If you take camping seriously, you want a compact yet sturdy braai. Sonya Schoeman tested the Front Runner BBQ/Fire Pit & Wolf Pack Pro Kit to find out if it’s as good as it looks on the web.
There is no shortage of portable braais on the market, and a search on PriceCheck delivers numerous options. However, many of these are fire pits – simply for hand-warming and marshmallow roasting – rather than braais. Be sure to specify “braai” or “BBQ” in your search (“BBQ” delivers more results).
At R2 160, Front Runner’s option is in the higher price range, but a visual comparison shows plenty of braai options raised on legs, which looks precarious. This braai is on solid sides – it won’t be falling over in the veld. Also note that this set comes with a strong, multi-purpose Wolf Pack Pro box.
Key features of the BBQ/Fire Pit & Wolf Pack Pro Kit
- A BBQ/Fire Pit designed to pack flat at 38mm thick.
- Sturdy base for safe grilling.
- 30-second setup.
- Sides of grill shield the fire from the wind.
- Safely contains your fire and keeps it off the ground.
- Constructed from high-strength steel, providing high rust and corrosion resistance.
- Supplied with grid lifting tools.
- Stores neatly in the included Wolf Pack Pro box.
Unboxing the Front Runner BBQ/Fire Pit & Wolf Pack Pro Kit
This arrives as a flat-pack in a cardboard box, with illustrated instructions. It’s all stainless steel and is designed to fold up and fit neatly into the bottom of a Wolf Pack, a strong black container made of high-density polyethylene plastic that clips shut and can be attached to a roof rack.
Size, content, price
Built up, its length is 436mm, width is 436mm and height is 310mm. Packed flat the height is 50mm. It’s not light – it weighs just under 7.9kg. The Wolf Pack is 510mm x 400mm x 230mm high, and it weighs 3kg. It is made up of:
- Seven stainless-steel pieces that build into the braai
- Two grid lifters
- One Wolf Pack
You can buy the BBQ/Fire Pit – without the box – for about R400 less. It’s also available as a three-item kitchen kit, with a Cadac butane cooker included, for a few dollars more.
Setting up
The point of this equipment is that you can take it into areas where you aren’t allowed to build fires on the ground. The design is clever and it’s quick to build – as in it takes just minutes. I did it myself, and I’m not the best instruction reader (PS. If you lose the instructions, you can download a copy off the Front Runner website).
Using the the Front Runner BBQ/Fire Pit & Wolf Pack Pro Kit
Driving the new Hyundai Tucson 2.0 Elite Diesel AT, we headed out to Gecko Rock Private Nature Reserve, in the Karoo. Our campsite was a cleared, hard-ground site under a copse of trees, and we set up the braai on its tray there. Although there were some protective trees, there was a wind and it coped well despite that.
What we loved about the Front Runner BBQ/Fire Pit & Wolf Pack Pro Kit
A visual comparison of the braai sets available shows that this one is a more solid option than most others. Its stainless-steel components are strong (38mm thick) and build up into a stable and robust braai.
The two long sides slide into each other to create an X-shape, while the short sides slide in on either side and hold the entire structure solidly in place to hold the logs and coals. (I loved the little wolf-head cut-out that stood out when the fire was blazing). The sides also double as an effective windbreak, and coals that drop out collect into the tray below.
It’s a product that feels fit for the purpose it was designed for – to safely allow campers to braai in areas where fire needs to be contained. Once you’re done and the fire is completely out, it unpacks just as easily as it builds. You can spread out the coals into the tray for them to cool and burn out, and then slide them into a bin or bag to dispose of at home.
Where Front Runner could improve
This piece of equipment is built for a specific purpose – to safely contain a fire in a sensitive area, and it does this well. But if you’re in a place where you can build your own fire safely, it’ a tad too small. It does the job of braaing your food, but it doesn’t provide the warm fire to huddle around nor the convivial, camping atmosphere. My partner missed the heat of a fire, but I’m not sure this item can be improved upon considering the purpose.
The Front Runner BBQ/Fire Pit & Wolf Pack Pro Kit scores 4 out of 5.
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
