Jetboil Genesis Basecamp System Isobutane: first impressions 

Jetboil took its award-winning Genesis Basecamp System and made it compatible with standard isobutane fuel canisters. This ingenious double-burner stove combines lightweight portability with ferocious power to give you a complete kitchen when you're car camping.

The Basecamp System comes neatly packed inside a carrying bag with a handle, and the savvy stove folds in half and easily locks shut for stowing and transportation. When you're ready to cook, unfold it and screw on your fuel regulator – the gas canister can fuel both rings at once.

To ignite the rings, turn the knob and flick an ignition switch. The burners will roar to life and you can juggle a 5l FluxPot to cook pasta, rice, potatoes or soup as well as a ceramic-coated nonstick fry pan for eggs, veggies, burgers or whatever camping meal you fancy on the day.

Water will boil in under three minutes and your frying pan will heat up lightning quick, but you can turn the burners down and manage heat flow quite well. The included wind screen isn't the best we've tried, but you'd need to be cooking in a gale for wind to pose any real threat to the flame.

When you're finished cooking, the materials barely retain any heat so you can pack them up instantly and get on your way if you're in a rush.

Neat, efficient, light and easy to use, this camping stove is an absolute dream for any car camper and the only thing that will make you think twice is the high price.

JetBoil Genesis Basecamp System Isobutane: in the field 

I've been adventuring with my Jetboil Flash 1.0 for a while now, which is great for quickly making a backpacking meal or hot chocolate, but if I'm car camping with my partner and family, it's always been our trusty Trangia that feeds us.

Don't get me wrong, I love my Trangia for reasons I've written about here, but when I heard that Jetboil had updated its double-burner Basecamp System, I jumped at the chance to give it a shot.

I first tested this out in the backyard so I wouldn't find myself struggling with it in the wild with hungry children glaring at me, and the pictures I've shared here are from that experiment. However, we've since had it out on every car camping trip this summer.

Design and features

My only other experience with a double-burner stove is the Vango Combi IR Grill Compact, which folds up like a suitcase, but this one has quite a genius design.

The neat, circular stove folds in half to stack the two burners for transport and storage. There's a handle on both sides that clips away and means you can easily pull it out no matter which way it was facing when you packed it. Simply unclip the rubber leashes that secure it and unfold it, and you have two circular burners side by side.

The fuel connector screws into the stove and into any isobutane canister, and there's a knob on each burner to control the gas flow, with two ignition levers to light them.

The stove comes with a 5l FluxPot and 10in (25cm) ceramic-coated nonstick fry pan, both of which are lightweight and have handles that remain cool when you're cooking and fold away. The 5l pot has a lid to help boil water faster, and there's a windscreen included.

Weight and packability

The whole package is designed to easily pack inside the 5l pot, and it comes with a cylindrical carry bag with handles that makes it super-easy to carry from car to campsite. There's even a little extra room for other kitchen utensils (I keep a spatula, sporks, and chopping board in there now).

Compared to a lot of other portable double-burner stoves, it's really quite light and a lot more packable, easily stashing into the very small trunk of our tiny car or behind the front seats.

Ease of use and performance

In my initial field test, I wanted to see how far I could get without reading the instruction manual, and in fact, it's all pretty intuitive.

I unfolded the stove and connected the fuel. I only needed to check the manual to find the ignition, which is a small red lever that I had to flick once for fire. The burners roared to life ferociously, and I set about bringing one liter of water to a boil and frying an egg.

Because I was only boiling one liter of water, it was bubbling in about two minutes, while my egg started to bubble away before I realized I needed to turn the heat way down underneath it. Suffice to say, it all happens in a Jetboil flash.

Because I was just giving the stove a quick test, I packed it all up almost immediately and was pleased to find the equipment wasn't super hot and I didn't have to hang around waiting for it to cool.

Over time we've figured out how to cook food at a lower setting. Now, our eggs don't have bubbles in them and this summer we've successfully made pasta, sausages and mash, and several nice cooked breakfasts.

We've managed to nail the simmer function, but if you want to cook things on a really low heat, you might struggle, but that's not a priority for me at camp because the aim of the game is always food, fast. The only drawback, compared to my Vango stove, is that you can't make toast.

Unusually for Scotland, we've not had to contend with much wind recently, which is good because the Basecamp System's wind screen isn't the best. It's a plastic sheet that site near the stove, but it's a little flimsy and unwieldy. That said, I think it would take a serious wind to affect the burners, and in that instance, I'd think about setting up elsewhere. Since this stove is designed for car campers, you could obviously use your car as a wind screen.

Durability and value

This stove is built of tough stuff and doesn't creak unnervingly like my Vango, which makes it seem cheap in comparison. The pans are equally sturdy and well designed.

The Jetboil Genesis Basecamp System Isobutane is a top-of-the-line double burner and in comparison to the competition, it truly excels in packability and weight, ease of use and quick boiling performance. You won't be surprised to hear that it's easily the priciest we've tested, but you certainly get what you pay for, and if you love car camping, there's no reason why this spend won't make you very happy.

Also consider

Comparison table

• How Advnture tests products

After months of anticipation, Amazon Prime Day is here and in full swing, offering great deals on all sorts of outdoor gear on Amazon. There are plenty of bargains to choose from, including big reductions on well-rated Garmin sports watches, trail running shoes, and more, but funnily enough, many of the best camping deals aren't on Amazon at all.

Several big-name outdoor retailers have also cut their prices in a bid to keep up with Amazon's Prime Day madness. As a result, there are loads of great outdoor deals to choose from at other retailers like REI, Backcountry and Dick's Sporting Goods.

To save you time and money, we've scrolled through all the major sales to find the top five camping deals currently available.

Among our picks, you'll find insulating sleeping bags like the Kelty Cosmic 20 and Patagonia Fitz Roy Down, which are both over $100 off. There are also great backpacking tent deals to take advantage of, including the waterproof Tadpole SL tent from The North Face, which can be stuffed into a small portable bag and is now available for just $300 at Dick's Sporting Goods.

Read on for our full list and a roundup of today's best tent, sleeping bag, and camping stove deals from across the web.

Our favorite camping deals

More epic deals

Stick with Advnture for handpicked deals from the Amazon Prime Day sale, which runs until July 11.

• The best camping tents: for superb backcountry adventures
• The best sleeping bags: for comfort in camp

Jetboil Flash 1.0: first impressions 

If you like to get the camping stove going so you can boil water while you pitch your tent and inflate your sleeping pad, the Jetboil is not for you. This camping stove cook system gets water boiling so fast you'll barely have time to find the tea bags, but that's old news.

The new and much-improved Jetboil 1.0 has taken all the things that made its Jetboil Flash predecessor great – blistering boil time of under two minutes, fuel efficiency and ease-of-use – and simply made it all better. We've no doubt the complaints department at Jetboil's parent company Johnson Outdoors got tired of people writing in to say the ignition switch at had failed or they'd burnt their fingers trying to detach the pot, so they did something about it.

The biggest upgrade on the Jetboil 1.0 is the turn-and-click ignition, which works just like your stove at home. Just attach the pot to the stove, turn the switch to the left, and when it clicks, the stove comes roaring to life. You can turn the heat down by turning the dial clockwise.

Other upgrades are what the brand calls the new grip zone – essentially a silicone grip at the base of the stove that makes it easy to handle safely when hot. We love that it's bright orange so you always know exactly where to place your hands.

Finally, the improved pot-to-burner connection means you can just place the stove on the ground (or the stabilizing feet) light it, then easily place the pot on top and turn it once to click it into place. You're never in any doubt that you've set it up correctly.

Like the original, the whole package is quite large, but it makes up for its bulk with a light weight, and it all packs neatly inside itself. It's still got the heat indicator on the sleeve that changes color to let you know your water is boiling, it's still extremely fuel efficient and it's still the same price. So is it worth the hefty price tag? Absolutely. Read on to find out why.

JetBoil Flash 1.0: in the field 

The Jetboil has been the gold standard for camping stoves for a while, and pretty much the only complaint it ever got was that the ignition switch would fail. This just meant that people had to use a lighter, which isn't the end of the world since you should really carry one on any camping trip, but for the price of this piece of gear, you do want it to work properly, for a long time.

So when Jetboil reached out to say that they'd finally fixed this flaw, I jumped at the chance to take this up a mountain and use it to cook up noodles, coffee and hot chocolate on a recent backpacking adventure.

Here’s how it performed:

Design and features

The design of the 1.0 is in most ways similar to the original Jetboil, but in case you’ve never seen it, it’s a burner that more or less fits in the palm of your hand that screws into a gas canister. It comes with optional fold-out plastic legs that clip into the canister, and then a one-liter pot sits on top and clicks into place. It’s important to note that you’ll buy the stove and pot as an integrated system, and the stove won’t work with just any pot.

What makes Jetboil a masterpiece in engineering is the “FluxRing” on the bottom of the pot, which acts as a conducting collar that concentrates nearly all of the heat produced by the burner upwards, allowing very little to escape out of the sides. As well as cutting down on the time for the water to boil, this heat-harnessing collar is also excellent for keeping fuel consumption to a minimum. That means your water boils faster, and you spend less money on fuel. It’s genius.

So, focusing on what’s new, this 1.0 has a click and turn ignition switch, and all that’s required is a simple turn to the left to fire it up. From there, you can turn the ignition switch back towards 12 o’clock to reduce the power if you want to. The new pot-to-burner connection has an added dimple and means you can just sit the pot on top of the (lit) stove with one hand, hold the (also new) orange grip zone on the stove with the other hand and easily click the two together.

The pot still has the sleeve with handle, which is a little bigger than the original, that makes it easy and safe to handle when hot, a lid to keep the contents hot for longer, and the heat indicator that turns orange when water is boiling.

It comes with a measuring cup, which you can certainly leave at home, but may be useful for preparing meals and helps protect the bottom of the pot in transit, which is important because that’s where that magic collar is.

Weight and packability

The Jetboil isn’t the lightest or most packable stove on the market, especially when I compare it to something like my tiny Alpkit Kraku, but for the size, it’s surprisingly light. The whole kit packs inside the pot, so the entire cylindrical package actually ends up being about the size of a one-liter Nalgene, making it not crazy at all to bring this backpacking.

I easily fit it inside my Sierra Designs Flex Capacitor backpack along with my tent, sleeping pad and sleeping bag, but it could also be secured to the outside of your pack or might fit in a side pocket if you were short on space. Also, you can pack things inside it to make up for the size.

Ease of use and performance

The Jetboil 1.0 comes with an easy-to-follow instruction guide, and I was wise enough to bring it along for my first backpacking trip, but honestly, I don’t think I really needed it.

It’s simple enough to thread the stove into the gas canister if you’ve ever had a backpacking stove, and I stabilized it on its feet, even though on flat ground and without wind, it probably wasn’t necessary.

Then I turned the ignition switch, and at about seven o’clock, it clicked and the stove roared to life, pretty much like a jet engine. To my delight, 90 seconds later the water was bubbling away. I’d only caution that you make sure you’ve tied your hair back before you light it.

The Jetboil 1.0 is tall, and I’ve not had to test it out in especially windy conditions, but while it doesn’t look aerodynamic, it does behave in a very stable fashion. As long as you find a good, clear and flat area and stay close by, I can’t see why you’d have any issues with stability.

Like any camping stove, the Jetboil 1.0 has one job, and that’s to boil water, and it does it better and faster than any other stove on the market.

Durability and value

One thing I really like about the Jetboil is its excellent build, and compared to my Kraku it’s definitely much more robust. Obviously, the problem with the original model was the ignition switch breaking, and I haven’t had it long enough to say that’s been solved, but the company seems confident, and I hope they’re right because if so, it’s very difficult to gripe about this stove.

Is it pricey? Undoubtedly. Can you find better? Not on this planet.

Also consider

Comparison table

• How Advnture tests products

Food, glorious food. Nothing is quite as satisfying after a long day having fun in the great outdoors. Bringing hot food to life is just one of the reasons you need a camping stove for your adventures. From campground cusine to boil-in-the-bag backcountry convenience, a camping stove is essential if you want to enjoy hot food. And that’s before we’ve even mentioned coffee...

Beyond sustenance, there are other reasons a camping stove is such a vital tool for explorers. It also provides the ability to purify water and melt snow, a lifesaver in extreme environments.

To give you an overview of why you need a camping stove, we asked one of our gear experts to delve into why these ingenious little gadgets are so indispensable.

Reasons you need a camping stove

Here are our 7 main reasons you need a camping stove. For more on each reason, click the links or scroll down.

1) To make dinner time an event: making and enjoying a hot meal is a big part of the camping experience.

2) It’s cheaper than eating out: cooking reduces the cost compared to restaurants on a longer trip.

3) Warm food is more satisfying: a hot meal in the great outdoors is much more satisfying than a cold one.

4) Warm food helps maintain core body temperature: this is particularly important when camping in winter.

5) Because coffee is important: having a hot drink is just as enjoyable and important

6) To purify water: the ability to boil water gives you the ability to purify it, avoiding nasty pathogens.

7) To melt snow: when snow is your only means of obtaining water, you need to be able to melt it.

Meet the expert

What is a camping stove?

A camping stove is a portable cooking stove that’s designed for the great outdoors. It connects to a portable fuel source, which is usually stored in a canister, bottle or tank.

There are several types of camping stove. The most common backpacking stoves are canister stoves, designed to be as lightweight and portable as possible. The stove screws into a small canister containing compressed butane or propane. Backpackers also use liquid fuel stoves, which connect to a reusable canister containing liquid fuel such as white gas or kerosene. Both these kinds of stoves are great for boiling water and making simple meals when exploring the backcountry.

Car campers often opt for something more akin to their cooking systems at home, which is where a double-burner stove comes into play. These stoves are larger, heavier and less portable than backpacking stoves, featuring two burners and windshields that protect the flames from gusts. They allow you to cook up more complicated camping meals.

Wood-burning stoves are available in both backpacking and car camping versions. Instead of traditional stove fuel, they use natural materials like twigs, leaves or even charcoal briquettes.

7 reasons you need a camping stove

Here's more detail on our 7 main reasons you need a camping stove for your car camping and backcountry camping adventures.

To make dinner time an event

• On a camping trip, dinner time should be an event
• Get everyone involved in the cooking process and enjoy

Camping is all about the simple pleasures in life and there are few as wonderful as eating a cooked meal in the backcountry. Whether you’re car camping with a double-burner stove or heading off for a wild camp with your portable canister stove, your hot evening meal should be an event, one of the highlights of the overall experience, on a par with the campfire. Handing out cold sandwiches at the end of the day is a much less enjoyable ritual.

It’s a lot easier to go all-out when car camping, as you can bring all kinds of ingredients and cooking utensils from home. Unfold the camping table, get the kids involved and cook up a wholesome treat. Dual burners mean you can use one for noodles or rice, while the other can be used to fry up and add some sauce. Pop a lantern in the middle of the table, pull up the chairs and enjoy a (hopefully) delicious al fresco treat.

It is cheaper than eating out

• Cooking during camping vacations is cheaper than eating in restaurants etc

On the face of it, camping is a wonderfully affordable activity once you’ve got all the gear. However, if you don’t bring a stove, you’re going to be reliant on eating out – unless you want to spend your entire trip devouring cold food. On a longer camping vacation, costs can quickly rack up. A camping stove gives you the flexibility to mix it up and save a few dollars.

Warm food is more satisfying

• Cooking brings flavors to the fore, making for satisfying meals
• The smells also evoke happy memories

On a backpacking expedition, the alternative to having a camping stove is to eat cold food for the duration. There’s nothing wrong with this, of course, but hot food is just so much more satisfying. It might be the way cooking brings flavors to the fore, or it might be the fact that cooked food is easier to digest, thus giving you a more noticeable boost than cold food does. Whatever the science, hot food in the backcountry tastes amazing.

Also, because cooked food releases aromas more readily, their smells can transport us back in time, evoking happy memories and providing a sense of comfort and wellbeing. This can be a huge morale boost when alone in remote surroundings.

Warm food helps maintain core body temperature

• Eating hot food helps your body maintain its core temperature in winter

If you’re cold, you’ll hanker after warm, cooked food in the same way as you’d long for an ice-cold drink on a hot day. This is because eating warm food helps you maintain the 98.6°F / 37°C core body temperature required to keep everything running smoothly.

This is particularly important when you’re winter camping, as your body may need all the help it can get. A cozy down jacket or plush sleeping bag is only warm thanks to its ability to capture your radiated body heat, whereas a hot meal will actually warm you up. Having a hot meal before bedding down for the night is a good way to ensure you begin your slumber feeling toasty rather than chilly.

Because coffee is important

• A stove gives you the ability to make hot drinks for the trail
• You can also make some belly warming alcoholic hot drinks for around the campfire

Just as hot food is warming and invigorating, so too is a hot drink. Nothing kickstarts a groggy, weary mind like a piping hot mug of java in the morning. Plus, if you’ve got a long day on the backcountry trails ahead, you may want to fill up your hiking flask for a brew on the summit. Coffee somehow tastes better in the great outdoors.

Of course, coffee is merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the array of hot drinks you could be enjoying. Why not embrace your inner Brit and enjoy a delicate cup of tea, or something less caffeine-orientated like a peppermint or ginger tea? You could get much more ambitious too, brewing up a delicious, belly warming, hot alcoholic cocktail to share around while singing campfire songs at night. You’ll be the envy of the campground.

To purify water

• Boiling is one of several ways to purify wild water
• Pathogens commonly found in water don't survive above 170°F / 76.7°C

There are several ways to purify water in the backcountry and boiling it is one of them. There aren’t many things that can ruin an adventure quite like a nasty stomach bug and there’s always the chance that untreated water can carry bacteria, protozoa or viruses.

Fortunately, boiling is one of the safest ways to make wild water safe to consume. Water boils at around 212°F / 100°C and will eliminate the pathogens commonly found in wild water, which can’t withstand temperatures in excess of 170°F / 76.7°C. Although water’s boiling point drops with elevation, you’d have to be above 22,966ft / 7,000m before this becomes an issue. In these cases, you’d probably have bigger fish to fry.

A 2-minute bubbling, rolling boil should be enough to kill off any potential nasties, negating the need to carry alternative water purifiers.

To melt snow

• The only way of producing water at high altitude is to melt snow
• Liquid-fuel stoves are the best for these situations

Speaking of extreme elevations, this one goes out to all the high-altitude mountaineers and polar explorers among you. Once you venture into these landscapes, liquid water is no longer a thing. This means, your only means of getting water to drink and cook with comes from melting frozen snow, a laborious and time-consuming process when you’re already dealing with the debilitating effect that high altitude can have. By general consensus, liquid-fuel stoves are the best for such situations, with white gas being the fuel of choice.

A camping stove is absolutely essential for this purpose. Joe Simpson’s ordeal on Siulla Grande, documented in the modern classic Touching the Void, may have been avertable had he and climbing partner Simon Yates not ran out of fuel for their stove. Their inability to melt snow forced a hastier retreat than would have otherwise been the case. This retreat was what eventually led to the famous cutting of the rope and the rest of that incredible tale of survival against all the odds.

If you plan to go camping, a stove is likely to be on your essential kit list. Camping stoves come in a range of sizes, including single and double burner, and also prices. Some stoves include integrated cooking pots, others screw on to a small gas canister, while further types of stoves are standalone and have a hose that fits to a gas canister. 

Many people will question how much you need to spend on a camping stove for cooking outdoors. Our guide to the best camping stoves incudes stoves from $65/£55 for a SOTO Windmaster to the most expensive, which are both double burner stoves, the Primus Tupike Portable Stove and Jetboil Genesis Base Camp Stove at $280/£250. 

We take a closer look at the cost of camping stoves and whether a budget camping stove is reliable. 

Types of camping stoves

First let’s consider the different types of stoves and why they might have different prices.

Screw-in or integrated upright canister camping stoves

Screw-in or integrated upright canister camping stoves usually comprise a lightweight burner head that screws on to the top of a gas canister filled with different fuels, such as propane, butane or isobutane.

These types of stoves are often lightweight, packable and very easy to use, although they do not have the most powerful cooking flames and they do not usually have a wind shield.

All-in-one cooking system

An all-in-one cooking system stove comprises a simple burner head with a screw-in fitting for a gas canister, along with an integrated cooking pot. Because they fit together in one system, they are easy to pack. This type of cooking stove usually offers a fast boil and good fuel efficiency. 

Liquid fuel and multi-fuel camping stoves

These cooking stoves work with white gas, kerosene (a type of paraffin) or petrol. There are also multi-fuel stoves, such as the the MSR Whisperlite, that can run on all of these fuels. 

The pros of the liquid fuel stoves is they are usually very reliable and work well even in tough weather conditions. The negatives are that they can be heavy, bulky and require to be cleaned and maintained.  

Wood-fuelled camping stoves

These camping stoves, such as Solo Stove Lite, are fuelled by natural items, like twigs, pine cones and other small pieces of wood. While you won’t need to carry fuel with you, it does mean you need to be able to forage for natural fuel when you are camping. 

Spider camping stoves

These stoves look very simple and take the form of a burner on tripod legs and with a hose that attaches to a gas canister. 

They are usually fairly compact and lightweight so very packable, although some spiders are bigger and bulkier. They sit close to the ground when in use, which means they very stable and are less affected by wind, compared to other camping stoves. 

A few negatives of the spider camping stove is you need to carry pots separately and they are not always as fast as other stoves to boil water and heat food.

Alcohol camping stoves

These types of camping stoves run off non-pressurised denatured alcohol, in other words, methylated spirits or “meths”. The plus points are they  are usually cheap and reliable, but they do not normally have a power control and they can be slow to cook food or boil water. Many people find they guzzle fuel quicker than other cooking stoves.

Solid-fuel camping stoves

This type of camping stove uses solid fuel, which has the advantage being smokeless and energy efficient although it is also highly toxic to they must be used in very ventilated places if not outdoors. Solid fuel stoves were originally developed for use by the military. The stoves are lightweight and simple to use so they are very packable for wild camping trips. 

Double-burner camping stoves

Double-burner stoves are bigger and bulkier and usually fuelled by attachment, via a hose, to larger butane (or propane-butane) canisters or refillable gas bottles. 

The advantage of these stoves they are great for catering for more people on a campsite. Cooking is very similar to cooking on a hob at home, too. The disadvantage of these types of double burners is they are heavy and bulky so you would not want to carry them too far. 

Having take a closer look at different types of stoves, let’s consider why some stoves are more expensive than others and whether campers can rely on budget camping stoves.

Why are camping stoves to expensive?

As with most kit, there are some brands that command a higher price compared to others. These brands might be able to charge more because they have a reputation for reliability and quality, or because their kit includes more features.

Research and development could push up the cost of a lightweight single burner camping stove, compared to a more straightforward tried-and-tested double burner stove that is made of heavier and cheaper materials. The design and materials used may well affect the price of a camping stove, making it more expensive to purchase.

In this way, a simple stove that is lightweight and still does a good job of cooking food could cost as much as a heavier stove with two burners. 

A camping stove that includes a greater number of integrated elements for all-in-one cooking such as a burner,  pot and lid, may well be more expensive than a standalone burner and tripod that then requires you to buy cooking pots.

There are other  important details to consider when buying a new camping stove, such as built-in ignition (saving you the need to remember to take matches or a lighter); how easy it is to attach the stove to the gas; the number and size the of burners; and the intensity of heat and controllability. 

Other things to think about include availability of compatible gas canisters; the size and weight of the gas canister; how the stove operates in the wind or whether it includes a wind shield; and “packability" or how the stove packs away for carrying.  

The weight of a camping stove needs to be considered but so does sturdiness. If you are planning a wild camping trip that requires you to carry all your own gear then you will be looking for a lighter weight stove. Sometimes, lightweight materials cost more than heavier materials, such a titanium versus steel. 

Also think about how often you will be using a camping stove and where. If you only plan to do a few camping trips and they are more likely to be focused on a campsite where you can find shelter form poor weather then it’s likely a cheaper and less sophisticated stove will do a good job. 

Likewise, if you are keen to try a number of backpacking trips, where weight, reliability and wind protection are important details, then you may need to spend bit more on a campaign stove. 

All of these details and features can affect the price and make some camping stoves more expensive, while others will be in a more budget price range. 

Do you need an expensive stove?

Different activities will usually require different types of stoves. If, for example, you are heading to a campsite where you can easily carry your camping kit a short distance from the car to your camping spot, then a heavier double-burner style camping stove could be the perfect product.

A double burner camping stove is also a good idea if you will be catering for more than one or two people. Double burner stoves usually have the capacity for larger pots and, of course, you can cook on two burners at once rather than just one and with a similar  controllability to that of a home hob. Most double burners also have a large wind shield, which make sit easier to keep the flame alight in windier conditions. 

Meanwhile, if you are planning a backpacking and camping trip or going bikepacking with several overnight camping stops, the chances are you will be keen to pack a lighter and smaller camping stove. Few hikers will want to add excessive weight to their backpacking rucksack with a heavier camping stove. 

In this way, a single burner stove, especially one that is sold with an integrated pot or cooking system, will be the best product for you.

You can choose whether you want a stove that has an attachable gas stove, or one that is fuelled by natural items, such as twigs and pine cones, like the Solo Stove Lite. Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages to both because while gas is more convenient, using natural fuel makes your pack lighter because you can source the twigs etc when you find your camp spot.

It is worth reading about how to choose a camping stove and a range of camping stove reviews, such as the Vango Combi, to work out if a more expensive stove is the right one for you.

The best budget camping stove brands

In our round up of the best camping stoves in 2024, the three cheapest stoves include the Campingaz Twister Plus PZ with a recommended retail price of £30, the SOTO Windmaster with an RRP of £55 and Vango Atom and Ultralight Heat Exchange with a RRP of £65.

Looking at the Campingaz Twister Plus PZ camping stove, our reviewer noted the pros of being a compact size, easy to connect to a canister and with built-in ignition. However, Campingaz canisters offer a more limited choice compared to other fuel options. The RRP of £30 is very favourable, however, and overall this stove gains a rating of four out of five.

The SOTO Winmaster gained a score of 4.5 out of five from our reviewer with the plus-points that the stove is very lightweight, small when packed away, has integrated ignition and provides good wind resistance.  On the negative side, it is said to be fiddly set up with the four-prong pot support. Overall, this could be a good buy on a more limited budget at £55. 

The Vango Atom and Ultralight Heat Exchange comprises a cooking set that scores three out of a possible five points. There are only two stoves in the entire review that score just three points.  However, the cooking stove is said to be good value by our reviewer at a price of £65 for an all-in-one system that includes a sturdy cooking pot. 

Thins to consider that are less favourable are that the cooking stove is not deemed as sophisticated as its rivals, plus it is not very wind resistant and its pack size is quite bulky. 

Tips on buying a budget camping stove

Shop around for camping stoves. Sometimes you will find last year’s model at a discounted price. You could also look on second-hand websites or social media marketplaces for a cheaper, good quality camping stoves.

Make sure the fuel is readily available and the size of canister suits your planned activity.

Perhaps the purchase of two different types of camping stoves for different activities makes sense. Two cheaper camping stoves that serve a campsite type trip and a backpacking-wild camping style trip could be a good option.

Borrow a few camping stoves from different friends to give them a try to see if you like using the stove before you buy your own.

Check out reviews for different camping stoves. 

Is it worth buying a budget camping stoves

The question of whether it is worth buying budget camping stoves depends on what you will be using it for, where and how frequently. If camping is an occasional activity and you will only be making a coffee each morning, then a more budget price camping stove might be for you.

However, if it will frustrate you if the water takes a long time to boil, or you know you will often be faced with windy conditions, then you should look for a more expensive stove that includes better features.

For example, the Jetboil Flash costs £120 but it takes just 1 min 40 secs to boil 500 ml, while the cheaper SOTO Windmaster (£55) takes 2min 14secs to bring the same volume of water to the boil. 

Likewise, if you plan to use the camping stove for wild camping and backpacking trips it's better to look at weight and packability than price necessarily.

Our best camping stoves review includes many camping stoves with scores of four and 4.5 out of five and so this could be the starting point for deciding if the stove is for you. You can easily compare scores and pros and cons with prices.

Do you need a camping stove? It seems obvious to state, but it depends entirely on your situation. If you’re car camping near a town full of cafes and restaurants, well, no – you don’t need a camping stove. Taken to the other extreme, there may be times when the ability to bring water to the boil is lifesaving.

One of the greatest true stories involving adventure and survival is Touching the Void. In the pivotal moment, mountaineer Joe Simpson is left dangling above a glacier on one end of a rope, with his climbing partner Simon Yates on the other. Faced with an impossible choice, Yates famously cuts the rope, dropping Simpson into the abyss. Battling seemingly insurmountable odds, Simpson manages to haul his injured body out of the glacier and back to base camp.

What does this have to do with camping stoves? Well, the events that led to this situation were a longer-than-expected climb of their chosen mountain: Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes. Having reached the summit, their subsequent descent was desperately hurried and Simpson slipped, breaking his right leg and ankle. Yates sets up a system to hastily lower Joe down the mountain, which leads to the eventual cutting of the rope. The reason everything from the summit onwards was so hurried was that the pair had ran out of fuel for their stove. This meant they had no way to melt snow to make drinking water. Humans, eventually, die without drinking water.

Of course, this is an extreme example, yet it illustrates that for some adventures, a camping stove is vital, especially on remote expeditions. You see, it can be more than just about a hot brew in the morning.

Situations where a camping stove is essential

When it comes to longer expeditions, whether they’re epic mountaineering missions to the Greater Ranges or a thru-hike in an American national park, we’d say that having a compact, easy to use camping stove is crucial to success. In desperate straits, there’s sometimes the option of creating a campfire. However, this goes totally against the leave no trace principles and could, in the worst-case scenario, lead to a devastating wildfire. Taking a camping stove is infinitely preferable.

There are at least four obvious benefits to having a stove along for the ride:

Ability to make hot food and drink: The primary function of a camping stove is to make hot food and beverages. There’s a reason the human body craves hot food. Not only does it taste better, it’s also easier on our digestive systems, which in turn means we absorb more nutrients. On a long hiking expedition, the more nutrients you can get, the better. Besides, a steaming mug of coffee is a real morale booster on a wet, windy and wild morning in the backcountry.

These days, the choice of expedition meals is vast, with loads of great freeze-dried meals and pre-packaged wonders to choose from. These meals are ideal for long adventures because the ingredients won’t go off, they’re light to carry, quick to prepare and all they require is hot water. 

Ability to create a heat source: We’re not talking about a campfire style heat source here, I’m certainly not suggesting everyone gathers around the Jetboil for some ghost stories and singing. No, what I'm getting at is that many winter campers bring a hot water bottle along as an additional heat source on cold nights.

Ability to purify water: There are several ways to purify water in the wild and boiling is not only one of them but also one of the safest methods too, as it eliminates bacteria, protozoa and even viruses.

Ability to melt snow: This obviously only applies to mountaineering or Polar expeditions. However, if you’re somewhere where your only source of drinking water is frozen, you have to be able to melt it.

The other time you’d want to have a camping stove is if you were on a multi-day car camping vacation, your campground doesn’t allow campfires and there are no other places to get food nearby. With this in mind, it's always worth considering a stove when you plan a camping trip. There are various types of camping stove but we’d say that a double-burner stove is the most versatile option for creating campsite cuisine. There’s also the option of a portable grill.

Of course, you can always bring a camping cooler and eat cold food for the duration of your vacation – it just depends if you’re willing to forego hot food and warm drinks.

Times when a camping stove is a nice-to-have

For shorter camping trips and one-night wild camps, you might be tempted to just make do with cold food. A stove and fuel adds a little weight to any backpack, so leaving it at home will keep things light. However, a bit of hot food even on a short camping trip is a treat and campsite cooking is always a rewarding experience.

Instances when a stove isn’t so important

If you know there are going to be other ways to make or source hot food, then you don’t need a camping stove. Many campgrounds have facilities for making your own campfire to cook on, while some provide other cooking equipment. It should be noted that a stove is easier to use, as well as being a safer cooking method than a campfire. A stove provides a more consistent and evenly spaced heat, as well as greater control over its intensity.

As mentioned earlier, your campground might be affiliated with a local pub or restaurant, so you may choose to enjoy some meals out. If you’re car camping, you can always drive to the nearest town and check out the local cuisine.

There are plenty of long-distance hiking adventures where you don’t need a stove too. An alpine hut-to-hut hike involves staying in wonderfully equipped mountain huts, where there’s usually a hot meal waiting for you at the end of a long day on the trail, as well as a nice, cold beer. That is, as long as you go during the main hiking season.

Verdict

If you’re leaving the trappings of civilisation behind for any substantial length of time, a camping stove is essential for all of the reasons given above. Even if you’re not off into the wilderness, we’d say that campsite cooking is all part of the quintessential camping experience.

Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 and Grill: first impressions

The Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 is a semi-portable fire pit made from stainless steel. With the additional grill attachment, which is available as a part of the Grill Cooking Bundle, you can also use the fire pit as a barbecue or camping stove, with the large cast iron griddle being large enough for family occasions or small garden parties.

The Bonfire 2.0 comes with a stand, an ash collection plate, and a base for wood. With the additional grill bundle, you get a huge cast iron griddle and an elevated stand on which to mount it. Setup is a cinch – it’s literally a matter of popping the various components into the fire pit and adding your wood (which you'll have to find yourself). 

As a standalone fire pit, the Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 is reasonably portable over very short distances. Weighing in at 11.4 kg, however, it’s going to take two people to carry this comfortably – especially if you’re carrying it further than just from the shed to the garden. To help, the Bonfire 2.0 comes with a heavy duty carry case with two large hand straps. But the lack of a shoulder strap means it’s still not comfortable to carry and not suitable for lugging more than very short distances.

The Bonfire 2.0 isn’t cheap, coming in at $349 / £309 when bought directly from Solo Stove. For the grill combo, the style I tested here, you’re going to have to fork out $559 / £549, which is a lot for something that you may only use occasionally. 

That said, if you’ve ever shopped around for a barbecue (which I recently did), you will know that they can be jaw-droppingly expensive, running into the thousands for top-of-the-line models from a brand like Traeger. With the Bonfire 2.0 Cast Iron Grill Cooking Bundle, you don’t only get a great barbecue to cook over, you also get a beautiful little fire pit that you can slump in front of while you’re digesting your meal – making the combo more versatile than a usual barbecue, and definitely much prettier to look at.

Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 and Grill: in the field

I was sent a Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 to test for a few weeks in the garden towards the end of the summer. I used it as both a standalone fire pit and as a barbecue, and I have to say – I loved it. It looks great, is very easy to clean out, is simple to store away when it’s not in use (if you have the space) and allows for a beautiful little centerpiece if you have friends or family round and want to spend some time in the garden. 

Starting a fire in the Bonfire 2.0 is also very simple. The drum is large enough to easily lean into, allowing you to add and light kindling before dropping in larger logs. When it comes to barbecuing, Solo recommend that you first burn down a few larger-sized logs for cooking over hot coals. 

On the two occasions I cooked with the stove, I once fried some shish kebabs over high flames and then cooked various types of meat over embers. Naturally, it took around an hour for the flames to reduce to create a bed of hot embers, which is a lot longer than I expected. But I’m not sure we can deduct points for physics. 

One part of the stove that didn’t initially impress me is the ‘smokeless’ aspect of its marketing. Solo Stove calls the Bonfire 2.0 'the original smokeless fire pit', so I had high expectations, but there was definitely smoke when I fired it up. Granted, it was less than you'd see with other fire pits, or when lighting fires on the ground, but it’s far from smoke free, especially at the beginning and when you add fresh wood.

Once your fuel burns down a little, that subsides and you’re left with a pleasant, reasonably low smoke burn. It's actually quite impressive, but thanks to the company's over-ambitious marketing claim, you might be a little disappointed at first.

One thing I particularly appreciated was how cool the Bonfire 2.0's barrel remains during use. It doesn't stay cold, but even though there’s a roaring fire going on inside, the stainless steel outer drum never got so hot that it would burn you were you to accidentally touch it. 

Obviously, this might mean that, in comparison to heavier fire pits or those made of stone, the Bonfire 2.0 might radiate less heat. But for use on pleasant summer, spring or fall evenings when you fire it up more for the ambience or grilling than a singular source of heat, it’s excellent. 

The cast iron griddle supplied with this bundle is also an impressive piece of kit. Weighing almost as much as the rest of the Bonfire 2.0 combined, it is heavy, sturdy and remarkably well-put together for sucking up the heat of the fire. And trust me when I say this thing gets hot. It takes minutes for it to be spitting ready for cooking whatever’s on the menu, and it stays warm for a very long time indeed. Be sure to bear that in mind if you have any children running around when using it, as it'll be extremely hot for a good while after you take it off the fire. 

Another thing I appreciated was Solo’s helpful instructions on how to best care for the cast iron griddle. New to this style of cooking, I had no idea that you aren’t supposed to wash cast iron pans, merely using the heat of the fire to burn off stuck-on food. And I was equally perplexed by the process of ‘seasoning’, wherein you add oil to the pan before and after using it in order to extend the life of the griddle and to ensure the material remains non-stick. But after a couple of practice runs, I was all in, and I really enjoyed the experience of cooking with the grill.

Finally, I found the height of the grill to be okay when cooking for one or two people. I’m 5ft 10in (177 cm) and only had to bend down slightly to move things around on the plate. Granted, I only had a short pair of tongs, so this could be easily mitigated with longer utensils, but if you’re very tall, you might start to get uncomfortable if you're cooking over it all day.

Overall, I absolutely love the Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0. It looks great, is easy to use and is semi-portable. And even though it’s pricey, I think it’s such a versatile means of maximizing the space in your garden that it’s actually a good investment – especially if you’re looking to buy a barbecue anyway. 

• How Advnture tests products

Are you getting geared up for a summer of outdoor cooking? When setting up your camp kitchen, the most important thing you’ll need (in addition to a cooler full of food, obviously) is something reliable to cook your food on that can handle feeding a crowd and is easy to clean. Camping stoves and barbecue grills have both come a long way in recent years, and they’re becoming so similar that it can be hard to know which you need. Do you want a double-burner stove that fires up two pots or pans at a time for sauteing and boiling and maybe even has a little grill underneath it? Or do you just love the aromas of sizzling steaks and burgers that come with an old-school cookout on the grill?

In this article, we compare camping stoves vs grills to help you find your best feast in the outdoors. To be clear, we’re not comparing those tiny backpacking stoves like the SOTO Windmaster which fits in the palm of your hand with a barbecue grill because that wouldn’t be fair now, would it? But if you’re eyeing up a camping stove and a grill that look to be pretty similar in terms of size, weight and even fuel source, you might want to understand why you’d choose one over the other, and we’re here to help out with that cooking conundrum.

Camping stove vs grill: versatility 

This is the main category where there’s a clear difference between a camping stove and a barbecue grill regardless of what kind you choose. Camping stoves are more versatile than grills because you can use them to boil water, heat a can of beans, saute meat and vegetables and even grill bacon or toast bread if you have a model like the Vango Combi IR which has two burners and a grill. Basically, you can get a lot done on a camping stove, whereas all you can really do on a barbecue grill is grill things.

Now, if you love grilled meat, vegetables, fish and even peaches, this won’t cause you too much heartache, but not being able to boil water for pasta or make pancakes for breakfast might be a dealbreaker for you.

There is one caveat to all this, however, and that is that you can put a cast iron skillet on a grill (best if you’ve got a gas grill rather than charcoal) which does open up a few more possibilities if you want to fry some eggs, for example. You’ve also got camping grills coming out like the Eureka! SPRK Camp Grill which acts a lot like a stove but has a griddle top so you can use it for bacon and pancakes as well as steaks. Like we said, the two are growing more and more similar.

Camping stove vs grill: weight and portability 

When it comes to weight and portability, what model you buy determines what you get and there’s no real benefit to one over the other in this regard. If you want a lightweight, packable stove or grill that you can easily fit in the trunk of your car, you can find one, although there are definitely plenty of heavier, bulkier grills out there if that’s what you want, such as the Camp Chef VersaTop Grill. 

Camping stove vs grill: fuel source 

No matter what you choose, you’re going to need fuel. Camping stoves run on canister gas, liquid fuel, fuel tablets or, if you get a wood-burning stove, kindling such as twigs that you can gather yourself. 

Barbecue grills run on either charcoal or gas. In both cases, gas canisters can be expensive, whereas charcoal and solid fuel tablets are cheaper, and wood kindling is free. The fuel for your stove or grill is usually easy to come by at an outdoors store or your local grocery store.

Camping stove vs grill: ease of use 

Any stove or grill meant for camping should really be as easy as opening the lid and flicking a switch. This is certainly true for camping stoves and gas grills these days, where you’ll find it easy to control the heat, while charcoal grills can take a little more finesse – and time – to get the coals to the right temperature and you don’t have much control over the temperature. 

Camping stove vs grill: price 

There’s not an enormous difference in price between the camping grills and double-burner stoves we’ve tested, though in general grills seem to be a little more expensive. That’s not to say you can’t drop a wad of cash on a double-burner stove if you want to – the GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Pro 2 Burner Stove retails at $250, but you can find more budget-friendly options too, like the Campingaz Chef which retails for under $80.

Camping stove vs grill: the verdict 

As you can probably see, one isn’t necessarily better than the other, and with the advent of gas camping grills, the differences between these two options has largely been reduced to versatility. That said, you can still probably do more with a camping stove than you can with a grill, so for a longer trip where you’re going to be cooking multiple meals, you might want to go with a stove. That said, if you love the taste of barbecue, not much beats grilling for the crowd in the evening. 

If you go for a grill, remember that you’ll still need a means of boiling water. For a big crowd, it may be a good idea to have both a stove and a grill, while for a smaller group just remember to bring your backpacking stove so you can boil water to make coffee in the morning.

• Best camping coffee makers: get your caffeine fix in the great outdoors

Not only are there different types of camper who run the gamut from minimalist to high maintenance, there are vastly different types of camping chefs. Those like myself who roll in with a lightweight backpacking stove that fits in my pocket and three packets of ramen noodles to last the weekend, and those who I aspire to be more like. You know, the ones who spend more time packing the cooler and planning the menu than they do actually camping. 

Whatever type of camping chef you are, you need to eat and you need the right stove for your cooking style. The best camping stoves come in all shapes and sizes these days to accommodate small and large quantities of food, those who like to cook fast and campers who prefer to feast. Read on to find the best type of stove for every type of camping chef and make sure you have the right equipment for your camping capers this summer.

The bare bones backpacking chef: SOTO Windmaster

We hesitate to call you a chef, because cooking at camp for you is all about getting some field in your body and you’re happy to exist on freeze-dried camping meals or quick-and-easy packets of rice and pasta. Quick and easy is the name of the game, and for you, the lightweight and tiny SOTO Windmaster gets the job done when you arrive into camp after a long day on the trail and just need calories, quickly.

As a classic screw-in type stove, the SOTO Windmaster has all the traditional advantages of a conventional canister-top design, namely, quick and easy set-up plus minimal weight and pack size. This makes it a good choice for extended backpacking trips or fast and light missions. However, as its name suggests, the Windmaster also offers superior performance in breezy and gusty conditions compared to most of its screw-in rivals. 

At 100 grams, you’ll never notice it in your backpack and it boils water for your camp coffee in just over two minutes so you can hit the trail again faster.

The family provider: Vango Combi IR Grill Compact

Are you cooking for the whole family at camp? Your top priority is keeping the kids from melting down, which means you need to be able to whip up large quantities of kid-friendly food, fast. Whether it’s hot dogs and macaroni cheese for dinner or eggs and pancakes for breakfast, you need to be able to have at least two pans on the go without much fuss or cleanup and the Vango Combi IR Grill Compact fits that bill perfectly. 

With two burners over a surface area of nearly 19in x 11in, you can cook with two large pots or skillets as well as the infrared grill underneath. All three are powered by one ignition switch and anti-slip feet help keep things stable when there are rambunctious kids in the campground. It cools quickly and is really easy to clean, making it a clear choice for grabby little hands and busy parents. When it’s time to head home, just close the lid and fasten the latches to carry it under one arm back to the car. 

The hunter gatherer: Solo Stove Lite

Camping for you is all about becoming self-sufficient, using the natural materials available to you and re-learning how to live off the land. You’re not in any great rush to get dinner on and love the whole process of chopping firewood and building a natural shelter. That said, you understand the drawbacks of cooking directly over the campfire, such as potential food poising or not being able to have a fire due to rain or a fire ban. So, the next best thing is definitely a wood burning stove like the Solo Stove Lite which relies on twigs for fuel rather than a canister. 

Children will love foraging around for dry tinder to burn, and there’s something deeply satisfying about being self-sufficient, rather than relying on gas. The Solo Stove has a double combustion process – oxygen drawn in through the bottom vents feeds the main combustion, while heated air rising through the double wall is fed through the top vents for an extra oxygen boost, enhancing the stove’s efficiency. Cooking pots and kettles then perch on top. This stove is slightly heavier than others, but you save weight by not having to carry fuel.

The gourmet chef: Camp Chef VersaTop Grill

Camping for you is all about what’s on the menu. Bacon and eggs? Steak and potatoes? Pancakes? No problem. While everyone else is hiking and kayaking, you’re happily back at the camp kitchen chopping and prepping the next meal, and nothing makes you happier than seeing your campmates’ faces light up when you hand them a plate of delicious, fresh grub. To add more variety to your camping menu, consider a camping grill such as the Camp Chef VersaTop Grill.

Use the VersaTop’s matchless ignition to fire up two 16,000 BTU burners and you will be cooking on the seasoned, non-stick flat top griddle quickly, meaning your campmates can emerge from their tents to the aromas of fresh coffee and sizzling bacon.

A single control knob delivers the precise amount of heat when you need it, and in addition to the two burners, Camp Chef offers an accessory pizza oven and BBQ box for even more mouth-watering meal variety. 

In just about all the ways, I’ve embraced the ultralight approach to backpacking over the past decade or so. I’ve ditched my sleeping bag for a Sea to Summit camping quilt and downsized from a rectangular sleeping pad to the Therm-A-Rest ProLite Apex. My Sierra Designs Flex Capacitor backpack only adds 2lb to my load, but carries up to 60 liters of gear. For the fastest and lightest adventures, I even have a camping stove that’s smaller than a walnut.

So the first time I went camping with my boyfriend, I could barely conceal my amusement when he pulled out his archaic Trangia camping stove. Compared to my Alpkit Kraku Ultralight, it looks prehistoric and it’s positively ginormous. Why would anyone haul such a clunky relic along the trail with them, when you can boil water in two minutes with a Soto Windmaster then pack it away in a pocket? Well, by the time we were feasting on bacon and eggs the following morning after a chilly surf, I’d come up with seven great reasons, and it now comes with us on every backpacking trip. 

What is a Trangia stove?

If you’re under the age of 30, a Trangia stove is an outdoor stove that’s been manufactured in a small Swedish town named Trångsviken since 1951. The design is a complete cooking system (that comes with a burner, saucepans, windshield, handle and strap) that uses liquid fuel. The whole thing packs away inside itself into a disc that’s 8.6in / 22cm in diameter and 4.1in / 10.5cm high, and weighs as little as 1.8lb / 845 grams. While there are different models today with varying capacities, the general idea is the same – a stove with pans that are also bowls that can fit inside your backpack to whip up near-gourmet meals in the wild.

I won’t deny it – these are old-school devices. My boyfriend got ours back in 1989 for a six-month cycling trip across Europe, and honestly it looks exactly like you'd imagine something bought the year the Berlin Wall came down would look like. But nearly a quarter of a century on and it still works brilliantly. And best of all, if you don’t have a flux capacitor to take you back to the 1980s, the company is still turning out some half million of them each year.

I’ll admit, when there are two of us, it’s an easier proposition to pack the Trangia – one of us can take the stove while the other packs the two-person tent. But it is doable for a solo backpacking trip, especially since it can be safely packed outside your backpack, and if you’re anything like me and love eating well on the trail, you’ll want to consider one of these throwback stoves. Here’s why:

1. It’s versatile 

Trust me, I’ve done more than my fair share of minimalist trips where every backpacking meal I’ve brought relies on simply being able to boil a pot of water and then eat straight out of the pot. What’s not so convenient, however, is then having to wash that same pot if I want a cup of camping coffee. 

Our Trangia has two saucepans, a frying pan (that is also a lid) and a kettle, so the other night, we could sauté chorizo and vegetables in one pan, set it aside while we made couscous in another, then mix it all together and each have a bowl to eat out of. In the morning, we still had the kettle to boil water for tea without doing any washing up. Genius.

2. It’s super stable

It’s true that a modern camping stove is so light that you won’t even notice it in your backpack, but the light weight can pose a real challenge when you set up camp in gusty conditions and can’t find a level surface to set up on. Those teetering tripod designs can take off if you don’t build a windblock, sending your camping macaroni cheese all over the ground.

Enter the Trangia, with a wide solid base that sits directly on the ground, meaning the only way it can topple over is if you kick it like a football. 

3. It comes with its own windshield

With most contemporary stoves, the flame from your fuel canister is exposed to the open air, meaning that you often have to position your body to block the wind from extinguishing it. In a Trangia, the burner sits inside the windshield, so you can cook in a gale if you need to. 

4. You can buy the fuel anywhere in the world

If you’re going on a thru-hike, one of the challenges posed by canister-based stoves is that you may not be able to find a compatible replacement canister where you’re going, and of course, they’re not particularly easy to recycle. I’ll qualify this point by saying that modern Trangias are compatible with multiple types of burner, such as gel and gas, but what we love so much about ours is that it comes with the original, environmentally-friendly spirit burner for alcohol-based fuels. 

For a shorter trip, we fill ours up with methylated spirits (find out here what it’s called in your country), which burns in all conditions and gets about 25 minutes of burn time, which is more than adequate for a couple of nights in the wild. For a longer trip, it does mean that you have to also carry a small amount of fuel with you, but this is stuff you can buy for a few bucks at any hardware store in the world. 

5. It’s pretty fast

I know, I know, the Jetboil boils water in 100 seconds and in a survival situation, that could be crucial. The Trangia might not be quite that fast, but in a few minutes it’s boiling away nice and I must say that in general, I don’t need my food to be ready that quickly when I’m at camp. I’m quite happy listening to the birds and watching the waves while it heats up, thank you very much. On a side note, it’s also really easy to control the heat with the burner, much like turning the burner up or down on your stove at home.

6. It’s ultra durable

What can I say except for the fact that ours has been cooking away since the end of the Cold War and shows no signs of giving up? There are no spindly legs that can snap off or canister attachments that can wear out, just sturdy pieces of lightweight aluminum that last for decades. That’s a bonus for your wallet and the planet.

7. You can pack it away dirty

Obviously, you’re going to want to wash up when you’re backpacking over several days (that’s why I always bring a handy bottle of Dr Bronner’s) but when you’re heading home, you can easily just pack your Trangia up dirty and throw it in the dishwasher when you get back. It’s totally self contained, so all the dirty dishes just go inside it, whereas if you have a lightweight system where your stove goes inside your pot (or you keep your hiking socks inside your pot for that matter), you won’t want to pack yours away dirty. Wrap the strap around the Trangia and pack it away knowing it will all stay together until you’re ready to deal with it. Easy.

• Camp kitchen setup ideas: nine tips for fuss-free cooking

GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Pro 2 Burner Stove: first impressions

If storage space is a concern with a camping setup, the GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Pro 2 Burner Stove is compact when closed, and a pleasure to use when you’re cooking. But how does it measure up against the best camping stoves?

This double-burner stove folds out with two flip-out legs into a full-size tabletop camp-cooking stove. And when you’ve finished with it, the Pinnacle Pro 2 folds into itself to become a thin 1.4 inches high, which will happily slide into most tight storage situations for packing away in a car or camping van. 

Each burner has 11,000 BTU available output for plenty of heat and cooking power, and this stove features two flame adjusters so that you can use different heats on each burner if you’re using them at the same time. 

Wind isn’t anyone’s friend when it comes to outdoor cooking, and the GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Pro 2 Burner Stove doesn’t help if the weather’s getting gusty. The side windscreens could be generously described as minimalist in style and not full rectangles, so cooking in the wind with this stove can be frustrating. The Pinnacle Pro 2 also does not have a handle once it’s packed up, so the carrying case (at an extra cost) is recommended for storage and transport.

GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Pro 2 Burner Stove: in the field

We have a small camping van with a pullout kitchen off the back. The GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Pro 2 Burner Stove folds down to tuck perfectly into our camping kitchen setup, and when it’s time to cook the two flip-out legs support the fold-out design, providing a spacious surface for cooking on two burners. 

We most recently were camping outside of Leadville, Colorado on over a late summer weekend. The weather can be intense in every way in this high-altitude area of the Rockies (we were at about 10,000 feet above sea level), and the stove was great to use with every meal, except on the occasions when wind picked up. The side windscreens are not full rectangles so the wind protection isn’t ideal. 

The burners have 11,000 BTU each and the heat output was great for boiling water for coffee in the morning and pasta in the evening. We could adjust each burner separately so we could boil on one side and simmer on the other.

One detail that we didn’t know we’d appreciate until we used the GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Pro 2 Burner Stove is the flexible regulator hose. It’s easy to maneuver any type of fuel canister and have it out of the way while cooking. Cleaning the stove is easy as you can easily lift the grill and wipe the non-stick coated boil-over tray. The stainless steel surface can be hard to keep clean, especially with greasy fingerprints from cooking and camping.

We’ve had a great camp cooking experience with this GSI stove, and since we keep it in our small van, the ultra-compact design when stored makes it a perfect fit for us.

• Best camping tables: for backcountry trips and beach barbecues

Whether firing up for a balmy night time feast, or warming up after a hard winter's hike, your camping stove is an essential piece of kit you can't afford to leave behind. And we all know food cooked on a camp fire somehow tastes better than the stuff you make at home.

In this guide, we feature a range of excellent lightweight backpacking stoves, designed to be compact enough to slot into your backpack and to give you a reliable heat source in the wild. Some are designed to bring water to the boil in no time, while most feature integrated pots, making them hugely packable. 

Then, we delve into the best double-burner stoves; bigger units for the campsite. These offer the ability to have multiple pans on the go at once and a greater level of control for more nuanced cooking. Finally, we feature a great wood-burning option too.

The best camping stoves

Best camping stoves overall

As a classic screw-in type stove, the SOTO Windmaster has all the traditional advantages of a conventional canister-top design, namely, quick and easy set-up plus minimal weight and pack size. This makes it a good choice for extended backpacking trips or fast and light missions. However, as its name suggests, the Windmaster also offers superior performance in breezy and gusty conditions compared to most of its screw-in rivals. 

The secret is its effective engineering. The concave burner head has a small but well-designed protective lip, while the low-profile pot support places the pot very close to the flame. Together, these features combine to offer excellent wind-resistance. 

Where a sudden gust often blows other canister-top stoves out, this one just keeps on burning. It also offers fairly precise simmer control, which makes cooking easier. The four-pronged pot support is stable in use, while the wide burner head distributes heat evenly. 

Unlike cheaper stoves, the Windmaster also has some clever hidden tech. This includes a micro regulator for more consistent power output, even when temperatures drop or when your gas is running on empty. There’s also an integrated ignition, which is always a useful extra. This one is neatly enclosed within the burner stem too, while the sparker at the burner head is a strip of metal rather than a flimsy piece of wire, which makes it less liable to get brittle and snap.

Read our full SOTO Windmaster review

A serial winner of outdoor magazine gear tests, the Optimus Vega is one of the few stoves designed to take winter temperatures in its stride. Flip the gas canister upside down (there are support legs to hold it in place) and the heat gets a ‘Turbo Boost’ – ideal for cold temperatures or if you need to cook in a hurry. Boiling or cooking in sub-zero temperatures may sound extreme, but early mornings at altitude in summer can see the mercury tumble. This winter mode does burn more fuel, so for summer it’s wiser to save gas and have the canister the right way up. The stove itself sits low to the ground, which makes it more stable, and a foil windshield shelters the flame from a breeze.

As all experienced backpackers know, the pointy edges of a stove can stick out in a backpack and burners are vulnerable to knocks. Primus has solved both of these issues with the innovative FireStick, which folds into a cylinder similar in size to a fat tube of sweets, with the arms that support a pan during cooking clicking together, protecting the burner.

The stove screws on to a gas canister, creating a tall, reasonably wide platform, and a regulated valve lets campers adjust the flow of gas and thereby control the temperature. The wide arms also provide a degree of wind protection. If saving weight is a priority, a titanium version of the same stove shaves off 16g (0.6 oz) and costs $30 (£30) more.

With its ‘Easy Clic’ connection to the gas bottle and in-built ignition system (the piezo or P) the Campingaz Twister Plus PZ is a quick and simple stove to set up, and there’s no fumbling around for matches or cursing as the wind blows out a match before you’ve had a chance to light the burner. A neat heatshield protects your fingers from the flame as you turn the knob that adjusts the supply of gas and heat.

When not in use, the hard, plastic case provides more protection than many carry solutions for stoves. Just be aware that it will only work with canisters that have the Campingaz Easy Clic valve.

Read our full Campingaz Twister Plus PZ review

The best all-in-one camping stoves

It’s deeply satisfying to be able to pack up a cook system into a compact bundle, rather than have a separate stove, pot and gas canister. With the FyreStorm PCS, the stove and a small gas canister fit inside the pot for great portability. In use, the long hose keeps the gas canister away from the stove, the piezo ignition delivers a match-free spark to the gas, and the wind shield shelters the flame from the breeze.

The heat is adjustable, allowing for a vigorous boil or a simmer, while the lid and neoprene sleeve provide extra precaution against accidental scalding. So that’s all bases covered for campsite chefs.

Read our full Coleman FyreStorm PCS review

If you’re attracted to the convenience of personal cooking systems like the popular Jetboil MiniMo or the MSR Windburner but can’t afford the sizeable price tag, this kit is well worth a closer look. It bundles Vango’s ultralight Atom stove with a sturdy cooking pot and various accessories, giving you pretty much all you need to knock up a basic meal for two hungry hikers. As such, it’s a far more affordable alternative to those pricier all-in-one stove systems. 

The no frills Atom stove is basic but extremely light and compact, with a competitive power output of 3,000w. The Vango pot, which simply sits on top of the stove’s spindly folding arms, has a practical real-world capacity of 1 litre. This is larger than most, making it easier to cater for two, whether you’re heating water for backpacking rations or just brewing up two steaming mugs of tea or coffee. 

The pot has a similar heat exchanger base to the Jetboil design, resulting in improved fuel efficiency and faster boil times. It also has a chunky clear plastic lid with an easy-grab silicon tab and a sturdy folding handle – simple and straightforward features, but ones which plenty of other brands seem to get wrong.

The Vango cook kit also includes two small plastic bowls and folding sporks, plus a gas canister stand. It all packs away neatly into the pot, with room to spare for a 230g gas canister (which is the bigger size that you’ll find stocked in most camping shops). It’s a tidy system that is comparable in overall weight to most Jetboil systems, though it is admittedly a bit bulkier due to the larger capacity cooking pot.

Read our full Vango Atom and Ultralight Heat Exchanger review

The best fast boiling camping stoves

For any backpacker in urgent need of a cuppa, there’s only one place to turn. The Jetboil Flash is astonishingly fast to boil water, its FluxRing roaring away like a… well, jet. This makes it ideal for rehydrating dried meals, as well as brewing a tea or coffee (an optional £15/$20 coffee press turns the pot into a cafetiere). Fold-out legs attach to the base of the gas canister, improving stability; push button ignition starts the fire without messing around with matches; and a color-change heat indicator shows when water is boiling (if plumes of steam haven’t given you a clue). For portability, the stove and a small gas canister slide into the pot, while a small bowl protects the FluxRing.

We’ve been using a first generation Jetboil Zip for almost a decade, the stove sounding the death knell for our flask, and it’s still a pack essential for any long day in the hills.

The best two-burner stoves

If you’re looking for a budget-friendly but reliable solution to cooking for a crowd at camp, look no further than the Vango Combi IR Grill Compact. With two burners over a surface area of nearly 19in x 11in, you can cook with two large pots or skillets as well as the infrared grill underneath. All three are powered by one ignition switch and we found they provided a good heat source with good fuel efficiency too.

Powered by a butane gas bottle, once this is hooked up we were able to set it on any surface thanks to its anti-slip feet. The lid provides some wind protection, but it doesn’t have side panels so if you’re cooking on a gusty day you’ll want to hang a tarp or find a sheltered area. Whenever we'd finished cooking, it cooled quickly and was really easy to clean. To pack it up, all we had to do was close the lid and fasten the latches to carry under one arm back to the car. We found the plastic locking latches a bit fiddly at first and they seem a bit cheap, plus we’d love a carrying handle, but for the price you really get a lot for your money here.

Read our full Vango Combi IR Grill Compact review

The Tupike comes with a non-stick griddle, which enables you to add more variety to the camp menu. After dinner, a stainless steel drip tray and removable pot supports make clean-up quick and easy. When not in use, the wooden handle locks the stove cover in place. Inside, a spring-action lock holds the regulator safe and secure.

The Tupike’s stainless steel, oak, and brass construction turns a utilitarian piece of outdoor equipment into a work of art. And when it’s time to cook, don’t worry if you left the matches at home – with the piezo ignition, the burners fire up without matches or a lighter. Individually controlled twin 10,000 BTU burners allow the camp chef to boil water quickly for pasta, while simultaneously simmering the sauce. Folding steel legs lift the stove higher off the camp table for more comfortable cooking ergonomics. The cover and adjustable side panels shield the burners on windy days. 

Traditional two-burner camp stoves start with a rectangular box of stainless steel or aluminium, but Jetboil’s Genesis stove brings a completely different approach to camp cooking. This neat circular stove design stacks two burners for transport and storage. At camp, the unit unfolds, ignites easily and twin burners deliver 10,000 BTUs of heat. In our tests, it took just three minutes to have boiling water ready for coffee or pasta. The stove can be linked with other stoves to create a series of burners to feed a hungry crew and works efficiently paired with Jetboil’s cookware system options. 

Attaching the windscreen when the winds kick up keeps the cooking process in high performance mode. Compatible with a standard propane bottle, the kit includes a stuff sack with a separate pocket to protect the regulator. 

Small, compact and light, the Genesis two-burner stove is a very worthy addition to a short camping trip.

The two basic components needed for a memorable camping trip are food and shelter. Feeding a gang of hungry campers requires a tasty menu, fresh ingredients and a way to bring it all to life, and Coleman’s Triton camping stove tackles that job with ease. Propane powers 22,000 BTUs through two independently controlled burners. With a 12in and 10in pans cooking side by side, there’s plenty of room for variety when it comes to answering the inevitable “what’s for dinner?” question. 

Coleman stoves use pressure-control technology to deliver consistent heat even in cold, windy temperatures, and when you have a half-empty fuel bottle. Adjustable wind panels help too. With enough heat to cook a feast for a hungry family, the Triton stove should be at the top of your gear shopping list.

The best wood-burning camping stove

Solo Stoves bring out the hunter-gatherer in campers, due to their fuel source – twigs. Children will love foraging around for dry tinder to burn, and there’s something deeply satisfying about being self-sufficient, rather than relying on gas. However, there’s always the risk that heavy rain will have soaked available twigs or that there’s no combustible material around (an alcohol burner is available as an accessory for £22.50/$20).

The Solo Stove has a double combustion process – oxygen drawn in through the bottom vents feeds the main combustion, while heated air rising through the double wall is fed through the top vents for an extra oxygen boost, enhancing the stove’s efficiency. Cooking pots and kettles then perch on top. This stove is slightly heavier than others, but you save weight by not having to carry fuel.

Read our full Solo Stove Lite review

Camping stove comparison table

How we test camping stoves

At Advnture we endeavor to test every product we feature extensively in the field. That means one of our team of reviewers and writers – all experienced outdoor specialists active across the US, UK, Europe and Australasia – taking it out into the terrain and climatic conditions that it’s designed for. If, for any reason, this isn’t possible, we’ll say so in our buying guides and reviews.

Our reviewers test camping stoves in a range of outdoor scenarios – car camping, backpacking, base camping – assessing their value and performance against the claims of the brand in terms of heat output, fuel consumption, packability, simmer control, weight, ease of assembly/packdown, transportation, robustness and features.

For more information, see how Advnture test products.

Choosing the best camping stove for you

Whether you're taking the kids on a camping break or going fast and light in the mountains, getting the right camping stove is an important decision. Getting some warm sustenance into your system after a day of hiking is a vital factor in making any backpacking or camping trip a success. That's why a good stove is so high on our camping checklist.

The best camping stove for you is the one that suits your ambitions. In this day and age, the variety of stoves and the myriad features they offer can be a little bit overwhelming too. Many backpacking stoves are designed to be lightweight and stable in a strong wind, while others boast rapid boil times. If you're cooking for the kids from your camping chair, you might want a dual-burner stove that can take a couple of large cooking pots, rather than something designed for one.

These are the most important factors to consider when choosing the best camping stoves:

1. Boil times

The equivalent of a car’s 0-60mph acceleration time, most manufacturers will advertise how long it takes a stove to boil 0.5 litres of water. The time is only a guide, and depends on how much gas is left in the canister, the ambient temperature, the strength of the wind (and the effectiveness of any windshield), the type of gas (typically propane/butane), and even the shape and insulation (lid) of the pan. If you're sometime who likes to fill your camping mug up quick and get back on the go, look for a speedy boil time.

Note: Water boils at 100°C (212°F) at sea level, but for every 150 metres (500ft) you ascend the boiling temperature drops by about 0.5°C (just under 1°F). At 2,400 metres (8,000ft), about halfway up Mont Blanc, water boils at just 92°C (198 °F).

2.  Ignition

A built-in piezo igniter, similar to the spark-creator of a domestic gas hob, is most convenient for lighting gas, but some stoves rely on matches. 

Imagine you've braved the elements for hours, are soaked to the skin and the only thing keeping you going is the thought of that freeze-dried meal and a piping hot cup of coffee. You find shelter in the woods, hastily erect your best one-person tent and reach for your matches. They're sodden. At this point, you're going to wish you had a stove with a built in igniter. 

A stove that requires matches is fine for family holidays, where you can store them in the car or know they'll stay dry in the tent, but for expeditions in the wild you might want to consider an igniter.

3. Windshield

A decent breeze can seriously impact the performance of the best camping stoves, so a protective windshield around the burner is a useful feature. There's nothing more frustrating then waiting an age for that water to boil when it is blowing a hoolie, which is likely if you're wild camping up high.

Consider what you are willing to compromise on. A windshield is great if you're camping in the mountains, but it does represent a little bit of extra weight, not ideal if your priority is going fast and light. Can you instead check the wind direction and plan to camp in a sheltered spot? Can you use natural barriers like boulders or trees to find that shelter?

4. Size and weight

If you're peak bagging and looking to shave off every last gram so that you can merrily skip from summit to summit, you're going to need a lightweight stove. There's no point setting out with the best lightweight camping gear if your stove weighs a ton.

However, a strong, stable stove with a wide diameter burner and a broad pan support is very reassuring when you’re chopping veg up with your camping knife and throwing it into a pan alongside a vat of pasta in boiling water. 

Most of the weight will be in the gas canister anyway, so it’s the stove’s fold-up size that matters more – some will encase the burner and gas canister inside their cooking pot.

5. Burn control

Boiling water may be a race to 100 degrees, but there are occasions when it’s very handy when the best camping stoves have the ability to regulate the heat for more sensitive cooking. If you're just making a brew or heating an vacuum-packed backpacking meal, this won't apply.

However, if you're trying to do your best Heston Blumenthal impression with all your camping utensils in an attempt to impress the other campers, you'll want easy access to the flame-control valve. The last thing you want is burnt sausages.

6. Canister compatibility

Most stoves will connect to a screw-thread canister, but some, such as Campingaz, have a non-thread connection, so will only work with a non-threaded, Easy-Clic canister, which could be limiting if you need re-supplies in a far-flung area. If you’re concerned, small adapters are available.

7. Fuel type

Most of the best camping stoves burn a mix of propane and butane. Propane is better for colder temperatures, and butane for warmer weather. If you're going to be heading out for a winter wildcamp, look for a canister with a higher propane content. Whereas, butane is ideal for the perfect summer camp.

Some multi-fuel stoves can also burn paraffin (kerosene) and unleaded petrol, which work better at higher altitude and can be easier to source in remote areas of the world.

8. Stove type

Screw-in or integrated upright canister camping stoves: Probably the most popular type of stove for most backpackers and wild campers, these stoves consists of a lightweight burner head that screws on to the top of a propane, butane, or isobutane gas canister. While lightweight, highly packable, and very easy to use, these stoves often aren't the most powerful and don't perform quite as well as others in windy conditions. 

Best for: all-around backpacking, thru-hiking, and wild camping. 

All-in-one/personal cooking system: These consist of a burner head with a screw-in fitting along with an integrated cooking pot. Both components lock together in a compact nesting system, making them the second most packable varietal after screw-in/integrated models. Generally, these systems offer fast boil times and excellent fuel efficiency, even when you're doing your cooking in windy conditions. 

Best for: solo campers or couples who value convenience and efficiency.

Liquid fuel and multi-fuel camping stoves: These run on white gas, kerosene (paraffin) or petrol, and some multi-fuel stoves (like the MSR Whisperlite) can run on all three. Generally speaking, these stoves are robust, reliable, and work well in all conditions. On the downside, they do tend to be heavy, bulky, and require frequent cleaning and maintenance.  

Best for: large groups or for expedition basecamp use.

Wood camping stoves: These stoves run on foraged fuel such as twigs, pinecones, and other small pieces of wood. While this does mean you'll need to find these when you get to your campsite, it also means you won't have to carry fuel from home on your trip.  

Best for: lovers of old-school aesthetics and/or campers who would prefer to forage for fuel rather than schlep it into the wilds in their backpacks.

Hose-fed/spider camping stoves: These stoves have a burner head that sits on tripod legs and a braided metal hose that attaches to a gas canister. Because these stoves sit closer to the ground, they are typically more stable and burn better in strong winds than their screw-in siblings. On the downside, spiders are usually much bulkier and heavier. 

Best for: Backpacking and wild camping in a larger group.

Alcohol camping stoves: These stoves burn non-pressurised denatured alcohol (methylated spirits or ‘meths’). While cheap and ultra-reliable, they offer no control over power output, are slower to cook, and not as fuel efficient as gas canister-type stoves or pressurised liquid fuel stoves. 

Best for: Campers and backpackers on a budget, Scout and DofE groups.

Solid fuel camping stoves: These are simple, compact and lightweight stoves that were originally developed for use by the military. Solid fuel is smokeless, energy-efficient and leaves no ash, but is highly toxic, so can only be used in well-ventilated areas. 

Best for: gram counters and minimalists. 

Single/double burner camping stoves: These stoves have one or two full-size burners and normally use tall ‘twist and click’ butane (or propane-butane) canisters or larger, refillable gas bottles. Cooking with one of these stoves is very similar to cooking on the stove at home - they have auto-ignition, great simmer control, and are are far more powerful than models designed for backpacking. On the downside, they're far too bulky and heavy to be carried any kind of distance. 

Best for: family car-camping trips

No matter what type of camping you’re doing, there’s nothing quite like whipping up a hot, delicious meal out in the open and enjoying it as the sun disappears behind the horizon. But with so many different types of camping stove available these days, it can be hard to know just what you need for your adventures. Do you always want the smallest, lightest option, or can you spare a little extra weight for gourmet meals? We break down the different types of camping stove including the pros and cons of each to help you figure out what you need for cooking up a storm. 

Backpacking stoves 

The first main type of camping stoves are those intended for backpacking. There are actually two subcategories of backpacking stoves, but in general these will all be the smallest and most compact stoves on the market. This doesn’t mean that you can’t use them when you’re car camping, but their functionality will certainly be more limited and you’re not likely to be able to cook large quantities of food with them very easily.  

• Canister stoves

Canister stoves are generally favored by backpackers due to their extremely light weight and sleek design as well as ease of use. Basically, the stove screws directly into a small canister that contains compressed fuel such as butane and propane and you’re ready to go. These stoves are ideal for cooking simple food such as oatmeal and instant meals that you add to boiling water in a small pot. The downsides of these stoves are that they don’t work as well in cold weather and while the fuel canisters are recyclable, they’re not reusable. 

• Liquid fuel stoves

Liquid fuel stoves have a line that screws into a reusable canister containing liquid fuel such as white gas or kerosene. As a result, these stoves are a bit less compact and heavier than a canister stove and you have to prime them by pumping the fuel bottle to get them to work. Despite their added weight, there are quite a few advantages of this type of stove. They work better at high altitudes and cold temperatures, give you better temperature control and they are better for cooking for a group than canister stoves. They also usually work with different types of fuel, which makes them more adaptable if you’re travelling. 

Double burner camping stoves 

If you’re going car camping, or even just looking for a stove for a day at the beach, you don’t have to worry about size and weight, and you may want to look into a double burner stove. These stoves look like portable barbecue grills and they typically are made from stainless steel and usually run on propane. The major benefit of a double burner stove is that it allows you to have two pots or frying pans on the go, side by side, so you can cook more extravagant dishes for more people. When you’re finished, you just fold it up and use the carrying handle to take it back to the car. 

Wood burning camping stoves 

One other type of camping stove is an emerging style that actually comes in both backpacking and car camping versions and is the wood burning stove. These stoves use natural materials like twigs and leaves so you don’t have to purchase fuel (although they can also run on wood pellets or charcoal briquettes) and they allow you to get a taste of what it’s like to cook over an open fire with much more control and ease. They’re surprisingly easy to use and if you’re camping anywhere that you can’t have an open fire, you may still be able use your stove. The only downside would be that, just like with campfires, you may have difficulty finding dry kindling if you’re camping in the rain.

Butane camping stoves vs propane camping stoves: which are the best choice? The two widely available camping stove fuels each has its own advantages and disadvantages and which stove you choose will have a lot to do with the kind of adventures you have in mind. However, price and environmental sustainability will also play a big part in the decision.

To help you consider which fuel is best and, therefore, what kind of stove the invest in, we asked one of our camping experts to look at the pros and cons of each.

The verdict

Whether or not a propane stove or a butane stove is best depends on what you need it for. 

In terms of weight of fuel and canister, if you’re going backpacking and looking to keep things ultralight, butane is the clear winner. 

However, if you’re expecting extremely cold temperatures or high altitude, propane provides better performance.

Propane just about has the edge on price and availability, though there's little to choose between them. Propane is also more sustainable if you refill your existing canister, as opposed to butane, where you'll need to buy a new canister each time.

One solution is to have two camping stoves and take the best one for the trip in question, but if you’re looking for an all-rounder, you’ll probably want to go with propane since it’s the most functional under different conditions.

Meet the expert

Weight

• Weight difference between gases is negligible
• Propane has to be stored at high pressure, leading to heavier canisters
• Aluminum butane canisters are considerably lighter

Of course, if you’re car camping then weight isn’t too important, but naturally if you’re backpacking or even ultralight camping, every ounce in your pack matters. Now, gases aren’t known for being particularly heavy and while propane is slightly lighter, it’s not really the weight of the gas that matters for backpacking so much as the container it comes in.

Propane is stored at high pressure, which requires a very tough canister, usually made of stainless steel. Even a small canister meant for backpacking can weigh from seven ounces to more than a pound. Butane, meanwhile, is stored at low pressure and it’s safe to store in an aluminium canister which is considerably lighter. Some butane fuel for backpacking even comes in a canister that looks like a small bottle of hairspray and doesn’t weigh much more than an ounce. Of course, these two examples contain different amounts of fuel, but basically if you’re looking to keep things light, you’ll want to go with butane.

Cost

• Propane is generally slightly cheaper
• Propane is also refillable, whereas you need to buy a fresh butane canister each time

Comparing the two cost-wise is a bit like comparing apples and oranges since they come in different sizes containing differing amounts of fuel and gas prices vary according to the market. But setting aside the fluctuating costs of gas and simply looking at the question of retail price from a camping perspective, a glance at the pricing of the two in most major outdoor retailers generally shows propane to be a bit cheaper. When you’re holding a canister of each type of fuel in each hand, the price differential might seem largely negligible i.e. within a dollar. But if you’re thru-hiking and really working with a tight budget? You might want to consider propane.

Also, while the canister that the fuel comes in will be more expensive for propane, it may also be refillable, whereas butane refills are harder to come by so you’re paying for a new canister each time.

Energy performance

• The difference in performance is negligible for normal camping purposes

We’re basically including this category to let you know that you can ignore it. The different densities of each fuel mean they behave differently and in different amounts and at different temperatures, one may be more efficient than the other. Overall though, while it might matter for large-scale industrial purposes, when it comes to using them with a camping stove, the difference isn’t big enough for this to sway your decision one way or the other and here, other factors come into play like your stove and outside temperature. If you’re looking for really good energy performance, you’re better off looking at the stove in question than the fuel required. 

Availability

• Both are widely available
• Propane slightly more so as it’s better for year-round use

Both butane and propane are widely available at camping and outdoor stores, though you’ll usually see more propane on the shelves than butane because it’s better for all-seasons and therefore most brands have focused on making it more compatible with different types of stoves. Propane therefore has the slight edge but if you’re committed to butane, you shouldn’t have a problem finding refills for your burner. 

Sustainability

• You can refill propane canisters, meaning there’s less waste than with butane

Speaking of refills, if you're car camping and carrying a big canister of propane, you’ll be able to refill it at many gas stations and grocery stores which is much cheaper than buying a whole new canister and better for the environment. Butane canisters, on the other hand, are not designed to be refilled so you’ll buy a new one each time and generate more waste. 

Frequently asked questions

Here are a few frequently asked questions when it comes to butane camping stoves vs propane camping stoves.

Can you use either butane or propane on the same stove?

It’s important to know that butane and propane fuel canisters are not interchangeable, as the attachments on the stoves will be different. So, once you’ve chosen a camping stove, you’re committed to the fuel that it's compatible with.

What kind of fuel is best for backpacking?

Generally speaking, butane is better for backpacking and wild camping because it can be stored in aluminum canisters. These are much lighter than the tough, heavier propane equivalents.

Do butane and propane blends exist?

Some brands make a blend of isobutane and propane. As an example, Jetboil's JetPower is one such fuel, which combines propane's cold weather performance with the lower pressure of butane. This means it can be stored in a lighter canister than standard propane.

If weight isn't an issue, there's no doubt that the best double-burner camping stoves and grills are the go to options for cooking during your outdoor adventures. With one of these premium cooking systems, you can create culinary masterpieces that are a far cry from the dehydrated meals or boil in the bag pouches associated with small backpacking stoves.

Van life enthusiasts, family campers and base camp coordinators, look no further. The best double-burner camping stoves can accommodate two large pots or pans side-by-side on the cooking grate, giving you a great amount of flexibility when choosing your meals.

As with all the best camping stoves, simplicity is key when it comes to dual-burner stoves. Yet, while all the products featured here are easy to operate, they are also sophisticated bits of kit, with plenty of features to enhance your cooking experience. We also include two of the best camping grills too.

All models featured are robustly constructed, featuring stainless steel, aluminum and brass components that are durable enough to last for many years. For more on what to keep an eye out for when choosing the best double-burner camping stoves or grills, see our guide at the bottom of the page. Buon appétit!

Double-burner stoves

The Tupike’s stainless steel, oak lath and brass construction turns a utilitarian piece of outdoor equipment into a work of art. And when it’s time to cook, don’t worry if you left the matches at home – with the piezo ignition, the burners fire up without matches or a lighter. 

Individually controlled twin 10,000 BTU burners allow the camp chef to boil water quickly for pasta, while simultaneously simmering the sauce. Folding steel legs lift the stove higher off the camp table for more comfortable cooking ergonomics. The cover and adjustable side panels shield the burners on windy days. 

The Primus Tupike comes with a non-stick griddle, which enables you to add more variety to the camp menu. After dinner, a stainless steel drip tray and removable pot supports make clean-up quick and easy. When not in use, the wooden handle locks the stove cover in place. Inside, a spring-action lock holds the regulator safe and secure.

Traditionally, the best two-burner camping stoves start with a rectangular box of stainless steel or aluminum, but Jetboil’s Genesis stove brings a completely different approach to camp cooking. 

This neat, circular stove design stacks two burners for transport and storage. At camp, the unit unfolds, ignites easily and twin burners deliver 10,000 BTUs of heat. Three minutes is all it takes to have boiling water ready for coffee or pasta. The stove can be linked with other stoves to create a series of burners to feed a hungry crew and works efficiently paired with Jetboil’s cookware system options.

Attaching the windscreen when the winds kick up keeps the cooking process in high performance mode. Compatible with a standard propane bottle, the kit includes a stuff sack with a separate pocket to protect the regulator. 

Small, compact and light, the Genesis two-burner stove is a very worthy addition to a short camping trip.

Car camping means you can live a little larger when it comes to the size and weight of your gear, but space is still limited. While the GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Pro 2 Burner Stove is nothing near the compact and light nature of a backpacking stove, it’s one of the more space efficient camp stoves on the market. This duel-burner stove folds out with two flip-out legs into a full-size tabletop camp-cooking stove. It then folds into itself to become a thin 1.4 inches high to slide into most tight storage situations to pack in a car or camping van. 

This stove features two flame adjusters so different heat can be used on each burner at the same time, with 11,000 BTU available output on each burner for plenty of heat and cooking power. The side windscreens are a more minimalist style and not full rectangles, so the GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Pro 2 Burner Stove is not as ideal for cooking out in the wind. The stove also does not have a handle once it’s closed, so the carrying case (not included) is recommended for storage and transport.

Read our full GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Pro 2 Burner Stove review

Hiking, climbing, paddling and even hanging out next to the campfire builds a hefty appetite. Use the Everest stove to keep those campers satisfied morning, noon and night. 

Use the matchless ignition to fire up the twin 25,000 BTU burners. The temperature controls resemble the same approach used on your kitchen appliances at home so there’s no confusion. The large cooking area (2,040 sq cm / 317 sq in) holds big pots and frying pans, giving you the flexibility to cook something that meets everyone’s taste preferences. 

Wind screens protect the burners from three sides and the 25,000 BTU burners are strong enough to overcome wind gusts. Since the stainless steel drip tray makes clean-up easy, you may not have to worry about someone volunteering to take on the after-dinner washing dishes task. 

Simple design; durable construction; high-performance operation. That’s the best way to describe the Snow Peak Double Burner camping stove. Attach two GigaPower canisters, hit the auto ignite buttons and you are ready to go. 

The cooking surface holds two large pots or frying pans. Large, sturdy, adjustable windscreen panels shelter the two 10,000 burners from swirling winds. Folding legs lift the stove off of a campground table and make the cooking process easier to manage. 

Built with durable stainless steel, aluminum and brass components the stove will stand up to any accidental campsite drops. The stove is compatible with Snow Peak’s Iron Grill Table System. 

Budget double-burner stoves

If you are just starting out building your family camping kit, the Coleman Classic stove is a great way to start cooking outside. The matching pair of 10,000 BTU burners are independently controlled to give you a lot of flexibility. Protected by the familiar forest green cover and windscreens, the cooking grate can hold a 12-in and 10-in pan at the same time. The removable, chrome-plated cooking grate makes cleaning easy.

The Coleman Classic Gas is a proven design with millions of loyal customers, and Coleman continues to improve the components. The stove’s fuel regulation technology increases performance and efficiency. That translates into a stress-free cooking experience and a well-fed, satisfied group of campers. Coleman stands by the Classic stove with a three-year limited warranty. 

The two basic components needed for a memorable camping trip are food and shelter. Feeding a gang of hungry campers requires a tasty menu, fresh ingredients and a way to bring it all to life, and Coleman’s Triton tackles that job with ease.

Propane powers 22,000 BTUs through two independently controlled burners. With a 12in and 10in pans cooking side by side, there’s plenty of room for variety when it comes to answering the inevitable ‘what’s for dinner?’ question. 

Coleman stoves use pressure-control technology to deliver consistent heat even in cold, windy temperatures, and when you have a half-empty fuel bottle. Adjustable wind panels help too. With enough heat to cook a feast for a hungry family, the Triton stove definitely ranks among the best double burner camping stoves you can buy.

Camping trips create great memories. The scent of pine trees and campfires can trigger thoughts of wonderful adventures past. The smell of crisp bacon, sizzling hamburgers and pasta sauces cooked on an Ignite camp stove bring the same kind of happy reflections. 

Eureka!’s innovative temperature controls manage the twin 10,000 BTU burners so you can fine-tune the flames. No more charred pots, burned rice and frustrating attempts at simmering sauces. The push-button ignition means you don’t have to search for the old matches or lighter that might be buried in your gear kit. 

Although the stove’s dimensions are compact for storage, the cooking surface accommodates two 10-inch pans. Simple, efficient burners fit inside a rugged, steel case that will last for years. 

Best camping grills

After a good night’s sleep under the stars, there’s nothing more motivating to get you out of the tent than the smell of hot coffee and sizzling bacon. Use the VersaTop’s matchless ignition to fire up two 16,000 BTU burners and you will be cooking on the seasoned, non-stick flat top griddle quickly. 

A single control knob delivers the precise amount of heat when you need it. Steaks from the cooler or fresh-caught fish for dinner. Eggs or pancakes for breakfast. If those menu options aren’t enough for your family and friends, Camp Chef offers an accessory pizza oven and BBQ box for even more mouth-watering meal variety. 

Adjustable legs keep the grill level so nothing rolls off. Camp Chef adds a grease management system to prevent flare-ups when cooking and makes clean-up a little easier. Compatible with standard propane tanks. 

Two-burner camping stoves are great at cooking pasta, rice and calorie rich stews. If you want to add some variety to the camp menu, however, add a SPRK Camp Grill to your gear kit.  

Small and compact, the non-stick ceramic grill helps you serve pancakes and bacon in the morning and medium-rare steaks at the end of the day. The auto-ignition delivers a quick start to meal preparation. Adjustable feet level the grill on uneven surfaces. 

A single 7,250 BTU burner heats the grill surface quickly. Temperature controls let you tailor the heat to fit your food. After a good meal, no one wants to clean up. The non-stick grill and removable drip tray make that process painless. 

The Camp Grill is powered by an 8oz butane canister stored in an integrated fuel compartment. At the end of the trip, a protective carry case keeps the grill ready for the next round of pancakes. 

How we test double-burner camping stoves

At Advnture we endeavor to test every product we feature extensively in the field. That means one of our team of reviewers and writers – all experienced outdoor specialists active across the US, UK, Europe and Australasia – taking it out into the terrain and climatic conditions that it’s designed for. If, for any reason, this isn’t possible, we’ll say so in our buying guides and reviews.

Our reviewers test double-burner camping stoves in the outdoors – car camping, garden cook-ups, base camping – assessing their value and performance against the claims of the brand in terms of heat output, fuel consumption, simmer control, weight, ease of assembly/packdown, transportation, robustness and features.

How to choose a double-burner camping stove

The best dual-burner camping stoves are relatively simple pieces of equipment, and only a few factors are required to rustle up a satisfying meal for hungry campers: the fuel, a method of controlling the flame and a place to set the pots and pans. The collection of stoves we’ve had a look at here take a different approach to how those components work together. All perform admirably and will last for years. Here are some elements to consider when you are adding the best double-burner camping stoves to your gear kit. 

Fuel type

Double-burner stoves are powered by one of three fuel types: propane, butane or gas. 

There are advantages and disadvantages to each option, but current models primarily use propane, which is easy to use and readily accessible. 

Fuel is pressurized and fed to the burners through a regulator. Higher end models offer control of each burner independently. Take a few minutes to understand how to gauge the amount of fuel remaining in your canister. Running out of fuel halfway through cooking dinner isn’t the kind of camping memory you want to create. 

Heat

One of the key ways to compare stove models is looking at the British Thermal Units (BTUs) or kilowatts they offer. These measure the maximum amount of heat that can be generated. The higher the number, the hotter the flame a dual-burner stove can deliver. Those numbers are a fair way to compare models, but there’s more to good camp cooking than “most BTUs wins”: how that heat is delivered and managed, and the amount of fuel needed to maintain those levels play a role too. 

When people are clamouring for hot water in the morning to make coffee, fast boil times are appreciated. On the other hand, a stove that can’t simmer leads to charred pots, crunchy rice and frustrated cooks. Look for stoves that boast about managing heat at both ends of that spectrum.

Ignition

Early camp stoves were lit with matches or a lighter – provided the matches were dry, the lighter filled with fluid and both of them not forgotten at home. In windy or wet conditions, lighting the burners could be a frustrating experience. Technology included on many of the best double-burner camping stoves solves that problem in current models. Piezo ignition and other push-button or lever operated starters take the worry away. Open the fuel line, push the button and the familiar blue flames will ring the burners. Most of these starters are durable, long-lasting and fire the burners consistently. 

Cleaning up

Dinner is over. Everyone’s appetite is satisfied. Cleaning up is the last task before you can sit back and enjoy the sunset, and if you’ve got a fancy stove you’ll probably want the best camping buckets, bowls and sinks to wash up in too. Camp cooking leaves behind splashed sauces, small burned pieces of meat and a grease-splattered stove. Most two-burner stove models are designed to make the clean-up process easier. Non-stick griddle surfaces, removable grates and fuel regulators leave room for a damp cloth to wipe away all of the cooking leftovers in just a few minutes. 

What to do with your old camping stove

If your old camping stove is still in useable condition, selling it or donating it to an outdoor gear exchange will give it a second life, and make camping more accessible for someone who might otherwise be unable to afford it.

It's always important to dispose of fuel canisters and cartridges safely. Some brands have a return and reuse program, so check this first and follow the instructions. If that's not an option, you can recycle them instead. Make sure you empty out all the gas by lighting the stove and allowing it to burn off, or using a tool like the Jetboil Crunchit, which will help vent the gas safely. One that's done, puncture the canister a few times and write 'Empty' on it, then take it to your local recycling center or follow your city's guidance for safe disposal.

• Best camping cups and mugs: keep your drinks hot in the wild