-plated cooking grate won’t give you any problems as well. We easily scratched soot out of it after several cooking sessions. The same goes with the lid and firebox.

Lastly…

The material of the lid and the other parts don’t look as durable as the others. They’re actually thinner and feel flimsy. But the grill is still intact as of now, even after several uses and camping adventures.

If you’re careful enough to store it clean, dry, and with the locks in place while at transport, you’ll prevent any damage to the grill. So, overall, Cuisinart is more than worth the money!

Now, let me introduce you to our Top Pick award winner – Weber Q1200! It’s a bit expensive and too heavy for its size, but it’s still worth the price and effort to bring to camp.

That’s because of its special features…

Its ignition is battery-operated, so this grill will spark up to life with just one turn. We can’t count how much we’ve wasted on burnt food and gas before – just because we couldn’t control the heat of our grill. But not with Weber Q1200’s easy-adjust burner valve! 

The heat also evens out over the cooking space as easily as you can turn its knob. 

However, you must know…

When we went on a hike and decided to spend some time on higher terrain than our campsite, we took our cooking grates and other gear. And the Weber Q1200 grill took more time to heat up than usual. 

At first, we thought it was the gas. But when we went back down on the same day, it lit up and cooked pretty well in the low-altitude areas. So, it has great heat retention if you just stay on the lower parts.

By the way…

How do you think we were able to keep track of the temperature?

Well, the Weber Q1200 has a built-in thermometer on its lid! It flashes the grill temperature in real-time so you can manage it better.

That single feature gave us a great cooking experience at camp!

Add to that…

Weber Q1200 has a 189-square-inch space for cooking! That’s wide enough for three to five people to grill to their hearts’ content.

And when the meat is cooked, but you want to keep it warm, no worries… You can simply extend the grill on both sides to reveal its sturdy side tables. We found it very convenient, especially because they’re durable enough to hold a few pounds of food.

And when the party’s over…

You can still relax because cleaning up isn’t that hard with Weber Q1200. Grease and burnt food don’t stick to cast iron as much as it does to any other material. Plus, cast iron is more durable too.

So, overall, it’s worth every buck you spend on it!

The Cuisinart Propane Gas Grill isn’t the lightest of all the gas grills – or any other type – that we’ve tried. But it’s surprisingly light for its size!

In other words…

Other portable grills with 145-square-inch cooking surfaces are usually heavier than this Cuisinart’s 13.5 lbs. Couple that with its suitcase-like portable design – this grill is so easy to carry to and from the camp!

We took this out several times on different camping trips. And it never busted open by itself because its lock is so secure. We can’t say the same thing about other grills we’ve had.

And if you’re wondering…

Cuisinart’s 145-square-inch cooking surface is ample enough for a small camp. Maybe for one family or a group of friends.

But if you’re going to be out with the whole clan, this might not be your best choice. Especially because it takes more than 15 minutes to get a steady temperature for cooking. Its grilling power is only up to 5500 BTU, whereas others can go thrice as high or more.

Also…

Once the temperature rises, it heats the whole grill – grate, lid, frame, and handle! You better be twice as careful, especially if you’re camping with kids. And after using our Cuisinart grill several times, we found that the heat warped the case in some parts. 

But it’s a great advantage when it comes to cooking. This grill is designed to retain heat and keep your food cooking steadily.

Add to that…

It has a battery-operated ignition which works well for a long time. We didn’t have to turn the knob many times – once was enough, and the cooking started. And after use, cleaning wasn’t that hard.

Sure, there were scratches and damages here and there. But for its price, the Cuisinart propane gas grill is a great buy!

When it comes to an expensive camp stove or grill, we set the bar high up. Nobody wants to waste their money, right? So we had high expectations from the Coleman Roadtrip 285.

And we weren’t disappointed!

First, let’s talk about its unique features.

It has a water tray which is very useful in evening out the heat distribution all over the grill. But it’s too shallow, and we found it hard to take out without spilling the murky, greasy water all over the place!

That’s why we took a point off the Ease of Use metric. But when it comes to lighting the grill up and cooking, it’s all a walk in the park!

Have we mentioned it?

You can fire up this grill with a push of a button! And there are three burners that you can use one or two at a time. Or, if you’re cooking for a crowd, you can fire them up altogether since the space for cooking is wide enough – 285-square-inch, to be exact!

And you won’t have to worry about the heat. Coleman Roadtrip 285 has a 20000-BTU grill power, one of the highest. If that intimidates you, simply turn the thermometer on so you can monitor the temperature better.

And we’re not done…

This Coleman grill comes with a wheeled table! That explains the heavy package…

We don’t recommend wheeling the grill from your home to the mountains. But it was very convenient for us to move the cookware around the campsite looking for the perfect spot.

These features made camp cooking as convenient as cooking in our kitchen at home!

There are times when you just want to go on adventures on your own. Or with at least one friend. 

My buddy and I do that all the time. And we found the best portable grill to bring in such occasions! It’s small, with 105 square inches of cooking space – just enough for one or two. And it’s only 10.25 lbs.

But aside from being compact…

The Coleman Fold N Go is super easy to use! Like most portable grills in this list, it’s already assembled. So you just need to unfold it, attach the propane tank, turn it on, then cook!

It took more than 15 minutes before we were satisfied with its temperature, which was longer than we liked. Then we realized it only has a 6000-BTU grilling power. But the heat spreads evenly throughout the grate, so we had a steady cooking experience.

And what’s best about it…

… is how you can conserve the heat by closing the lid! It’s completely safe to do that. We’d know because we tried it after reading lots of reviews encouraging us to do so. And it cooked our burgers and other meals quicker.

This might not be the perfect grill for you if you’re after durability. It’s made with lighter materials compared to others. And some say that the lid doesn’t always lock in place, although we haven’t had that problem with our Coleman.

But all-in-all… Coleman Fold N Go is a great budget portable camping grill!

This product doesn’t have a firepit or burners. It’s just a grate and nothing else.

But don’t underestimate it!

The Bitty Big grate is simple, traditional, and perfect for the good old camp cooking method – using kindling!

You can fold it into a 6.7 x 3.46 x 3.43-inch, 1.7-pound stainless steel box. It’s easy to carry, which is great for backpacking. But you can extend it up to a maximum of 16 x 10-inch grilling space!

Not only that…

It has adjustable legs that you can fold or extend to your desired height. So, even if you can’t control the flame, you have a say on how close the food is to the kindling.

We’ve tried some modern, high-end portable grills. But Bitty Big reminded us of the advantages of complication-free camp cooking.

Just be warned…

Bitty Big’s screws might come loose after several uses. And if you don’t clean it carefully and make sure it’s dry when you store it, it will start rusting.

By the way, we recommend that you clean the soot off immediately. We neglected it for the whole duration of our trip and ended up with a blackened grate.

Still…

For this price point – even for just a traditional grill and no other features!

If you’ve been reading about cookware, you’ve probably heard of cast iron. It’s a durable material but not the most resistant to rust. But when coated or seasoned, it’s super easy to clean.

And when it comes to those criteria, Camp Chef understood the assignment!

In other words…

It’s just a small thing, with enough space to cook for two to three people at a time. But even then, it’s such a heavy tabletop gas grill. 

But we figured it’s a small price to pay for durability. Camp Chef has been our companion for many, many camping trips. And it’s still up and running to this day! So we didn’t mind the extra bucks we paid for it.

And more importantly…

It’s not your usual gas range. Camp Chef Deluxe has heat diffusers that turn flames into infrared heat, providing a safer cooking experience. And this mechanism retains more heat than the usual grill.

The only downside is that the temperature distributes to the whole grill – even the lid and handles. So better be careful.

But we didn’t think much of that. Because in just about six minutes, we were able to enjoy medium-rare steaks cooked on this Camp Chef Deluxe!

On top of that…

Seasoned cast iron is easy to clean. And even more so with Camp Chef Deluxe because its infrared heat reduces grease to vapor as it drops to the case.

It doesn’t just ease up the cleaning process. But it also adds to the flavor of your meals!

Portable camping grills with lots of special features are bound to be heavy. So we didn’t mind that Coleman Roadtrip X-Cursion weighs 43.2 lbs!

Here’s what we’re talking about…

With this portable package, you don’t only get a grill – you’ll also have a wheeled tabletop! Its scissor legs are easy to extend, manage, and close. When we had to move our campsite to flatter but rougher terrain, the wheels didn’t disappoint us!

And the table is sturdy enough. We didn’t even notice that cooked meat was piling up on the plate because the table held up fine.

That’s not even the best part…

The Coleman Roadtrip X-Cursion is more of a camp stove because grilling is only one of the options. You can flip the 285-square-inch stovetop to reveal the griddle. 

We’re telling you – pancakes at camp are on a whole new level!

Not to mention…

Cooking is as easy as pie with Coleman Roadtrip X-Cursion. Once you’re settled, you only need to push a button and ignite the burners. The valves are easy to control, so you can cook at your desired temperature.

But you have to start cleaning after your meal immediately. Even though it’s cast iron, we think it lacks coating because grease and soot clung to the grate’s surfaces after our third or fourth use.

Also…

We hoped it could’ve been more durable, considering its price. There are cast iron and aluminum camp stoves that are cheaper but are just as sturdy. But the burners are still burning, so that’s a good sign.

We’re surely going to enjoy this stove for many camping trips in the future. So, overall, Coleman Roadtrip X-Cursion is still worth the money!

A 189-square-inch space for grilling is good enough for a small camp. But 27.5 pounds of weight isn’t as compact as we hoped.

Still, the Weber Q1000 grill has its perks…

Its grilling power can go up to 8500 BTU, which wasn’t the highest we’ve seen but good enough. But the best thing about it was the instant ignition. 

Unlike other push-button ignition grills, Weber Q1000 lives up to its promises. With others, there were times when the burner sparked up, but it would take a few more minutes before the flames grew. That didn’t happen with our Weber Q1000.

However…

After just one camping trip, we had to replace the regulator. It was a bummer because the grill was already expensive. We didn’t want to spend even more. Yet, what could we do when it was already hard to control?

On our last day with the original regulator, we couldn’t turn the heat down, so the whole grill was burning hot. So much so that the plastic parts of the case warped!

Good thing…

We found regulators that are compatible with the Weber Q1000. Once replaced, it was as good as new – except for the melted parts.

Even now, we’re still enjoying this grill’s company!