If you’re on a budget, be aware that auto-ignition camping stoves tend to cost a little more. Coleman’s Cascade Burner is a nice option for larger groups but fairly heavy at 19 poundsAn alternate option for larger groups is to choose a stove that can be daisy-chained to another system. For example, the Jetboil Genesis Basecamp System and Eureka Ignite Plus can be linked to other Jetboil or Eureka models and connected to a single propane bottle. This allows you to increase cooking space without having to lug around a heavy freestanding stove. And on outings where you don’t need the added burner, simply leave one of the stoves behind.
You can often find it for sale at online retailers for almost half its full retail . We love the adjustable windscreens, substantial wind resistance, unexpectedly good fuel efficiency, and convenient packed size. Even with the smaller dimensions, this camping stove boasts one of the largest available cooking areas of the compact two-burners we tested. To measure boil times, we head to our windless “lab,” aka our garage, at 5,000 feet and do two boil tests.
This gal loves playing outside almost as much as she loves coleman camp stove outside. You’ll find her romping around the Western US, climbing cracks, and perfecting her backcountry culinary skills. In terms of functionality, there was very little to complain about with the Mountaineer. Beyond being the most expensive stove in our review, the Mountaineer is also among the heftier and least compact of the tabletop models. Additionally, it may be a drawback that this stove won’t work with small 1-pound propane canisters. Our reviewers actually see this as a perk because it reduces waste.
And we’ve never heard the maxim that a tired and hungry family is a happy family. This is why two-burner camp stoves are the workhorse of any group camping trip, since they can quickly cook meals for four or more people. Perfect for those times when trail mix just won’t cut it, the Cascade 3-in-1 Camping Stove makes it easy to cook great meals outdoors. The recessed carry handle makes the stove portable so you can bring it to the campsite or park, and its grill and griddle accessories help you cook up a variety of top-notch food. Its removable cast-iron pan support and aluminized steel cooktop are quick and easy to clean.
While it had a decent low setting, we had a hard time keeping water below 200 degrees without accidentally shutting the stove off. The knob only has a half-turn range, which means you’ve got fairly limited temperature control. It was the most powerful of our tabletop stoves, with two 25,000 BTU end burners and one 10,000 BTU central burner. For serious chefs, the free-standing Camp Chef Explorer cooks with a nearly professional-quality level of heat control. It’s overkill for most campers, but it’s perfect for anyone who cooks for large groups or is really serious about their camp meals.
Over the last 10 years, we have hand-picked, purchased, and rigorously tested 40 unique camping stoves. For this update, the top 15 have been analyzed and ranked to determine the best of the best. From one-pot-magic and sauce-simmering marathons to wind-resistance trials and boil tests, we put each stove through a ton of cookoffs in the great outdoors. When testing, we assess each model for efficiency, performance, and function, noting how easy each one is to set up, use, clean, and transport.
For the same price, you would be hard-pressed to find a better stove than the Classic, but for a little more money, the Coleman Cascade Classic simmers better and is more fuel efficient. The Cascade is the upgraded version of this stove, and may replace it completely at some point. If money is less of an object, we recommend checking out the Kovea Twin Slim. It performed admirably across all metrics and is one of the most portable stoves in our review.
After we have the pre-test, mid-test, and post-test canister weights, we subtract the mid-test weight from the pre-test weight to determine the amount of fuel used in the windy test. Then we calculate the difference between the mid-test and post-test weights to determine fuel usage during the windless test. To round out our analysis, we determine the percentage of fuel used in the windy and windless tests. The Outdoorsman is a burly freestanding stove with powerful burners, removable legs, and impressive wind-resistance despite the absence of a drip pan. A solid, reliable, and capable camp stove is a necessity no matter where you camp.