5 Of The Best Portable Grills For Car Camping

With winter falling behind us, our thoughts are turning to the upcoming camping season. That means it's time to get our gear in order to ensure that the first foray into the wilderness doesn't end in disaster. We've spent all winter perusing various camping apps to finalize a list of places to explore, and now, as the first warm days arrive, we've begun dragging our camping gear and gadgets out of storage for inspection.

One piece of camping gear that sees the most wear and tear each season, besides the tent, is the portable camping grill. These necessarily lightweight grills are subjected to direct flame, excessive heat, and little acceptable maintenance, leaving their protective finishes damaged beyond repair until rust takes over. If your camping grill has its best days behind it, it's time to start searching for a new one.

Car campers require different properties from their grills than backpackers and some RV travelers, although many RVers also pack portable grills into remote camping sites. To qualify as one of the best portable grills for car camping, the unit must be compact enough to fit into a car or small SUV and lightweight enough for one person to load into the car.

The Weber Q 1000, available from Weber and other retailers for $229.00, is a highly rated option for a car camping grill. While Weber produces a wide variety of grill sizes, the Q 1000 offers an excellent blend of quality, cooking power, and portability at a reasonable price. 

The overall dimensions of the Weber Q 1000 measure 27 inches wide, 16.5 inches front to back, and 14.5 inches tall with the lid closed, smaller than many ice chests. While Weber doesn't list weight information for the Q 1000, Camping World indicates the assembled grill weighs 28.5 pounds. Its liquid propane gas-fired stainless-steel burner delivers up to 8,500 BTU per hour. 

While the stainless-steel burner description indicates the presence of only one burner, it's not a single strip down the center of the grill. Instead, the Q 1000's single burner loops around near the perimeter underneath the grill grate to provide more uniform heating and even cooking temperatures. The Weber Q 1000 provides 189 square inches of cooking space. The included "porcelain-enameled, cast-iron cooking grates" provide excellent heat transfer to sear those grill marks into your steak and an easy-to-clean surface. 

Out of 1,395 reviews on Weber.com, 1,088 reviewers gave the Q 1000 Gas Grill five stars. According to reviewers, the lack of a latch to lock the lid for transport is the most significant design failure.

Another solid choice for a car camping grill is the Coleman RoadTrip 225 Portable Tabletop Propane Grill. The RoadTrip 225 is usually priced at $209.99, but is on sale for $164.99 from Coleman and available at other retailers at various prices. Coleman provides various grill options, including others suited to car camping, along with a complete line of products to satisfy nearly every camping need.

The Coleman RoadTrip 225 Portable Tabletop grill measures 22.13 inches wide, 18.63 inches deep, 14 inches high, and weighs 30.4 pounds. It has 225 square inches of cooking surface with two separately controlled burners, allowing a range of cooking temperatures. The RoadTrip 225 generates up to 11,000 BTU and is powered by one-pound propane gas bottles.

One of the most significant pros is that the grill is already fully assembled. However, like the Weber grill listed here, the lid doesn't have a locking latch to secure it for transport.

The Cuisinart Petit Gourmet Portable Tabletop Gas Grill sells for $149.99 at Cuisinart.com and other retailers for higher and lower prices. Like other brands, Cuisinart offers other portable grills, but their Petit Gourmet Tabletop Grill provides the best combination of features for car campers with the best review ratings.

Lowe's lists the Petit Gourmet Tabletop Grill's dimensions as 18 inches wide, 12.2 inches deep, 12 inches tall, and 14.6 pounds. The Petit Grill features a single, propane-fired burner that provides up to 5,500 BTU to the grill's 150 square inches of porcelain-coated steel cooking grates. While 5,500 BTU is lower than the other grills on this list, the Petit Grill is more compact, with a smaller cooking area that requires less heat to cook without scorching.

The Petit Grill is available in red, black, and stainless steel, comes fully assembled, and has folding legs for compact storage. It even has a locking lid for transport, although some reviewers found the mechanism's operation frustrating.

While portable propane gas grills are an excellent choice for car camping, many prefer using charcoal. The Weber Go-Anywhere Charcoal Grill is an economical option, priced at $71.00 from Weber.com and big box stores.

The Weber Go-Anywhere Charcoal Grill's compact dimensions measure 19.5 inches wide, 11.5 inches deep, 15 inches high, and 15 pounds. It provides 160 square inches of cooking surface on a plated steel cooking grate designed to retain heat while offering an easy-to-clean surface.

The Go-Anywhere Charcoal Grill's porcelain-enameled exterior retains heat and resists peeling and corrosion for extended use. It also features four aluminum dampers to control airflow into the charcoal chamber, allowing temperature control or extinguishing the charcoal when finished cooking by closing completely. The three glass-reinforced nylon handles allow lifting the lid or the entire grill. Please use caution if the cooker is still hot.

Once the grill is cooled, the wire legs flip over the lid to secure it for transport. However, even with the dampers closed, it could make a mess in the back seat of your car.

The $337.49 PKGO Grill and Smoker, available from PK Grills and other retailers, is a versatile charcoal grill in a quality compact package. At the upper end of the price range for a portable car camping grill, the quality and versatility of this grill are far above average.

The PKGO Grill and Smoker features a cast aluminum exterior that measures 21 inches wide, 15.3 inches front to back, and 13 inches tall. While solidly constructed, the PKGO grill weighs just 39.5 pounds, and its cooking surface measures 17 inches long and 12 inches deep at the widest points. However, the included FlipKit allows for the detaching and inverting of the lid to double the cooking area. The PKGO Grill FlipKit consists of a cradle to hold the inverted lid securely, an additional charcoal grate, and extra cast iron cooking grates to transform the lid into a second hibachi-style grill.

The PKGO Grill and Smoker features a proprietary four-point venting system to control airflow for two-zone grilling and smoking. This system allows the opening of all four vents partially or completely for controlled-temperature direct heat. Alternatively, coals can be placed at one end over an open bottom vent, and the other end of the cooking surface can be used to apply indirect heat by opening one of the top vents.

Finally, the PKGO Grill features locking lid latches on each side to hold it securely in place for travel. The integrated side handles make it easy to lift and carry.

As a dedicated camping enthusiast, I've used many portable grills. These portable grill options are from the shortlist for my next camp grill.

The grills highlighted here offer a range of options, including liquid propane gas and charcoal heat sources, cast iron and porcelain-coated metal cooking surfaces, and lids with or without latching mechanisms. Each grill is small and lightweight enough to easily transport in the back seat of a car while offering a quick setup process for cooking at your campsite. In addition, the range of prices fits nearly any budget.