Tembo Tusk Adjustable Legs Review After Multiple Camping Trips

Introduction

If you’ve spent much time cooking outdoors or looking for the perfect tent spot, you know that campsites are rarely perfectly level. Whether you’re parked on a dirt road turnout, a rocky desert campsite, or a slightly sloped forest clearing, uneven ground can make camp cooking surprisingly frustrating. Even a few rocks or roots can be frustrating.

This is especially true when using a Tembo Tusk Skottle. I can remember camping in a remote area in the Sierras and trying to cook on a slope with my Skottle. Let's just say it didn't end well.

While the Skottle’s three-leg design is simple and effective, uneven terrain can sometimes cause the cooking surface to tilt slightly. When that happens, oil runs to one side, ingredients slide across the surface, and keeping food evenly distributed becomes more difficult.

That’s where Tembo Tusk Adjustable Legs come in. Fortunately if you have a never generation Skottle it would have come with adjustable legs and you are set. If you have an older generation model like us or happened to purchase a second hand older model you might have fixed legs. If you have fixed legs don't worry Tembo Tusk offers the adjustable legs and you can upgrade. 

In this review, we’ll take a closer look at how the Tembo Tusk Adjustable Legs perform in real-world conditions, how easy they are to install, and whether they’re actually worth adding to your camp cooking setup.

What Are Tembo Tusk Adjustable Legs?

Tembo Tusk Adjustable Legs are an upgrade designed for older Tembo Tusk Skottle cooking systems. They replace the standard fixed legs that come with many of the older Skottle kits and allow you to adjust the height of each leg independently.

This adjustability makes it possible to level the cooking surface even when the ground beneath your campsite is uneven.

The design typically includes:

• Telescoping leg adjustments
• Durable steel construction
• Compatibility with the Skottle cooking disc

The result is a cooking platform that can remain stable and level even on sloped or rocky terrain.

While we have used the standard Skottle legs for years and they work perfectly well on flat ground, adjustable legs add flexibility when camping in less predictable environments.

Why Adjustable Legs Matter for Camp Cooking

Before using adjustable legs, I didn’t initially think they would make a big difference,

However, after cooking on the Skottle in a variety of locations, the benefits became obvious. Oil collecting on one side of the Skottle was something I won't miss.

Uneven Campsites Are Common

Many of the best campsites we have been to are not perfectly level. This is especially true for remote campsites which tend to be the best.

Overlanding routes, dispersed camping areas, and remote trailhead campsites often involve rocky or sloped terrain. Even a slight tilt can affect cooking performance.

With standard legs, leveling the Skottle sometimes meant placing rocks or pieces of wood under one side. Adjustable legs eliminate the need for those improvised fixes.

Oil and Food Stay Evenly Distributed

When the Skottle surface tilts, cooking oil tends to pool on one side.

This can cause ingredients to slide across the surface or cook unevenly. Adjustable legs allow you to level the Skottle so oil spreads evenly.

That small improvement can make cooking noticeably easier. Not only does it make it easier but the food ends up tasting better as well.

Improved Stability

Another benefit of adjustable legs is improved stability.

On uneven terrain, fixed legs can sometimes create a slight wobble. Adjustable legs allow you to fine-tune the height of each leg until the Skottle sits solidly on the ground.

I do remember one time where some of the ingredients fell off our Skottle when one of our friends accidentally kicked a leg. The fact that the Skottle wasn't level to begin with caused some of the ingredients to fall off when kicked.

Installation and Setup

One of the first things people wonder about when considering Skottle upgrades is whether installation will be complicated.

Fortunately, installing Tembo Tusk Adjustable Legs is very straightforward.

The adjustable legs simply replace the original Skottle legs. Once attached, the adjustment mechanism allows you to extend or shorten each leg individually. The legs collapse down to 20 inches and have hard stops at 29 and 36 inches.

After installing them the first time, adjusting the Skottle at camp takes only a few seconds. The fact that each of the legs can be adjusted independently ensures you can adapt to any leveling issues.

Typically, the process looks like this:

1. Set up the Skottle cooking disc
2. Extend or retract each leg as needed
3. Check that the cooking surface is level
4. Lock the legs into position

Once adjusted, the Skottle remains stable and ready to cook.

Real-World Performance After Multiple Camping Trips

After using Tembo Tusk Adjustable Legs on several camping trips, they proved to be a practical upgrade—especially in certain environments.

Desert Camping

Desert campsites are often sandy, rocky, and uneven.

During one trip, our campsite sat on a slight slope where the ground dropped a few inches from one side to the other. With standard legs, the Skottle surface would have tilted noticeably.

With adjustable legs, leveling the Skottle took less than a minute.

Once adjusted, cooking breakfast was much easier because oil stayed evenly spread across the surface.

Mountain Campsites

Mountain campsites often involve rocky terrain where finding three perfectly level points for the Skottle legs can be difficult.

Adjustable legs made it easy to compensate for rocks and uneven ground.

Instead of trying to reposition the Skottle repeatedly, simply adjusting one leg solved the problem.

Trailhead Lunch Stops

Quick lunch stops during off-road trips are another situation where adjustable legs help.

When you pull off the trail and set up quickly for a meal, you may not always have time to search for perfectly level ground.

Being able to quickly level the Skottle with adjustable legs makes cooking more convenient.

Build Quality and Durability

Tembo Tusk gear is known for being durable, and the adjustable legs follow that same pattern.

The legs are typically constructed from sturdy components designed to handle:

• Heat from the cooking surface
• Repeated assembly and disassembly
• Rough travel conditions

After several camping trips and repeated adjustments, the legs still function smoothly and show minimal wear. We also love that Tembo Tusk manufactures these in the USA. 

Because the design is simple, there are very few parts that could potentially fail.

Pros of Tembo Tusk Adjustable Legs

After multiple trips using them, several advantages stand out.

Easy to Level the Skottle

The biggest benefit is the ability to quickly level the cooking surface.

This improves cooking performance and prevents oil from pooling.

Better Stability

Adjustable legs reduce wobbling on uneven terrain.

Quick Adjustments

Making adjustments takes only seconds once the system is installed.

Durable Construction

The legs feel solid and capable of handling years of outdoor use.

Potential Downsides

While adjustable legs are a helpful upgrade, they aren’t absolutely necessary for every camper.

Not Always Needed on Flat Ground

If you usually camp in developed campgrounds or perfectly level areas, standard legs may work just fine.

Additional Cost

Adjustable legs are an accessory upgrade, so they add to the overall cost of a Skottle setup.

However, many users find the added convenience worth the investment.

Who Should Consider Tembo Tusk Adjustable Legs?

Based on experience using them, adjustable legs are especially helpful for certain types of campers.

Overlanders

People who camp in remote areas with uneven terrain will benefit the most from adjustable legs.

Frequent Skottle Users

If you cook on your Skottle often, leveling the cooking surface becomes more important over time.

Campers Who Value Convenience

Being able to level the Skottle quickly makes cooking at camp easier and less frustrating.

Adjustable Legs vs Standard Skottle Legs

The difference between adjustable legs and standard legs is relatively simple.

For many campers, adjustable legs simply provide more flexibility when choosing where to set up the Skottle.

Are Tembo Tusk Adjustable Legs Worth It?

After using them on multiple camping trips, the answer depends on how and where you camp.

If you regularly cook on a Skottle in uneven environments—such as deserts, mountains, or dispersed campsites—adjustable legs are a useful upgrade that improves both stability and cooking performance.

For campers who mostly visit developed campgrounds with flat surfaces, the upgrade may be less necessary.

However, for anyone who enjoys overlanding or exploring remote areas, adjustable legs provide a simple solution to a common problem.

Final Thoughts

The Tembo Tusk Skottle is already one of the most enjoyable camp cooking systems available. Accessories like the Tembo Tusk Adjustable Legs help make that system even more adaptable to real-world camping conditions.

After multiple trips using them across different terrain, the adjustable legs have proven to be a small upgrade that can make a noticeable difference—especially when cooking on uneven ground.

They won’t completely transform your Skottle setup, but they do make camp cooking a little smoother, a little more stable, and a little easier.

For campers who value convenience and flexibility, that’s often enough to make them worth adding to your gear list.