You gotta eat, even when camping in nature. Yet without a stove, your options are limited. Or are they? Portable camping stoves let you enjoy hot, semi-homecooked meals so you have the nutrition and energy to hike, climb, and play with aplomb. What are the best portable camping stoves?
These are our 10 favorite portable camping stoves:
- Camp Chef Everest 2X High-Pressure Stove
- Eureka Ignite 2-Burner Camp Stove
- Coleman Gas Camping Stove
- Eureka Gonzo Grill
- Solo Stove Campfire Stove
- Camp Chef VersaTop
- Jetboil Genesis Basecamp Stove Cooking System
- Kovea Slim Twin Propane Stove
- Gas ONE GS-1000
- GSI Outdoors Selkirk 540 2-Burner Camp Stove
Whether you’re a solo camper or traveling in groups, there’s a portable camping stove on this list for you. Keep reading for information such as burner capacity, stove size, and of course, price. You won’t want to miss it!
Top 10 Best Camping Stoves
Camp Chef Everest 2X High-Pressure Stove
At the top of our list is the Camp Chef Everest, a high-pressure portable stove that produces a heat output of 20,000 British thermal units or BTUs per burner.
A propane stove with auto-ignition, the Everest measures 25.2 inches by 12.7 inches by 5.6 inches. It weighs 12 pounds, so it’s not necessarily lightweight, but lugging it around won’t be too difficult either. The stove does include a carry handle.
You can outfit the stove with a one-pound propane cylinder for cooking delicious meals out in nature. The lid locks so you can feel safe using this stove for all your cooking needs. Adjust the cooking temperature with control knobs.
With a stainless steel drip tray, cleanup after cooking is as easy as one, two, three. The cooking grate is built from nickel-coated steel so it can withstand the weight of skillets, griddles, and pots.
A triple-sided windscreen prevents your stovetop from burning out even if the weather is a bit windy.
Eureka Ignite 2-Burner Camp Stove
The Eureka Ignite in its cheery teal blue color scheme is another great portable camping stove to consider.
This 12-pound stove is 23 inches by 12.8 inches by 4 inches. The space between each burner is 12 inches, and you get two burners to the stove. Each produces 10,000 BTUs. The max burn time is 90 minutes.
Using propane, the Ignite includes push-button ignition so you can get started cooking right away. The heavy-duty steel-gauge stove is designed for years of camping use, not months.
Are you cooking on uneven terrain? Not to worry! The Ignite has nonslip rubber feet that you can adjust as needed to prevent your stove from tipping. The drip tray, made of stainless steel, won’t rust either.
The Ignite features dual-turn simmer controls so you can adjust the flames from high to low and cook your meals to perfection. When you’re done, you can latch the stove lid closed.
Coleman Gas Camping Stove
An Amazon’s Choice pick, the Coleman gas camping stove is also a fantastic budget option.
Coleman says this stove can run for an hour on a 16.4-ounce cylinder of propane, which is not included. The stove produces 20,000 BTUs and has room for up to two pans at once, one that’s 10 inches and another that’s 12 inches.
The two-burner camping stove has a dial for adjusting the burner controls, which is the next best thing to preheating the oven to a certain temperature back home. PerfectHeat technology allows fuel to completely combust so your food gets more heat.
With PerfectFlow technology, heat output remains steady in all settings. That includes when you’re running low on fuel, you’re at a high altitude, or when the weather is bone-chillingly cold.
Wind-blocking side panels are adjustable, as you can fold them down, where they double as side tables. On especially windy days, you can raise the side panels higher. A pressure regulator will also keep your stove operating at its best even if the weather isn’t.
Eureka Gonzo Grill
Another cool portable cooking stove from Eureka is the Gonzo grill.
The Gonzo produces 6,000 BTUs, which admittedly isn’t high. The stove weighs 14 pounds, 3 ounces, and measures 13.8 inches by 11 inches.
What we like about this grill is that it’s expandable. The cooking system, when fully open, gives you up to three cooking surfaces at once. The cooking surfaces are made of hardy cast iron and are reversible so you can go from a grilling surface to a griddle top and back again.
If you own the JetLink accessory port, you can easily connect other Gonzo grills to maximize your cooking potential.
The simmer control valve is back, as is the detachable drip tray. Even better is that the Gonzo includes an integrated grill scraper for removing food residue that accumulates on the grates.
Solo Stove Campfire Stove
Are you camping alone and you need something filling to eat? Reach for the Solo Stove.
The fuel type is wood on this one. The ultra-portable Solo Stove measures 9.25 inches by 7 inches and reaches a boil between 2 and 4 minutes.
How does a campfire stove like this work? As air moves through the stove, the fire around the Solo Stove’s base sends preheated air along the stove’s vents near the burn chamber. The hot air rises, and without oxygen, the air passes through the vent holes at the bottom too.
An ash pan included with the Solo Stove prevents airflow interruptions and can also double as a heat shield. The wire grate, which is nichrome, increases your cooking temperature while keeping oxygen moving.
When you’re done eating and the Solo Stove has adequately cooled down, you can tuck the cooking ring into the body of the stove and then stow it in your bag.
Camp Chef VersaTop
Here’s a second Camp Chef portable stove for you, the VersaTop.
Camp Chef invites you to explore your VersaGrillity with the VersaTop portable camping stove. Producing 18,000 BTUs per burner, the VersaTop is a 24-pound stove with 15-pound griddles. It measures 17 inches by 18 inches by 8 inches.
The griddle cooking surface is 247 square inches, which gives you plenty of cooking space. Just hook in a one-pound propane cylinder, use the matchless ignition, and you can get started. Grill leg levelers are adjustable for better stability.
The Grease Management System includes a grease cup that can store 24 ounces and a grease tray. Set your cooking preferences with a heat control knob. All cooking surfaces are non-stick, including the flat-top griddle, which makes for quick and simple washing up.
Jetboil Genesis Basecamp Stove Cooking System
The Jetboil Genesis Basecamp is more than a portable camping stove. It’s a whole cooking system.
Operating at 10,000 BTUs an hour, the dual-burner Basecamp system can feed up to five people. It boils 48 liters of water on a one-pound propane bottle and takes 3 minutes and 15 seconds to boil a liter of water in its Flux Pot, which can hold 5 liters. The included non-stick fry pan is 10 inches and coated in ceramic.
Foldable and tough, the Basecamp has temperature output dials for each of the dual burners. An included windscreen maintains cooking temperature even in windy weather. If you have a JetLink accessory port, you can expand the Basecamp even further. You also get a carrying bag complete with a pocket to store the fuel regulator.
Kovea Slim Twin Propane Stove
A two-burner stove, the Kovea Slim Twin is moderately priced and weighs 9 pounds, 8 ounces so it won’t bog you down on your outdoor adventures.
Each burner produces 10,500 BTUs. The stove measures 23.4 inches by 14.7 inches by 3.3 inches. Its average boil time is 3 minutes, and its max burn time is an hour, 50 minutes with a one-pound propane tank.
Although you don’t get fuel with your purchase, Kovea throws in a Butane adaptor that allows for the cheaper nozzle type butane gas and LPG adaptor so you can use the green Coleman cans.
A steel cooking grate is reinforced with nickel for using skillets, griddles, or pots. The lid of the stove comes off so you can cook with pans or pots in all sorts of sizes. With a three-sided windscreen, the fires on this stove will still burn.
The adjustable flame control lets you simmer food or cook at higher temps. The low-profile design of the Kovea Slim Twin was made with travelers and adventurers in mind.
Gas ONE GS-1000
If you’re looking for a budget portable stove, the Gas ONE GS-1000 is it. The stove costs less than $50!
Even though you’re not paying a lot, the GS-1000 is a great stove through and through, especially for solo travelers or those who don’t need a lot of heat output. The stove produces heat at a rate of 7,650 BTUs.
The included cartridge ejection system prevents irregular gas flow by removing the gas cartridge before it starts burning. Another cool safety feature is the lever mechanism. The lever won’t lock unless you have the fuel canister in the right position. There’s also an auto shut-off feature.
Lightweight, the GS-1000 weighs only a little over 3 pounds. Silent operation mode keeps cooking quiet so you don’t attract unwanted attention from the nearby wildlife. Automatic piezo ignition is electric for easy startup every time.
The Gas ONE GS-1000 is available in gray or black.
GSI Outdoors Selkirk 540 2-Burner Camp Stove
The last portable camping stove on our list is the GSI Outdoors Selkirk 540, which is a tabletop stove.
This bright orange dual BTU burners camp stove produces 10,000 BTUs of heat per burner. Running on fuel, the stove has auto-ignition. Its known for fast boil times with an average boiling time of 4 minutes. You’d need 15 grams of fuel to boil a liter of water.
The Selkirk 540 isn’t that much heavier than the other stoves we’ve covered, clocking in at 10 pounds. It measures 21.4 inches by 12.9 inches by 3.8 inches.
Micro-control valves let you raise or lower the temps of each burner. You can also read the temperature output near the valves. The stovetop is spacious enough to fit 5-liter and 8.5-liter pots.
The Selkirk 540 features a wraparound windscreen so a hard gust of wind can never interrupt your cooking. Those windscreens can fold if you want them down. The steel exterior is powder-coated for durability.
The cooking surfaces are also built tough with nickel-chrome and stainless steel. The pot support is detachable. A burner surround, which is also stainless steel, prevents your cooking surfaces from getting too dirty, which is quite handy.
Final Thoughts
Forget snacking on hot dogs and s’mores over a campfire. The 10 portable cooking stoves we talked about today let you eat like you’re at home. You’ll prepare filling, nutritious, and tasty meals out in the middle of the wilderness.
Available for a variety of budgets, we’re sure you can find your next portable cooking stove on this list!
Once you’ve chosen your next camping stove, check out other camping cookware accessories that I never camp without.