The charm (and challenge) of the Coleman grill

For clarity’s sake, let me say up front that I consider my Coleman propane gas grill one of my coolest and most essential pieces of camping equipment. It works like a charm – as long as a nimrod isn’t at the controls.

Unfortunately, I, at times, am a nimrod, as my 11-year-old daughter, Hannah, can attest. Hannah and I spent spring break roaming some canyons of southeastern Utah. I brought the Coleman grill because it’s got a wicked flame that heats a pan of water about a gazillion times quicker than the old-fashioned Coleman stove. And the grill is big enough and versatile enough to cook a couple of things at once, giving it an advantage over a backpacker’s burner.So Hannah and I are hanging out at a killer campsite at Cedar Mesa on the first chilly night of our trip when it’s time to prepare my specialty – beanie-weenies. I’ve used my grill so many times that I could assemble it in my sleep. The legs go into the slots, the propane gas cylinder screws into a hole, you turn a knob and press it so a spark ignites gas in the burner.

I’m going through that process with the grill upside down in my hands, hear the telltale foomping sound as the gas cylinder starts making a connection with the gas regulator – and instantly find flames all over the place. They’re covering part of the gas cylinder; they’re covering some of the ground; they’re covering the outside of the grill.While I can be a nimrod, I have a decent survival instinct, so I drop the grill, swear and kick the cylinder so that it falls away from the grill. The flames die as quickly as they appeared.Upon closer review, I learn the burner valve got turned on sometime during storage or transport, so the propane gas was able to spill out during the connection. I’m still perplexed that it ignited. I don’t know what produced the spark normally produced by pushing the knob on the valve assembly.

Anyway, on the second try, the grill was its trusty old self and I was able to make a mean batch of beanie-weenies. Just ask Hannah.The Coleman propane grill model 9940 is about 1 foot in diameter. It has a standard grill for cooking meat or using with a pan. A smooth surface can be added for cooking veggies and eggs. The grill can be found at camping stores everywhere.