Coleman Roadtrip lxx
When you think of grilling, most of us are picturing a large grill either at home or a park provided a stationary grill. Most of us don’t think of true portability when we are looking to cook, after all, when camping we expect to have campfires or take along things that require little to no cooking if it’s a larger group. Most campsites even have main area’s where you can find these stationary grills or even grab a bite to eat from a vending machine.
Those of us who are more experienced, however, and want to maintain a low-grade camp with tents and no vehicular drawn campers in the middle of ‘nowhere’ with our family may decide to take along a grill if we think we can easily transport it from our car to the site. That is what was intended, along with tailgate parties, when Coleman designed the Roadtrip series of grills. The one we are checking out today is the Coleman Roadtrip LXX
Comes mostly preassembled
Tools provided to any extra assembly
Front safety lock to grill
Easy compact for travel/storing
Full surface parts (grill, griddle, stove plate)
Handle/leg has no protective coating
Gas flow seems to have issues
Design
The only flaw is that the same part used as the pull handle is also the stationary leg, which means your contaminating your hand right before cooking. This isn’t really a major flaw, but there are a few out there who felt it a necessary complaint to put forward. A little antibacterial hand sanitizer and some water and you shouldn’t have any real issues though.
Another flaw seems to be the connection of the tank to the grill itself, but we’ll go further into that with the performance section since there are a lot of other really good design aspects to cover here.
Another nifty part of this design is the interchangeable tops to the grill. Instead of just your stereotypical grating for your grill, this one offers the ability to use two different style grill tops at once and adds in the griddle top and stove plate tops for making other great foods to go with your meal. So, now you can not only deliver the main course of meat but vegetables and grilled sandwiches that you may not be able to make without purchasing extras for your grill.
Performance
There is the option of replacing a part that will cost you about $25, or the alternative is to exchange it for a replacement and hope the new one works as it should. There are others who work on such devices who claim it’s a matter of properly setting up the tank and that it isn’t a quick and easy set up as you were hoping it would be. It is manageable if you have the patience for simply dealing with the different fixes or low heat.
If you are one of the majority, however, who don’t have the issue of a bad feed between tank and ignition, this grill performs great for decent crowds. Of course, it isn’t built to be used as your normal daily use home grills- so if that is what you are looking for then this is going to disappoint. Like any device, overuse can end up causing problems with performance and make it harder to maintain than if you use it as intended.
There is also the need to keep the grill clean if you want it at its best every time, and that can be difficult when you are out camping. This should be maintained for use and prep set up for cleaning on-site for campers after every use. After all, expecting an unclean grill to continue performing at its peak is not logical, and could easily void its warranty as it would not be a manufacturer fault for it to break.
Flexibility
Not only is it flexible for when you can use it, but were as well. It is a perfect size and easily transportable for using at campsites or taking along for a tailgate party for your favorite team. It is exceptionally mobile, and with purchase of a few accessories, such as the grill cover, you can even postpone worry of clean-up till you get home without getting your vehicle dirty.
There is also versatility in how it cooks as well, which is a great thing to have when you are out camping or simply want to be able to enjoy more than the main course. It offers a variety of accessories which allows you to switch from one cooking task to another without having to switch the main tool you are using. This we will cover in greater detail with the cooking area part of our review.
Durability
The fact is that this grill is easy to maintain even without the extra’s and it is not likely to fall apart on you easily either. Simply keeping it clean and storing it in a safe and dry area will help to make your grill long-lasting and working at its best. The only parts that seem to need to be worked with are the connection areas between grill and canister.
Most have found they don’t have the issue mentioned, and if you don’t have it to start with, you aren’t likely to end up with it either. Those who have gotten this grill also have commented that if they clean it up soon after use, they have no issue maintaining it and it continues to work like a charm. We didn’t find anyone who had the grill and maintained it properly, who have seen anything go wrong, even years after purchase.
Ease of Use
It comes nearly completely assembled, and what little you do have to put together comes with the tools to do so. The only real assembly is in attaching the wheels and wheel covers and adding the tank. Since this model utilizes a 1pd tank, it is easy to find and easy to get so you can start grilling quickly.
Just a flick of the knob on whichever side you plan to cook on and you’re ready to go. The heat is evenly dispersed and provides the perfect cooking area every time. Packing up is as easy as removing the cookware, and pulling the handle end back up, letting it slide down to its compact state, and having the available cover to slide over it to keep your vehicle and travel gear clean till you can clean the grill properly.
Portability
While most might wonder how the cover for this would allow for it to remain as portable as your wheeled suitcases, the truth is, it allows the wheels to stick through and continue to easily be wheeled around. All of those we researched with the grill, to see their experiences with it, found that they had no trouble getting around even with the case and had nearly nothing beyond praise for this grill. Its small size when folded up is perfect for moving, carrying and storing even if you have a limited amount of space.
All-in-all this wonderful portable grill has gained the attention of all sorts of consumers for various uses and all of them have enjoyed being able to rely on their own grill instead of one shared by the public park-goers. Coleman continued to sustain their valued reputation by creating a grill that packs up as easily as it unfolds to give lighter weight and mobile answer to your grilling needs.
Cooking Area
We feel that having the ability to swap between and even to cook in two different ways on the same surface is not only awesome but makes this a product worth purchasing. The actual space you have to cook in is also great, a full 285 square inches to work with, enough room for you to grill hamburgers or hotdogs and still have a pot going on the stove plate with veggies or even chili!
Key Features
- Versatility in cooking areas
- Portability
- Easy to use
- Reputable company
- Durability
Bottom Line
It only has one fallback. Since it is a manufacturing error you can get it fixed or replaced quickly and easily with your warranty. Most likely you will not run into the issue, and so this grill continues to be one of the best portable units on the market.