While most grills tend to sit in the backyard, you might want to take yours along on a camping trip. If you want to enjoy a steak on your picnic or hike, fitting a full-sized grill in your car’s truck will surely be difficult.
Fortunately, there are several portable grills for camping that are fueled by gas, electricity, and charcoal.
While some are small enough to fit in your backpack, others are slightly larger. Below, you’ll find the best portable grills for camping, ranging from our top choice to our lower choices.
Best Portable Grills For Camping
We did the leg-work; scoured Amazon, tested the highly-rated portable grills, and finally rounded up the best ones worth spending on.
The Weber grill is hands down the best option since it’s compact, strong, and has an easy start-up. It has a single 8500 BTU per hour stainless steel burner, providing 189 square inches of cooking area for all your burger buns and steaks.
Since it has porcelain-enameled cooking grates and a cast aluminum body, the grill is durable enough to bear wear and tear during camping trips. Plus, the durable body requires minimal care and withstands high heat efficiently.
The grill comes fully assembled with AAA batteries.
Moreover, it has electronic ignition, making it easy for you to fire it up. As for the performance, Weber grills are known for being suitable for everything from extensive full meals to basic burgers.
A slight shortcoming of this grill is that it struggles to get hot at altitudes above 3000 feet. Below that height, the grill does a wonderful job of heating up in under ten minutes.
Featuring a 160 square inch cooking grate, the Cuisinart gas grill has a spacious surface for cooking a meal for four. Since the grill distributes heat evenly, you can cover the whole surface with your ingredients.
Moreover, it has a 500 BTU burner that starts upon twisting, thanks to the electric ignition. Since there’s a temperature gauge, you can fix the grill at the precise heat settings for cooking every meal perfectly.
Measuring 19 x 11. 5 x 10 inches, the grill is portable enough to be taken anywhere. As it comes with a stand, you can stabilize it on the ground or a flat rock easily.
If you’re planning to use it at home, the patio or balcony is the perfect place for it.
Owing to the well-engineered design, the grill can be set up and packed away in a matter of seconds. The integrated lid locks into a briefcase-like compact structure with a carrying handle for easy portability.
If you’re a huge fan of pork ribs but hate the clean-up that follows, you’d be delighted to learn about the grill’s drip tray. It collects any grease during cooking, allowing an easier clean-up. Meanwhile, the grill comes with a three-year limited warranty.
If you’re planning to rent an RV for a summer of tailgating, you might want to check out this Coleman propane gas grill for the road. It has 10,000 BTUs of power and a 225 square inches cooking area, being suitable for a group of four.
As there are two adjustable burners, you can fix two meals at once and control the temperature precisely for each side. As for the grease, the water pan collects it, making it easier for you to clean the mess later.
The push-button ignition is easy enough to work with – even for beginners – while the matchless lighting beats the needs of keeping any flammables in the RV.
To increase the versatility of the grill, you can swap the cooktops with stove grates or griddles.
Although not as fancy-looking as some other Cuisinart grills, this one is definitely a must-have for camping trips. It features a 146 square inch steel cooking grate that gives you enough surface to cook a meal for three.
More importantly, the grates are dishwasher safe, so you can clean them easily when you get home from your camping trip.
Furthermore, the grill has 8000 BTUs of power and push-to-ignite functionality for easy use.
Measuring only 19 x 11. 5 x 10 inches, the grill easily fits in a bag or the backseat of your car. You can also keep it on the balcony of a small apartment or take it along on tailgating trips.
Since the grill comes pre-assembled, you simply have to take it out of the box, and it will be ready for cooking your first meal in minutes. Once you’re done cooking, the lid locks into place, allowing easy portability.
To make clean-up easier, the grill contains a drip tray that collects drippings and grease from your barbecue handouts. Plus, you get a three-year limited warranty.
Although it offers remarkable functionality, the grill falls short in its build. The vents behind the grill are razor-sharp and might cut you if you’re not careful while holding or transporting it.
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Finally, the Char-Broil X200 is another portable grill for your camping trips that comes with a 200 square inch cooking surface and TRU-Infrared cooking mechanism. Since the Infrared technology separates the food from the flames, there are no flare-ups.
Besides, the heat spreads evenly throughout the cooking grate, preventing any hot or cold spots in your food.
However, the most noteworthy feature of the grill is its built – cast aluminum firebox with a high-impact frame, which can gracefully bear the brunt of camping and hiking trips.
While it comes road-ready, the grill is last on our list due to its low heat output and smaller cooking area. These shortcomings make the grill unfit for larger groups with specialized meal requirements.
Conclusion
Whether you’re going on a one-time camping trip or need a portable grill for your Class A motorhome, tailgating through several states, there’s an option for you in this guide.
Keep in mind that these grills certainly don’t have the functionality of their full-sized counterparts, but they’re your integral companions if you love to savor grilled corn or chicken wings even when away from home.
