Camping is about a friendly company, enjoying your time in the wild, and having good food that’s cooked outside the house.
While the first two perks don’t need much equipment to be perfect, you do need to find the perfect set-up for the good food part to cater to your unique cooking needs and preferences – if you want to be the head chef in the great outdoors, that is.
Best Camping Stoves for Backpacking: Quick comparison
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So, in a market that’s full of products of all kinds and shapes, how can you find the best camping stove for your next outdoors trip? And more importantly, which are the best camping stoves that you can get today?
1. Coleman Classic Camping Stove
Coleman’s all about quality when it comes to outdoor equipment. The simple yet oh so efficient Coleman Classic Camping Stove doesn’t have amazing features, but for the price you’re paying, it’s well worth every penny, and it can be the best camping stove for those on a budget.
- Cooking power: Up to 20,000 total BTUs. Fits a 12-inch and 10-inch pan at the same time
- 2 adjustable burners: For precise temperature control
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What’s most impressive about this camping stove is the fact that it sports the largest cooking area out of the reviewed batch, which is capable of producing a whopping 20,000 BTUs.
There are many other features to admire in the Coleman Classic Camping Stove, including the adjustable windscreens, the excellent wind resistance, and the conveniently compact size.
Despite its many perks, this camping stove does come with a few niggles, which is expected considering the price point. For starters, you may end up with hot spots in the middle of large pans. Additionally, this stove lacks an auto-ignition system, and you may find it tricky to dial in a good simmer compared to the rest of the reviewed products.
Overall, this is not the best camping stove on our list, but it can get the job done and be an excellent addition to your outdoor arsenal if you’re on a tight budget.
Pros
- Compact size
- Affordable price
- Comes with adjustable windscreens
Cons
- Sharp handle
2. Gas One GS-3000 Camping Stove
It’s hard to find a low-priced camping stove capable of prepping any single-pot meal you crave, but that’s exactly what the Gas One GS-3000 does and does good. Despite its low price tag, which sits under the 20-buck mark, the Gas One GS-3000 boasts a single burner that can produce 9,000 BTUs, which is more than efficient for the price and size.
- Comes with Gas One fold-able 10 plate Windscreen and Gas One GS-3000 Stove
- Portable, Easy to use, reliable for camping or home emergency kit
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Speaking of size, this camping stove is significantly lighter and smaller than the other reviewed products, which is its greatest strength after the price. It’s also easy to use and set up, thus making up for the few disadvantages to which we’re getting in a second.
One notable feature that we like is the Piezo auto-ignition system, which isn’t commonly found in budget camping stoves.
Now, where is this camping stove lacking?
The GS-3000 from Gas One doesn’t offer any protection against wind, meaning that it’s not suitable for bad weather conditions. Additionally, due to its small size, this stove is not practical for large groups and big gatherings. Sure, it’s not perfect, but if you’re looking for an exceptionally-affordable, single-person camping stove or one that you can add tp your dual burner, this is the best camping stove for you.
Pros
- Lightweight
- Piezo auto-ignition
- Excellent flame control
Cons
- No windscreen
3. Jetboil Genesis Basecamp Camping Stove
The Jetboil Genesis Basecamp is on the pricey side of the spectrum, but it’s well worth every penny, and it’s a beast when it comes to lightweight and portability. Thanks to its intuitive, lightweight, and packed design, this camping stove can be easily set up on any surface, even an uneven one.
- Jetboil dual-burner design functions as a standalone stove or couples with other Jet link-compatible stoves or a Luna satellite burner to create an outdoor cooking range.
- Ideal for all of your cooking needs in the outdoors, The beastly 10, 000 BTU heating system also boils water in just over three minutes—perfect for melting snow or making coffee.
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Not only does this camping stove look good, but it also performs good, simmers with finesse, and can produce a whopping 20,000 BTUs. Quite the all-in-one product, isn’t it?
Impressively, this camping stove sports Jetboil’s own Jetlink accessory port, which allows the user, also known as you, to connect or daisy chain another Eureka-brand stove or a Jetboil to run them off the same fuel source.
All in all, the Jetboil Genesis Basecamp is an excellent product that can surely give you the bang for your buck. Sure, it’s expensive, but for the features you get, this is a no-brainer if you can shell out a couple of hundreds of dollars or so to get the best quality.
Pros
- Compact and lightweight
- Features Jetlink accessory port
- Can be set up on uneven surfaces
Cons
- Expensive
4. Camp Chef Pro 60X Camping Stove
The last recommendation on our list is our pick for the best camping stove for group cooking, which is also on the expensive side of the spectrum. The Camp Chef Pro 60X is the largest camping stove out of the reviewed batch, measuring around 37 x 11 x 16 inches and weighing 45.6 pounds, and it’s the one capable of generating the most heat, exactly 60,000 BTUs in total. Thanks to its freestanding design, this stove can be used practically anywhere.
- Camp Chef Deluxe 2-Burner Stove (PRO60X)
- 60,000 BTU Total Output, Matchless Ignition, 14-inch x 32-inch Cooking Grate
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The Camp Chef Pro 60X Camping Stove can give you a kitchen-like experience, as the burners can be finessed down for simmering, and it comes with a couple of large side tables that can be used as prep space. Besides, you get a three-sided windscreen and oxygen regulators to combat the breeze and wind.
The only downside to the Camp Chef Pro 60X Camping Stove is the price tag, as it’s quite steep, but it’s totally worth it if you’re one to have long camping trips or large outdoor gatherings.
Pros
- Powerful flame
- Extra fold-out side tables
- Large cooking area
Cons
- Expansive and cumbersome
5. Camp Chef Explorer Double Burner Stove
Camp Chef has been going strong as one of the best manufacturers of cooking equipment for years now, which is why it’s easy to see why one of its products tops our best camping stove list. The Camp Chef Explorer Double Burner Stove camping stove boasts an intuitive design that combines the portability of camp stoves with the versatility and efficiency of patio grilling, thus giving you the best of both worlds.
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Despite featuring a couple of 30,000-BTU burners that can handle large cookware with ease, the Explorer Double Burner Stove camping stove from Camp Chef is quite compact-sized (measuring 34 x 16.25 x 9.5 inches), lightweight (weighing roughly 30.5 pounds), and easy to move around. That means that you can enjoy kitchen-grade food quality without having to carry heavy equipment whenever you hit the road for a camping trip.
Other features that we like include the igniter, which makes using this stove a breeze, the powerful flame, and the excellent performance even in windy conditions.
On the flip side, the Explorer Double Burner Stove camping stove has a fuel adapter that’s occasionally finicky to thread into place. That’s a common issue in stoves of this kind though, so we can’t really complain about it. Additionally, you should note that the closure latches are made of plastic.
All-in-all, the Camp Chef Explorer Double Burner Stove is a well-priced, efficient, and portable camping stove that’s suitable for any kind of outdoor trip, which is why we’re giving it the title of the best overall camping stove.
Pros
- Adjustable legs
- Detachable Legs
Cons
- Flames keeps dying
Choosing the Best Camping Stove – Buying Guide
We hear you. The market is full of camping stoves of all kinds and shapes, making finding the best camping stove for your outdoor trips quite hard task. Worry not, though, as we’ve already chosen the top products in this category, and all you have to do to pick the best camping stove is to go through our buying guide.
Time to Boil
We’re talking about stoves here, which is why the time to boil is a critical feature to consider when choosing a product in this category. After all, if a furnace takes too long to boil water and simmer food, you’re probably going to get fed up and lose your temper quite quickly, which defies the whole purpose of camping, doesn’t it?
As a general rule of thumb, the more power a stove has, the faster it boils water, and the more efficient the overall cooking experience is. Having said that, BTUs aren’t everything, as wind resistance plays a critical role when it comes to this metric as well. So, the best combination is higher BTUs coupled with well-crafted wind resistance, while the worst combo is a poorly-thought design with lower BTUs. The choice is obvious, isn’t it?
Out of the reviewed batch, the Camp Chef Explorer Double Burner Stove features a couple of 30,000-BTU burners capable of boiling a quart of 60-degree water in around two and a half minutes, which is way faster than the other models on our list, even those capable of generating 30 to 35 thousand BTUs per burner.
Wind Resistance
As we mentioned above, wind resistance is as outstanding as the cooking power itself, and it plays a major role when it comes to the time the stove needs to boil water and cook food. Combine a small bit of wind with a poor design, and you’ve got yourself a shortcut to a cooking catastrophe in the wild.
Here, one might think that the largest camping stoves would offer the best wind resistance, but that’s not the case, as the burners are placed so low in big models, which gives wind plenty of space around the flame, thus resulting in a bad performance.
The Camp Chef Explorer Double Burner Stove is the runner up in this department as well, as it offers a great balance of high BTUs of around 30,000 BTUs per burner and a well-thought, compact design that provides the best wind resistance around the flame.
If you decide to go with one of the budget options, the Coleman Classic or Gas One GS-3000, you can always get a basic aluminum windscreen, which is lightweight, flexible, easy to move around, and costs peanuts.
Simmering Ability
Most people overlook the Simmering Ability of the stove in favor of the BTU power, which is a grave mistake, as the summering ability can make or break the functionality and usability of any camping stove.
Even if you’re not planning to cook fancy detail-oriented dishes, simmering is still a vital aspect to consider. Why? Because the better a stove is at handling low heat, the more efficient it is, which equates to more long-term bang for your buck. Besides, when a stove offers a practical simmering ability, you can forget about burning through canisters and scorching pans with raging flames, not to mention the more flexibility in timing.
In this category, the best camping stove you can get is the Genesis Basecamp, using which you can get that low-and-slow sweet spot for detailed cooking every time.
Ease of Set Up
The last thing you want when you’re finally at the campsite is to spend hours trying to set up your camping stove to feed your hungry tummy or worse, your hungry kids. The GS-3000 excels in this department, as the set-up instructions are literally printed on the lid, making it super easy to get up and running by new users.
Portability
Portability is yet another crucial aspect to consider when looking for the best camping stove for your outdoor trips, as you ought to get a product that’s easy to carry around, especially if you’re one to camp in far locations. Here, the best camping stove that we can recommend is the Genesis Basecamp, which is compact, lightweight, and comes with a handy carrying bag.
Ease of Care
Most camping stoves are designed with the assumption that they’re going to get dirty fast, which is why they’re engineered to be easy to maintain and clean. In this category, the Gas One is the winner, while the Pro 60X proves to be the trickier to clean and maintain, as you need to remove the thin metal sheet underneath the cooking grate and burners (over which food bits accumulate while you’re cooking) every time you need to clean it.
Verdict
The camping stove market is full of products of all kinds of shapes, which makes choosing what suits your needs and preferences quite the hard task. There are many small details that you need to think about before making a choice, including how many burners you’re going to need, whether you prefer a freestanding or a tabletop design, which accessories you want to get, and everything in between.
Once you determine all of that and go over our buying guide once or twice, you’ll be able to make your choice easily. Happy camping!