If I had my say, I’d be spending half the year in an RV, with nothing but the essentials and the road beneath my feet.
You can’t live on just boxed lunches, though, which is where the best camping stoves come into play.
Depending on your culinary chops, you could cook up anything from chicken pasta to sauteed vegetables without a full-on kitchen.
At the end of the day, waking up in the great outdoors with a hot cup of coffee beats Starbucks any day of the week!
Best of all, it won’t cost you an arm and a leg if you know what to look for.
That’s where we come swooping in with the ultimate portable cooker guide!
Our Top Picks
Best Portable Gas Stove: Coleman Triton+ 2-Burner Gas Camping Stove
This Coleman propane camper stands out with its surgical precision on the temperature dials, but that’s just the beginning. It’s about the size of the average car tire and weighs around 10 pounds, which is pretty impressive for a two-burner gas unit.
The windbreakers are also a welcome addition, letting you cook in less-than-favorable weather conditions. Speaking of, the aluminized steel top is resistant to rust, while the removable grate makes it easy to clean every surface.
You can get an hour’s worth of cooking with a single one-pound propane tank, which is more than enough for a 22,000 BTU unit.
Best Portable Electric Stove: Elite Cuisine Double Buffet Burner
If you have a camper van or plan on using your car’s alternator as a power source, a compact stove like Elite Cuisine is perfect for you.
It can get you boiling water in about 15 minutes, and with 1500 watts between the two burners, it’s easy enough to whip up a nutritious meal of any kind. Also, the quality rubber feet at the bottom stop it from sliding all over the place when you stir, which is always a plus.
This thing is affordable enough as is, but if you’re a minimalist, you can also get the single-burner version, either cast or coiled.
Best Portable Induction Stove: NuWave PIC Gold Induction Cooker
Speaking of electric stoves, this Nuwave induction cooker packs some serious heat with an ergonomic design.
You can fit this beauty in most travel backpacks without issue, and you don’t have to worry about the shatter-proof ceramic cracking under the pressure. If that wasn’t enough, the fact that it’s an induction stove means it’ll be performing much faster than your average camping stove.
Capable of going up to 300 degrees Celsius, the only limit to what you can cook with it is your imagination.
Best Portable Wood Stove: EcoZoom Versa Rocket Stove
Looking to become one with the outdoors? Get your hands on whatever twigs or branches you can find at your campsite, and the Ecozoom Versa does the rest.
This surprisingly light and compact wood stove works hard and fast, and it’ll help you save on gas and electricity. Besides, unlike a lot of competitors, you won’t see a dent in the combustion chamber even after years of use.
Even when the inside is sizzling hot, you can rest assured the stainless steel handles won’t be burning your hands.
Best Pocket Stove: AOTU Portable Camping Stove
Chances are you haven’t seen anything like this, but it’s genuinely one of the best camping stoves on the market today.
For a portable cooker, AOTU packs a good punch with a potential 3000 watts of output, and it’s half the size of your modern smartphone! Once it’s unfurled and set up, expect high-intensity flames that won’t care about bad weather or strong gusts of wind.
When you’re finished, it’ll only take a minute to get it cleaned up and in its container. From there, it goes straight back into your pocket or backpack.
Other Travel Kitchen Essentials
Our favorite camp stoves are all well-oiled machines, but every gadget needs its cogs and gears to keep it going.
Here are some other things you’ll need to make the most of your cookers:
Camping cookware set
Ideally, you’ll want weather-resistant cookware you can pack up like a nesting doll.
We recommend the Alocs Camping Set, featuring two pots, a non-stick pan, a kettle, and a mesh carry bag.
For induction cookers, consider the pricier, aluminum-core Kitchen Academy Set instead, complete with a spatula and ladle.
Gas tank
With enough storage space, you can bring a few propane cylinders to keep your portable gas stove going for a long while.
This Coleman Propane bundle comes with three prefilled tanks to get you started, and you can refill and reuse them down the line.
Weatherproof lighter
Even without an outdoor kitchen, a quality lighter is essential camping gear with plenty of utility.
If you go for a wood cooker, the Extremus Blaze 360 is an electric windproof lighter with a nifty flashlight feature.
It’s also part survival whistle - we hope you won’t need it, but you’ll be glad to have it if you do!
Portable fridge cooler
What better to go along with a warm meal than cold water, or even a refreshing can of beer?
Not to mention, you may need a place to keep your food before it’s cooked.
The NationalLuna TB20 Portable Fridge offers ample storage space, amazing insulation, and the potential for below-freezing temperatures.
Key Considerations for the Best Camping Stoves
Before picking a portable cooker for your camping trip or road trip adventure, keep in mind the following factors:
Type
There are a few main energy sources for camp stoves, and they each have their pros and cons.
For instance, gas cookers are easy to set up anywhere, and they tend to heat up very quickly.
That said, they don’t work as well in cold weather, and the lower-end ones without altitude control aren’t too useful in the mountains.
Induction stoves are technically a subtype of electric ones, but the way they heat up is slightly different. In short, an induction cooker produces a magnetic field, which induces an electric current in the cookware, causing it to heat up.
Either way, these are more environmentally friendly than gas stoves, but the issue is their reliance on a power source.
A good wood stove can be pricier than the other types, but in theory, it gives you unlimited flammable materials you can use.
Unless, of course, that feels like too much of a chore, or you’re camping someplace more barren.
Size & Weight
You can expect to find quality two-burner stoves weighing 10 to 15 pounds. Single-burners or electric stoves can weigh a lot less, though.
As for size, camp cookers are pretty compact, to the point where they can fit in any decently stuffed car trunk.
Price
You can find portable stoves at just about any price, but $100 is a good estimate of the average cost.
When deciding on your budget, you should also consider the cost of the energy source. After all, gas-based cookers will have you buying more fuel regularly if you use them multiple times a day.
What’s the Verdict?
The best camping stoves come in many shapes and sizes, but they all add a lot of flavor to your traveling experience. Shameless pun, but that doesn’t make it any less true.
Whether you opt for a Coleman gas stove or the pocket-sized AOTU, you’ll never be left with an empty stomach or the no-caffeine grumps!
