Durable, reliable 2-3 burner camp stove?

October 19, 2016 8:57 AM

I am in the market for a 2-3 burner camp stove - do you have one you've used regularly for at least a few years? Looking for recommendations for one that's reliable and well-made.
posted by ryanshepard to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (13 answers total)

I would strongly suggest you get a Coleman white gas stove. They are ubiquitous, they are simple, they are easily repaired with spare parts available at just about any outdoor store, and they work every single time. They are less wasteful, you won't have a dozen half-empty propane bottles to dispose of, and the fuel is available pretty much anywhere.

This looks like the one I've had for years and years. It also burns unleaded gas so you'll never have to worry about not finding fuel for it.

I have no opinion on burn times or time-to-boil a quart of water or any of that silliness. If you're not using at altitude in winter that hardly matters.

No matter what kind you get, practice using it in your driveway before you take it camping. They're very easy to use but you don't want your first time reading the instructions to be while you're desperately trying to make coffee in the rain.
posted by bondcliff at 9:16 AM on October 19, 2016 [4 favorites]

Best answer: If you're looking for a car/boat camping stove, rather than a backpacking one, I highly recommend the CampChef Everest stove. I have had mine for a few years now and it lights reliably and heats water quickly. And it is pretty easy to clean. I mostly use mine hooked up to a big propane bottle (like one would use with a grill).
posted by janell at 9:21 AM on October 19, 2016

Coleman is the gold standard of camp stoves if you have no concerns about weight. Noise used to be a HUGE issue with these guys--I am assuming that they still sound like standing next to a 747. If that doesn't bother you, these stoves are absolute workhorses.
posted by thebrokedown at 9:23 AM on October 19, 2016

I love my Coleman white gas stove. Mine is inherited and may be older than I am. That said, the propane ones with the small canisters are probably fine and are certainly less fiddly. Many of my fellow campers are a little afraid of running my Coleman.
posted by advicepig at 9:29 AM on October 19, 2016

I have a cheapo propane two burner camp stove. I am thrilled with the find, among my Mom's camp stuff, meaning it is resiliant and at least 30 years old. It fits the same propane nozzle as my new Weber Gas Grill. This means that if the power is down around here, as it does, then I can cook for as long as my propane lasts. It also fits propane bottles of whatever size or shape, because the nozzle is off the side, and it doesn't matter. I like having a multi-use camp stove. A real propane outfit, will have lots of bottles for a low price. If you pick them up in big box stores they are expensive. For instance, I used to run the Weber on bottles from a local propane place, they were $.75 each, rather than the $4.50 two pack at Home Depot.
posted by Oyéah at 9:29 AM on October 19, 2016

The Coleman white gas ones are practically indestructible. If you're lucky, you can find one at a garage sale or craigslist for cheap.

Primus/Century also makes good stoves as well - I have a two burner propane one that works great every time. If you don't want to keep throwing out propane cylinders, get a 5lb refillable propane tank and a hose.

Do not get one of those combined grill/burner stoves. My brother had one and put a griddle across both to cook some pancakes - the heat of the stove melted the aluminium grill, warping it and making it useless.
posted by kaefer at 9:42 AM on October 19, 2016

Best answer: Coleman white gas stoves. They are more finicky to use than propane stoves (there is a learning curve to getting them lit if you haven't tried it before), but last forever and burn better in cold temperatures. Mine is 60 years old and still going strong. You can pick up a good used one for a fraction of the price of a new one. If you aren't sure, see if there is an equipment rental place around you or borrow one from a friend to try it out.
posted by fimbulvetr at 9:44 AM on October 19, 2016

Love my Coleman 2-burner propane stove (identical to this one, except with a build in spark ignitor). Most of the others of this type you will find for sale will be knock-offs of this one of varying quality.

The liquid fuel ones are nice too, but are a little more bulky.

regarding noise, the propane ones are not as noisy as the liquid fuel ones.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 10:00 AM on October 19, 2016

Best answer: If you go with a propane Coleman stove, consider buying the Coleman Propane Hose With Adaptor which allows you to use the larger refillable propane tanks. We purchased an adorable little 5 lb tank that can be refilled anywhere you get the 20 lb tanks filled, but they are hard to come by and often expensive. If you have room to carry the far more common 20 lb tank, I'd advise going with that.
posted by fairmettle at 10:03 AM on October 19, 2016

I've had my Coleman white gas stove for decades (and it was used when I inherited it). The only (mild) complaint I have is that fitting anything larger than a 10-inch pan on it isn't really doable.
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:05 AM on October 19, 2016

While my personal camping preference is above, my scout group uses one of these which is great if you want something big and durable that can handle cooking for lots people. You can also get a griddle for it that covers the entire surface of the stove, which makes cooking lots of pancakes and whatnot a snap. I have been told they are much cheaper in the USA than Canada.
posted by fimbulvetr at 10:11 AM on October 19, 2016

I'm also a big fan of the Coleman white gas two burner stove. I'm using my MIL's hand me down with my parent's hand me down stored in the unlikely event I need a spare.

One of the unmentioned advantages of white gas for car camping is you can store the fuel inside your vehicle. Propane really should only be stored in a place directly vented to the atmosphere and in my jurisdiction it is illegal to transport a propane cylinder inside a vehicle (this is why you see tanks on Class Cs mounted to the rear doors). Especially in the summer where interior car temps can rise enough to cause tanks to vent.
posted by Mitheral at 11:57 AM on October 19, 2016

We also have a colman propane stove and it's great. It stays lit well and you can easily use both burners at once (we borrowed another brand stove from friends before buying our own and it wouldn't keep both burners lit at once - terrible!). They even make a handy carrying bag for it with pockets for the little propane tanks that is awesome.
posted by urbanlenny at 1:42 PM on October 19, 2016