The CamperGlück Foldable Grill is a foldable portable grill made from solid stainless steel and therefor very durable. But lightweight it is not. Read the review or watch the video.
- Weight: 3389,20 grams (Claimed 3.600 grams)
- Pack size: 2.5 x 25 x 47 cm
- Grill size: 22 x 25 x 26 cm
- Price: € 99,00
There is a little history I should share with you about the making of the review of the CamperGlück Foldable Grill. In March was the first edition of the a new 4 x 4 rooftopcamping event In Kalkar Germany, just over the border from where I live in the Netherlands. I went to have a peak and there I met Theo Horsthemke from the German company CamperGlück. Theo had a small booth with a few foldable steel grills that looked really nice to me. There was one thing that I discussed with Theo and that was the position of the bars of the grill grid.
Grill position
Most grill grids have bars that are placed width wise. The one form CamperGlück also. I don’t like this because if I want to place small skewers on the grill I have to do this from the left and the right from the grill – otherwise they fall through the grill – witch is not logical; you don’t put pans on the furnace from the side. So I told Theo that I rather see the grill grid positioned lengthwise. He told me he made the grills himself and agreed to send me some design proposals. A week later I had them in the mailbox: one grill grid lengthwise and one diagonal. I asked him if he could make one with the grill grid lengthwise and if he could send me one for test. A week later the post delivered the grill. That is the background on this CamperGlück Foldable Grill.
CamperGlück Foldable Grill
For the German speaking part of the word CamperGlück is very logical and even to the Dutch the name is very understandable. If you are from the English speaking part of our globe…then it’s not so logical. CamperGlück translates into CampingHappines or Fortune and maybe even Luck. What the 100% correct one is… you tell me, but you get the idea. In full the grill is named CamperGlück Mobiler Klappgrill MKG 1 and I translated that into CamperGlück Foldable Grill MKG 1. I did that because there is no English website yet. And MKG means Mobiler Klapp Grill and the 1 is the smallest one and the biggest one is the 4. Note: After writing the review Theo told me there was a new even smaller one: the 0 with a size of 20 cm and a weight of 2.6 kg.
Size and weight
The CamperGlück MKG1 has a weight of 3389,20 grams (3600 grams claimed)and the weight is explained by the very thick 1.5 mm stainless steel that the grill box is made of and the 3 mm thick stainless steel of the grill grid itself. The pack size: is 2.5 x 25 x 47 cm and that is a bit bigger then I am used to but has to do with the way it folds. More and that subject later. TheCamperGlück MKG1 comes with a stainless steel wire handle for the grill.
Stuff bag
The CamperGlück MKG1 comes with two stuffbags: one for a clean grill and one for a dirty one. Clever! It is a bit of a pity that the stuff bags are not made form the best material. They are made of a plastic material that is commonly used on construction sites to shield off the area but also as cheap tarps on garden parties. The stuff bag does the job but with a grill like this I would expect a nice one from a sturdy canvas. Yes, a bit like the one from the Uco Flattpack Grill I tested earlier, but better. Latest news: Theo made a descent one but I did not test it yet and is comes as an extra.
Assembly
The simpler the better, is always my approach to camping gear and with the CamperGlück MKG1 this is the case. The pack size might be a bit long when packed but that has to do with the way it unfolds. It is a matter of taking the sidewalls of the grill box and lift them. It looks a bit like a letter Z that is pressed together like a _ and then unfolded to a Z. All parts are connected with small steel truss nails or cotter pins. It is well made and none of the steel parts have sharp edges. The grill unfolds itself and this is done in seconds. All that is left to do, is to place a stainless steel ventilation plate in the grill box and place the grill. Now you can start making a fire.
Wood or charcoal
When I am using a portable grill in the outdoors, I usually fire it with dead wood that I find in the vicinity of the campground. Or sometimes I bring it with me. I tried this with the CamperGlück MKG 1 too and as long as the branches are not too big, it works fine. In that way it doubles as a fire pit. The best material for the MKG 1 though is charcoal or briquettes. Just a small layer of charcoal is enough to get a very nice even heat from the grill. The ventilating stainless steel insert provides a nice airflow underneath the charcoal. And although there is no way on regulating the airflow, the grill doesn’t consume the charcoal too fast.
Grilling
For the grilling itself I have the possibility to place the grill grid on three different heights. The how to do this is simple and effective. The handle that I have to use to reposition a hot grill grid does the job but could be improved by making it a bit more stable. But…the handle has clearly been designed for the grill grid with the bars in the width and will probable work better with these. Good news is that with my comment the grill grid will be modified to work better with the handle. For longer skewers small notches are placed on the sides of the grill and they are fine too. The quality of the grilling is more a matter of the quality of the grillmaster. The grill is easy to clean with a stainless steel sponge and it is dishwasher safe.
Extra’s
I didn’t ask for it, but Theo also send me the ‘Fettauffangwanne MFP’. This is a sort of stainless steel baking tray but made from aluminium and it is intended as a grease drip tray. The grill should be placed on top of it and ash and dripping grease will fall onto the tray. The good thing about the ‘Fettauffangwanne MFP’ is that it – since is has legs – protects the grass too. Next to this I found a second use for the tray: I placed it on top of the grill and used it as a teppanyaki grill plate. Maybe aluminium is not the perfect material for this but it worked fine. It is also a nice warm plate to serve the grilled stuff from the grill on to the table. And… Theo can make one from Stainless Steel on request.
Verdict
The CamperGlück Foldable Grill MKG 1 is a nice portable grill made out of a good quality stainless steel. Because of this it is a very durable grill that will last many years. It is well made and has no sharp edges. The folding mechanism is simple and effective. The pack size is small enough if you travel by anything on more than two wheels. The weight makes the grill not suitable for backpackers or cyclist. The CamperGlück MKG1 is best used with charcoal but doubles as a nice wood burning fire pit. Grilling can be done on three levels and this ‘special’ grill grid works fine with small skewers places directly on it. For long skewers the little notches are nice too. The grilling itself is easy and depends mainly on the cook. Improvements should be made on the stuff bag and the handle. I f you intent buying the Grill I suggest to opt for the grease grip tray too. The price of the Fettauffangwanne MFP is € 29,00 and the CamperGlück Foldable Grill MKG 1 costs € 99,00 and that is spot o. I rate the CamperGlück Foldable Grill MKG 1 at 8.6 out of 10 total.
Information: www.camperglueck.com
Looking for a lighter grill? Look at the Uco Flatpack Grill Review I made
