The Coleman Classic, which was second to last, had the temperature up to 184. In less ideal conditions, or when you’re still learning to use it, it can be a frustrating 15- to 20-minute ordeal before you’re ready to start cooking. This stove is also guaranteed to turn the bottom of any pot black with soot.
The temperature dials are sensitive at the lower end, which means simmering takes a little finesse, but it’s definitely possible. The biggest drawback to the older Coleman Classic Camp Stove is the fuzzy knobs for flame control. The new Coleman Cascade, on the other hand, is much more precise. It’s easy to adjust the temperature and even simmer with a very low flame. The chrome plated grate is one piece and pops easily off for fast cleaning. Better yet, Coleman aluminized the steel cooktop with a slightly slick finish that makes it easy to clean up spills.
A good coleman stove grill/griddle can run anywhere from $25 to $100. (Don’t forget to treat your cast iron!) If you know you’ll use this stove and the cast iron grill and griddles, then it’s still a great buy. I used this stove once with a dwindling (less than half-full) canister of fuel and then once again with a full canister. You don’t need to buy a separate grill or griddle top for camping with this stove. When you click on links to buy products we may earn money to support our work.
As with the backpacking model, the accessories connect directly to the stove for efficient cooking and consistent heat even in windy conditions. In our windless test, all of the stoves in our review boiled water in less than 7 minutes, but there was a significant difference between boiling times with and without the fan. The Outdoorsman and Everest 2x had impressively negligible variability between the two tests, taking an additional 4 seconds and 8 seconds, respectively. The Mountaineer 2X and the Kovea Slim both had minimal variability between the tests taking only additional seconds to boil a liter in the wind than without it.
If you decide to go with this stove, we recommend keeping the regulator with your camp kitchen tools to avoid misplacing the regulator. This stove performed in the middle of the pack in our water boiling test, likely due to having less BTUs than the top scorers. Despite this, the burners sit close to the cooktop, making efficient heat use while cooking. Minor drawbacks aside, this trim stove is an ideal option for car campers, overlanders, and van-dwellers who need a well-performing, easy-to-use camping stove that commands minimal storage space.
Stoves with 9,000 to 15,000 BTUs will get the job done, but you’ll notice slower boil times and a drop in cooking performance. Butane is generally considered safer for indoor use or storage than propane (though good ventilation and caution is still a must!), making it a better choice for campers who may be cooking inside an RV. Butane canisters will need to be warmed up to work in temperatures below freezing. This stove uses butane instead of propane, which may be a drawback for some.
To help, there are coleman propane stove shields on many models that cover three sides of the stove. This type of protection is a must-have, but it still won’t protect you from really strong gusts. In general, we’ve found that the smaller the footprint the better the wind resistance, but large freestanding stoves can be set up just about anywhere, so hopefully you can find a decent wind break. The Mountaineer grabbed top marks in this category because it has an auto-igniter and a straightforward process to move from stowed away to cooking a meal.
You probably won’t notice you have sacrificed a couple of extra inches of storage space in the back of your rig. The Everest 2X is a top-notch stove that’s easy to use and care for – a true champion in the camping stove world. The windscreens, recessed burners, and full-size drip pan coalesce to make the Pro 60x more wind resistant than other freestanding stoves. To measure fuel efficiency, we begin each round of stove testing with a fresh fuel canister.
We have rated each to help you determine the best for all your culinary camping needs. It’s already assembled, but you do have to attach the little propane canister you purchase separately, which takes about a minute. You’ll likely need to light the stove, but it’s easy to do and never smells like fumes. The wind protectors on the side let you make food even when it’s blustery, and it folds up nicely and has a little buckle to everything secure when you pack it away in the car . Its stovetop area is surprisingly spacious, allowing you to fit both a pot and frying pan on the burners at the same time.