Product Review - OZPig

OZPig

"Great Cooking Outdoors" Australian Owned and Made ... right here in Queensland!

Purchase yours from Tentworld  RRP $335 and other OZPig retailers.

  

Why I bought one: 

When I first considered an OZPig, I was thinking of using it as a portable fireplace both at home to replace my 4 burner BBQ and whilst camping for both cooking and heating.  The initial expense of the item did put me off a little, as did the weight - they are marketed as being 17 kg's.  I'd heard good things about them, but Glenn wasn't really keen.  We attended a camping weekend with friends during August with cold nights and beautiful days.  Some sat around the huge fire, throwing on nearly a ute load of wood to keep warm and dodging the smoke, while others sat around an OZPig which used only two milk crates of timber and very little smoke to worry about.  Glenn was sold.

I purchased the standard Pig and we tried it out that very night.  It was a little heavier than we thought, but it produced heat and diverted the smoke away from the house as described.

Taking it camping nearly every time from then on, my Pig as become an important part of our camping experience and we don’t often leave it behind.

The Z shaped flue base makes using a wok easy.

What I like: 

It's an Australian product made right here in Queensland!

The OZPig uses very little timber.  You can easily cook a meal and keep warm with less than a milk crate of timber. 

It goes together quickly, easily and stores well.  The flue is easy to clean, comes apart and can be sanded easily. 

After a few months, we decided to also purchase the Z shaped flue part so that we could also use a Wok to cook with. 

We will need to replace the fire rack one day, but it’s holding up well after 3 years.

Glenn has a fold up shovel which fits into the Pig well and is great for removing coals for camp oven cooking.

It’s great that we don’t need a “fire ring” – although sometimes we put it in one … just in case!  The OZPig will get hot enough to wilt grass, but you can be assured that it won’t burn the grass.

As some places do not allow “fires”, we purchased a brickette basket, but we have hardly used this to date. 

One of the cooking plates welded handle came loose and OZPig arranged for it to be replaced free of charge.

Your fire stays inside ...

 What I think could be better: 

We felt the Pig was a little heavy.   Please always use common sense when storing the Pig, and ask for assistance carrying it if you require, so as not to hurt yourself (muscle pulls, back strains, etc).

Our biggest disappointment was the bag that it comes in.  It is fairly thin and didn’t take even 2 years of camping and travelling “punishment”.  The reason being the screw in points on the base of the Pig which basically drilled their way through the bag.  Also, the bag is soft sided, so putting the Pig in it unaided was often a bit of fun.  We purchased an OzTrail zippered Toilet Bag and lined it top and bottom with marine carpet, putting the old OZPig bag inside.  Two good things about the OzTrail bag being that it’s canvas, with very sturdy handles on either side (which are sewed around the entire bag) and it’s zippered around the top, which means that no dust or parts will fall out.

We use a larger cast iron plate for a big meal.

Conclusion: 

We LOVE our OZPig!  Definitely money well spent.

Kit_e Rating : 9 / 10 

The smoke goes over you and your campsite.  

The bag could be better ...