Have you been thinking about purchasing a Coleman Sportster Grill? Maybe you’re looking for a small, portable grill that you can take camping, to the beach, or just about anywhere?
I’ve had a chance to spend some time using the Coleman Sportster and I’m going to share the things thatI think you’ll enjoy about this grill, things that could be improved and most importantly, who I think this grill is perfect for and who should keep looking.
The Coleman Sportster Propane Grill is one of the most portable grills on the market today, while still supporting a large cooking space and quality construction.
With its collapsible design, rear wheels for easy transportation, 16oz propane fuel compatibility,and insta-start ignition, the grill was built with portability and grilling ease in mind.
Where To Buy The Coleman Sportster Grill
You can purchase the Coleman Sportster Grill at Amazon.
Coleman Sportster Pros and Cons
Pros
What really stands out to me as a benefit is the portability of this grill. The fact that the grill weighs in at 25lbs, measures 27″ x 37″, can collapse down and transportedusing the rear wheels, means that you can easily pack it in your car or carry it to your campsite / BBQ.
While other grills tend to sacrifice quality or features for portability, Coleman has done a great job with the design of this grill and made it so that it feels like it could easily be your go-to grillat home, not just when traveling. For me, this allowed me to have the best of both worlds.
Cons
One thing that stood out immediately is that the cooking grate is rather thin. I don’t believe that this will be a long-termproblem, but compared to other grills, the grate is definitely thinner. if they did make the grate stiffer/stronger, it would probably add to the weight of the grill and thus reduce the portability.
Another thing that I wish Coleman could have added was a collapsible handle. While the grill folds up nicely and is lightweight, the unit ends up being rather long when collapsed down which makes it take up more room in your car that it should have to.
Features
The Sporter grill has all of the features you would expect on just about any grill:
- 11,000 BTUs of heat on a 225 square inch cooking surface.
- Amatchless insta-start ignition.
- Foldable design with rear wheels for easy transportation.
- Compatible with Coleman’s 16oz portable propane tanks.
- Weight: 25lbs.
My Personal Experience and Review With The Coleman Sportster Propane Grill
When I opened up my Sportster Grill, I wasn’t looking forward to assembling a grill at the moment. I had started later, my family was hungry and they were growing impatient!
Thankfully though, the Sportster was quite easy to assemble and took me only about 5 minutes from opening the box until fully assembled (and that was with taking a few pictures for this review.
Once I had it fully assembles, I quickly washed off the grate (just because I always wash off anything new before using it) and gave it a quick spray down with a non-stick spray.
I attached my 16oz can of propane to the grill, turned it on, hit the ignition and it fired up immediately.
So far, everything was working exactly as it should.
One thing I did notice, which seems to be the case with most portable propane stoves and grills, is that the cooking temp is not really low – med – high, even though that is what is printed on the dial. Medium raised the temperature far too high for me to cook brats on. It was more like med – high – higher. After one use though, it was easy enough to get use to this and to cook at the lower setting.
After owning the Coleman Sportster for about 2 weeks now and cooking with it a handful of times, I like that it is big enough to cook for my family of 7, yet I can easily roll it into the garage and put it away when not in use.
I haven’t taken it on any camping trips yet, but when I do, I think I will likely detach the legs and use it as a tabletop grill just to help pack it into the car better.
Who Is This Grill Perfect For?
I think that the Coleman Sportster Propane Grill is perfect for anyone looking for a moderate priced grill for basic cooking like chicken, burgers, and brats.
It can easily handle the needs of small – medium size families with the 225 square inches of cooking space and should fit the majority of people’s grilling needs.
If you plan on hosting a party, cooking for a big group then you should definitely upgrade to a larger grill.
If you consider yourself a master griller and want space for your meat, potatoes and 2-3 more side dishes or you want precision control of your cooking temperatures, then the Sportster is going to fall short for you as well.
Coleman Sportster Grill Accessories
There are a couple of handy accessories you should think about if you plan on buying the Coleman Sportster.
First, the Coleman High-Pressure Propane Adapter is perfect if you plan on using this grill as your main backyard grill. It will allow you to hook up a 20lb propane tank when you are grilling at home, but yet still have the convenience of using a 16oz propane can when traveling.
If you are buying this grill for it’s portability, then you are definitely going to want to get a few 16oz propane tanks as well. Each tank should last for quite a few grilling sessions. If you ran the Sportster on high, one tank should last you two hours. Under normal grilling conditions though, i would expect no less than 4 grilling hours per tank.
Finally, a cheap, but quality 20 Piece Grilling set is always a useful addition to any grill!
My Final Review
The Coleman Sportster Propane Grill is a high-quality portable grill perfect for camping, backyard grilling, tailgating or just about any other occasion.
