In the past, we’ve published a post on portable campfires that RVers can take along wherever they go. This post examines a slightly different product. Known as a folding camp grill (or collapsible grill for camping), this product can serve not only as a portable campfire or “fire pit” but also as a grill for cooking food outside your RV.
We love cooking outside, and we’ve carried a portable propane grill with us for the entire time we’ve been on the road. In fact, we use our grill so much that we decided to connect it to our onboard propane tank as we showed in this video:
But folding or collapsible camping grills are different. They’re extremely compact, inexpensive to purchase, and don’t require a connection to a propane tank. No matter what size rig you travel in, these collapsible camping grills are lightweight and compact enough to store away in a very small space. In fact, if you’re a car camper or even a backpacker, you can carry a folding camp grill, depending on the size and weight you buy.
So, without further ado, let’s take a look at folding camping grills – how they work, how much they cost, and just how compact they really are!
- 1) What’s a Folding Camp Grill?
- 2) Are Foldable Grills Expensive?
- 3) What Are the Advantages of a Foldable Camping Grill?
- 4) What Are the Disadvantages of Folding Camp Grills?
- 5) Can I Just Grill on Top of a Campfire?
- 6) 5 Complete Folding Grills for Your RVing Pleasure
- 7) Do You Have a Favorite Folding Camp Grill?
What’s a Folding Camp Grill?
A folding camp grill is a grill intended to be used to cook food or as a little “fire pit” or campfire for warming, gathering with friends, or roasting marshmallows (S’mores!). Folding or collapsible camping grills break down or fold into a compact size that stores away easily. Some come with a small carrying case and are compact enough and lightweight enough to toss into a backpack for use, even when hiking and tent camping.
Are Foldable Grills Expensive?
While foldable camping grills vary in cost, they can usually be purchased at a very affordable price. Some camping grills cost several hundred dollars, but foldable camping grills are available in many styles and sizes for a fraction of that cost.
What Are the Advantages of a Foldable Camping Grill?
There are several advantages to foldable camping grills, not the least of which is their compact size when folded for storage, regardless of how you travel.
Among the greatest advantages of foldable camping grills is the fact that they’re capable of being stored in such a compact manner, making them reasonable for any camping situation.
The lightweight nature of most collapsible camping grills is another benefit for RVers (and all types of campers), as is the fact that there’s a folding camp grill to fit just about every budget.
For cost reference, we feature a grill below that sells for only $25! Not too bad for a grill you can use day after day, camping trip after camping trip, to cook your meals in the great outdoors!
What Are the Disadvantages of Folding Camp Grills?
The disadvantages of this type of grill include the fact that many are pretty small (a trade-off for the compact and lightweight features) and that they require either carrying charcoal or having wood available to keep the fire burning well enough to cook your food (although many backpacking grills do use small containers of fuel that can be purchased at a camping store).
You can, of course, choose to buy a larger grill, but you still have to carry the “fuel” (charcoal or wood), and you also need to research carefully to make sure you’re getting a grill that will hold up to wind, rain, and other elements of the outdoors.
Note: In order to avoid having to carry lighter fluid, you may want to consider a product like these very popular Weber lighter cubes:
Sale
Weber Lighter Cubes, 24 Piece, 4 Pack, White
- 4 Boxes, each containing 24 cubes
- Lighter Cubes are your answer to fast, ash-free, and environmentally safe charcoal ignition.
Important notes: You always need to be cautious when carrying charcoal, bearing in mind that it’s a highly combustible item that can easily ignite if subjected to a strong spark. For more information on the flammability of charcoal, see this article. Also, be aware of any fire restrictions in the area you’re heading to… if bad enough, you may be barred from using ANY non-propane grills or fire pits. Call ahead.
Can I Just Grill on Top of a Campfire?
You absolutely can grill over a campfire, and many campers do just that. In order to cook over your open campfire, however, you’ll need to pick up a “grill top” or “grilling mesh” to lay across the campfire to hold and cook your food, if the campsite doesn’t include one as part of the fire ring at your site. These are examples of this type of grill top:
But you’re here to learn more about foldable camping grills… so let’s get to it!
5 Complete Folding Grills for Your RVing Pleasure
Let’s take a look at 5 folding camp grills that will not only save space but will also cook your food outdoors at any camping location:
Newluck Folding Charcoal Barbecue Grill Set
Newluck’s folding charcoal barbecue grill set is a neat little camping grill suitable for 2-4 people. Made of high-heat-resistant, food-grade 430 stainless steel, this grill is said to be resistant to rusting and twisting over time. This affordable little unit has a detachable charcoal mesh and an ash catcher for easy cleaning.
The grilling area is 17” long by 11” wide, so keep that size in mind when you’re thinking about the types of food you like to grill and how many people you tend to prepare food for when you’re camping. This grill burns charcoal, and when it’s set up, there are vents on the sides of the unit designed to increase airflow for better burning and heat distribution.
This little folding camp grill weighs just 4.4 pounds, sits on foldable legs, and comes with 50 disposable gloves, 90 bamboo sticks, 12 baking pins, some tin foil, and several small barbeque utensils, which are probably not of the best quality but are a nice touch at this low price point.
Odoland Folding Campfire Grill
This collapsible camping grill has 5 parts that assemble and disassemble in about a minute. Made of anti-rust, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant stainless steel, the grill measures 12.2″L x12.2″W x8.3″H unfolded (a quadrilateral) and 14″L x7.8″W x2″H folded. It comes with a carrying case and weighs just under 4.5 pounds.
The grill is funnel-shaped and has holes for airflow as well as a mortar board that separates carbon from dust to enhance the effective burning of charcoal.
- Multi-usage Collapsible Grill - The collapsible camping grill can be worked as campfire grill gate or camping fire pit. You can use it for open fire...
- Easy to Use - It contains 5 parts. You can easily set up or tear down it in less than 1 minute. Get your chef on and grill everything from chicken,...
Adreak 18-inch Fire Pit with BBQ Tray
This 18” folding fire pit comes with a barbecue tray for grilling your favorite foods. Made of 3 mm thick steel, it sets up in seconds and comes with a canvas bag for easy transport. Dimensions of this fire pit/grill are 11.4”×15.7”×18.1” when the grill is set up, and 1.2”×12.2”×19.5” when stored in the canvas bag for travel.
Note that the fact that this grill is constructed of steel (with a ceramic cooking tray) makes this a much heavier option than the others we’ve looked at so far in this post. This fire pit/grill weighs 26 pounds and, as such, is very sturdy. But, bear in mind that the weight may make this “portable” grill a little more cumbersome to deal with.
- Ideal Portable Steel Fire Pit: Keeping you fire off the ground and contained means you’re able to use the Adreak fire pit at those campsites that...
- Take It Anyway: Four-plate design with laser-cut slots means that packing away, storing and transporting is easy. Comes with premium canvas fire pit...
CampingMoon Stainless Steel Foldable Camping Fire Pit
The CampingMood foldable camping grill & fire pit is made of stainless steel and comes in several sizes. We’re highlighting the large size here which weighs 9.5 pounds and is 19.3″x13.4″x10.2″(H) unfolded, and 19.3″x6.7″x4.5″ folded. The height is adjustable and the grill/fire pit comes with a carrying case.
CampingMoon suggests that this camping grill is appropriately sized to cook food for 4-5 people. Their medium grill offers sufficient cooking size for 3-4 people and the mini grill is more appropriate for 1-2 people.
CampingMoon sells this same style of grill in various sizes, all available on the same page:
- ✅Large & Heavy-Duty Design for 4-5 People: Enjoy extended outdoor gatherings with our Large Portable Fire Pit (19.3"x13.4"x10.2" Unfolded). Built...
- ✅Multi-Functional 3-in-1 Versatility: Smoothly switch between a Wood Burning Fire Pit, a Charcoal BBQ Grill, and a Camping Stove. Perfect for...
Vboyl Foldable Notebook BBQ Grill
The Vinyl Foldable Notebook Grill is made of alloy steel (heat-resistant painted steel) and measures 18” L x 13” W x 13” H in size when set up, and it folds to 1″ flat.
This charcoal-burning foldable camping grill folds open and is easy to carry, slim, and lightweight.
To use the grill you simply open the frame and place the small grill at the bottom. Place your coals or wood in this area and light the fire, and then cover with the top grill for cooking.
Reviewers note that this grill is very easy to set up, carry, and clean, though its durability may vary depending on use.
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Do You Have a Favorite Folding Camp Grill?
While conducting research for this post, we were amazed to see so many great options for lightweight, inexpensive, compact foldable camping grills! If you’ve used and enjoyed a collapsible grill for camping, we’d love to know which one you like. Drop us a comment and share the BBQ joy!
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Doreen
Friday 14th of June 2024
We’ve carried a grill similar to the Endless Voyage since our pop up days. One word of caution. The legs don’t lock on ours so you have to be careful not to knock them inward and send you dinner into the fire. Hopefully this new one won’t have that problem.