Cook Up a Fireside Feast With These High-Power Camping Stoves

Gone are the days of delicately balancing an old frying pan on a hot fire. Sure, the smokey flavor of a pot of chili cooked over an open flame is something to write home about, but sometimes the simplicity of a camping stove triumphs. A portable stove lets you take homestyle cooking on the road, simplifies the process when you're away for multiple nights or when cooking for a large group, can easily be stowed in your trunk, and can be set up on a picnic table (or rock) in no time.

The Best Camping Stoves

What to Consider

Camping stoves range from small, lightweight options that fit easily in a backpack to large, freestanding stoves that can feed a hungry group of girl scouts without flinching. When searching for a camping stove, we recommend you consider the number of burners you'll need, the power source, and the stove's power output (in BTU), among other things like packed size, built-in windscreens, simmering ability, surface area, and type of ignition:

Number of Burners

The most common camping stoves have two burners, which is almost always enough to whip up dinner for four to eight people — because how often do you use more than two burners at home? Of course, for anyone who lives by the saying, “Go big or go home,” three-burner stoves are available, but they obviously take up more of your precious cargo space. And for small groups of one to three people or one-pot meals, a one-burner stove can suffice.

Fuel Source

Most modern stoves run on propane, which comes in Nalgene-sized 16-ounce bottles that are super affordable and will typically have enough gas to cook for most trips under a week. Seriously — you'll be amazed how long these small cylinders last — but we always recommend having a backup bottle just in case. A few outlier power sources are available, such as wood-burning and butane, but propane is by far the most universally available fuel.

Power Output

Stoves rate their power output in BTU, with most options ranging from 10,000 to 20,000 BTU per burner. For most trips with groups of around five people, 10,000 BTU will get the job done. For large groups, higher elevations, windy environments, or if you're preparing a highly involved meal with multiple courses, more BTU is never something you will regret, as long as the flame is controllable for simmering.

Extras

Windscreens, as the name implies, provide a shield from the wind on three sides — and this is not to be taken for granted, as the slightest gust can knock out a flame or significantly increase your cook time and thus, burn more fuel. All stoves have an adjustable flame, but high-end stoves simmer much better than budget options, especially in cold, wind, and higher elevations.

Push-button igniters are a nice feature, but they are never a deal breaker in our search, because they tend to fail over time. And though it goes without saying, a large, freestanding stove with high output will consume more cargo space (like a truck bed), while modern, low-profile stoves with two burners stack easily without dominating your trunk.

So load up the cooler, pack up the car, and head for the woods with your new camping stove — because everything tastes better in the mountains.