We have been through cheap portable overland/camping BBQs or braai’s (South African term for BBQ) like cheap toilet paper.
They are generally made of thin pressed sheet steel and don’t last more than a season on the road. The cost of these and the disposables we occasionally resort to eventually adds up, not to mention the waste impact too. This has led us to research and buy a decent portable BBQ for our travels. We eventually found the Boab Braai.
Where to buy a Boab Brai in 2024
We purchased the braai from Boab.biz in 2010, they no longer exist but other gear suppliers will provide it like, this mob. At the time Boab Biz imported South African Overlanding Gear and had a nice expanding product range.
First Impressions – Build Quality
The first impression you get when this BBQ turns up in the post is the sheer weight of the thing. This is not a Braai you walk far with. We live about 600 meters from the beach and it is hard work carrying it down just that far! But let’s face it, we are all here to find a suitable BBQ for the back of our 4WDs. The form factor of the Boab is perfect for the back of your vehicle, in its suitcase-style format. It is perfect in the back of the Landy.
Long Term Usage
As you will no doubt know, certainly if you follow this blog, this braai is fairly well-travelled, it has been used in over 12 countries with us and is now about to be used on the third summer trek. It is now obviously fairly dirty, but a good clean now and again brings it back to life.
The surprising thing is how well the paintwork has held out. We have actually been fairly lacklustre at cleaning it etc, left it in the rain and there is little sign of corrosion. This is obviously a desirable feature in a braai. I keep thinking I will need to touch the paint up but I have so far put it off as it is nowhere near bad enough yet.
Boab Braai Good Points
One of the nice things about the Boab Braai is the grill is of a decent size. This means you can easily cook for about 5 people depending on what you are cooking. The grill is also a heavy-duty mesh and frame so it doesn’t buckle or get damaged with repeated cleaning or heating over time.
One of the positives with the design of the grill is the square layout. This means that you will also fail to lose sausages through the grill due to the grill having a square pattern!
One of the nice features of the Boab Braai is that the lid also has legs and becomes a handy cooking table for beer and utensils. One feature of the lid we have not tried is the griddle. You can flip the lid and use this as a griddle.
The braai also comes with a handy pot-holding arm, we use this for utensils, as we generally use our petrol Coleman stove for pots.
The only downside with the Braai is that due to the dimensions and design it can be tricky to get started if you are complacent in setting up the coals. This is because there are no vents for air to get in at the base of the fire.
To resolve this since I purchased the Boab Braai they have added a log burner base to the accessories which would address this. In reality, if you are an experienced fire starter (twisted fire starter, sorry…) this will not be a problem.
The great thing about the Boab Braai is that the grade of material allows for a decent campfire after dinner. Just don’t get done by a forest ranger like we did, who promptly doused the Boab Braai with water, which had zero impact!
In summary, we recommend getting one.
Here is the datasheet
Leave a comment and let us know what you think!
Dan’s a windsurfing, adventure-seeking nomad with a passion for exploring the globe overland and an Engineer. Having grown up in the Middle East, he brings a unique perspective to Getting Lost Again, sharing his love for discovering hidden gems and embracing the unexpected. When he’s not on the road, he finds inspiration in windsurfing and other creative pursuits – and is equally at home under a vehicle solving problems as he is exploring a new place.