Nomad Suitcase Grill

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kwon-offroad

kwon-offroad

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Anyone have this obnoxiously expensive suitcase grill and can report back on experience?
nomadgrills.com

NOMAD Grills® | Rodeo Grill & Smoker | $399 | Made in USA

The all-new NOMAD Rodeo. 500+ sq in of cooking space, 26 lbs, cast aluminum. Designed, engineered, and built in the USA. $399.
nomadgrills.com nomadgrills.com

I made the mistake to ask my brother what my Nephew wants for this birthday.
 
Looks like a well thought out grill. For those outside of wildfire prone west.
 
I was on a hunt this last weekend and one of the guys showed up with one of these. I was VERY impressed with the overall build/construction and even more impressed with how well it cooked. The owner was cooking some obnoxiously expensive meat from Snake River Farms and the grill delivered great heat, well distributed across the entire surface.

Would I buy one of these? If I was doing a lot of overland travel, I think I could justify it based on size/cooking surface/weight and overall quality. For my occasional camping trips, I don't know that I can make this a priority ahead of other more impactful items ahead of it on the list.

It is definitely the YETI of portable grills.

sirloin cap on Nomad.webp
 
Exiled said:
I was on a hunt this last weekend and one of the guys showed up with one of these. I was VERY impressed with the overall build/construction and even more impressed with how well it cooked. The owner was cooking some obnoxiously expensive meat from Snake River Farms and the grill delivered great heat, well distributed across the entire surface.

Would I buy one of these? If I was doing a lot of overland travel, I think I could justify it based on size/cooking surface/weight and overall quality. For my occasional camping trips, I don't know that I can make this a priority ahead of other more impactful items ahead of it on the list.

It is definitely the YETI of portable grills.
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Thanks, great feedback. I'm all about quality and top notch construction. Using Yeti as an example, there's nothing different between Yeti and the competitors from a performance perspective (RTIC, etc.). They actually started before 2006, a friend knew the brothers in Austin, when they were selling them locally for sub $200. Then a new ad hire pushed them to pivot to be a lux brand. The rest is history.

To me the Nomad doesn't have much competition out there, yet. I've searched and can't find a similar product with matching portability and durability characteristics, so they appear to be exclusive to this brand. My nephew "camps" a lot all over Appalachia, and this doesn't include the many tailgate parties and pop up events (when those were allowed) where he's throwing down some good eats (he's a Type A and a fantastic cook). Given that he has expressed culinary interests, this may not be a bad investment from his uncle after all.
 
I would think that if this Nomad takes off, competitors will follow, that tailgating scene is a HUGE potential market and this is markedly different than one of those portable rectangular grills or the old school Weber kettles. Much easier to transport and the fact that you can grill on both sides of the "suitcase" gives you plenty of grilling surface. Another benefit I saw was that the bottom is insulated, this guy had it set on a wooden table (!) and there were no scorch marks.

Like I said, I was impressed, but $600 is a steep price for a portable grill. However, if you are in need of a top notch portable grill, and don't mind the steep price, the quality and overall usability of the product was outstanding.
 
kwon-offroad said:
Using Yeti as an example, there's nothing different between Yeti and the competitors from a performance perspective (RTIC, etc.). They actually started before 2006, a friend knew the brothers in Austin, when they were selling them locally for sub $200.
Click to expand...

did ya know Yeti is also the competition? Engel is the originator, all the way back to the 70's

:Edited for better wording:
 
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I got pretty excited when I first came across this grill last year, but didn't pull the trigger. There were almost no reviews at the time. I was impressed with the construction shown in the youtube vidoes. Super expensive for a charcoal holder. I think my main question revolves around what happens after you use it. Does it have to be thoroughly cleaned before transporting it home. If it's in the vehicle with windows down will ash escape. If its on the roof or truck bed in the rain will it leak soot? Most grills end up in a bag during transport for this reason.

If you end up getting it, let us know what you think.
 
From what I could see it was pretty well sealed when closed, and it comes with a very nice quality carrying case that would also help keep it clean. The guy that brought it was driving a pristine Audi sedan and was carrying the Nomad in the trunk, so I'm going to assume that it doesn't leak much soot/ash.

There seems to be a good following for these building on Instagram. you always have to take that platform with a cup of salt, but some of those folks might be willing to answer questions.
 
The Nomad grill looks very nice but I'm still baffled why anybody would pay $599 for a grill.

I paid approximately $50.00 for Weber Go-anywhere Gas Grill 25 years ago and it's still going strong.
 
loooks amazin....
 
from a quick look at the description it seems like that thing would be pretty much airtight when closed. Is that the case or can you keep grilling with it closed?
 
e9999 said:
from a quick look at the description it seems like that thing would be pretty much airtight when closed. Is that the case or can you keep grilling with it closed?
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It has an open/closed slide switch on the side. You can smoke low & slow with the case closed and the slider in the Open position. Tel-Tru thermometer built in.

Honestly the price doesn’t seem bad to me. Aluminum lasts forever. Was considering the PK.TX tailgate grill, but once you add the necessary accessories to that, it’s also $600. I too want to know how ash cleanup is on the Nomad.
 
Reviving to update that I am now an owner of a Nomad after buying one for my nephew.

He's been out of the country on a long journey and left the Nomad behind in a pile of things to store in my shed. Of course I had to take it for a spin while in possession. I must say this thing is all the hype. Aside from all the upside from its form factor - mobility, packability, etc - the cooking performance is above anything else I use or have used. My prior kit was the PKGO if size and trip catered to it, but that was part of the problem. It's clunky to pack and transport if relying solely on your vehicle's storage unless there was a dedicated purpose for it. And if you know all the venting options with the PKGO, the Nomad outperformed it with just two vents. As reference, I'm a schooled chef that will call myself nothing but a good cook.

Ashes, yes you can close and snuff out the coals and transport the ashes self contained. It's not perfect and would say not actually designed for it. If you put it up on its end and shake *hard* you will get some spillage but very little. If transported laying down, ashes stay put.

The Nomad and Puma kits fit perfectly side by side in the rear storage of the 100.

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