The Traeger Ranger is a portable table top smoker and grill that allows for you to put out some serious bbq whether you are on the road, tailgating, or even just for quick weeknight dinners. The Traeger Ranger is on the heavier side at 60 lbs. but it's size (20"L x 21"W x 13"H) allows for it to fit into tighter/smaller spaces than some of it's competitors.
Table of Contents
What is the Traeger Ranger?
The Traeger Ranger is a portable table top wood pellet grill that is easy to set up virtually anywhere, compact enough to store on a garage shelf or in your RV, and can be used by even beginner cooks with the touch of a button.
Where we enjoy using the Traeger Ranger
I personally have been camping my whole life and have been enjoying using this Traeger model over the last few seasons on a few trips. The size of this smoker makes it great to pack up and take with you but also is great for weeknight dinners when you don’t feel like hauling out your full size smoker or grill.
How the Traeger Ranger Adds Up
- Included Features: 10/10
- Quality & Design: 9/10
- Portability: 7/10
- Cooking Space: 8/10
- Temperature Control: 10/10
- Hopper: 9/10
- Performance: 10/10
- Ease of Assembly: 9/10
- Maintenance: 9/10
- Overall Score: 9/10
⭐Based on the build, performance, and all of these features which I will go into more detail below, I personally give the Traeger Ranger 4.5 out of 5 stars.
About the Traeger Ranger:
- Weight: 60 lbs
- Dimensions: 20”x 21”x 13” (Length, width, height)
- Cooking Space: 184 square inches
- Pellet Hopper Capacity: 8 lbs.
- Maximum temperature: 450 degrees F
Pros:
- Portable
- Well built
- Large pellet capacity
- Included pre-seasoned griddle grate
- Compact enough for easy storage
- Easy to maintain
- Precise temperature control
Cons:
- Weight
- No Wi-fi/ Bluetooth connection (if that is important to you)
- Price point
- Hard to carry with lack of handles
Traeger Ranger Features:
Portability- The Traeger Ranger pellet grill easily sits table top and can be stored easily.
Meat Probe- The Ranger comes with one standard Traeger temperature probe.
Porcelain-Coated Grill Grates-These grates are naturally non stick and easy to maintain. No seasoning required.
Cast Iron Griddle Grate- This pre-seasoned griddle grate is included with your purchase which is easily interchangeable with the grill grates. Can use be used for burgers, camping breakfasts, veggies, etc.
Digital Arc Control- This is Traeger’s control panel that allows for precise temperature control during your cooks.
Keep Warm Mode- This feature can be activated with the click of a button to switch to 165 degrees F for safe warming until ready to serve.
Grease Drip Pan Bucket- This bucket is included and is easily hooked to the back of the grill to catch all grease, fat, and juices.
These features will you get you cooking with everything you need right off the bat. You just need to buy some pellets.
⭐Included Features Rating: 10/10
Quality Design
When we first purchased our Ranger, I was surprised by the look and feel of it. It looks like a little suitcase but is pretty heavy. The weight? 60 lbs. seems heavy (which it is for a portable grill) but it told me one thing, QUALITY. I had no doubt in my mind that this little grill was built to last.
The walls, the porcelain coated grill grates, the cast iron griddle, and the handle all have a good feel to them. I don’t find any of the features to seem chintzy.
As far as design goes, one common thing that I agree on is wishing there were some type of side handles for easier carrying. The latches also get very hot during cooking so maybe a different design on the latches or some added rubber would be helpful.
⭐Quality & Design Rating: 9/10
Portability of the Ranger
This grill was designed to be easily stored and transported to take on the road or for “your next adventure”. At 60 lbs., you won’t be backpacking or carrying this any long distance but you definitely can fit it in the trunk of your car, the bed of your truck, or in the storage compartment in your RV.
A few of the other table top portable smokers such as the Pit Boss Mahogany Table Top Wood Pellet Grill weigh in around 42 lbs. The Cuisinart 24-Inch Portable Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker weighs in at 44 lbs. So 60lbs on the Ranger does make it a little more challenging to lift and carry.
I always set it on a plastic folding table both at home and camping. You could easily place it on a picnic table at the campground, flat ground, or your truck bed. Just make sure whichever surface is sturdy enough to hold the weight.
The fact that it doesn't have any legs like the Trager Tailgater does make it more convenient to pack up and move versus having to breakdown the legs or fold to pack.
The lack of any carrying handle does create a little challenge for moving it to and from.
⭐Portability Rating: 7/10
Cooking Space
What can you fit on your Traeger Ranger? There is 184 square inches of cooking space which is decent but a little smaller compared to a few of the other portable grills such as the Pit Boss and Country Smokers portable grills which have 256 square inches of cooking space.
The cooking space can easily hold a rack of ribs, a tri-tip, 6 burgers, 10 hot dogs, or even a smaller pork butt or pork shoulder. A few steaks and kebobs could easily fit, too.
A 10 inch cast iron skillet can fit with the lid shut and the same with a disposable aluminum pan. Just to kind of give you an idea!
⭐Cooking Space Rating: 8/10
Digital Arc Control & Temperature
Temperature is easily set and controlled by Traeger’s Arc Control panel. The buttons make it easy to raise or lower the temperature during a cook. Since it is a smaller space, the smoker pre-heats and cools down quickly. I would agree with most people that there is precise temperature control on the Traeger grills.
All you have to do is simply click the up or down buttons to select your temperature and hit the ignite button. The smoker fires up immediately.
The “keep warm” button is an added feature on this model. Selecting this button (to the left of the center button) will switch the temperature to a safe 165 degrees F that is perfect for serving and keeping your food warm until serving time.
With the digital control panel, you can also set a timer and check your internal temperature of the meat probe.
⭐Temperature Control Rating: 10/10
Hopper
For a portable wood pellet grill, I find that the 8 lb. pellet capacity is pretty large. Many of the other tabletop grills offer a 5lb pellet hopper capacity.
I can do several shorter cooks without any refills. If the general rule of thumb is that you burn between 1-3 pounds of pellets per hour depending on the temperature you are cooking at, you can expect to at least smoke for about 4 hours before needing to refill.
The Ranger does not offer the ability to tell you if your pellets are running low like some other Traeger models, so you will need to keep an eye on them.
⭐Hopper Rating: 9/10
Performance & Ease of Use
I have had the Ranger for about two years and it works just as well as our full size smoker. It puts out some pretty decent smoke flavor and keeps its temperature pretty well. Even if you have never operated a smoker before, this one is easy to use and is multi-purpose.
Since you can cook at higher temperatures (max 450 degrees F) this smoker performs well as a grill, too. You can even purchase grill grates that fit two panels for anything you want to get nice grill marks on.
The Traeger Ranger creates a nice smoke flavor on steaks, sausages, and even grilled veggies. So this ability may make this a great grill/smoker combo for anyone considering purchasing for the first time or for a smaller sized family.
⭐Performance Rating: 10/10
Unboxing & Assembly:
As with all of the Traeger Grills, the smoker does come in a well packaged box with some assembly required but not much. It had styrofoam around the edges, some plastic, and the additional parts were in separate boxes as well.
The only assembly required is to add the foot caps on the bottom and to attach the handle with screws. Traeger even provides a screwdriver that works for both jobs.
Then you insert the grease drain pan and then add the grill rack on top. Finally hook on the drip pan bucket in the back and you are ready to start cooking.
⭐Ease of Assembly Rating: 9/10
Maintenance
As with all grills, the Ranger does require some maintenance. Since this is a smaller model, I find this easier to maintain and clean.
You simply remove the grate and the metal grease drain pan it to access the fire pot. You can simply vacuum out the ashes. Use your favorite grill brush to clean the grates and normal maintenance is needed for the cast iron griddle.
⭐Maintenance Rating: 9/10
Value
The Traeger Ranger is a little on the pricier side compared to some other portable pellet grills with the current price listed at $449.95 on Amazon and $449.99 on Traeger's website.
Our Video Review of the Traeger Ranger
Traeger Customer Service
I haven't had any issues with the Traeger Ranger where I needed to use the customer service but in the past have had a great experience when troubleshooting problems or needing replacement parts.
Traeger customer service has been quick to walk me through any issues or even send out parts quickly if needed.
User Reviews
General Positive User Feedback:
- Puts out great smoke flavor and overall food results turn out great
- Quality build
- Extremely easy to use
- Easy to maintain
- Great for travel or camping trips
General Negative User Feedback:
- Heavy and hard to carry with lack of handles
- No Wi-fi/ Bluetooth connection like some other Traeger models
- Latches get very hot
Conclusion
Overall I have found the Traeger Ranger to be a great portable pellet grill option. I love being able to use is for weeknight cooks and to take with us on camping or road trips. I find the results of our cooks to turn out just as well as our full size grill. The ability to use is as a grill, smoker, or as a griddle makes this a muli-purpose grill.
Being so easy to use, I would recommend this smoker to anyone looking for a smaller pellet grill option or even for beginner smokers looking to learn how to smoke and bbq.
With my main issue being weight/hard to handle, that is only one downside to an overall great grill.
Thoughts/Feedback
Have any questions? Feel free to ask. Have you used the Traeger Ranger? Feel free to comment with your user experience.
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