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Cook in the Wilderness on the Best Camping Stove

  1. MSR PocketRocket 2 Mini Kit Camping Stove
  2. Jetboil Zip Stove
  3. Solo 900 Combo Pot and Camping Stove
  4. Esbit Ultralight Folding Titanium Camping Stove
  5. MSR Flex 3 Cook Set Complete Cooking System Camping Stove
  6. Camp Chef Explorer, Two Burner Stove
  7. Stansport 2-Burner Regulated Propane Camp Stove
  8. Sterno Outdoor Folding Camping Stove
  9. Camp Chef Outdoor Camp Oven
  10. Buyer's Guide

When planning and preparing for a camping trip, food supplies and their corresponding preparation are typically among the top priorities. There are plenty of camping stove options to meed the needs of your adventure, whether that involves a cozy car camping trip with all the trimmings or a minimalist backpacking adventure through unforgiving high altitude terrain. Current stove options offer an array of fuel types, sizes, weights, amount of hear produced (measured in BTU), and additional amenities to further simplify and enhance the cooking process. These stoves are typically designed with a particular purpose in mind, so consider the type(s) of camping you will be engaging in as well as what you will need from your stove to help simplify your search for the best camping stove to meet your needs.

For more information on what to look at in selecting the best camping stove in 2022, We have listed below the camping stoves available for you to help you decide what product is best to buy.

The Best Camping Stove Models of 2022 in Detail

best mini kit camping stove

MSR PocketRocket 2 Mini Kit Camping Stove - Best Camping Stove Overall

Just hold it in your palm and marvel that it fits there, let alone serves as a top-performing backpacking stove. The compact and powerful MSR Pocket Rocket weighs a minuscule 3 ounces (not including the canister), and can have a liter of your water boiling in around 4 minutes or less. The adjustable flame and included Wind Clip help you customize your cooking experience to meet your individual mealtime needs and weather conditions. Setting up and lighting this stove is a breeze, and it can pack away into an itty bitty pocket or corner of your pack. A lot of users are often surprised at this stove's efficient use of fuel as well.

Jetboil Zip Stove - Runner Up

Jetboil is notorious for creating all-in-one systems that simplify the cooking process and anticipate the numerous needs of backpackers. The Flash Cooking System is a bit heavier than some other comparable backpacking stoves on the market, but makes up for it in terms of convenience, functionality, and performance. The cooking cup boils your water, and handily doubles as a storage container for all of the stove components (including the lid which you can use to sip your soup or coffee and the base cover which also doubles as a measuring cup) . A simple push-button is all that is necessary to ignite the system, and the neoprene cozy surrounding the cup has a heat indicator and allows you to handle the cup when hot. The stabilizing tripod for the fuel canister and the locking clip-in design to connect the cup and burner make this stove one of the most stable options available.

Solo 900 Combo Pot and Camping Stove - Honorable Mention

Although the science behind this wood-burning stove is fascinating in all its convective and combustive glory, here's the short and sweet gist of it: it burns wood in order to boil your water and cook your food - without all the smoke and scorch circles. An obvious benefit of this stove is the fact that you don't have to pay for or carry fuel. It is also extremely durable, and many users are appreciative of the lack of moving parts.

Esbit Ultralight Folding Titanium Camping Stove - Consider

The Esbit Titanium Folding Stove is ideal for minimalist backpackers, and those who are simply trying to lighten their pack load. Made from ultralight titanium, this stove weighs a minuscule 0.4 ounce and folds into a more flattened and compact state for enhanced portability. It runs on Esbit solid fuel, which consists of lightweight tablets that can be ignited with a match. Solid fuel also offers the added benefits of working at freezing temperatures and high altitude climates.

best cook set camping stove

MSR Flex 3 Cook Set Complete Cooking System Camping Stove - Best Stove for Backpacking

The MSR Reactor is serious beast of a stove when it comes to backpacking in harsh conditions. This stove’s windproof technology allows for speedy, efficient, and reliable boiling of water for yourself or a group of backpackers. Although it is one of the heavier stove options on this list, the extra weight and stormproof reliability are worth serious consideration if your adventures tend to involve inclement weather and heavy winds. That level of beast-mode, however, doesn’t really allow for additional options such as simmering or getting creative with your backpacking meals. It also doesn’t come cheap. So, if you are in the market for a tough, reliable stove that can boil lots of water in the worst of weather, this may very well be your stove. Check out other options on this list such as the Jetboil Flash for a stove that is less expensive and offers a larger variety of cooking options (but isn’t as stormproof).

Camp Chef Explorer, Two Burner Stove - Best Camping Stove Overall

The Chef Pro 60 is an all-around high performing camping stove. Due to its large size and powerful burners, it is best suited for camping trips with lots of mouths to feed. Don't be shy when packing food because each burner has 30,000 BTU of cooking power, giving you plenty of heat to cook even the finickiest of menu choices. This beast also has attached legs and comes with handy side tables, both of which make it a virtually self sufficient cooking station regardless of where you are camping. The adjustable heat dial allows you to smoothly transition between simmering and boiling, and the windscreens shield the burners and help minimize heat loss.

Stansport 2-Burner Regulated Propane Camp Stove - Best Camping Stove Overall

The Stansport Outfitter Series propane camping stove is powerful, easy to use, and cooks well in varied weather conditions. It offers 25,000 BTU per burner and boils water exceptionally fast. The rounded edges help avoid accidental scrapes and also make cleaning easier. This stove is a standout favorite due to its exceptional temperature control valves, allowing you the flexibility to easily shift between boiling, simmering, and everything in between. The burners are huge and protected by windscreens for increased efficiency and minimal heat loss.

Sterno Outdoor Folding Camping Stove - Best Camping Stove Overall

The Sterno Single Burner Folding Stove earns top marks for simplicity, portability, and versatility. It is inexpensive, durable, and can be used with multiple forms of fuel (canister fuel, fuel tablets, charcoal, or even wood). The wide metal grate offers a large and stable cooking platform, and can even double as a grill if you want to forgo pots and pans altogether. Aluminum paneling helps direct heat to your cooking area and handily doubles as an integrated windscreen to minimize heat loss. If properly cared for, this stove can last for many years to come due to the low-tech components and lack of moving parts.

Camp Chef Outdoor Camp Oven - Best Camping Stove Overall

If you and your camping crew love the idea of camping but also love more elaborate homemade meals, the Camp Chef Deluxe Outdoor Oven may be your new best friend. It offers virtually all the amenities of your home stove and oven in a portable package. The oven can heat up to 400° F, the two oven racks are removable, and the interior space easily fits a 9-by-13-inch pan (did someone say cookies?!). The two burners can meet any stove top cooking needs and adjustable heat-control dials give you plenty of flexibility to simmer, boil, and get creative with your meal preparation. Pop up the windscreen for added protection if the weather starts acting up.

Buyer's Guide

Camping can be a lot of fun, until you realize that the camping stove you brought with yourself doesn’t quite suit your needs. Frustrating, right? Afterall, with so many different types of best camping stoves present in the market, making the right choice can become a little confusing.

In this buying guide, we are going to talk about all the important things you should know in order to buy a good camping stove for yourself. Let’s get right into it.

What are some of the important factors you should consider for buying the best camping stove?

Below mentioned are some of the things you need to keep in mind for buying a camping stove.

Stove style

The style of the stove that would suit your needs is the very first thing you might want to think about. Generally, camping stoves are classified into two styles; the ones that come in portable tabletop designs or the freestanding models with legs. Tabletop designs are compact in size and hence can be easily carried from one place to another.

Freestanding models, on the other hand, are bigger and heavier. These come with 2-3 burners and are more suitable for large groups of people that need extra cooking space. Moreover, these can be planted anywhere, which makes them a great option for camping trips on mountains or rough terrains where it's difficult to find flat surfaces.

Number of burners

Once you are done deciding the style of camping stove that would suit you, think about how many burners you would need. Both, tabletop and freestanding stoves usually come with two burners. However, if you are going camping with a large group of people, then you might want to opt for the one that comes with at least 3 burners.

Wind Resistance and Simmer Control


No matter where you plan to camp, wind can be a big factor that impacts the quality of food you’d make. If your stove does not feature any type of wind-resistance, then you’d probably have to struggle with providing consistent power to your stove to cook food.

Especially if you plan to camp at high altitudes with stronger wind speeds. Therefore, you should look for stoves that come with wind shields to protect the burners against winds. However, if the stove of your choice does not come with any, you can buy one separately.

Weight

Lastly, you also need to check the weight of the camping stove you buy. Units that are heavy are much harder to carry. Hence, you would have to struggle to lug it around. For instance, if you are going to be camping on mountains or in forests, you would need to think about how you are going to carry the stove to the location you intend to camp at.

Therefore, you should look for a unit that is easy to manage and handle. These usually weigh less, are portable, and can be carried from one place to another without any hassle. Heavier stoves on the other hand, can be quite difficult to manage.

What are the different types of camping stoves?

Below mentioned are some of the types of best camping stoves that you can choose from.

Canister Stoves

These are the most popular options among stoves used for camping purposes. Canister stoves make use of butane or propane gas. Moreover, these are light-weight, durable and low-maintenance because of which these work as a great option for outside use.

So, regardless of whether you’re going for a one day hike, a backpacking vacation or simply an afternoon trip - you can count on canister stoves. Moreover, these are also quite suitable for areas in colder temperature range and higher altitudes, such as mountains and valleys.

Liquid fuel stoves

Liquid stoves are known to be versatile since these can work with different fuel options. Gasoline, kerosene, and white gas are some of the options that are suitable for liquid fuel stoves.

Moreover, there are some systems, such as MSR WhisperLite that let you choose between canister or liquid fuel - further increasing the choice range for you.

Just like canister stoves, liquid ones too are a great option for use in harsh weather conditions and extreme climates, or any place where you can’t easily find canister fuel.

Wood Burning Stove

This option is growing much more popular among campers since it is portable and wood is easy to find almost everywhere. These are a good choice for campers or trekkers seeking a more traditional camping experience. Wood burning stove also saves you the hassle of carrying liquids or canisters in your bag back since fuel can be foraged from the local area.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't you use propane indoors?

Several reasons have been linked to why it is not safe to use propane gas or propane gas in stoves indoors. One of the biggest reasons is that it increases the amount of carbon monoxide in the nearby areas, which can be harmful for health if breathed. Therefore, it is recommended not to use propane gas indoors or in closed tents.

Are portable butane gas stoves safe?

Portable butane gas stoves are a very popular option for camping trips. Though these stoves are useful, they can be very harmful for health. If the stove is not designed or used properly, it can pose risks such as explosions or fire. Other than this portable butane gas stoves have also been linked with gas leakage and overheating.

How do you dispose of full camping gas canisters?

A lot of local household waste centers offer the option of recycling your camping gas canisters. At the waste center, your gas canisters are emptied, their value is removed and are recycled separately.

Is a camping stove worth it?

A camping stove can be very useful if you don't want to go through the hassle of collecting and cutting firewood to cook food during camping. Moreover, these can be life-savers in humid or wet areas where the wood is usually wet and not fit for burning.

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