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Portable BBQ for camping

Updated: 16.10.2026

You want one proper meal on a UK pitch, and the grill has to earn its place in the boot without becoming a tent fire. A portable BBQ for camping, in this set, means a reusable charcoal tray or bowl. It is allowed only where that site allows it, and never inside the tent, the awning or the caravan. The eleven listings are on the [portable grill comparison](/hub/portable-grills/portable-grill). The Products Compared editorial team set the pack weights in those amazon.co.uk files against public UK fire and site guidance on 15 October 2026. We did not visit the campsites. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You want one proper meal on a UK pitch, and the grill has to earn its place in the boot without becoming a tent fire. A portable BBQ for camping, in this set, means a reusable charcoal tray or bowl.

Our top picks

Charmline Charmline CL-PGL black

Best overall

Charmline Charmline CL-PGL black
8.8/10about £22.34
View offer
Odoland Odoland collapsible camping grill

Alternative

Odoland Odoland collapsible camping grill
7.0/10about £34.99
View offer
CUQOO CUQOO DYN12665 folding charcoal grill

Preis-Tipp

CUQOO CUQOO DYN12665 folding charcoal grill
8.1/10about £12.59
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What a campsite is allowed to stop
  2. 2.Tent, awning and caravan
  3. 3.What from this set actually packs
  4. 4.Beach, moor and the drive home

What a campsite is allowed to stop

There is no single national pitch law you can quote at reception. A site may allow a raised charcoal barbecue, allow gas only, or ban flames. The Caravan Club says barbecues, where allowed, must be raised, and its pre-travel page tells members to ask because disposable sale and use stay restricted on its England and Wales sites. The Camping and Caravanning Club's certificated sites allow a proprietary portable only when it is raised, and never inside the unit. Llandyfan's own rule is 50 cm off the ground and 5 m from tents. Those metres are one site's, not a UK standard. Reusable grills here sit outside the OPSS single-use guidelines of 14 August 2026, still online on 15 October 2026 with no withdrawal date. If the warden says no, that answer stands.

Tent, awning and caravan

A pitch that allows a barbecue still keeps it out of the sleeping space. The England leaflet and Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service say never in a tent, under an awning or in a caravan, and they want tents about six metres apart. Keep the lit grill outside the guy lines, on a non-flammable stand, so a flat folder can meet a raised-off-the-ground rule such as the Caravan Club's. One AGM review describes a pitch that allowed a barbecue and not an open fire. That is one site. A fire-pit bowl is the shape most likely to fail a board that says barbecues only.
Charmline Charmline CL-PGL black

Testsieger

Charmline Charmline CL-PGL black
8.8/10about £22.34
View offer

What from this set actually packs

These are empty-grill weights. Charcoal is extra, and no file weighs a fuel load. The CUQOO at 1.3 kg and £12.59 lists a case and a cover. The black Charmline is 2.3 kg at £22.34 and the green is 2.5 kg at £25.34, both with a case. For a car weekend for two, a listed case around 1.3 to 2.5 kg is the pack this set can justify. The Odoland's bullets say it packs into a bag at 2.2 kg, while the components field names a frying tray. It is a car-camping fire pit at £34.99, and only where a bowl is allowed.

Beach, moor and the drive home

A beach or a moor is not automatically allowed. The England leaflet says countryside and park disposables only in designated places. Bradford's mapped moor bans barbecues until 30 June 2028. Other places publish their own orders. If you cannot find a designated spot, do not light a tray on dry grass. If the limit is time on arrival, gas is the other fork, and gas still needs the warden's yes. A cased Charmline or CUQOO is the tray this folder can stand behind once that yes is for a raised barbecue.

Common questions

Can I take a charcoal grill camping in the UK?
Yes, if that campsite allows charcoal and you keep the grill outside the tent, awning and caravan, raised if the site requires it. There is no single UK pitch law. The Caravan Club requires barbecues to be raised where they are allowed, and it tells you to ask. Fire services ban the tent regardless of what reception said about the pitch.
Will a campsite allow it if disposables are restricted?
It might. A limit on single-use foil trays is not automatically a ban on a reusable steel grill, and a site can still refuse both. The OPSS guidelines of 14 August 2026 define disposables. The Caravan Club's notice is about its own sites. Ask the site you are booked on, and do not treat a 2026 club post as a law for every farm campsite.
Can I cook under the awning if it rains?
No. The England leaflet and Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service say never under an awning, in a tent or in a caravan. Rain does not create an exception. Carbon monoxide is the hazard, including while the coals cool, and a modern tent can become dangerous in minutes. Wait, or eat without cooking.
How heavy are these grills once charcoal is added?
The listings weigh the empty grill only. Stated figures run from about 410 g or 520 g on the WINB, which you should not trust until you see it, up to 2.81 kg on the Rammento. Charmline is 2.3 kg or 2.5 kg, CUQOO is 1.3 kg, and the Odoland is 2.2 kg. Charcoal on top is not weighed in these files. The fire-service guide is a depth of about 5 cm, not a kilogram.
Is a fire-pit bowl allowed on a normal pitch?
Only if that pitch allows a bowl, not merely a raised barbecue. The Odoland is the only fire pit in this set, at £34.99, and its bullets also describe wood and open fire. One AGM reviewer met a site that allowed a barbecue and not an open fire. Treat that as a caution from one pitch. If the board says barbecues only, take a tray.
Can I pack it away while it is still warm?
No. Devon and Somerset say coals stay hot for hours and a cooling barbecue should not go in the car or the tent. Pack it when the ash is cold to the touch, and put that ash on bare soil or in a metal point, not in a plastic bag. A warm fold can mark the carpet and relight in a confined boot.
What about a beach or a moor, not a campsite?
Use a designated spot if one is provided. Bradford's order bans barbecues on the mapped moor until 30 June 2028, with a £100 penalty, and it is not limited to foil trays. The England leaflet limits countryside disposables to designated places. A reusable grill still has to follow a local ban. If no place allows it, do not light it on open moor or dune grass.

Related pages

How to use a portable grill

Charcoal or gas portable grill

Portable grill buying guide

Disposable barbecues on club sites

Portable grill

Best portable BBQ in the UK: top pick for this set

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars, and review counts are from the amazon.co.uk files saved for this set, not a live basket on 15 October 2026.

  1. GOV.UK — Smoke control areas: the rules (retrieved 15.10.2026)
  2. GOV.UK — Fire safety outdoors (retrieved 15.10.2026)
  3. OPSS — Statutory guidelines on disposable BBQs, 14 August 2026 (retrieved 15.10.2026)
  4. BSI — BS EN 1860-1:2024 (retrieved 15.10.2026)
  5. Scottish Fire and Rescue Service — Guide to safer barbecues (retrieved 15.10.2026)
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 15.10.2026)
  7. Bradford Council — Reducing the risk of moorland fires (retrieved 15.10.2026)
  8. The Independent — Best portable BBQ 2026 (retrieved 15.10.2026)