Traveler, Q, or other? Favorite LP portable grill…


 
Mike-GA

Mike-GA

TVWBB Fan
I’m keeping my eye out for a good/inexpensive small used LP grill to augment my Kettles. Which would be the best starter portable LP grill: Traveler, Q, or similar?

What year/model should I look for? Which one has the best, most versatile collapsible stand? Your feedback and Pics would be helpful.

For decades, I’ve always grilled on Kettles with charcoal exclusively but I’m starting to think about trying out a full on gasser for quick meals like burgers, chicken breast, fish etc. I’m going to resist my urge for a big classic ‘90s Genesis or a more recent 2015-2020 era Genesis with side burner but instead thinking of starting with a small portable gas grill with portable stand in good used condition.
 
I have looked at the Traveler in person. Things I like. Large grilling area, nice fold up stand. Things I don't. Not as versatile as Q3xxx due to having only one burner vs 2 on the Q. But then again the Q3xxx series is not necessarily "portable". Other thing I am not fond of (due to my bad experience with my Summit) is stamped steel fire box. I know it's porcelain but so was my Summit. So jury is out on that for me. For ruggedness I still think a Q2XXX cannot be beat overall
 
LMichaels said:
I have looked at the Traveler in person. Things I like. Large grilling area, nice fold up stand. Things I don't. Not as versatile as Q3xxx due to having only one burner vs 2 on the Q. But then again the Q3xxx series is not necessarily "portable". Other thing I am not fond of (due to my bad experience with my Summit) is stamped steel fire box. I know it's porcelain but so was my Summit. So jury is out on that for me. For ruggedness I still think a Q2XXX cannot be beat overall
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Great feedback, I didn’t know that about the burners and fire box. Thanks.
 
For two people, a Q1000/1200 would be perfect. The traveler is a great grill but more expensive. Not horrible though. I don't think you could go wrong with either. If you will be cooking for 4 or more, you should definitely consider the Traveler or even the Q2000/Q2200 which is also a portable Q, but bigger than the smaller Q1000.
 
TomRc said:
Pound for pound and dollar for dollar, you’d be hard pressed to find a better cooker or a better value than a Q1200 in the portable grill category.
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I’ve seen some great prices for what I think are Q1XXX series on FB which got me interested in exploring this route. I haven’t seen the different Q1XXX, Q2XXX, or Q3XXX in real life so a little hard to tell the difference in pics.
 
Bruce said:
For two people, a Q1000/1200 would be perfect. The traveler is a great grill but more expensive. Not horrible though. I don't think you could go wrong with either. If you will be cooking for 4 or more, you should definitely consider the Traveler or even the Q2000/Q2200 which is also a portable Q, but bigger than the smaller Q1000.
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Good to know. I usually cook for at least 4 people. The Q‘s look like they have a taller lid than the Traveler. Does that make a significance difference in all around normal cooking?
 
Can't miss the 3 series. Has 2 knobs and is visibly large. The size of a Spirit 3 burner
 
Mike-GA said:
Sorry I don’t think I was clear in my question, are they the same size and does Q2xxx have 1 burner or 2 burners like the Q3xxx?
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The Q3xxx has 2 burners and has nearly the surface cooking area as an original Genesis. It is a bit large to be "portable". Also has 2 burners. The Q2xxx strikes a nice balance. Not overly large but not so tiny (like the Q1xxx) where you would feel "cramped". I think it is a nice balance. I have a Q320 now (had a Q220) but liked the extra space and flesxbility of 2 burners
 
I REALLY like my Traveler. The integrated stand is unbeatable, it’s got a larger grilling area than most of the Q series (save for 3000), it’s just a good overall unit that is perfectly fine set up semi-permanently at home but goes on the road in literally a minute.

I like it so much that one will be going to our boy for graduation, and my daughter may get one for her 16th.
 
I have a Q-2200 it’s a lot bigger than I thought it would be.
If you have the room it would make a hell of a traveling grill.

I’d probably go with a Q-1200 at this point if I was doing it again.
 
Also, if you find a used Napoleon gas grill portable Pro 285 its a match to anything Weber builds. I carry one in my RV when we are not allowed to use charcoal grills. Dual burners, you can cook direct over or off side direct with one burner. Large enough to put a big chicken inside. I wouldn't pass a used one up at a good price. Very sturdy well built units.
 
I have had all three gas Qs at one time or another and still have a CharQ. I would go with the 200/2000 series myself, unless you need to keep as small as possible for transportability. You can even get a stand for these mid-sized Qs that makes them look like - and gives the convenience of - the larger 300/3000 series when they are on your deck, but you can easily lift the grill out for a picnic or tailgate use.

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I also agree with Larry about the benefits of the larger 300/3000 Qs. Since you indicated portability I didn’t make it my recommendation, but it is the ultimate replacement for a regular grill in the Q line as long as you only expect regular grilling (although some have come up with some amazing ways to adapt it to low and slow). Although the 300/3000 Qs are not heavy, they are attached to their cart and not readily taken places. To me, the 200/2000 Qs offer a nice balance. I personally prefer the ones with a thermometer and higher hood, but I have a regular one awaiting another restoration that was my first grill rehab that I posted here on TVWBB. It was, and I hope again will be, a great cooker.

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My $10 thrift store bargain: Restoring a Weber Q200

The organization I work for has a thrift store, and the manager lets me know about Weber items that come his way. I had never really spent any time looking at Weber Qs for cooking or restoration, but for $10 I decided to give this one a try. It was pretty dirty and kind of tired when I received...
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Yep, the Weber company has done a great job with the Q lineup over the years. They pretty much have everyone covered in their lineup. It just depends on your needs and desires. Portability, grilling surface, etc. As long as you just need a good cooking, simple and easy to use and maintain grill, the Q has something for you. It has been around for a couple decades with very little change over the years....that should tell you something.
 
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