Is the Traeger Ranger Worth It?

The Ranger is Traeger’s latest attempt at a portable grill and it looks like they have made a pretty nice product.

Ranger Specifications and Dimensions

– Cooking Area: 184 sq in – Weight: 60 pounds – L x W x H: 21 x 20 x 13 inches – Hopper Capacity: 8 pounds – Min/Max Temperature: 165-450F

Ranger vs Scout

The last version of Traeger’s portable grill was called the Scout and it was simply awful. It had terrible temperature control and the pellet hopper was tiny.

Cooking on a Traeger Ranger

The Ranger is larger than you think and can hold a lot of meat. You can easily cook a 2-3 pound tri tip, 6 burgers or even a spatchcock chicken.

Cooking on a Traeger Ranger

The griddle allows you to cook smash burgers, a bacon and eggs breakfast, pancakes, blackened catfish, etc.

Ranger problems: 1

Portability: When the Ranger has the griddle inserted and the pellet hopper is full the grill weighs almost 70 pounds.

Ranger problems: 2

Hopper: The slope of the hopper isn't the best so it is pretty easy for an air void to form over the auger while pellets are still stuck on the sides of the hopper.

Ranger problems: 3

Temperature swings: This is a small grill and small variations like a few extra pellets in the auger will cause the temperature to spike.

Ranger problems: 4

Lid latch: The latch on the left side of the grill remains cool to the touch during use but the latch on the right side of the grill gets really freaking hot.

So, is the Traeger Ranger worth it?

The Ranger is worth the money and after you use it a few times you will stop thinking about the extra $50-$100 is cost over the other brands.

If you liked that...

You'll love our Traeger Smoked Pork Chops {Apple and Honey with ‘Que Sauce}. Not to brag, but I think these came out looking and tasting fantastic!