The Australian camping season runs on its own clock. From April through September, when the north dries out and southern nights turn cold, the vans come off the driveway and the roof racks go back on. Somewhere in the drawer system, a portable BBQ ends up doing most of the cooking, because nobody feeds six people off a camp stove.
This guide covers what makes a barbecue genuinely portable, what "dual fuel" actually means, bottles against canisters, and the gas safety rules that matter beside a tent or an annexe. Everything mentioned sits in our BBQs and outdoor cooking range.
What counts as portable
Two things. One person can lift it, and it packs down without swallowing half the boot. Folding legs, removable shelves and a grease tray that locks for travel separate a travel barbecue from a home one.
The Napoleon Travel Q 285 ($499) is the clearest example. The legs fold in, the body is cast aluminium to keep the weight down, and the grease tray locks for travel. Two burners are controlled separately, so indirect heat on one side and a hard sear on the other are both on the table. Napoleon rates it for up to 18 large hamburgers at once.
Step up for height and a cart. The Napoleon Travel Q Pro with Scissor Legs Portable BBQ ($999) rises to working height in one movement, rolls on all-terrain wheels and has straps to hold the gas bottle. The cooking area is 54 x 37 cm and the cast aluminium lid sits high enough for a whole chicken.
Dual fuel explained
"Dual fuel" is used two different ways, and confusing them costs people money.
The first meaning is one barbecue that burns two fuels. The Coleman Revolution Dual Fuel BBQ ($2,199) is the clearest version: a full-size gas barbecue and a full-size charcoal kettle side by side in one unit. Three stainless steel tube burners plus a fourth assisting the charcoal give 46.2 MJ all up. Gas when dinner has to be on the table, charcoal when the afternoon is yours.
Worth being blunt, though. This is a home barbecue, not a travel one. Assembled it measures W 186 x D 74 x H 122 cm and weighs 91.7 kg. It is what you come home to, not what goes in the van.
The second meaning is the one campers use: a barbecue that runs off either a refillable gas bottle or a small screw-on canister, usually through an adaptor hose. That is a question about regulators and fittings, not about the barbecue itself. Check the appliance instructions before you assume any two pieces will connect.
Gas bottle or canister?
Fuel choice shapes the trip more than the badge on the lid does.
| Fuel | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Refillable bottle (4 kg or 9 kg) | Longer trips, feeding a group, vans with a bottle holder | Weight and bulk; swap availability in remote areas; must travel upright and secured |
| Screw-on canister | Overnighters, day trips, packing light | Empties quickly; disposal in the bush; often needs an adaptor to fit |
| Charcoal or heat beads | Flavour and slow cooking where no ban is in force | Banned on total fire ban days and in many national parks; ash disposal; long heat-up |
| Electric | Powered van park sites, apartments and balconies | Useless without mains power; watch the amperage limit on the site |
We will not quote a run time. How long a bottle lasts depends on burner output, wind and how hard you push it, so read the rating on your appliance and carry a spare.
Matching the portable BBQ to the trip
Work backwards from how you travel, not from the spec sheet.
For day trips, the beach and the tailgate, the Travel Q 285 is the honest answer. It folds flat, lives in the boot between trips, and handles everything from snags to a slow-cooked side.
For a van or camper where you cook at the site most nights, the scissor-leg Travel Q Pro earns the extra spend. Working height without hunting for a table is worth more on night four than any feature on the box.
For flavour-first cooks on longer stays, solid fuel is a different experience. The BeefEater BUGG ($1,124) stands 395 mm high with the hood closed and 544 mm wide with the side shelves off, so it stows smaller than it cooks. A swivel vent and air inlet handle the heat, a temperature gauge in the lid saves lifting the hood, and a stainless steel ash slide door makes clearing the ash quick. The trolley is included with it.
Gas safety in a caravan, tent or annexe
Read this part twice. Gas appliances must never be used inside a tent, an annexe, a caravan, a camper trailer or any other enclosed space. Burning gas produces carbon monoxide, which you cannot see or smell, and people have died in Australia doing exactly this. Cook outside in the open air, every time, including in the rain.
Gas bottles must be transported and stored upright and secured, so they cannot roll, tip or slide. Use the holder or strap on the barbecue cart, or a purpose-made bottle holder in the van. Bottles stay outside the living space, never in the cabin or annexe overnight.
The rest is routine. Check the hose and regulator for cracks before you leave, and test connections with soapy water, never a flame. Turn the gas off at the bottle rather than only at the knob, and let the unit cool fully before it goes back in the vehicle. The instructions supplied with your appliance override anything written here.
Fire bans, national parks and park rules
Solid fuel is where the rules bite hardest. On a total fire ban day, solid fuel barbecues are generally not permitted, while gas barbecues are sometimes allowed under conditions such as a cleared area and an adult in attendance. Those conditions vary by state, by council and by the ban declared on the day.
Check before you light anything. The NSW Rural Fire Service, the Country Fire Authority in Victoria, the Country Fire Service in South Australia and their equivalents publish the rules for your area. National parks add their own layer and many prohibit solid fuel outright, and plenty of caravan parks ban it on sites year-round.
Because our camping season peaks in the cooler months, most of this cooking happens in winter. Back home, our guide to hosting a winter BBQ covers heat, lighting and a menu built for cold weather.
Portable BBQs: frequently asked questions
Can you use a portable BBQ inside a caravan annexe?
No, never. Gas and solid fuel appliances are for outdoor use in the open air only, which rules out a tent, an annexe, a caravan or any enclosed space. An annexe with the walls zipped up counts as enclosed even with a door open.
What size portable BBQ suits a family?
A two-burner portable with roughly 50 x 35 cm of cooking area feeds four to six comfortably. The Travel Q Pro sits on that mark at 54 x 37 cm, and independent burner control matters more than raw size.
Is a dual fuel BBQ worth it for camping?
Not in the gas-plus-charcoal sense. Units carrying both a gas section and a charcoal kettle are large, heavy and built to stay put, so one fuel done well beats two done awkwardly. Dual fuel in the bottle-or-canister sense is genuinely useful on the road.
How do you transport a gas bottle safely?
Upright and secured, every single time. Use a purpose-made holder or strap so the bottle cannot roll or tip, keep it out of the cabin and living space, and follow the instructions supplied with the bottle and appliance.
Shop the range
Our Napoleon BBQ range covers the Travel Q portables, and the Coleman BBQ range covers the Revolution units for when the trip is over. For a small alfresco at home, the Coleman Revolution 2 Burner BBQ ($1,249) gives you 31.1 MJ across two burners in a 115 cm footprint. The bottle stores in the cabinet underneath. We deliver Australia-wide, free over $100, with most orders dispatched in 3 to 10 business days.
