It’s been about a year since my husband and I decided to move out of our city apartment to travel full-time in aÌýtrailer, exploring the country and visiting as many national parks as possible. Surprisingly, there aren’t many things I miss about a sticks-and-bricks home. We have a queen bed, a stove, an oven, a refrigeratorÌýand freezer, and even a flush toilet and shower on board. We’re not exactly roughing it. There is one thing we find ourselves fantasizing about often, though: a grill.

We’ve been craving the experience of standing outside, enjoying the sweetÌýscent of charcoal smoke mixed with pine trees, holding a beer in one hand and tongs in the other, and that slightly charred flavor you can only get from cooking over fire. Making burgers in a pan in a stifling-hot camper isÌýnot the same. Not even close. Plus, it justÌýfeels right to grill at a campground.

So I started researching.ÌýOf course, living on the road comes with certain challenges, which meant whatever we picked would haveÌýtoÌýcheck a few important boxes. Space is limited, so any camp grillÌýworthy of the rare real estate in the truck bed would need to pack up small. Cleanup also hasÌýto be simple, because when your vehicle isÌýfull, even small greasy messes can create big problems. And we often dry-camp, so we don’t have a ton of water to spare for cleaning. Last but not least, any portable grill worth using should still cook food efficiently and evenly.

We put the following travel models to the test (and ate a lot of meats and veggies) to figure out which grills are best for barbecuingÌýon the road, whether you’re RVing full-time or car camping for the weekend.

Best for Technophiles and Gourmands

Traeger Ranger Pellet Grill ($400)

Like all pellet grills, which use ignited wood pellets and a system of fans, gives everything a slightly smoky, wood-fired flavor. (Trade-off: it needs to be plugged inÌýeither to shore power or a generator.) If, like my husband, you enjoy splurging on high-quality meat and want to cook itÌýprecisely, the grill comes with all the features you need. The included temperature probe, which connects to the digital control panel on the front, made it easy to cook our pork tenderloin perfectly without opening the grill and letting out heat. The Ranger also functions as a miniature smoker. After pressing a button to set the temperature, we waitedÌýfor the unit to preheat. (Every time you use the Ranger, it heats up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and then adjusts to the set temperature. ThisÌýrequires a lot of chargeÌýat first, but then lessÌýto keep itÌýhot as your food cooks.)ÌýThen we threw on a couple of chicken breasts. Both smoking and grilling them resulted inÌýjuicy, flavorful meat. When we wereÌýdone, the grill latched closed like a briefcase—though at 60 pounds, it doesn’t exactly feel like one.

This is a great option for anyone camping at an established campsite with a power source, people with 12-volt outlets in their cars, or thoseÌýtraveling with a generator or power station. Since we’re livingÌýon the road full-time andÌýcooking virtually every meal, andÌýsince we have a few different power options, including a small generator,Ìýthe Traeger has become our new go-to. We figured, why not go all out? On an off-grid testing mission, weÌýran it for an hour using our fully chargedÌýJackery Explorer 500 power station, and it still had 82 percent of the total juiceÌýremaining when we were done. When we were connected to shore power at an RV campground,Ìýwe plugged it right into the outlet on the outside of our camper.

Best for a Crowd

Coleman RoadTrip 285 Portable Stand-Up Propane Grill ($250)

We tested this when we had family visitingÌýand were able to cook enough chicken thighs and legs for six people. Out of the box, it took us less than five minutes to start up: simply attach a one-pound propane canister and push the autoignitionÌýto light the burners. Once the temperature gauge on top let us know that the grill was adequately heated, we loaded the 285-square-inch grate with all our meatÌýat once. The three-burner setup made temperature adjustments easier than with a standard two-burner propane camp grill, so we were able to cook our food more evenly. Meanwhile, two foldout side tables were convenient for accommodatingÌýcondiments and plates, since we didn’t have a picnic table or other surface available.

When you’re done grilling, collapse the legs with one simple motion, and wheel it back to your carÌý(the whole thing is about the size of a small carry-on roller bag). The wheels and legs do stick out a bit beyond the actual grill when it’s folded. But since it lays flat, it fits nicely in the bed of our truck and doesn’t moveÌýaround—meaning we don’t need to worry about damaging it or spilling any residual grease on other things.

Best for a Couple

Camp Chef Portable BBQ Grill ($130)

Sure, it’s smaller and a little more basic than the Coleman, but at 22 pounds, is about half the weight. Its 200-square-inch cook surface is plenty for the two of us, and its 12,000-BTU double burner was enough to cook a few brats, zucchini, and corn. Like the Coleman RoadTrip 285, it took less than five minutes to set up and has a push-button ignition, but the rectangular configuration andÌýslim fold-up legs may fit in a car trunk slightlyÌýbetter than the longer Coleman RoadTrip, depending on your setup—we were able to storeÌýit in the small compartment beneath the kitchenette inside our camper. The latches on the outside keep the grill shut during transport.

We’ve found that a simple, portable propane grill is great to have when we’re camping in national forests or other remote areas where we don’t have electric hookups and don’t need something very big. I wouldn’t want to cook a complex meal on it, but it’s perfect for burgers, hot dogs, and other basic barbecue foods. It’s also useful to have along if there’s a fire ban, since propane is usually still allowed in those situations.

Best for Charcoal Lovers

Weber Smokey Joe Charcoal Grill ($35)

Charcoal grills don’t have the flashy features that pelletÌýand some propane grills do, but that’s part of what makes them great. Plus, there are those whoÌýswear charcoal grillsÌýmake meat taste better. The was by far the most affordable, lightestÌý(only nineÌýpounds), and easiestÌýtoÌýtote around of all the grills we tested. We reliedÌýonÌýthe lazy lighting method—covering charcoal in lighter fluid and lighting it with a match—and threw on some burgers once the charcoal was hot. If you’re not keen on using lighter fluid, which can impact the taste slightly, you can buy a to get your charcoal hot and ready.

One downside to charcoal is that it requires a little more cleanup. The Smokey Joe makes it easy to remove the cooking grates, dump the charcoal, and wipe everything mostly clean. The carry handle latches across the lid to lock everything in place, so the grill won’t spew ash around the back of your car. The classic kettle shape is hard to position inÌýa tightly packed vehicle, but we were able to fit it into the truck bed without a problem.

Best for Camp

BioLite FirePit ($250)

If campfire cooking is more your style, this from BioLite gives you a way to build a flame that’ll cook your food a little more precisely than your typical stone-circle setup, and without sprinkling it with bits of ash. How? A battery-powered system ofÌýfansÌýstokes your fire with the touch of a button.ÌýWe used it to prepare a few rib eyes, and the virtual temperature controls were helpful to get just the right amount of heat and flame out of our wood. When the steaks were done, we let the fire continue to burnÌýand enjoyed it like a regular ol’ fire pit. (You can use both wood and briquettes.)

As long as the battery pack is charged, you don’t need to plug in the FirePit while you’re using it. Bonus: detachÌýthe battery pack when you’re done, and plug your phone into it to juice up.

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