Don’t buy one of these coleman propane stoves and expect it to boil water at these specific times; instead, use this as a rough guide as to which stove heats the most effectively and gets the hottest. Some stoves might have faster boiling times, and others might have better simmer capabilities. Eureka Ignite 2-Burner Camp Stove ($115) is an exceptionally well-rounded camp stove. The classic, functional design packs up well, and it has acceptable heat regulation. If you’re a griddle savant and don’t mind the extra weight in your rig, the Versa Top might be the best camping stove for you.
It does all things a camp stove should do, but when compared to others, its performance just doesn’t stand out. The wind panels block wind reasonably well , and it has excellent simmer control. It may look similar to cheaper options, but the materials feel more trustworthy than our bargain pick. On par with options higher on the list, it weighs just 10 pounds.
And underneath each burner is a place to chain additional burners. To measure boil times, we head to our windless “lab,” aka our garage, at 5,000 feet and do two boil tests. For the first test, we boil 1 liter of 58°F water in the presence of 2-4 mph of “wind” generated by a box fan.
We turned up the on stoves from all of the top brands to determine the best camping stoves for 2023. Whether you’re a car camping pro or just getting started, we’ve got you covered. 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.
Most camping stoves, including our top pick, have a tendency to jump temperatures, from very low to very high, with barely a touch of the hand. The cooking controls were delicate enough that we could crank up the Coleman Classic to boil water and fry bacon or turn it down to poach an egg and create golden-edged pancakes. And your family and friends will be surprised by the quality.
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And yes, that also means enjoying hanging around camp and eating good camp food. One of the most essential criteria for a camp stove is its ability to boil water. Besides just boiling water, we cooked meals on each of the camp stoves for this review (including mac and cheese, sautéed veggies, meats, rice, and more).