Home › Camp Kitchen & Recipes › Slot Grill Compact or Full Size: Which One for Your Camping Style?
Camp Kitchen & RecipesSlot Grill Compact or Full Size: Which One for Your Camping Style?
Match the right Slot Grill to how you camp: solo, couples, families, kayaks, RVs and truck camping.
The Slot Grill comes in two sizes: Compact and Full Size. Both share the same tab-and-slot design, made from thick carbon steel in Texas. The Compact is simply a scaled-down Full Size, built at 80 percent. The choice depends on how you camp and how many people you feed.
| Compact | Full Size | |
|---|---|---|
| Steel | 12-gauge carbon | 10-gauge carbon |
| Weight | About 14 lb | About 27.6 lb |
| Cooking area | 16.25" × 9" · 146 square inches | 20.5" × 11.25" · 231 square inches |
| Footprint | 17.5" × 10.25" | 21.75" × 12.75" |
| Height | 10.5" | 13" |
| Air gap | 2⅞" | 3⅝" |
| Packed thickness | About 1" | About 1.25" |
| Price (grill only) | $89.97 | $149.97 |
Solo and couples
The Compact. It is sized for one to three people, light enough to carry from a parking area, and slides into a trunk, kayak or camp box.
Families
The Full Size gives about 58% more cooking area, enough for burgers for a family in one round or a skillet next to the meat.
Love campfires? Bring your own clean one.
The Slot Grill Compact burns charcoal or cooking wood in a raised steel box with a 2⅞" air gap underneath, so where fires are allowed it doubles as a tidy personal fire pit after supper. Set up by hand in 30 to 60 seconds, no tools.
See the Compact · $89.97Kayak and canoe camping
The Compact, since it packs about an inch thick and is lighter.
RV and travel trailer
Either. The Compact fits RV closets easily; the Full Size fits pass-through bays and suits families.
Truck camping and hunting camps
The Full Size, with its 3⅝-inch air gap that helps minimize radiant heat to truck beds and tables.
Groups
Run two grills side by side, or a Full Size and a Compact together.
Raw steel likes a little care
Slot Grill Seasoning Balm is an avocado oil and beeswax blend for carbon steel and cast iron. Wipe on a very thin coat, bake at 400°F for an hour, repeat to build up a protective, non-stick layer.
Seasoning Balm · $8.97Griddle add-on
Both sizes work with the Slot Grill Griddle (Plancha) add-on, in half or full configurations.
As a fire pit
Both burn charcoal or cooking wood, so where fires are allowed, either can serve as a small fire pit. The Full Size makes a bigger fire for a larger group.
Questions to ask yourself
- How many people do you usually cook for? One to three: Compact. Four or more: Full Size, or two grills.
- How do you get to camp? On foot, kayak or small car: Compact. Truck, RV, UTV or boat: either, with the Full Size the natural choice for groups.
- Do you cook with cast iron? Both handle it. The Full Size leaves more room beside the pan.
- Do you want a fire pit after dinner? Both burn charcoal or cooking wood. The Full Size makes a larger fire for a bigger circle.
- How much do you want to carry? About 14 lb versus about 27.6 lb.
Camping scenarios
Solo weekend in a state park
The Compact. It fits behind the seat, cooks a steak and vegetables, and turns into a small personal campfire later.
Couple on a kayak trip
The Compact, packed flat in a hatch or strapped on deck.
Family of five car camping
The Full Size cooks burgers for everyone in one round and fits a skillet of potatoes beside them.
Hunting or fishing camp with friends
The Full Size, or a Full Size plus a Compact for a hot sear zone and a holding zone.
Travel trailer road trip
Either fits in a storage bay; choose by group size.
Accessories that work with either size
- Griddle (Plancha) add-on: half or full configurations, built from the same thick carbon steel and designed to flat-stack with your grill.
- Seasoning Balm: avocado oil and beeswax blend for protecting raw steel.
- Instant-Read Digital Meat Thermometer: about a 3-second read and a backlit display for night cooking.
Why not just one big grill?
Bulky backyard grills are heavy, need lots of fuel, and eat cargo space. The Slot Grill Full Size gives family-size cooking space in a design that still packs to about an inch and a quarter.
Why not a cheap little camp grill?
Thin, stamped grills wobble, warp, and struggle with cast iron. Both Slot Grill sizes are built from thick carbon steel with no thin stamped sheet metal.
Owning both
Many campers find a place for both: the Compact for quick solo trips and paddling, and the Full Size for family weekends. Set side by side, they give a big cooking area for groups.
Thinking about how you camp
The right size depends less on the grill and more on your trips. Ask yourself:
- How many people do I usually feed? One to three points to Compact; four or more leans Full Size.
- How do I travel? Small cars, motorcycles, canoes and short carries favor the lighter Compact.
- What do I cook? Lots of burgers and steaks for a crowd fit the larger grate better. Breakfast for two fits the smaller one.
- Do I want it as a fire pit too? Both work, but the bigger firebox makes a larger evening fire.
Weight in real life
The Compact weighs about 14 pounds and the Full Size about 27.6 pounds. Both are heavier than flimsy throwaway grills because they are solid carbon steel, and that weight is what keeps them flat and stable year after year. Fourteen pounds is easy to carry from the car to a walk-in site. Twenty-seven pounds is fine from car to picnic table but noticeable on a long portage.
Cooking area compared
- Compact: about 146 square inches. Four burgers, two steaks with sides, or breakfast for two or three.
- Full Size: about 231 square inches. Eight burgers, a family-size spread, or meat and sides at once.
Packing space
Each grill packs into a flat stack, about an inch thick for the Compact and about 1.25 inches for the Full Size. Either slides behind a seat, under a cooler or into a gear bin.
Setup is the same
Both use the same tab-and-slot assembly with no tools, hinges or loose hardware, and both go together in about 30 to 60 seconds. Practice once at home and it becomes second nature.
When to own both
Some campers keep a Compact for solo and couple trips and a Full Size for family weekends. Others run both together at big gatherings, using one for meat and one for sides, or one as a grill and the other as a small fire pit.
Accessories that fit either
The griddle add-on comes in configurations that fit each size, covering half or all of the cooking area. The Seasoning Balm and instant-read thermometer work with either grill.
Quick decision guide
- Solo, couples, light packers: Compact.
- Families and groups of four or more: Full Size.
- Mixed trips: start with the size that matches most outings, or own both.
Real-world scenarios
A couple on a weekend in a small car: the Compact slides behind a seat, cooks steaks and sides for two, and makes a cozy fire after.
A family of five on a week-long trip: the Full Size grills enough burgers for everyone at once and holds a bigger evening fire.
A solo kayak camper: the Compact fits in a hatch or straps on deck.
A group gathering: two grills, one for meat and one for sides.
Using the griddle
The griddle add-on covers half or all of either grill, so you can cook pancakes, eggs or smash burgers on one side and grill on the other.
Still unsure?
Think about the last few trips you took, and the next few you're planning. If most of them were small groups and tight packing, choose the Compact. If they were family weekends and big cooks, choose the Full Size. Either way, you get the same tool-free design, flat packing and clean steel firebox that doubles as a fire pit.
Fire pit size compared
As a fire pit, the Compact makes a small, controlled fire that's ideal for two to four people sitting close. The Full Size holds more fuel and throws warmth to a wider circle for families and groups. Both keep the fire raised off the ground on clean steel instead of a public ring, and both break down flat once the ash is cold. Pick the size that matches the circle of chairs you usually set up around the evening fire.
One more tip
Both sizes are made in Texas and ship free in the lower 48 directly from slotgrill.com.
Questions campers ask
Which Slot Grill is better for camping?
The Compact suits solo campers, couples and paddlers; the Full Size suits families, groups and truck camping.
How much does each size weigh?
About 14 lb for the Compact and about 27.6 lb for the Full Size.
Can I add a griddle?
Yes, the Slot Grill Griddle (Plancha) add-on works with the Slot Grill system.
Cooking for the family? Go Full Size.
10-gauge carbon steel, a 20.5" × 11.25" cooking area (231 sq in) and a 3⅝" air gap for truck beds, tables and boat decks. Plenty of space for thick steaks, a skillet, and supper for the whole crew.
Shop the Full Size
Compact · $89.97 About 14 lb, 146 sq in, 1 to 3 people, packs about 1" thick.
Full Size · $149.97 About 27.6 lb, 231 sq in, family-size, packs about 1.25" thick.