How to choose the perfect camping stove
Your choices of camp stoves are many, with basic hot plates, or those powered by portable gas bottles the most popular, while the butane-gas stoves (often a single-burner, but also available in twin- and triple-burner configuration) are, generally, a cheaper alternative, albeit less friendly to the environment – we’ll explain why later. Stove choice will come down to where you plan on camping, whether there actually is any natural fuel available (or if it’s possible to carry it in), how much storage space you have and whether you camp only occasionally, or are a regular off-road adventurer.
Styles
Camp stoves fall into three styles. The traditional barbecue hot-plate camp stove is the simplest, thanks to the fact it is generally just a hot plate (with fold-up legs) that can sit over a fire-pit. There are fancier versions of this stove type, utilising a swing-away hot plate (you can get single plate or multi-plate, tiered units) that is attached to a ground stake that is secured into the ground, above the open fire/coals.
The most popular camp stove is the gas-fed unit, comprising two or three burners built into a metal carry-case that folds out (the sides and top act as wind shields), with the gas bottle attached via a hose. The heat control on these units is excellent (and they also offer very high heat outputs), making them ideal for those who love to cook food at a simmer.
The third option, is the stove often dubbed a ‘lunch-box’ stove; comprising a plastic fold-out carry case and one, or two cooking rings, fueled by butane gas cartridges or cans (akin to a larger version of a hiking stove, with its remote butane canister). These are very simple in operation (just click the biezo ignitor trigger and away you go), but offer limited heat control, plus the empty butane canisters or bottles cannot be re-filled, thus meaning they get dumped as rubbish and/or landfill.
Materials
In the case of stove materials, we’re talking about the stove's construction and the fuel it uses.
The traditional hot plate is usually made from cast-iron or stainless-steel. We’d go cast-iron every time, although it is a tad heavier than stainless-steel. These units use wood as fuel, which will necessitate either a big scrounging mission around camp (and if that is even allowed; national parks frown on the use of downed trees as firewood as the dead tree may well be home to a native animal or reptile), or bringing in your own. Buying supplied firewood is fraught with danger as you don't know what wood has been used, and how long it has been dead, and thus how dry it is.
Gas-bottle stoves are constructed of steel and aluminium. The gas bottle is robust; the only material in this set-up likely to fail is the gas hose or its connection.
The cheap, lunchbox stoves are flimsy and not built to last; the plastic outer container can split and crack even during transport from home to camp, while the piezo ignition used to light them is fragile and prone to breaking; although you can, of course, use matches. The fact that the gas canisters and cans used with these are throw-away items means we don’t really recommend them.
Pros and cons
As mentioned earlier, the cons of the BBQ hot plate-style camp stove are that you have to rely on both legally being able to light a fire at camp, and having a supply of dead wood with which to do so. Plus, they are heavy and can get dirty even if you clean them regularly. Having said that, in terms of flavour, this design wins hands-down. Plus, due to the simplicity of design, there’s nothing that will fail.
The gas bottle stoves are generally compact (even in three-burner format) and relatively light in weight, so they don’t take up much load space. Operation of these is also straightforward, with few parts of the stove that can actually fail, such as the hose connection or – the obvious one – you run out of gas. Which leads to the cons of these: lugging a gas bottle for a week away camping necessitates having a roof-rack, preferably, so the gas bottle is secured outside the vehicle. The larger bottles can be quite heavy, plus they do, eventually, need replacement. And you need to get into the habit of checking your gas bottle is full before heading out.
Lunchbox stoves are quick-fix only, in our opinion, although they do make a handy back-up stove – and you can find butane gas canisters in supermarkets, petrol stations, etc. These units are cheap because they are not very well built, so always check before and after use that hinges and cooking rings are still working. The canister fitment can often be fiddly, and butane gas canisters need to be handled with care when in use as they can overheat. Also make sure you use the right-sized pan with these as heat from an oversized pan can reflect back on the canisters, overheating them with disastrous results.
Summary
A good camp stove – whether a BBQ hot plate or gas-bottle variant – will last many years if looked after, and we’d opt for one of each of these, that way you are covering both scenarios in regards to whether your intended campsites allows open fires, or you need to use gas. With the gas bottle stoves, it is hard to find a bad model, but opting for the more well-known brands that you find at reputable camp stores is always better for peace of mind. Even with the hot plate, but especially in regards to the gas bottle stove, always keep them well maintained; a quick clean-over of the hot plate after use will mean it cooks fine food for decades, while ensuring hinges, gas rings and gas connection points are always operating correctly, should mean that the gas bottle stove lasts nearly as long.
Price range
A solid cast-iron BBQ plate will cost between $40 and $200, depending on how many plates are included, if it is a ground stake, tiered design. Gas bottle stoves will range in price from $75-95 for a basic two-burner, through to $300 for what is basically a minature home barbecue. Our pick is a three-burner, which will set you back between $95 and $195. Canister stoves start at around $25 for a supermarket cheapie, through to $195 for a more complex (but way safer and reliable) two/three-burner.
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