Camco Olympian 5500 Polished Stainless Steel RV Propane Grill

The Camco Olympian 5500 is the grill you bolt to the side of your rig and forget about until dinner. It's a polished 304 stainless steel propane grill built for RV life, but it's just as happy on a picnic table at the campground or on the tailgate in a parking lot. You get real grilling power in a box that stows small and cleans up fast. If you've been cooking on a cheap folding grate that warps after two trips, this is a step up you'll feel the first night out.

Under the hood it runs a 12,000 BTU per hour propane burner. That's enough heat to actually sear a steak or crisp the edges on a burger, not just warm things through. The 180 square inches of cooking area gives you room for four burgers and a row of dogs at the same time, so you're not cooking in shifts while everybody waits. A cast iron smoker plate sits over the burner and spreads the flame evenly across the grate. It also catches drippings and vaporizes them back up as flavor, which cuts down on the grease flare-ups that char one side and leave the other raw.

The mounting is where this grill earns its keep on the road. It comes with a bracket that hangs the grill on a standard Olympian RV rail, so you can cook right off the side of your camper without hauling out a table. Not parked next to a rail? Flip out the foldable legs and set it on any flat surface. The quick-connect hose and valve tap into your RV's low-pressure propane supply, so you're not dragging a separate bottle around or running out mid-cook. One hookup and you're grilling off the same tank that runs your furnace and fridge.

Build quality is the reason folks keep buying these. The body is 304 stainless steel with a polished finish, so it shrugs off weather, wipes clean with a damp rag, and doesn't rust out on you after a rainy weekend. A latch keeps the lid shut for transport and a carry handle makes it easy to grab and stow in a bay. It ships ready to cook. The only assembly is bolting on the rail mount, and that's a five-minute job with the hardware in the box.

It handles more than burgers, too. The cast iron plate is great for breakfast, so you can throw down bacon, eggs, and hash browns without losing them through the grate. Fish fillets, veggies, smash burgers, morning sausage, it all works on a flat, evenly heated surface.

Who's this for? RV owners who want a permanent grilling setup that travels with the rig. Tailgaters who need something that fires up fast and packs down flat. Campers tired of babysitting a tiny burner. It's compact enough for a small trailer or van build, but it puts out enough heat to feed a hungry crew. And because it runs off low-pressure propane, it's a natural fit for anyone already carrying an onboard LP system.

A couple of honest notes. The quick-connect is set up for low-pressure propane, so if you want to run it off a standalone 20 pound bottle, you'll want a low-pressure regulated hose with the matching quick-connect fitting. The polished stainless can pick up some heat discoloration around the burner after a season of hard use. That's normal for stainless, and a little stainless cleaner brings the shine back. Season the cast iron smoker plate like you would any cast iron and it'll last for years. Take care of it and this grill will outlast a few of the rigs it rides on.