The Best Camp Stoves For 2024

Sara Ryan By, Sara Ryan
Updated
Coleman Gas Stove | Portable Bottletop Propane Camp Stove
Image credit: Amazon.com

Our Top Picks

1. Best Overall: Coleman Gas Stove | Portable Bottletop Propane Camp Stove

Coleman Gas Stove | Portable Bottletop Propane Camp Stove is the solution for outdoor cooking anywhere you go. You can adjust the flame and cook with precision or use the large pan to sear a meal in seconds. With up to 2.5 hours of cooking time on high, it's perfect for outdoor barbecues, camping trips, tailgating and more. Read Review

2. Best For The Price: US Stove BSK1000 Barrel Camp Stove Kit, Black

US Stove BSK1000 Barrel Camp Stove Kit, Black is perfect for those who love to cook outdoors. This light weight, portable and easy assembly camp stove can be used with the BKAD500 double barrel adapter kit to double the size of your traditional camp stove. Read Review

3. Best Easy To Use: REDCAMP Wood Burning Camp Stove Folding Stainless Steel 304# Grill

This stove is an amazing camp fire cooking tool. It can also be used as a grill, as it has a 304# stainless steel grill. It will keep your food hot and fresh for hours. Plus, you don't need any fuel to enjoy the great outdoors with this camping stove. Read Review

4. Best For Traveling: Solo Stove Campfire Camping Stove Portable Stove

Solo Stove Campfire Camping Stove is a portable and compact stove. The stove nests inside the companion Solo Stove 2 Pot Set (sold separately) leaving you with more room in your backpack. Boils water in 2-4 minutes and has a diameter of 7 inches, height of 6.7-9.25 inches (packed/assembled). It's made from durable stainless steel and has a non-stick coating to make cooking easy, even on wet ground. Read Review

Camping can be a great experience, but it can also be an uncomfortable one. You are outdoors, away from the comforts of home. You also don’t have access to power or other amenities that you would in your home.

That means you need some type of cooking method to prepare food while you are away from home. If you are looking for the best camp stoves then you’re in the right place! In this article we will take a look at some of the best camp stoves for your camping adventures. They all have certain things in common and we’ll go over all of them here so that you can choose the perfect model for your needs.

Before making our recommendations, our specialists spend substantial time researching and analyzing your requirements. Then we found the Coleman Gas Stove | Portable Bottletop Propane Camp Stove is the greatest choice for its high-quality performance. If you're looking for another one, consider US Stove BSK1000 Barrel Camp Stove Kit, Black.

Our Top Picks

  • PERFECTHEAT DESIGN: More efficient cooking with less fuel
  • 1 ADJUSTABLE BURNER: For precise temperature control; fits an 8 inch pan
  • 3-year limited warranty
TOP Choice #2 US Stove BSK1000 Barrel Camp Stove Kit, Black
Our Score:
9.6
US Stove
  • Made of heavy duty cast iron
  • Not for sale or usage in the state of Washington
  • Can be used with BKAD500 double barrel adapter kit to double the size of your camp stove
  • STABLE AND SAFE: Upgrade design of the grid backing plate is connected to the stove and will not fall apart during handling after assembly
  • VARIOUS FUELS: The stove accept various fuels like leaves, twigs, you can get these easily in the nature and enjoy a real wilderness fun
  • FOLDABLE: Easily collapsible Unfold size: 10.6*7.8*7.8", fold size: 10.6*7.8*1.5". Net weight: 5.5lbs/2500g. This camping stove comes with its own carry bag so you can sling it along and serve up a warm meal wherever you’ve set up camp
4 Solo Stove Campfire Camping Stove Portable Stove
Our Score:
9.3
Solo Stove
  • BOILS FAST: Boils water in 2-4 mins (34 fl oz. water). 7" Diameter, 6.7"/9.25" tall (packed/assembled). Weighs only 2.2 lbs. Made of premium stainless steel and nichrome wire. Nylon stuff sack included.
  • FUEL ECONOMY: A lightweigh stove which uses twigs, leaves, pinecones and wood as fuel. Eliminates the need to carry heavy, polluting and expensive canister fuels.
  • COMPACT DESIGN: Nests inside the companion Solo Stove 2 Pot Set (sold separately) leaving you with more room in your backpack.
5 Camp Chef Alpine Heavy Duty Cylinder Stove
Our Score:
9.1
Camp Chef
  • Fire grate in bottom to protect the base from overheating
  • Adjustable legs for uneven ground
  • 5" diameter chimney pipe (over 10 ft. total height)
  • The top door and combustion chamber insulation is lined with refractory metal to provide ultimate durability
  • The Versa has a durable three pronged cast iron stove top that can support a flat or round bottomed pan, as well as stainless steel handles with silicone grips to assist you in moving the stove.
  • The Zoom Versa offers big power in a portable package, ideal for any outdoor cooking experience!
7 Camp Chef Ranger II Blind Stove
Our Score:
8.8
Camp Chef
  • Regulator and 5 ft. hose included
  • Light weight cast aluminum burners
  • Matchless Ignition
  • MOST VERSATILE with more available accessories, a detachable Ash Pan and 4 Firesticks (which work as food skewers) means more possible setups / positions (Search YouTube "Firebox Stove Demonstration"). Plus the Firebox can be fueled several different ways (side, top or pre-fuel) including the revolutionary Swedish Torch Method (over an hour cook time with no fire management! Search YouTube "Firebox Stove Swedish Torch Breakfast")
  • EASY TO USE Firebox Firesticks are not cumbersome like other "trivets" and when stored serve to hold the Firebox closed in its folded position. Having two smaller feed ports (rather than one large hole) prevents debris from falling out even with a full burn chamber. Our four panel hinged folding design is more rigid and solid (not at all floppy like six panel accordion designs)
  • HIGHEST BTU OUTPUT Hinged damper for additional exhaust capacity allows more combustion air to support pre-fueling (other stoves with less exhaust capacity are forced to exhaust out the feed hole causing flame to pan bypass). Firebox always maintains flame to pan contact. Boil 2 cups of water as fast as 2:40 (Search YouTube "Firebox Stove Boil Test") The Cross Feed Fuel Delivery with upwards angle for flame velocity and crossed sticks for turbulence is the perfect recipe for efficiency.
  • Eureka! found its humble beginnings in 1895 and today their camping gear gives you the freedom to have fun - from tents to cooking systems, and sleeping bags to camp furniture - reliable, easy-to-use, and packed with features campers care about.
  • With rugged, thick-gauge steel construction, this portable stove is designed for years of use camp cooking in the great outdoors, and is an essential piece of equipment for a survival kit in case of emergency.
  • A push-button ignitor allows for fast, easy starts while the stove fits two 12-inch pans to create your campsite meals. A stainless-steel drip tray offers rust-free performance and easy cleanup.
10 GSI Outdoors, Selkirk Camp Stove, 540
Our Score:
8.4
GSI Outdoors
  • Individual, micro-control valves provide precise tunability and output for each burner for everything from slow simmering to full-strength, fast boiling. Removable pot support and stainless steel burner surround make for easy cleanup.
  • Sturdy, steel construction and powder coated exterior designed for lasting outdoor durability.
  • Wraparound windscreens prevent gusts and inclement weather from slowing your cooking to a crawl, but fold out of the way for use with larger pots on calm days.

What to Look For in a best camp stoves?

Until now, numerous customers trust the information and advice we offer them, which means our offers to you are accurate and up to date all the time. This objective is being pursued with tremendous zeal and attention. 

It's necessary to keep in mind the following points for selecting best camp stoves:

Ignition: Strikers Vs. Matches

Sometimes called piezo incendiers, or auto-igniters, strikers are buttons that use electricity to excite a spark and ignite a stove. It's similar to the button that lights up the pilot light in your home stove.
Metal and flint are other options for sparking. A camp stove with an integrated igniter is my preference. As long as it works well, I will always use this option.
A match is your last choice for lighting your camp stove. Matches can prove to be wasteful and fragile. They also don't all hold up well in harsh weather. As an alternative, you can always take flint and some matches.

Number Of Burners

A two-burner camp stove is a good choice if you plan to spend at least 2-3 months camping each year, even if your household is small. You can cook with two burners, so you have both the option to use a pan and a pot, or make one main dish while cooking for a family of four.
Two-burner stoves remain the norm. There are many options for single-burner stoves, as well as a handful of three-burner models.

Weight And Packed Size

The biggest difference between stoves in this category is their weight. These stoves can be carried around in your car, but they are designed for camping. Weight might not be as important if you are looking for a strong and reliable two-burner.
Packing size is what matters more. You have a limited amount of space at your campsite or in your vehicle. You should check to make sure the stove can fit into a bag, is covered, and where the grill and fuel lines are stored. Are all the pieces stored in one place? Are accessories taking up more space than the main item? All these factors should be considered for your individual preferences and needs.

BTUs

BTU is the British Thermal Unit. It's basically a measure of heat and energy. On average, a gas stove that you would find in your home uses 6,000 to 8,000 BTUs.
Lower BTUs are good for light and simmering cooking. Higher BTUs, which are above 10,000, indicate high heat cooking. This is great for longer cook times as well as for quick boiling of large quantities of water.

Performance In Wind

Consider how frequently and in what circumstances (such as cold weather) your stove will be used. You will have more chances to experience wind and harsh weather if you travel further.
It's not something that you should learn while on a 10 day camping trip along the New England coast. You can check the specifications, find out if your stove offers windscreens, and review customer experiences.
You can make your stove more efficient in colder areas by purchasing extra BTUs if you live in windy regions.

Time To Boil

Camping is a great way to get out and enjoy nature. Yes, camping also involves enjoying the outdoors and good food. A camp stove must be able to boil water.
While some stoves boil in three minutes, others can take up to 10 minutes. A stove with the highest boiling time is considered a good stove. However, it doesn't always mean that the stove will be the most efficient. You may need to give up some boiling time if you want certain features like a lighter stove or an igniter.
The stoves that we tested were all able to light/start and heat the water in less than 8 minutes.

Simmer Control

Because boiling water doesn't always work, we did extensive testing on the simmer control. You need to not only be able boil water, but you also have to cook, bake, stir fry, stew, or grill in order to make a camp meal that is chef-worthy. To see the stacking of the burners/stoves, we measured their simmering temperatures.

Fuel Types And Capacities

As you can see, the majority of stoves in this article use propane canisters up to one-pound. Some stoves use butane as an alternative fuel. It all depends on the time it takes to cook meals, and on what temperature your burner is set. A one-pound canister usually lasts three to four meals.

FAQs

Which Is Better — A Butane Or Propane Camping Stove?

Butane as well as propane both have pros and cons. Both gases are compressed gases, which is gas stored in liquid form. Butane performs less in colder temperatures. There are many sizes of propane canisters. This makes it easier to find the right size for your needs.
You should consider the climate in which you will be using your camp stove most often. You can also find propane in large cities, rural areas, and general stores close to national parks or state lines.

Backpacking Stove Vs. Camping Stove: What's The Difference?

The backpacking stoves can be small, single-burner units. They fit into a backpack or even your palm. They weigh in at a mere ounce. However, camping stoves are only used for "base camp", whether you're camping in a car, truck, National Parks or somewhere else.
The camp stove is larger and more heavy (8-14 lbs) and can be placed on top of a truck bed, tabletop, picnic table or camp table to convert your campsite into a kitchen.
You now have all of the information you need to camp, cook, and just enjoy the outdoors.

Can You Use A Camping Stove Inside A Tent?

No. No. Your tent may catch on fire, and your body could be engulfed in a molten nylon coating, leading to a terrible, unimaginable death.

Are Multi-Fuel Stoves Difficult To Use?

No. They do require more preparation and care than canister stoves. They are easy to learn once you have the necessary procedures.

What Size Do I Need?

There are many sizes of stoves, from small ultra-light ones to large multi-hob models with grills. These can be used to prepare almost any meal you make at home. A simple, small camping stove is sufficient for camping solo or with your partner.
A lightweight backpacking stove that can work in all weather conditions is worth it if you are going on an extended expedition or wild camping trip. We recommend buying the largest camping stove possible if you plan to take your family on a camping trip. Having multiple burners allows you to cook in every field.

What Stove Is Best For Cooking Actual Food?

A stove with enough BTU output and can heat is the best. It can be used to cook food in a pot. These stoves are generally used for car camping/basecamp cooking.

I’m Going To Travel. Which Type Of Stove Would Be Best?

It depends. A backpacking stove is the best option if you are traveling on foot with a backpack. Car? Get a camping stove for your car. Check with the airline to find out what they allow you to bring aboard, and what fuels will be available. Most airlines won't allow you to fly without fuel.

What Burn Time Should I Look Out For?

Stoves are often advertised with their boil and burn times. This is especially important if your campsite is far from civilization. You should also consider your weight, especially if backpacking. It is also useful to transport and store your stove in its own containers or bag.

In general, we keep collecting and researching new information for best camp stoves. Please pay more attention to checking our website regularly or subscribe to our newsletter to read the latest updates.

Along with product-related issues, we can also support you more. So please give us your feedback and response whenever you need it. It will be a significant motivation for us to improve everything


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About Sara Ryan

Sara Ryan

Sara Ryan is a freelance writer for CampFireHQ and avid diver. She first discovered her love for diving while on vacation in the Caribbean and has been hooked ever since. Sara loves exploring new dive sites and observing the fascinating creatures that live beneath the waves. As a native of Colorado, Sara enjoys spending her free time hiking and camping in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. She also enjoys writing about her adventures in diving and wildlife conservation.

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