The Best Camping Stove

Spending a few days in the great outdoors can be refreshing. But it comes with one big challenge: food. Chances are, you can’t have steaks and burgers delivered to your campsite, so you’ll need to find a way to make the food you want yourself.

There are numerous factors to consider when you’re shopping for a camping stove. Many camping stoves run on propane, which is a handy option. Butane can be another option, but it doesn’t do as well in cold weather, so make sure you have a backup option if you’re planning to use it during the winter months.

Portability is a top consideration in any camping stove. If you’re hiking, you’ll need a stove that will fit snugly into your pack, while campers can get away with something a little bigger, as long as it can slide into the back of your vehicle. Keep in mind how you’ll be using it and whether you can sacrifice cooking surface area for a smaller, easier-to-carry unit.

Cooking capacity is very important when you’re in the market for a new camping stove. Some more portable stoves are designed to cook for one, which may mean you’ll be able to make your morning coffee and meals just for you on it, but if you’re cooking for more people, a camping stove with more capacity may be in order.

If you don’t feel like traveling with matches, you may want to consider a cooking stove that ignites automatically. While camping stoves have traditionally required a little extra help to start up, some newer models have auto-ignition. If this is important to you, factor that into your decision.

Safety is always important when you’re dealing with a cooking appliance. Since cooking stoves typically rely on disposable propane bottles, it’s important to carefully check for propane leaks before you start your stove up. This will help keep you and your fellow campers safe.

• Your first question will likely be just how much power your camping stove should have. It probably won’t be your full-time cooking appliance, but it will need to get you through entire weekends or vacation weeks. The Camp Chef Double Burner Stove is among the most powerful camping stoves you can buy, putting out an impressive 60,000 BTUs through its two burners. However, you’ll sacrifice portability for that cooking power, so you may want to consider a unit like the Coleman 2 Burner Gas Stove, which is portable but provides 11,000 BTUs.
• The Jetboil Cooking System is a unique appliance in that it’s designed to make foods and beverages for one person quickly. You can heat up a cup of coffee or rehydrate freeze-dried meals using this ultraportable device, which is designed specifically for outdoor adventurers.
• Among camping stove options, the Jetboil Cooking System is most compact, with everything fitting into a single large cup. You’ll get an insulated cozy and a lid that operates as both a pour hole and a strainer, and the cooking pot can serve as a mug, measuring cup and a bowl.
• The Gas One Portable Propane & Butane Burner is also portable, weighing only 3.1 pounds. It also comes with a free carrying case to make it easy to take on the go with you. Although the Coleman 2 Burner Gas Stove isn’t the most compact you can buy, it’s fairly slim and easy to pack, weighing only 11 pounds. The Camp Chef Double Burner Stove is definitely designed for those with plenty of storage space in their camping vehicles, weighing 36 pounds and packing quite a bit of bulk.
• Auto ignition is a top feature, keeping you from having to strike a match or carry a lighter around with you. The Gas One Portable Propane & Butane Burner has an exclusive type of electric ignition that lets you start it up with the twist of a knob.