Propane is generally considered an all-weather cooking fuel, but will start to get finicky as the temperatures drop. All you’ve got to do is place the pot stand on the ground, put one 1/2-ounce fuel tablet inside the pot stand, place the pot on top of the stand, put water in the pot, place the lid, and ignite the fuel to start heating.

But once it was at a place where I knew it would keep burning, I added a couple of larger sticks, and the fire was able to maintain itself. On par with options higher on the list, it weighs just 10 pounds and takes up similar picnic table space as the GSI Selkirk 540+ and Kovea Slim Twin stoves. Biomass the original fuel source, simply put bio mass is natural fuel such as wood, plant matter, charcoal, coal etc. In our testing, we timed each stove for how long it would run on a single 16-ounce propane canister and found that in general the higher the BTUs, the thirstier the stove and the quicker it would burn fuel. To test how well a stove could simmer, we tested the knobs and saw how low the flame could go while still remaining active.A gas range stove you’d find in a home has about 6,000-8,000 BTUs per burner (on average), and for the curious, a single BTU is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 pound of water by 1 degree Fahrenheit. The first thing we like about this cook set is the self-contained design, which comes with the pot stand, wind deflector, pot, lid, and a mesh bag. The GSI Selkirk 540+ and Coleman 3-in-1 both pump out around 12-14,000 BTU, and were able to bring a liter of water to a boil in less than 4 minutes 30 seconds.

The ratings provided for each stove are based on facts and summaries of multiple real user experience. Sit back and enjoy the warmth of the popular Keystoker stove and the savings of using clean burning anthracite coal. In my experience, it took less than 5 minutes from the point where the fire went out to when the Stöker was cool enough to be handled for breakdown and storage. It’s wide enough that you can put large chunks of wood, so there’s no need for you to cut a branch into smaller pieces. While packed size isn’t as important as with backpacking stoves, you’ll want to consider the overall size and weight for lugging around in your adventure-mobile; (photo/Eric Phillips) Ignition: Strikers vs.Compared to the only other full-size lightweight stove in our testing, the Primus Kinjia, the Slim Twin lives up to the name when it comes to thickness, but is a bit larger in the other dimensions, including about a pound and a half more heft. A stove like the Stöker will be less cumbersome than a liquid gas backpacking stove but more cumbersome than a canister stove. When we used the stove in the woods, we could use wood pellets, thanks to the outside row of holes that allowed for easy mounting of an adjustable fire grid. So, even though it can cost a little more upfront, it is better in the long run as you won’t need to use as much.

Well, normal house coal produces heavy levels of smoke, particulate matter and sulphur, all of which have a hugely negative impact on the air quality and environment.Someone who is looking to make a near-fixture of their camp stove in a van build-out is likely to have different requirements over someone who only needs to boil water during weekend camping trips. While minimal, we didn’t experience any durability issues, and would expect this stove to hold up well to extensive use. Small burners like those present on the Primus Kinjia concentrate the heat in one area, and you’ll need to continue stirring to keep food from burning, or use cookware that dissipates heat, such as cast iron. There’s a weight penalty, too, for moving up to the bigger stoves, with the Pro 14 weighing around 50 pounds, and the 60X Deluxe clocking in at almost 60.