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Buy Traeger Ranger
The Traeger Ranger is a rare portable wood pellet grill designed to cater to people who need a portable smoker for camping trips, tailgating parties, or taking a trip to the beach.
Though it still needs a power source to plug into, which means it isn’t ideal for back-woods camping at primitive campsites.
The Traeger Ranger can be purchased online through Traeger’s website or on Amazon.
While you might find a better deal purchasing it from a local retailer, a lot of stores don’t carry it in their active inventory.
The Traeger Ranger has a somewhat limited capacity and still needs an electrical connection to run the internal components.
Though it might be perfect for a small family that needs a camp grill or picnic smoker at campsites with a shore power pedestal.
Since it only has 176 square inches of cooking space and minimal space under the lid, the Ranger is limited to cooking things like hot dogs, bratwursts, small steaks, cuts of chicken, and up to four hamburger patties.
Where to Buy Traeger Ranger?
You can find the Ranger at some of Traeger’s licensed retailers like Home Depot, Walmart, and Ace Hardware. Though it isn’t common in a lot of stores’ active inventory, and you might have to special order it.
You can more easily find it online through Traeger’s website or on Amazon. Though you have to pay a little extra in shipping and handling.
Is the Traeger Ranger Worth It?
The Traeger Ranger is worth it for a small family who needs a portable grill for camping trips, picnics, and trips to the beach, and also loves smoky flavors. It’s probably not the best option for a wood pellet grill meant to live on your deck or patio.
Why Should You Buy a Traeger Ranger?
A Traeger Ranger is a good idea for a family on the go who needs a compact wood pellet grill for camping trips, RV adventures, picnics, and trips to the beach. Though you need to make sure that you will have electricity available wherever you intend to use a Traeger Ranger.
Are There Problems With The Traeger Ranger?
Older versions of the Traeger Ranger were recalled in 2018 due to grease fire problems. This was due to the close proximity of rendered fat and oils near the internal firepot. Traeger has done their best to reduce the risk of this happening, but it’s still a good idea to clean your Ranger and always keep an eye on the grease management system.
The temperature controls on a Traeger Ranger can also be an issue in cold, wet, and especially windy conditions.
If you are going to use it during bad weather, it’s best to put the Ranger under a roof of some kind to set it up out of the wind.
How Much Does a Traeger Ranger Cost?
A Traeger Ranger typically comes with a price tag of around $450.
If you purchase it online, you can expect to pay another $25 to $50 in shipping and handling.
What Can You Do with a Trager Ranger?
The somewhat limited grill grate size and shallowness of the lid limit the Traeger Ranger to smaller cuts of meat. This includes things like portion cut ribs, hamburger patties, hot dogs, bratwursts, and bone-in cuts of chicken.
You could get a spatchcocked half chicken under the grates, or perhaps a full turkey breast.
You might even be able to get a trimmed-down brisket flat on the 176-square inch grill grates.
There simply isn’t enough volume height under the lid of the Traeger Ranger for taller things like Boston butt pork shoulder or beer can chicken.
Though you could still slow smoke country-style pork ribs, which are cut-down sections from the Boston butt pork shoulder.
Final Thoughts
The Traeger Ranger is a handy portable wood pellet grill.
Though it isn’t commonly stocked at a lot of brick-and-mortar retailers like Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart, and Ace Hardware.
You can easily find the Traeger Ranger sold online on Amazon or via Traeger’s website for around $459. Though you might have to pay as much as $50 more for shipping and handling.
The Traeger Ranger is worth the money if you love to travel, need a camping grill, and you love the smoky flavor of a wood pellet grill.
However, you will still need access to electricity, so the Ranger probably isn’t ideal for backwoods camping at primitive campgrounds.
The Traeger Ranger only has 176 square inches of grill grate cooking space, which limits the cooking capacity to hot dogs, bratwursts, or perhaps up to four hamburger patties.
You might be able to fit bone-in chicken breasts or a full rack of ribs cut into three rib portions.
The Traeger Ranger just doesn’t have the volume under the lid for taller, thicker cuts of meat. If you love to smoke a Boston butt pork shoulder, you might want to lean more toward the Traeger Tailgater.
Robert is a certified Pitmaster, with over a decade of experience in smoking the best meats you’ll ever feast upon. He also has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio. When he’s not researching technical topics, he’s most likely barbecuing in his backyard.