The Best Camping Stove

Buying Guide

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. One of the most important is your fuel source. Choose this based on the type of camping and camp cooking you’re going to do.

“Your options are canister stoves, liquid fuel stoves (i.e. gas) or alternative fuel stoves,” says outdoor and camping expert Shawna Newman, editor-in-chief of Active Weekender. “Canister stoves are great if you’re concerned about weight. Liquid fuel stoves are ideal if you know you’re going to be on uneven ground and need the most stable type of camp stove. Alternative fuel stoves, like wood-burning and tablet stoves, are not great for traditional camping because they don’t perform as well.”

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. Canister stoves can’t support the weight of larger pots, so you may want to use a liquid fuel stove if you have more people to cook for.

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.

Ultimately, though, camp stoves can offer added convenience and safety compared with other options and can be a great choice for families.

“Cooking over a campfire can be done, but it’s not the best way to serve up a tasty camp meal,” Newman explains. “It can even be dangerous if you’re camping with children. Bringing along a camp stove means that you can eat just as well at the campsite as you do at home.”

Just be sure to follow both the stove instructions as well as any rules that apply to your campsite.

“Remember to never use your camp stove in the tent or any other enclosed space, because it’s a fire risk, and you also risk carbon monoxide poisoning,” Newman says.

• 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 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 that is portable but provides 11,000 BTUs.
• Look for a unique appliance that is designed to make foods and beverages for one person quickly. You can heat up a cup of coffee or rehydrate freeze-dried meals using the ultraportable device, which is designed specifically for outdoor adventurers.
• Among camping stove options, some compact options are designed with everything fitting into a single large cup. They may provide an insulated cozy and a lid that operates as both a pour hole and a strainer, and a cooking pot that can serve as a mug, measuring cup and a bowl.
• Although some models aren’t the most compact, they are often fairly slim and easy to pack, weighing only 11 or 12 pounds. Other stoves are definitely designed for those with plenty of storage space in their camping vehicles, weighing 36 pounds and packing quite a bit of bulk.
• Autoignition is a top feature, keeping you from having to strike a match or carry a lighter around with you. There are models that have an exclusive type of electric ignition that lets you start them up with the twist of a knob.