RE: Need a Good Portable Gas Grill

4campinfoxes · Sep 28, 2003, 07:05 PM

We have been using a small Weber gas grill for about 3 years now and are looking for something to replace it. We haven t been really happy with the way it works, it tends to be difficult to control the temperature and a little bit unsteady in how it sits on the table or grill stand.

What gas grill do you use, why & how do you like it? We re ready to make a change & would love input & opinions from others.

Thanks!

Sharon

GaryWT · Feb 19, 2003, 11:27 PM

4campinfoxesWe upgraded to the weber a couple years ago from the $20 sunbeam. It is a lot better than what we had but the small ones will never be as good as a large one. A friend of mine as a little square on that is cast iron. I have seen them at RV stores for about $80, not sure who makes it.

SheBantam · Feb 20, 2003, 07:29 AM

4campinfoxesFirstly, I am not a grilling expert, marinate those steaks or chops and throw them bad boys on the grill, that disclaimer being made, I use a portable gas grill I got on sale at Rite-aid for $9.99 a couple of years ago. It was such a good deal, hubby made me go back for a spare, when they came on sale last year, he had me buy one for each of the adult children in the area. So not being an expert this grill works great for me and is plenty big for our purposes.

Gamecock Camper · Feb 20, 2003, 08:42 AM

4campinfoxesUse a portable charcoal grill. The flavor of your grilled food will taste so much better. With today s instant light charcoals, it really isn t much more trouble to use a charcoal grill than a portable gas grill. If you want gas, eat more beans (LOL).

RamblingWreck · Feb 20, 2003, 09:24 AM

4campinfoxesThe Coleman Roadtrip grill maybe larger than you were considering but others on this board have given it an excellent review:

http://www.popuptimes.com/members/tm.asp?m=9239&p=1&tmode=1

If your camper has mount to put your gas stove outside, then another option would be an RVque. They go on same mount and connect to the popups propane tank. I looked at one at an RV show. Set up is similar to the full size weber gas grill and uses angle iron for grease to drip on.

With my full size Weber, I have found that some of the grease works its way down and will cause a flair up if I don t clean it. I would think it would be wise to keep the RVque clean as it is mounted directly to the side of your popup, that s the last place I would want a grease flair up!

Rambling Wreck

4campinfoxes · Feb 20, 2003, 02:58 PM

4campinfoxesThanks for some of the ideas. I am doing more research, the about.com camping area has a " Top 9 Portable Grills" section. That list is as follows:
1. Coleman Road Trip
2. Thermos Grill-2-Go
3. Weber Go-Anywhere (that s what we have)
4. Broken Wing Cookers
5. Camp Chef Sports Grill (aka Adventurer II)
6. The Companion by Holland
7. George Foreman Portable
8. Keg-a-Que
9. The Parker Grill.

HGTV.com adds these to their list:
Grill4All
Thermal Engineering Corp Cherokee
Ducane Take it or Leave it
and some others

So - I ve heard good things about the Coleman, good & bad about the Thermos and pretty much nothing about the others. Any opinions out there?[

] Right now I m not sure how much we re willing to spend but DH did say we could " make an investment" in a good grill. I agree with him, after all we cook on it at least once a day while camping!

Thanks everyone!

Sharon

RamblingWreck · Feb 20, 2003, 03:52 PM

4campinfoxesHere is a link to the manufacturer of the RVQ grill. There are a lot of favorable testimonals on their website.

http://www.vitco.com/ws/The_RVQ_7.html

Consumer reports rates full size gas grills every few years. Usually Weber and Ducan run neck and neck for top honors.

Here is a link to Amazon.com who carry the Ducane F7011073 Firelight II BBQ/Campstove

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000775FH/102-3200494-1661735

I have known several owners of full size Ducane grills and they all loved them.

We have a Weber full size gas grill and find it is easy to regulate temperature. One of the above mentioned testimonals for RVQ compare it to the Weber in that aspect. I also read up on the RVQ grill cleaning recomendations. They do suggest that all grease be cleaned out after each use.

Rambling Wreck

MtnCamper · Feb 20, 2003, 05:17 PM

4campinfoxesI just don t think I would be comfortable with a grill attached to the side of the popup. You all know how a burger will flame, I would much rather walk all the way over to the picnic table, then put the flamer out! If I did have one, I would have to stand there all the time, and watch it! And face it at $159 + $10 shipping, It s kinda high priced. It s just a gas grill, no different than a $20 Sunbeam.

I would rather have my stove on the bracket, and the grill going on the picnic table. A cold beer and no worries.

If it was a smoker, or an honest BBQ maybe (probably not) but nothing to gain for me.

Of course this is all JMHO.

ThunderRock · Feb 20, 2003, 10:05 PM

MtnCamper

QuoteIt s just a gas grill, no different than a $20 Sunbeam.

I would rather have my stove on the bracket, and the grill going on the picnic table. A cold beer and no worries.

My sediments exactly........we have the $35 Sunbeam, haven t had a problem yet, the stove on the bracket, grill on the table & the extra 20# propane tank to power the grill/high pressure Coleman stove. Cooking in the fast lane for us!! [

][

]

Bearnkat · Feb 20, 2003, 10:19 PM

4campinfoxesFor Christmas this past year, I got the grill that I had been dreaming of, the Olympian.[

] I haven t used it a lot yet, but the couple of times I have, it cooked like a dream with no flare ups. It cost around $90.00 and I feel is well worth it since it is cast aluminum and should be very durable. Camping World handles it plus several of the speciality BBQ grill outlets.

mike4947 · Feb 20, 2003, 10:20 PM

4campinfoxesGota go with Thunder and Mtn, my Sunbeams have been providing grilled food for years. A lot of the so called " grills" aren t. They are griddles with a gas flame under them.
So between the Sunbeam and a griddle for the stove we got better than the best of both worlds and don t have to take up hugh amounts of storage space and they re easier to clean.

P-MAN · Feb 21, 2003, 11:48 AM

4campinfoxesWe have the Coleman Road Trip Grill and love it. It has a huge cooking area, and has optional griddle, stove grids or " grills" available. You can set it up to have 1/2 half of it as a griddle and the other half of it a " grill" , or a stove grid (i.e...a burner to heat up say, a coffee pot, boil water etc).

To solve the propane problem, I purchased a propane " T" and install it at the side of the trailer where the propane outlet for the " outside" stove hooks up and run an additional hose(s) to the Road Trip Grill. Allows me to have three stoves running at once (inside stove, outside stove and Roadtrip Grill), all off of the trailer s own propane tank. And, believe it or not, we have had all three stoves going at once particularly during the breakfast meal when cooking pancakes, bacon, oatmeal and the like all at the same time.

The Road Trip Grill can be used on the stand that comes with it or alone, right on the picnic table. We have also used it at home during barbecues with family and friends and it worked great using it for those outings!!!

Like any other option though, there are some disadvantages like some have already alluded to. The Road Trip Grill is another relatively large item to pack, and although it stores in a very sturdy bag with wheels on it, you still have to find a place for it. And it is a bit heavy to lug around, but we feel it is worth it.

We looked at the Thermos Grill to Go and several others at Camping World and decided on the Road Trip Grill. We purchased extra griddles and " grills" which allow us to make the entire surface a griddle or a grill, or 1/2 and 1/2.

wssfetch · Feb 21, 2003, 09:17 PM

4campinfoxesWe re using one of those little cheapy gas grills that we picked up at Walgreens on sale for $9.99 several years ago. In fact we bought a couple of them at that price and this is the one that is still going. It is lightweight and doesn t take up much space when packed but it also doesn t have a whole lot of grilling surface.

Today in WalMart I eyed the small Sunbeam gas grills with two racks, priced under $20. Should have bought one. Maybe I ll go back tomorrow and hope they aren t gone. There were just a few left on the shelf.

small5 · Feb 21, 2003, 10:29 PM

Bearnkat

QuoteORIGINAL: Bearnkat

For Christmas this past year, I got the grill that I had been dreaming of, the Olympian.[] I haven t used it a lot yet, but the couple of times I have, it cooked like a dream with no flare ups. It cost around $90.00 and I feel is well worth it since it is cast aluminum and should be very durable. Camping World handles it plus several of the speciality BBQ grill outlets.

DITTO to Bearnkat!

We purchased an OLYMPIAN four (4) seasons ago and it s still working great! I picked mine up at Camping World for approximately $70 minus the Presidents Club 10%). You can also purchase replacement parts if needed.

topcat7736 · Feb 21, 2003, 11:42 PM

4campinfoxesMy original one was a $20 Sunbeam. It lasted about 5 years & then fell apart. Upgraded to a $20 Weber from The Sports Authority, which we have now been using for 3 years. Before dumping the Sunbeam, I saved the grill. Cut it down so it fits inside the Weber and sits on the legs. Added some lava stones and put the new cooking grill back on. Makes the food taste like it was cooked on a big one.

The Sunbeam s burner had openings on its top. It tended to flare up and clog more often than the Weber which has the burner openings on the underside. But, if you don t clean the grease away, all grills are going to flare up. Gives the food a great taste when it does.

Small ones, big ones, it never seems to matter. They all last some period of time & then die and get replaced. Your question should be " what surface size do I need" ? If, the majority of the time, you are grilling for two, opt for a small, cheap one which will allow you to cook your meat & potatoes at the same time. If you are grilling for more people, get a bigger one.

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