Camp Chef
Camp Chef Smoke Vault 18
For fifteen years this was the default propane vertical: a 20,000 BTU cast-iron burner under a wood-chip tray, three damper valves, two adjustable racks and a jerky rack, and a 160-350°F range that goes low enough for sausage and high enough to bake. Camp Chef discontinued the Smoke Vault in April 2026 and it is gone from campchef.com entirely, though Sportsman's Warehouse and BBQGuys are still clearing new stock well below the $380 list price. It is listed here because it remains one of the most-owned propane cabinets in the country and the nearest thing to a reference point for anyone shopping the category.
We may earn a commission. Price and availability on Amazon may differ.
Specifications
Pros
- ✓A propane burner holds a set temperature far more steadily than charcoal without any electricity, fan or controller
- ✓160°F at the bottom of the range is genuinely low enough for jerky and cold-ish smoking, which most propane cabinets cannot reach
- ✓Three separate damper valves let you tune smoke density independently of temperature - unusual at this price
- ✓Matchless snap ignition and a door-mounted thermometer mean it lights and runs without tools
- ✓Cast-iron chip tray puts out smoke for much longer per load than the stamped-steel trays on cheaper cabinets
- ✓Clearance stock has been running near $200, which is a lot of smoker for the money
Cons
- ✗Discontinued in April 2026 - no new production, and parts support will thin out over the next few years
- ✗Absent from campchef.com altogether, so specifications and manuals now have to be found through retailers
- ✗Powder-coated thin-gauge steel body loses heat badly in wind and cold; an insulating blanket is close to mandatory below 40°F
- ✗The door thermometer reads the air near the glass, not at grate level, and is commonly 20-30°F optimistic
- ✗No probe ports, no meat probe, no electronics of any kind
Compare the Camp Chef Smoke Vault 18
This model is no longer sold new.
We keep this page for the many still in use and on the used market — specs and honest pros/cons below still apply.
Related grills
More from Camp Chef →Camp Chef
Camp Chef Smoke Vault 24
The wide version of the Smoke Vault: identical 20,000 BTU burner, dampers and 160-350°F range, but a chamber six inches wider that takes a whole turkey or two full pork butts side by side instead of front-to-back. Three cooking grids rather than the 18's two-plus-jerky. Discontinued alongside the 18 in April 2026; it is the size worth hunting for on clearance, because the extra width is the only thing that separates it from the smaller model and it was only $60 more at list.
Camp Chef
Camp Chef Gridiron Gameday
Camp Chef's tailgating griddle: 425 sq in and 24,000 BTU across two burners, with a hinged lid that locks down for transport. The pitch is that it is a real cooking system rather than a tabletop toy — enough surface to feed a group, with a grease system designed around a parking lot rather than a patio. It takes Camp Chef's 16-inch two-burner accessories.
Camp Chef
Camp Chef Gridiron 36
This is the griddle Camp Chef used to sell as the Flat Top Grill 600 — same 604 sq in and 48,000 BTU across four burners, renamed Gridiron 36 in the 2026 line. Camp Chef's distinguishing move is that the round grill grates lift out of the flat top, so the same unit runs as a griddle or as a conventional grate grill. Camp Chef sells it through dealers rather than direct.
Camp Chef
Camp Chef Woodwind 24
The redesigned Woodwind — black lid over a stainless body — is the only pellet grill Camp Chef currently lists on its own store. Its distinguishing feature is Slide and Grill: pull a knob and the heat diffuser slides aside, exposing the fire for direct-flame grilling at 650°F while the chamber itself runs 160–500°F. It ships with four meat probes, a full-color WiFi PID controller and a pull-knob ash cleanout into a removable cup.
A vertical pellet smoker rather than a pellet grill: the auger feeds a burn pot at the base of a tall cabinet, heat and smoke rise through seven racks, and there is no grilling surface at all. Camp Chef's differentiator was the Smoke Box - a separate chamber that smoulders wood chunks alongside the pellet fire, which is what pellet smokers are usually criticised for lacking. 2,408 sq in, a 30 lb hopper, a WiFi PID controller with Camp Chef's 1-10 Smoke Number, and a 150-350°F range. Camp Chef have since pulled it: their vertical-pellet-smoker collection page still exists but lists nothing, and retailers from BBQGuys to CampSaver mark it discontinued.
Camp Chef
Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24
The Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24 is a WiFi pellet grill with a reinvented Smoke Box that lets you burn wood chunks, chips, or charcoal alongside pellets for real-wood smoke flavor. It's a favorite of smoke-flavor purists.