A portable gas stove can be used for a variety of things, among others: camping, sailing, tailgating or for preparing for any kind of disaster. There are some key features to consider when choosing the best portable gas stove for camping so I will not only give you my 5 best portable gas stoves for camping, I will also go through the different specs and features in the “Buyer’s Guide” at the end of this portable gas stove reviews.
Contents
Best Portable Gas Stove for Camping Reviews
1. Camp Chef Everest Camping Gas Stove
Type: Tabletop
Fuel: Propane
Burners: 2 @ 20,000 BTUs
Weight: 12lbs (5.5kg)
Pros:
Durable, reliable and outstanding performance
Cons:
You need to find a heat-resistant non-slip surface to keep it from sliding when pushing the igniter button.
Bottom Line:
This portable camping stove offers tons of cooking power, convenience, and superior reliability to make it a standout in the market and a given first place on this list.
If you’re someone who have been searching the market for a while, you might not be surprised that the Camp Chef Everest made the list. While it might be easy to get fooled by the size, it packs a lot of power! It has two high-pressure 20k BTU burners that can handle pretty much everything. It is effortless to set up, you pretty much just open the lid up and start the igniter with the push of a button. So the worry about wet matches is pretty much non-existent.
The burners can be set at individual adjustments which lets you customize your cooking experience however you want. Because of the strong nickel-coated steel cooking grate, it can hold every pot, griddle, or skillet you put on it. It is easily transported with a dual locking lid and good handles. It is also really lightweight and compact, which is great for a smaller crew or if you have a smaller car.
TIP: I would HIGHLY suggest avoiding the 1lb bottles and buying the hose to use 20lb propane tanks if you’re car camping or RVing. At the very least learn to re-fill the 1lb bottles and don’t dump them in the landfill.
Features & Specs
The Camp Chef Everest has all the features you need to experience the full portable stove camping experience.
- 2x 20,000 BTU burners
- Three-sided wind barrier
- Fully adjustable heat-control dials
- Matchless ignition
- Stainless steel drip tray for easy cleanup
- Powerful burners fight windy conditions
- Emergency preparedness recommended
- Convenient carry handle
- Regulator adaptor for a 1-lb. propane cylinder included (can be adapted for use with standard bulk tanks)
2. Coleman Classic Propane Camping Stove
Type: Tabletop
Fuel: Propane
Weight: 12lbs (5.5kg)
Burners: 2 @ 10,000 BTUs
Pros:
Good price for a great result
Cons:
The limited flame control can be a bother
Bottom Line:
Without doubt one of the leaders on the market. You get what you pay for, so keep that in mind!
The Coleman Classic Propane stove has been a reliable and trustworthy portable stove for a long time and doesn’t seem to get outdated any time soon. While Coleman as a company offers a lot of different stoves at different price points, this is seen
to be the most priceworthy, but it doesn’t come without its flaws. It can be troublesome to use it to a massive extent, but a perfect budget portable stove for camping.
Enthusiast who wants something that is both reliable, portable and comes at a good price.
The limited flame control can be a bother for someone who really wants to have control over the stove, but this normally doesn’t seem to be a problem because you can adjust the flame distance manually, as you would on an analog grill.
Features & Specs:
The Coleman Classic Propane Stove has all the patented Coleman features you would expect.
- It has the Wind Block that helps shield the burners and is adjustable for various pan sizes.
- The Perfect Flow technology had the purpose of delivering consistent burner performance in any kind of condition.
- The Perfect Heat technology makes it so that you waste less fuel each time the stove is used.
- It can be used with a 12-inch and a 10-inch pan at the same time.
- You can adjust both burners individually.
- Can be used up to 1 hour with both burners on the highest setting.
- It comes with a 3-year warranty.
- Cooking power: Up to 20,000 total BTUs. Fits a 12-inch and 10-inch pan at the same time
- 2 adjustable burners: For precise temperature control
3. Camp Chef Explorer 3X Portable Camp Stove
Type: Freestanding (29 inches)
Fuel: Propane
Weight: 46lbs (21kg)
Burners: 3 @ 30,000 BTUs
Pros:
Great for cooking on uneven ground, has 3 strong burners and super accurate heat adjustability. Durable and rugged design.
Cons:
Need some time to get accustomed to.
Bottom Line:
Without doubt one of the best portable cooking stoves and a leader on the market. If you are serious about your camping and want the best grilling experience, definitely go with this one.
This portable stove adds more value to your camping experience than most others, especially if you are a bigger crowd or want to make a lot of different foods at once since it comes with 3 great 30k BTU burners and a total of 686 square inches of total cooking area. The burners are protected by a three-sided windscreen that keeps the flame safe from the wind.
With a cooking flame controlled by appliance-style knobs, it’s easy to use your own pots and pans on the cooktop and adjust the heat so that you can have full control of the process. You can also use Camp Chef’s 14″ grill boxes, pizza oven and other accessories offered by all Blue Flame 14-inch accessories.
It does take some time to learn how much heat you want to add, but any camper that puts this amount of money on a portable stove should not have any problems.
The Explorer is fueled by a user-supplied propane cylinder and comes with a regulator and three-foot hose.
Camp Chef also offers a “no-hassle” warranty, which means that if anything is wrong (excluding paint and finish), it will be replaced without any hassle.
Features & Specs
The Camp Chef Explorer 3X Stove has a lot of necessary features that is a big contributing factor to its high performance
- Three 30,000 BTU cast-aluminum burners.
- Fully adjustable heat-control knobs that are extremely accurate.
- Removable legs for portability and adjustable to cook on uneven ground.
- Regulator and 3 ft. hose included.
- Out of the box ready to cook in a matter of seconds.
- Emergency preparedness recommended.
- Includes 3 ft. hose and regulator
- Fully adjustable heat-control knobs, Appliance-style temperature controls
4. GAS ONE GS-3900P Dual Fuel
Type: Tabletop
Fuel: Propane or Butane
Weight: 6lbs (2.7kg)
Burners: 1 @ 15,000BTU
Pros:
Lightweight, dual fuel, cools down quickly after use and easy to clean.
Cons:
Only has one burner. The enamel processing for the unit is poor and the cover for the fuel seems flimsy, including the hinges.
Bottom Line:
Good quality for the price and does the job for someone who needs to only cook one thing at the time. That being said, it is really compact and sturdy – truly recommended!
It’s, in my opinion, good to at least include one single-burner stove in a portable camping stove review like this. This one is simply the best one you can find and at a really affordable price. The 15k BTU burner will boil water in a matter of minutes and it’s so easy to just carry with you, stop and boil something and then keep moving.
As the name suggests, it can be used with both propane or butane, which is a nice addition to some.
This small portable stove is really easy to use with a solo adjustable heat dial and piezo-electric ignition that lets you ignite the flame with the push of a button.
The carrying case it comes with is of a decent quality and it has extra room to fit the included hose and the windscreen. The piezo igniter works each time. I am very pleased with this purchase.
Features & Specs
Even though the GAS ONE GS-3900P only offers one burner, the features are surely more than makes up for that.
- Comes with non-slip rubber legs
- Air vents are included
- Piezo Electric Ignition Device with one push of a button
- Windguard
- Heat Resistant Knob
- Built in Cartridge Ejection System
- Auto Safety Shut Off Device and safety lever
- Dual Layered and spiraling flame
- Thermal Conductive Plate
- Dual Fuel (propane and butane)
- ✓ 15, 000BTU MOST POWERFUL STOVE IN THE MARKET - Compatible with both butane (Fuel not included) and propane fuel...
- ✓ PIEZO-ELECTRIC IGNITION - that eliminates the use for lighter/matches in order to ignite flame
5. Coleman 414-700 Powerhouse Dual Fuel
Type: Tabletop
Fuel: Propane or Coleman Liquid fuel
Weight: 15.8lbs (7.2kg)
Burners: 2 @ 17,000BTU
Pros: The heat is consistent, a good size of the burners it is fuel efficient. The construction of the stove is good. Good quality metal.
Cons: The folding lid does not fit tightly in its hinge.
Bottom Line: The construction of this stove is good. It’s robust with good quality metal that can stand a bit of ground. This one is good for if you camp without needing to carry it too much. As mentioned, it is very fuel efficient.
This stove lasts up to 2.3 hours with both burners on high on 3.5 pints of Coleman liquid fuel and it’s possible to fit both a 12-inch and a 10-inch pan at the same time on the two different burners. 1 gallon of Coleman Liquid Fuel lasts as long as 4.5 cylinders of propane. The very durable and chrome-plated grate is removable which allows this stove to be easily cleaned.
While gas stoves are very reliable, it sometimes takes some practice to get a clear blue flame. But they are so reliable that you would never experience it not to work for you. For this stove, however, the secondary burner will not be as strong as the primary one, but it is usually fine – as long as you are aware of it.
The patented Dual Fuel technology gives you the option of using Colemans own Liquid Fuel or unleaded gasoline. This means that you can take less fuel with you to save money and valuable carry-on space.
Features & Specs
The Coleman 414-700 Powerhouse has all the patented Coleman features you would expect.
• The Dual Fuel design conveniently burns Coleman® Liquid Fuel or unleaded gasoline
• Wind Block panels help shield burners from wind and adjust for various pan sizes
• “Band-a-Blu” burners for reliable cooking power
• All Season Strong technology provides reliable operation in all weather conditions
• 17,000 total BTUs of cooking power
• Filtering funnel included
• 5-year limited warranty
Portable Gas Stoves for Camping – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is it Good to Use a Gas Stove that runs on propane?
- Fuel Type and Efficiency
- Burner Power (BTU)
- Number of Burners
- Ignition
- Wind Protection
- Weight and Portability
Fuel Type and Efficiency of a Gas Stove
As you can see, all of the above-mentioned gas stoves run on propane, since it is a fuel that performs very well in different kinds of climates and temperatures. It is also accessible at almost all designated vendors. The cylinder canisters come in different volumes, and a minimum for a good camping experience is the 16-ounce bottles.
When using a powerful gas stove, you can pretty much run out of a bottle in a day if you cook 2-3 meals and maybe boiling some water in between meals.
I always bring the 5-gallon tanks for safety measures, since I would hate to not be able to use my stove and need to have to carry the extra and completely useless weight.
The GAS ONE GS-3900P Dual Fuel can be used with both propane and butane, and this is the one I have. I have never used it for butane though. This is kind of a bummer on my part since the dual fuel gas stoves more often than not have a higher price-tag. Butane also does worse in colder climates, when the temperature dips below freezing levels.
You can also opt for a stove the Coleman Dual Fuel, that can run on either white gas or unleaded gasoline, although white gas ones are much preferred.
Best Gas Stove Burner Power (BTUs)
BTUs stands for British Thermal Unit and measures the heat output and has become the standard for measuring the gas stoves burner performance. The sheer number presented is, although, somewhat misleading. While the BTU unit is a contributing factor to a stove’s performance there are two main factors that play a huge part in deciding the true power of a stoves burner capacity.
These are the cooking surface area as well as the distribution of the burners capacity. The Coleman 414-700 has an output of 17k BTUs but that number gives the main burner output of 9k and to the second one 8k. And while the Coleman Classic Propane Stove only offers 10k divided on the two burners, the surface and distance to the flames make it so that the difference between them is noticeable, but not worlds apart.
The benefits are pretty obvious, a stronger output in heat the faster any food put on the stove will be cooked. I have found that the value for me comes when I can boil water in a quick manner, I don’t want to sit around 20 minutes to make a cup of coffee when it can take 4 minutes with a better stove. Also, consider using a coffee percolator to maximize coffee quality.
The downside with this is that the higher output comes to greater fuel consumption. So be sure to bring a few back-up canisters of fuel if you can anticipate such an issue. The portable gas stoves can also be used on top of a portable camping kitchen!
Number of Burners on a Gas Stove
As you might have noticed, 3 of the 5 burners listed comes with two burners. Although I could just as easily have a list of 5 stoves that comes with two burners because this simply is the most convenient and most popular option. The reason for this is probably that most dishes come with two components, like rice and chicken, pasta and sauce etc.
Another reason can be that you want to do one dish at the same time boiling water for instant coffee or something.
At my solo endeavors, I have on the contrary always traveled with a single burner stove, such as the GAS ONE GS-3900P Dual Fuel, since I mainly use mine to boil water for coffee.
If you are a bigger company though, opting for the 3-burner alternative Camp Chef Explorer 3X Stove might benefit you. It also comes with stands so that it more resembles a “real” and stationary stove. What I have found though, is that when the situation presents that you need a bigger stove, usually more than one person brings a portable stove anyway and this problem resolves itself.
I also lay out the best portable grills if you are planning to use it for caravan use.
When weighing the pros and cons of the number of burners, the weight and portability is probably the biggest concern. This is a question only you can answer.
Also, stove top size does matter. On both the Coleman Classic Propane Stove and the Coleman 414-700 Powerhouse, it’s possible to fit both a 12-inch and a 10-inch pan at the same time on the two different burners.
Manual Ignition or Automatic Piezoelectricity?
Piezoelectricity is a pressure-based form of ignition that is popular in camping stove applications.
Although I myself haven’t found any problem using a manual ignition stove since they are just as easy to ignite than the matchless options. Igniters that is a “push-a-button” option can seem tempting, but can also be unreliable. That said, you can manually ignite a matchless ignition so be sure to always bring matches or a lighter just in case.
There is also the option of upgrading your gas stove from a manual to a matchless, but this process just isn’t worth the trouble.
Gas Stoves with Good Wind Protection
No matter what kind of gas stove I have handled, the wind condition has always been my biggest struggle. The biggest issue with the stove being exposed to a windy climate is that it affects the evenly distributed flame heat.
A 3-sided windshield option is a must-have to protect the flames from any kind of wind if you for some reason are using your portable stove indoors. There are also included some wind guards in some models. The GAS ONE GS-3900P has no windshield but comes with a really good wind-guard that, in my opinion, offers the best wind shelter. But the Coleman Classic Propane Stove has very wide windshields that probably works very well, but I can’t imagine they work as good as the wind shelter.
The biggest struggle is for you to find a good location to place the stove in so that you can manually control the effect the wind has on your cooking experience.
Weight and Portability
This is my highest priority since I always try to travel as light as humanly possible. There’s not much to say on this topic, except that you should be aware of how much room you can spare for a portable gas stove, as well be aware of the dimensions of the stove you are considering buying.
Most of them take less space than you might think, but the weight can vary depending on different features such as the number of burners and built-in fuel storage.
The GAS ONE GS-3900P Dual Fuel, which I use, comes in at a ridiculously low weight at only 6lbs (2.7kg) while the Coleman 414-700 weights 15.8lbs (7.2kg).
So, look for an effective balance of performance and weight. If I ever upgrade my portable stove, I would without any doubt go for the Camp Chef Everest because of this reason. That is also why it made it to the first position on this list/