Purcell Trench manufacturing company

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Grills - 2012

"Purcell Trench makes the best grills on the planet."  Cliff Jacobson

Since 1993

Purcell Trench campfire cooking grills are Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welded from American made, 1/4 inch diameter, thin wall stainless steel tubing, ultralight 6mm titanium tubing and thin sheet expanded stainless steel for strength without weight - ideal for backpacking and other go-light travelers.  They have rounded, smooth edges for easy packing and the tubing cools rapidly.  Purcell Trench grills are narrow for better fire control and legless for more stability, lighter weight and longer life.

Note:  Titanium grills are new for us and new to the market.  Please see information down the page.

 

TIG welded thin wall tubing yields a light grill.

 

 

Grills are strong, as this 20 lb brick illustrates.

 

 

For maximum stability, Purcell Trench grills sit directly on the structure that holds your fire.  Grills are narrow, allowing for a coal producing fire adjacent to the grill and easy control of temperature by pushing hot coals underneath the grill or pulling hot coals out from under the grill.

Grills come in two types:  All tube grills, primarily for cooking in pots and pans.  Or grills with expanded stainless steel with each strand of mesh welded directly to the frame for grilling fish, burger, vegetables or other smaller food items directly over the coals.  We call them Streamside grills, illustrated by the Streamside Voyageur Grill at right.  Each grill model is available in Streamside configuration or standard, all tube.

 

All grills come with a durable coated nylon bag to keep the rest of your gear clean.

Packers Grills

           Packer Frame                     Packer Grill                Streamside Packer Grill

The ultralight, easy to stow Packers Grill is ideal for backpackers or bikers going solo or with one companion.  Packers Frame is for the minimalist using pots and pans wide enough to fit the grill.  The standard Packer is a rigid unit, suitable for cooking firm meats and larger vegetables (or toasting a biscuit) in addition to providing support for small to medium sized pots and pans.  The Streamside Packer provides a full cover of mesh to the packer frame and works well for direct, over the coals grilling.  It is a favorite of backpacking anglers.

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Travelers Grills

  Travelers Grill                           Streamside Travelers Grill

The Travelers Grill graphic is rectangular.  In actuality, the grill has 1/2 inch of taper, as shown in the photograph of the Streamside Travelers Grill.  The images are not to scale.  The photograph provides a realistic view of the mesh size (we use the same mesh for all grills) and the product as you receive it from the shop, complete with medium weight carry bag and product hang tag.

Our original and still most popular grill, the Traveler provides all around service for one to a group of four or five. The grills are popular with backpack, bike, motorcycle, canoe and kayak, equestrian and ATV travelers.  The standard Traveler is suitable for medium sized pots and skillets or broiling firm meats such as steaks or chops directly over coals.  The Streamside Traveler is also suitable for burger, fish, vegetables and small items.

The Streamside Traveler is the same frame as the Traveler.  The lengthwise stays are eliminated and two short stays are welded across the frame, near the ends.  The central area is covered with expanded mesh and the ends are open, as in the photograph.  The expanded metal sheets are not completely flat as they come from the factory and expand and contract with heat, so welding is a demanding task necessitating special fixtures and welding techniques.  Because the Streamside Traveler has the largest unsupported piece of mesh of our Streamside grills, it experiences more deflection than the other models.  The deflection is significant enough to tilt a pot.  Despite deflection, the Streamside Traveler is my favorite Streamside grill and I have never had a complaint about mesh deflection from a customer.  Why the design?  The open ends make it easier to hang from a limb, easier to handle, easier to rest firmly on the support of a rock ring, slightly lighter and less deflection than if we merely covered the frame with mesh (which works fine for the smaller Streamside Packer). 

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Voyageurs Grills

         Voyageurs Grill                    Streamside Voyageurs Grill

The Voyageurs Grill was designed to meet the needs of backcountry canoe travelers.  However, like the Travelers Grill, it has been embraced by many types of campers.  The standard Voyageur has four internal stays.  They are closer together than the Travelers Grill, so the Voyageur is a good all purpose grill.  Still, the Streamside Voyageur is superior for burger, fish and small vegetables.  It is common for groups or large families to buy both a Voyageur and Streamside Voyageur and use them over the same fire for maximum cooking flexibility.  The Streamside Voyageur has two stays and a full covering of mesh TIG welded to the frame and tacked to the two stays to help stabilize the mesh and minimize warp.  The Streamside Voyageur should be used over modest heat the first couple of fires as a break-in period.

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STIX

STIX

Two pieces of stainless steel tubing 17.5 inches in length.  Experienced campers have carried a couple of pieces of steel tubing for cooking over the fire for decades.  We provide this option for those traditionalists who find a grill just too luxurious.  STIX can augment grill capabilities, you can put them to the side of a grill to expand the working dimensions of the grill, or under a grill to make the grill work on a larger fire, for instance.  No carry bag included (I recommend you use a plastic bread sack).  $8/pair.

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News:  Each year we sell grills in Japan.  In order to better accommodate that market, we have entered into a relationship with outdoorgoods.org to sell our products in that country.  We feel honored to have a progressive company representing us and promoting traditional woodcraft skills in Japan.

More Than Campfire Grills

 

When it is too dry for a campfire, or campfire is ecologically or socially unsuitable, several of our customers carry a small alcohol burner to use with their grill.  The commercial Trangia burner at     right is popular, as are homemade pop can burners.

 

 

One of the favorite uses of our Streamside grills is to put them on the surface of a home gas or charcoal grill when we want to do small items, fish, burger, polenta or anything that might fall apart and through the normal grill grate.

Our Commitment and Miscellaneous Information

If a Purcell Trench product fails, or fails to provide the service you expect, return it with a note explaining your complaint and we will fix the problem, replace the product or give you your money back.  We have never had a defective, worn out, burned out, cracked or crushed grill returned to us.  We have had one grill bag returned with a defective seam and a couple of grills bent by shippers.

If you order products and they are not what you expected or not what you want, just send the item back in like new condition within a reasonable time period and we will exchange products or return your money. 

The grills are light weight tools.  They dislike abuse.  For instance, the stainless tube is annealed to our specifications at the factory so we can bend the frames to shape.  So it is possible to bend the frames.  With reasonable care, all-tube grills should last a lifetime, or several lifetimes.  Grills with mesh tops (Streamside Grills) almost certainly will not last as long.  But we have been making them for over a decade, with professional outfitters using them and me using some hard, and no burned out or stress cracked grills have resulted from use (at least none have been reported).

We order tube and expanded stainless directly from American mills to save money and maintain uniform material excellence.  Weights are listed as approximate because, despite the fact we prescribe specifications to the factory, dimensions vary slightly.  Expanded stainless weight varies a little more than tube weight.

About our new titanium Packer Grills:  The tubing is 6mm outside diameter (slightly thinner than our stainless tube, and slightly thinner wall thickness), Grade 9, seamless, made in the USA tube (the best tube money can buy).  The primary use is aircraft hydraulic tubing.  It is roughly twice as strong as commercially pure titanium tube and about 58% the weight of stainless tube of the same dimensions.  The tube is stress relieved rather than annealed, so the grills are quite stiff. 

Titanium is a reasonably abundant natural element.  It has an excellent strength to weight ratio and outstanding corrosion resistance.  The melting point is high but the material degrades in atmospheric gases at elevated temperatures.  For instance, welding requires a neutral environment.  The inside of the tube has to be purged of air and the outside of the tube has to be free of contact with air during welding.  Customers should minimize getting the tubing red hot.  In our tests, prototype grills have held up well even when heated red hot at the welds.  We expect the grills to give customers years of hard use; but they will not tolerate heat as well as our stainless grills.  The all tube stainless grills will tolerate thousands of hours over hot fires. 

Our supply of the material is limited and intermittent.  Product specifications may change.  If you want a titanium grill, you are encouraged to buy when they are available.  If they are not currently available a notice will be placed on this web page and the order form. 

Years ago, we used to wholesale grills.  There is no profit in it.  That is why most of the outdoor gear you buy is made offshore.  Our grills come to you directly from the shop.

I understand the difficulty of buying sight unseen.  I suggest you fold or cut a piece of paper or cardboard the size of the grill you are interested in and place your cooking pots and pans on the model. 

We charge a standard shipping fee for all locations in North America, no matter how much or how little the order.  Right now the fee is $5 for standard air delivery outside the USA and US Postal Service Priority Mail inside the USA.  If special service such as expedited delivery is requested, that rate will be the shipping fee.  Outside North America the shipping cost is our shipping cost.  We do not charge shipping service fees or packing fees.

For other answers to your questions, try the Testimonial, FAQ, Grill Tips, HOME and other links on the site, give me a call or send an email to sales@purcelltrench.com.

Thank you for your interest in Purcell Trench grills.  Tell your friends if you like our products.  We do not advertise, preferring to invest in materials and skilled labor. 

Don Tryon, owner

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Purcell Trench mfg.,  P.O. Box 7,  Addy, WA 99101 - 509-685-9276, cell: 509-675-1413, sales@purcelltrench.com