The nomadiQ Grill is an innovative, super portable propane grill with a unique shape: Instead of a traditional box with lid, the nomadiQ has a cool clamshell design that opens for grilling and folds up for travel.
To get us a closer look, nomadiQ sent Man Makes Fire a review unit. After testing the nomadiQ — including using it on a cold tailgating ski trip — this is what we learned:
NomadiQ Grill Review
The nomadiQ Grill has a unique foldable design that is very stable. Once opened, you get a competitive 226 square inches of grilling space spread over two sides of the grill. Better yet, you can control the temperature for each side, which means you can easily grill food at different temperatures.
During our initial test and review, it was so cold while tailgating/skiing that our hot dog buns froze and had to be thawed. The nomadiQ Grill performed well, even in cold winter temps.Most competing portable grills have only one burner with one temperature control. In fact, this two-burner feature — and packable design — led us to include the NomadiQ Grill in our guide to the best gifts for outdoor lovers this year.
The dual-burners are stainless steel with a 4,600 BTU of output for each side, giving you a 9,200 BTU total. For portable grills of a similar size, this is a very competitive BTU output.
The nomadiQ Grill is stable and downright stylish.
The folding nomadiQ Grill design is innovative and surprisingly effective.The grates are non-stick ceramic. The design protects the burners from drips but allows for a good heat transfer. They are dishwasher safe and possibly small enough to soak in your kitchen sink.
For grease management, nomadiQ includes two removable drip trays. Once you spread the grill and expand the legs in the base, the drip trays sit on the legs. For greasy foods like hamburgers, they’re a must — and you’ll want to bring some napkins or paper towels for cleanup. For non-greasy foods and vegetables, you might not get any drips.
Superior Style, Excellent Quality
The biggest benefit of the nomadiQ Grill is its foldable, clamshell design. It unfolds very easily yet also locks into place. When you expand the legs, the result might look tippy, but it’s not. The nomadiQ Grill is stable and downright stylish.
For travel, it packs up small with a built-in handle at the top. NomadiQ includes a removable shoulder strap, too.
The powder-coated steel exterior seems reasonably rugged, as do the more plasticy knobs and base.
Shop the nomadQ Grill & Accessories at Amazon and get FREE Shipping!
Competitive Grilling
Once unfolded, the nomadiQ Grill delivers a very competitive 226 square inches of grilling space over two separately controlled burners.Because of the slim and trim design, the distance between the stainless steel burner tubes and the grill surface is relatively shallow. I thought this might result in uneven grilling, but the grill grates do a great job of absorbing and transmitting heat. The triangular burners also seem to deliver good coverage — maybe even better coverage than your typical single straight burner design found in many small portable grills.
As expected, the edges of the grilling surface aren’t as effective as the sweet spot — but this is an issue for every grill we’ve tested and used.
One nomadiQ Grill drawback is the lack of a lid. Obviously, the folding design is the culprit — to cover all 226 square inches, you would need a large lid, which would change the portability.
Do you need a lid for outdoor grilling? Yes and no. Do you use a lid when cooking over a campfire? Nope. It’s totally doable without a lid. I can cook steaks and burgers just fine without a lid — but cooking without a lid can sometimes take longer and sometimes require a bit more attention.
If you’re not also toasting buns, you can grill eight burgers at a time without much trouble.However, because you have two separate grill surfaces with separate temperature controls, you can grill and move your food differently than single-burner designs. Ultimately, the two-burner, foldable design is a pro and a con — but this con is a minor detail.
The simplest lid workaround that we’ve come up with is a strip of aluminum foil. It’s packable and portable, and if you want to help your cheese melt faster atop a burger, an aluminum foil tent over the top works well.
The ceramic non-stick grates work well and protect the stainless steel burner from flareups.Packability
The whole point of a portable grill is the ability to take it out and about — it should be able to work well as a camping grill, a tailgating grill, a beach grill, and a patio or apartment-ready grill.
While the nomadiQ is undeniably packable for the grill surface delivered, it’s not exactly an all-in-one solution: It doesn’t have a good way to pack the two drip trays and propane regulator hose.
In order to pack those along with you, you need to add the nomadiQ Protective Sleeve accessory. The sleeve accessory is made of neoprene, so it offers great padding. To carry the regulator hose and drip tray, nomadiQ has stretchy slots on the side. We don’t think nomadiQ created a particularly great sleeve design: The open-ended straps seem like a tacked on afterthought. We’d prefer a large stretchy mesh pocket.
Still, because there’s no way to carry a propane bottle, you’re going to need another bag anyway. And that leads to a decision: Should you just buy a good adventure tote bag instead? A tote could carry your accessories or a large tote could carry the nomadiQ Grill and propane, regulator hose, and drip trays. Tough choice.
Still, we don’t count this as a major flaw. Why? Most competing portable grills don’t have good carry options for themselves much less for propane. So nomadiQ gets a pass here, but part of the point of buying a portable grill is imagining how and where you’ll use it. We recommend that you skip the skimpy sleeve and invest the $29~ in a more versatile tote. (Consider the Large or even Extra Large L.L.Bean Everyday Lightweight Tote if you think this option has merit.)
Griddle Accessory
While the NomadiQ Protective Sleeve accessory is underwhelming, we do appreciate the NomadiQ Griddle accessory. Griddles are great for camping because they help you make breakfast — pancakes, eggs, potatoes — anything you want to fry.
The Verdict
The foldable design of the nomadiQ Grill is fantastic. In person, it’s easier to deploy and more stable than we imagined. The build quality is excellent throughout and the price point reflects the build quality. However, because it doesn’t have a lid, the nomadiQ Grill seems like it’s a less serious grill. On the other hand, that’s part of its charm. When you’re grilling on the nomadiQ Grill, your food can be seen and appreciated by everyone with you — you don’t cover and hide it and the grill itself looks like a modern sculpture. The result is that grilling on the NomadiQ feels more collaborative. Your friends and family are more likely to engage while you’re cooking — and that’s just a lot more fun. Highly recommended.
