Looking for the best camping stove for your next adventure? Read this article for how to choose the best camping stove, two burner camp stoves, backpacking stoves, and more!

Why this blog? Hi there! My name is Maddy and I’ve been working as an adventure guide and travel writer since 2018! I’ve had the opportunity to test a lot of different stoves both out on the trail and for review projects. Here are my brutally honest camp stove thoughts:

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Images: above left, camping on an island in British Columbia looking over a pot simmering on a Whisperlite stove. Above center, looking over a camp stove at a picnic table. above right, a MSR Whisperlite making coffee.

Best Camping Stoves:

There are a couple of things to consider when shopping for a camping stove. Basically, you’ll want to consider….

• The size & weight of the stove. For car camping you might want a larger two-burner. Meanwhile, for backpacking you will need something small and lightweight.
• The type of fuel it takes. Backpacking stoves often take isobutane-propane fuel found in small canisters, while your classic Coleman camping stove requires propane found in that green cylinder that you can find at most stores with an outdoor section. Still, other stoves take white gas. Stoves are not universally compatible with fuel, so you’ll need to know which fuel your stove takes.
• How quickly does your stove cook? Some camping stoves like the Jetboil Flash or MSR Windburner are designed to boil water at rapid speeds. Usually with stoves like this there’s a trade-off in that they aren’t as versatile as other stoves.
• Does it simmer? Some camp stoves have two settings: off, and nearly burning your food. If you’re just rehydrating that’s probably fine. Finding a camp stove with a true simmer is a bit of a challenge.
• Is it compatible with multiple pots/pans? If you’re planning on cooking beyond dehydrated meals, you’ll likely want a stove that can support both a pot and a pan.
• How many people are you cooking for? This will have a big influence on the type of stove you choose.

All of these factors on the sliding scale between barebones backpacker and full-kitchen at camp make a difference in your choice.

Best Two-Burner Camping Stoves:

Two-burner camping stoves are a great choice for anyone looking to car camp or camp overnight out of a canoe or larger kayak where there is ample room for transport. Double-burners are also really useful for cooking more elaborate meals while camping, cooking for larger groups, and having a simmer function.

Images: above left, an old Coleman two-burner at camp in the apostle islands. above right, kitchen set up with a Coleman two-burner for a kids camp.

• The Coleman Cascade Classic is one of the hardiest and most classic two-burner camping stoves on the market. This stove is budget-friendly and gets the job done. If you’re looking for a no-frills tested and true option for a two-burner camping stove, the Coleman Cascade Classic is for you. One of the kayak outfitters I’ve worked at uses this for guided overnight trips and I’ve found them to be user-friendly, durable, and easy to troubleshoot.
• The primary competitor to the Coleman Classic is the GSI Selkirk. The Selkirk is slightly more expensive but functions similarly. Reviews on the Selkirk complain that the auto-igniter doesn’t work, but I think it’s important to note that all auto-ignitors on camp stoves eventually go, but it doesn’t mean the stove is trash. Just bring a lighter and plan on using that.
• The Jetboil Genesis Basecamp is the mother of all camping stoves, folding completely into it’s nesting pot. At $450 when full-priced this stove is not cheap but is certainly a cool option for anyone with budget to spare looking for a compact double burner. If I were to do another expedition paddling trip with 3-6 people, I would probably try and get everyone to go in on this stove.

Best Backpacking Camping Stove:

For the average backpacker, the two main things you’re looking for in a backpacking stove are the stove’s weight, and the stove’s fuel use, which is tied to weight in that if you’re stove eats fuel, you’ll need to carry more. For the most part some of the quick-boiling somewhat heavier stoves require a little less fuel, and the slower boiling simple canister stoves weigh less but require more fuel.

• MSR Pocket Rocket: The pocket rocket is the classic, top-of-the-line, backpacking stove often considered to be the best simple canister backpacking stove on the market. It’s lightweight and reliable, and likely something you can purchase once and use for life.
• Toaks Backpacking Stove: The Toaks backpacking stove is one of the cheapest backpacking stoves on the market. I got mine as a Christmas present nearly 12 years ago and still occasionally use it. The ignitor doesn’t work any more, and the flame is a little erratic, but it gets the job done in a pinch and weighs next to nothing. If you’re a casual camper or backpacker hitting a few 1-2 night trips a year, this is a great stove choice for you.
• MSR Switch: The MSR Switch is new to me this year, and I’m actually extremely happy with it. It’s a good compromise between the fast-boiling Jetboil/Windburner set up and a more versatile camp stove. The Switch boils about a minute more slowly than the Windburner (field tested by me on Oak Island this August!) but is lighter and easy to swap out the pot for a pan to fry in. It’s lighter than the Windburner but only uses a little more fuel and in my opinion the best camping stove for multi-use trips for 1-2 people.
• Jetboil Flash: The Jetboild Flash and Windburner (below) are two really comparable stove systems; I’ll talk more about this later. I used a Jetboil flash for about three years (still do often) and while they are super useful for boiling water and rehydrating meals, the usefulness of this model sort of ends there. Without the pot support add on, the Jetboil is pretty much for boiling water quickly only. Slightly lighter (2 oz) than the Windburner.
• MSR Windburner: The Windburner is very similar to the Jetboil flash but more expensive.

Pro tip: ALWAYS bring a lighter and matches and never depend exclusively on the igniter. Those things break and wear out, and it’s super easy to light it up with your match or lighter in a pinch.

Coleman Camping Stoves:

Coleman makes a lot of the best car camping gear on the market, and is known for gear that is simple and lasts. For the most part, Coleman sticks to gear that makes the most sense for basecamping and car camping, but as I mentioned above, Coleman is actually the stove we use for overnight kayak trips at the outfitter I work at (Lost Creek Adventures). Overall, I’ve found Coleman stoves to be hearty and stand up to heavy use.

Personally I think the best camping stove Coleman makes is the Cascade Classic. It’s inexpensive, holds up really well, and offers just about everything you need in a camp stove minus being backpacker-friendly. For a comparable single-burner from Coleman, the Xcursion 1-Burner Butane Stove might be a good fit. The benefit of the single-burner would be simply that it is smaller and easier to pack. For activities like kayaking or canoeing where packing space can be a challenge, getting two single burners might afford more flexibility than a double burner, though it will change how you pack fuel (ie, two fuels would be in use at the same time).

Coleman also makes a few more expensive options with more bells and whistles including the Cascade 3-in-1 and the Guide Series Dual-Fuel 2-Burner Camp Stove, which is compatible with unleaded gasoline. Personally, unless you have extremely specialized needs like planning to make really elaborate meals (3-in-1) or super remote long trips (Guide Series), I think both of these more expensive models are probably overkill.

Jetboil vs MSR: which is better?

Jetboil and MSR have the top products for quick-boiling camp stoves with the Jetboil Flash and the MSR WindBurner. Both are a really great product for backpacking, car camping, and paddle-camping. The Flash has a slightly faster boil time (4 min compared to 4.5 min) than the WindBurner, is lighter by about 2 oz, and the sleeve comes in several small prints and colors. The Flash is only compatible with the pot it comes with without the pot support add on. Meanwhile, the WindBurner requires a specific WindBurner skillet to attach a pan at nearly $100.

This said, I’ve had really great experiences with MSR products and their other stoves like the Pocket Rocket and the WhispherLite and wouldn’t write WindBuner off completely — the people and guides I know who like the WindBurner love it and swear that MSR is superior. I don’t personally have a strong opinion one way or another, but I would perhaps recommend the MSR Switch as an alternative for both, especially since you can literally ditch the pot and bring something lighter and smaller and just bring the stove portion for ultralight(ish) backpacking.

Personally, I think that the Flash is a nearly identical product to the WindBurner (don’t fight me!!) and I would probably recommend the Jetboil Flash over the MSR Windburner.

Best expedition camping stove: MSR WhisperLite

If you’re looking to cook for two or more people for a very long time in the wilderness the MSR WhisperLite is the gold standard of expedition trips. The WhisperLite comes in the Universal and the International versions, with the Universal version being compatible with both isobutane-propane fuel canisters and white gas, while the International ($40 cheaper) is compatible with white gas only.

The WhisperLite is sometimes (riskily) touted as “unbreakable” or at the very least, pretty easy to troubleshoot and overall reliable. I took the WhisperLite International on a 70 sea kayaking trip and only have good things to say. It’s reliable in bad weather, boils fairly quickly (3-4) min, and good for big groups on long trips.

The WhispherLite is not a particularly good fit for car campers or backpackers looking to tackle either shorter trips or in small groups.

No stove? How to cook over the fire:

Some campers will choose to cook over the fire! I recommend that you bring a back up stove still in pretty much all situations. I am literally including this section because I have encountered people who are pretty new campers (less than ten nights total) with the game plan of cooking all their meals over the fire on their first wilderness trip.

Practice cooking over the fire at your local picnic spot BEFORE you commit to cooking over the fire in the backcountry. Beyond that a backup stove is just a good idea, it’s important to note that local fire bans and burn restrictions can impact your plans to cook over the fire at anytime. It’s also important to note that not all areas allow fires. The picture below is of a legal beach fire for cooking below the low tide zone in British Columbia.

Cooking over the fire is best done over a small, hot fire. You’ll need a basic knowledge of how to build a fire, and then want to make sure several pieces of wood thicker than your wrist catch and get a good burn going. Look for black on these thicker pieces before you let the fire ease to hot coals. I’ve found this is the sweet spot for cooking over the fire and it allows you some control over the heat.

Cooking over a campfire involves a lot of trial and error, and not every recipe is good for this kind of meal. Fish is fairly easy to cook over the fire if you know how to cook fish already, as are some soups. My personal favorite is the scrambled egg breakfast quesadilla (above) on a slow morning.

Bottom line? Don’t ditch the camp stove yet.

Can you use a camp stove indoors?

Definietly don’t use a camp stove inside your tent due to risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. Camp stoves are ideally used in a ventilated area (ie, outside).

That said, I have cooked over a camp stove indoors in a dry cabin in the winter. We took care to open a nearby window and were extremely attentive to the open flame. Cooking in tents on the other hand is a hard no for me. Tents are often themselves pretty flammable and overall you really don’t want to be eating in your tent for bear reasons anyhow.

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Ready to learn more about planning your next camping trip? Check out…

• How to choose the best tent, a guide for beginners
• A handy packing list for your next camping trip
• 13 DIY camping meal ideas (+ how to make each one gluten-free or vegan)

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