Camco 57305 Olympian 5500 Portable Grill Review

I just had to review the Camco 57305 Olympian 5500 Stainless Steel Portable Grill because it’s been somewhat of a sleeper hit among RV and Camper Van enthusiasts. The is because it’s designed to connect directly to your vehicles low-pressure propane outlet and people are finding this is a convenient feature. It’s different that’s for sure but does that mean that good? Does it produce great food? And what if any are its flaws? Find out here
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Pros:

  • Easy Assembly
  • Easy Operation
  • Steel Grates
  • The stand can also be used as a Mounting Bracket
  • Great Taste
  • Affordable
  • 12,000 BTU’s

Cons:

  • 180 Square Inches of Cooking Space
  • Flimsy Stand

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Camco 57305 Olympian 5500 Portable Grill Review:

Size/Design:

I mentioned that the Camco is a little different. Well, that is quite an understatement because it’s one of the most original looking Grills your ever likely to see. Firstly, it’s made from Silver Stainless Steel so it has this Silver color rather than the black finish of most grills. Secondly, it’s shaped like a suitcase with the lid opening up to reveal the cooking surface. It even has a nice suitcase handle so you can easily carry it around, and this means that it’s incredibly portable given the fact that you can literally open up the case and start cooking. Also, the weight was only 11.7 pounds taking it into super-portable territory so you’ll be able to take it with you anywhere. It measures a cool 24.2×14.6×11.6 so it can slot into the backseat of a car or in your RV luggage hold.

Performance

The assembly couldn’t be easier; you just grab your suitcase and place it on a table, hook it up to your RV or Camper Vans propane outlet and get cooking. I suggested the table because the stand that comes with the Camco is not sturdy so I wouldn’t recommend using it as a stand. It does, however, double as a mounting bracket so you can use it to mount the Camco on the side of your RV, and using it this way it’s excellent.

There are 180 square inches of cooking space so it’ll be perfect for a family although cooking for friends to will mean loading up with another batch of food after the first batch is done. If you’re prepared to do that then I’d recommend it for larger parties too. It comes with Stainless Steel Grates and they’re really good, surprisingly good actually and their effectiveness was certainly helped by the BTU vs cooking area size ratio. 12,000 BTU’s is the perfect output for a Grill of this size and this is often the most important factor in determining Gas Grill excellence so I was happy to see such a good ratio. It made the cook times fast and took away much of the stress of waiting for cooking heat to build up. Interestingly they put a Cast-Iron Smoker Plate beneath of Grates, and this was the icing on the cake of an overall fabulous design based around fast cooking at the Camp Site.

Although the Stainless Steel is so durable it’ll last for years, it can become discolored easily. This is the nature of Stainless Steel and buyers should be aware of this, The Thermometer is very visible and it’s also very accurate, the handles don’t get hot and you can use standard or disposable propane cylinders.

The Verdict

Regarding taste, the Camco is a really good choice, with the Cast-Iron Plate provided flavor by dispersing heat around the surface. The ratio of output vs size was perfect, so you get quick cook times and nice results. Don’t use the stand as a stand but instead use it as a mounting bracket and you’ll get the best out of it. Assembly is easy as is cleaning and apart from asking yourself whether 180 square inches of cooking space is enough, the Camco doesn’t really provoke any major soul searching. It’s a good grill at a great price and for Campers, it’s a must-have.