Finest Tenting Stoves of 2023

Camping and food go hand in hand, especially when car camping affords you the luxury of a two-burner stove. This year, we tested a few new stoves and retested many previous top picks. With years of combined experience with camp cooking, we used our collective knowledge to narrow down the best camping stoves available today.

A good camp stove should fire up quickly, provide a steady stream of heat to get things rolling, and be able to dial it back for precision work like simmering or sauteing. There are other details about your camp cuisine to consider as well, such as the number of hungry hikers you’re looking to feed, and whether you’ll only need a raw flame or the sizzle of a griddle to whip up some chow.

For each stove in this comprehensive review, we considered design, ease of use, BTUs, windy weather performance, simmer control, weight, cost, and boil time. On the surface, these stoves all have a lot in common, but each has unique features that stand out for specific uses.

Scroll through to see all our recommended buys or jump to the category you’re looking for. At the end of our list, be sure to check out our comprehensive buyer’s guide. We have also assembled a list of frequently asked questions and a comparison chart that can help guide your decision. 

The Best Camping Stoves of 2023

Camping Stove Comparison Chart

Why You Should Trust Us

Besides just boiling water, we cooked meals on each of the camp stoves for this review (including mac and cheese, sautéed veggies, meats, rice, and more). We also conducted boil and simmer tests — a consistent way of comparing stove performance. We believe this provides a good understanding of each stove’s technical cooking capabilities.

Note: We tested these stoves over a period of several seasons, hence the absence of some from testing photos. However, we’ve reviewed all of the stoves on this list in depth. We’re confident these are the best camping stoves available today, and we’ll be sure to update the list with any new releases that rival the best.

Boil Test

We subjected each propane stove to a substantial boil test. We boiled 1 L of water with the same GSI pot and lid on each stove. Before each test, we made sure the pot and water were at the same temperatures as in prior tests. We also checked the water occasionally to note when it began to boil.

Different air temperatures and altitudes will boil water differently, so we tested all of these stoves at the same altitude. Don’t buy one of these stoves and expect it to boil water at these specific times; instead, use this as a rough guide as to which stove heats the most effectively and gets the hottest. Some stoves might have faster boiling times, and others might have better simmer capabilities.

Simmer Test

To test how well a stove could simmer, we tested the knobs and saw how low the flame could go while still remaining active. We also placed a hand above the flame and lowered it to see how close I could get before it got uncomfortable.

The closer the hand could comfortably get (measured in inches), the lower we found a burner could go. Why does this matter? You don’t just want a stove to have hot and very hot settings; sometimes you need less flame to cook on a low simmer.

We also tested each of the dials to see the range of control they allowed. The higher the degrees of rotation, the more you can turn the dial and change the heat output.

Generally, the higher the better, as this lets you clearly know if you’re cooking on low, medium, or high. Some knobs are also marked with high and low settings to indicate the range.

• Camp Chef Everest 2X: 1 inch, 360+ degrees
• Eureka! Ignite: 1-2 inches, 440 degrees
• Primus Profile: 1-2 inches, 120 degrees
• Coleman 3-in-1: 2 inches, 360 degrees
• Jetboil Genesis Basecamp Stove: 2 inches, 1440 degrees
• Snow Peak Home & Camp: 2 inches, 3 settings
• Kovea Slim Twin: 2 inches, 360 degrees
• Coleman Cascade Classic: 2-3 inches, 270 degrees
• Camp Chef Explorer 14: 3 inches, 180 degrees
• GSI Outdoors Selkirk 540+: 4 inches, 720 degrees

Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose a Camping Stove

This list is for car camping stoves. If you want to eat hot food while hiking or backpacking, check out our review of the best backpacking stoves. Or, if a good char is your thing, our gear guide of the best portable grills. Otherwise, read on as we break down the nitty-gritty details of camping stoves.

Number of Burners

If you spend more than 2-3 months out of the year camping — even if you are a single household — we’d recommend going for a two-burner camping stove. Two burners mean you always have the option of cooking with a pot and pan or, for instance, making one entrée alongside a vegetarian or kid-friendly option.

Not to mention, two-burner stoves are the standard. However, for those wanting something different, there are now many single-burner (and even a few three-burner) options on the market.

BTUs Explained

BTU stands for British Thermal Unit. Basically, it’s a measurement of energy and, in the case of camp stoves, heat. A gas range stove you’d find in a home has about 6,000-8,000 BTUs per burner (on average).

Lower BTUs generally mean lower-heat cooking (good for simmering and light cooking uses). While higher BTUs (anything above 10,000) indicate high-heat cooking (great for meals with longer cook times and essential for being able to quickly boil lots of water).

Time to Boil

Usually, when you go camping, you’re there to enjoy the outdoors. And yes, that also means enjoying hanging around camp and eating good camp food. One of the most essential criteria for a camp stove is its ability to boil water.

Some stoves can boil in 3 minutes, while others take as long as 10 minutes. The stove that boils the fastest marks a great stove, but doesn’t necessarily make it the best. If you are looking for certain features, say a lightweight stove or one with an igniter, you may have to sacrifice some boil time.

All the stoves we reviewed were able to efficiently light/start, heat, and reach a rolling boil in 8 minutes or less.

Simmer Control

We did a whole test on simmer control because, as we’ve mentioned, boiling water isn’t everything. In order to enjoy a good chef-quality camp meal, you want to be able to boil, but also bake, sauté, fry, simmer, grill, and more. We measured the simmering range on the flame of each burner/stove to see how they stacked up.

Performance in Wind

Think about how often and under what conditions (such as in cold weather) you’ll be using your stove. The more you expand your horizons to travel, the chances of harsh weather and wind will increase.

Knowing whether or not your stove can hold up in windy weather isn’t something you want to learn on a 10-day camping trip on the blustery New England coast. Check the specs, see if the stove has or offers a windscreen, and read up on customer reviews.

If you live somewhere windy, you can also ensure better stove performance in wind and cold by investing in more BTUs.

Fuel Types and Capacities

The majority of stoves on this list (as you can tell by the images) use one-pound propane canisters. However, a few, like the Snow Peak Home & Camp, use butane fuel. While it varies based on how long you take to cook your meals and what setting your burner is on, a one-pound canister generally lasts about three or four meals.

While traditional one-pound propane canisters are single-use, you may consider investing in a refillable propane tank, which will allow you to refill your camp canister from 20 lb. propane tanks. This can greatly simplify your camp cooking needs and keeps disposable tanks out of the landfill.

Weight and Packed Size

Weight is one of the biggest differentiators between the stoves on this list. However, these stoves are built for car camping, so you won’t really be carrying them too far. If you know you want a capable and strong two-burner, weight might not matter as much as other features.

What matters more is the packed size. There’s only so much space in your car or truck or at your campsite, so compact stoves like the Jetboil Genesis Basecamp Stove or the Snow Peak Home & Camp Burner can make a difference. 

Check to see if the stove packs down into a case, has a cover, and how the fuel line and grill can be stored. Is it all stored together? Do accessories take up more space? These are all factors to consider for your unique preferences and needs.

Ignition: Strikers vs. Matches

Strikers, also sometimes known as auto-igniters or piezo igniters, are buttons that expel a spark using electricity to ignite a stove. (It’s a process similar to the button that ignites the pilot light on your stove at home.)

Other strikers that provide a spark can be flint or metal. We always opt for a camp stove that has an integrated igniter — as long as the igniter works consistently, this is the best option.

The last option for lighting your camp stove is the good ol’ fashioned match. However, matches can be wasteful and fragile, and are not all are waterproof or can stand up to harsh weather. You can always bring flint or some matches as a backup method.

Extra Features: Griddles, Grates, Pots, and More

Think about who you’re cooking for. Is your group size usually one to two people, three to four, or a larger family? Also, consider what you’re cooking.

Do you make a lot of one-pot meals, or do you like sautéing, simmering, slicing, dicing, and baking when outdoors? Do you want to invest in these features down the road? Or do you want a stove with a compatible grill top, or a stove big enough for say, a dutch oven?

Finally, consider your budget. If you see a stove on sale for less than the others, we recommend jumping on it.

FAQ