The trusty camping stove - that one piece of equipment that makes our lives so much easier whenever we head to the coast or the countryside for a camping holiday. While there’s something quite romanticised about collecting wood and cooking your dinner on a roaring campfire, when there’s hungry mouths to feed and everything around you is soaking wet (because it will rain!), the thought of building a campfire is enough to trigger a give up and go scenario. This is where our list of the best camping stoves will help you out.
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In search of an outdoors cooker that's portable and speedy? Que your two-ringed camping stove, which conveniently folds away into its own handy carry case. Quicker than you can say kindling, the gas canisters are connected and you’re happily sizzling away the night’s dinner - not trying to set alight damp wood or burning your pack of bacon as soon as it hits the flames.
From fold-aways and griddles to woodburners and ones that recharge your devices, there is a huge array of camping stoves out there. When considering your next purchase for the camping collection, choose whether you’re looking for one that simply boils up a soup, or grills your sausage and boils your beans at the same time.
So, if you’re looking to purchase a camping stove, whether you’re a seasoned adventurer who needs lightweight gear for grafting up the highest peaks or have a family of six mouths to magically feed, our list of the best camping stoves will help you to buy the best one for your requirements so your next trip will be a great one.
If you’re looking for a device to cook as much food as possible, this camping stove is a great buy. With equal wattage coming from each hob, you can cook ingredients quickly and efficiently on each one using the flame control nozzles at the front. From boiling soup to making scrambled egg, cook complete meals or small snacks with this handy two hob cooker. You can choose to purchase a griddle separately to expand your cooking options and with the ability to remove grids and drip trays, you can easily keep it clean too. For design and ease of use, this one clinches the number one spot.
A step up from the trusty one-ring stove, this is the best all-rounder for camping holidays. With one half dedicated to boiling or pan frying and the other dedicated to grilling, for the determined among us, a meal of scrambled egg, bacon, sausage, tomato, mushrooms and beans is perfectly feasible - all you need to worry about is timings. At 3 kg, this isn’t necessarily the one you’d take on a 50 mile trek but for your next camping holiday or as a festival essential, you can’t go wrong.
If you are after a more authentic camping experience this BioLite stove makes a great first-world camp fire. Whether you’ve spent the afternoon collecting wood or bought some from the campsite shop, if you’re looking for a natural, yet controlled way to heat your food up this is a great choice. With the option to choose the heat output suitability for grilling to boiling and general cooking, cooked breakfasts and evening BBQs are on the menu for sure. And an added bonus - if you have no access to electricity, plug your phone into the USB port - yes it converts heat energy! Try asking that from your campfire!
If you’re looking for a light yet versatile stove, look no further than the Base Camp Kelly Kettle - the perfect companion if you’re travelling in the wilderness. Sticks, pine cones or even animal dung - it’ll burn anything to heat water. First and foremost, it is a kettle and will happily boil up to 5 large cups of water at a time; that’s great if there’s a large group of you that need warming up. Detach the kettle, and you have a grill for cooking on or pop a pot over the chimney of the kettle, and you can re-hydrate food or heat up soup. All things considered, this one is a no-brainer for explorers.
If there’s one continuous theme running through the reviews for the Esbit Titanium Stove, it’s the size. Perfectly petite, this stove is small enough to slip inside a pocket and comes in its own pouch. It specifically burns Espit solid fuel tablets, which means you don’t have to bother collecting wood or finding space for gas canisters. If you’re planning on trying to cook full on meals, we recommend any of our top 4, but for boiling up water for cups of tea and heating up tins of soup, you can’t go wrong with this amazingly cheap, petite yet strong contraption.
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Kick back and relax with your dinner in a comfy camping chair and check out our list of the best tents for all kinds of adventures.
