The best camping stoves for outdoor feasting

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Best camping stoves at a glance

• Best camping stove for versatile cooking: Campingaz Party Grill 400CV camping stove, £95
• Best for a morning brew: Coleman FyreStorm PCS camping stove, £39
• Best budget single ring: Halfords portable gas stove, £18
• Best luxury single ring: Primus Moja, £149.95
• Best basic double burner camping stove: Outwell Olida stove, £75
• Best double burner for the keen camping cook: Cadac 2-Cook 2 Pro Deluxe QR, £128.99
• Best deluxe camping stove set: Primus Primetech stove set, £171.48
• Best lightweight burner: Vango Atom Stove, £33
• Best back-to-basics stove: Decathlon Wood-Burning Camping stove M-500, £59.99
• Best lightweight cooking stove set: Trangia 25-1 UL, £72

Best camping stoves to buy 2023

Campingaz Party Grill 400CV camping stove

Best camping stove for versatile cooking

An ideal choice for the enthusiastic camping cook, this stove offers a variety of cooking options for four to six people. We used the cast-iron griddle plate to cook beautifully char-lined vegetables. The hot plate works well for a fry-up. There’s also a grill and heat diffuser, and the lid can be used as a wok. It all packs into a ball in a handy carry case that’s around 5kg – not exactly lightweight, but worth it for the gourmet possibilities.

Coleman FyreStorm PCS camping stove

Best for a morning brew

We loved the all-in appeal of this diminutive stove. Weighing only 486g, it has everything you need, and a small gas canister (not included) can be popped inside the main body for easy transport. It includes a lidded 1.3l pot snugly wrapped in an insulated sleeve with a handle that doubles as a carry case.

There’s also an effective screw-on windshield. Although it does do more than boil water, we found this the perfect choice for one or two festival campers who love to wake up to a cuppa, make instant oats or whip up a cup noodle but otherwise buy food from vendors. Take additional cookware to rustle up a more ambitious one-pot meal.

Halfords portable gas stove

• Available from Halfords (£18)

Best budget camping stove

This stove couldn’t be easier to use, with a canister that slots into the body, simple temperature dial and piezo ignition (which lights the gas with an electrical spark). There’s wind protection close enough to the flame to be really effective and it easily tackled boiling and frying in windy conditions, performing better than many of the more expensive options. It comes in a carry case and at 1.85 kg is pretty light.

• Available from Halfords (£18)

Primus Moja

• Available from Amazon (£149.95)

Best luxury single burner

For simplicity and style, the Primus Moja is our go-to choice. Twist on the gas canister, light a match, turn the knob and you’re ready to cook. The stove is a powerful 3000W and the heat is adjustable. The dimensions are compact (27 x 30cm) yet the ring is a good size for a one-pot for four.

There’s also the option to take the lid off, creating space for a larger pan. The brass fixtures and practical oak carry-handle make an attractive piece of kit, plus an easily removable grate allows for no-fuss cleaning. All in all a practical and highly portable solution that felt solid, safe and sturdy.

• Available from Amazon (£149.95)

Outwell Olida stove

• Available from Amazon (£75)

Best basic double burner camping stove

We chose this product for ease of use. Hose and regulator are included, unlike some other brands of larger stove, meaning you only need to attach a gas canister and you’re ready to go. Folding up the lid and flaps either side, we found the burners were shielded from the blast of a fan, especially with two pots on the go. A carry case would have been a good addition but with neat dimensions for a double burner (47 x 32cm) and weighing 4.4kg, it still gets points for portability.

• Available from Amazon (£75)

Cadac 2-Cook 2 Pro Deluxe QR

• Available from Amazon (£128.99)

Best double burner for the keen camping cook

If you like to cook up a feast while camping, then you can’t go wrong with this cleverly-designed, versatile and easy-to-clean Cadac stove. You can switch out the generously wide rings for a non-stick hot plate or griddle, or use a combination. Heat distribution is excellent - four fried eggs cooked evenly right to the edges on the hot plate. This stove is suitable for 4–6 people but could cater for more.

Hose and regulator are not provided and you do need a larger gas canister. There’s a handy carry case but the overall weight, plus canister mean this is an option for people taking their own transport to your destination.

• Available from Amazon (£128.99)

Primus Primetech stove set

• Available from Amazon (£171.48)

Best luxury camping stove set

There’s a reason why Primus has stood the test of time. This is a well-thought-out piece of equipment with two 2.3l cooking pots (one hard anodised and the other a non-stick ‘heat exchanger’), detachable handle, windshield and burner all nestled together in a neat carry case.

We were particularly impressed with the heat exchanger pan which reduced an already efficient boiling time from 6½ mins to 4½ mins. Suitable for 2-5 people, weight 870g.

• Available from Amazon (£171.48)

Vango Atom Stove

• Available from Blacks (£33)

Best lightweight burner

If you’re short on space and need to travel light, we highly recommend the Vango Atom. It weighs just 66g and is 6cm x 4cm when folded. You will need a small gas canister too but if gas is your preferred option, we think you’ll struggle to find a smaller stove that’s as effective. The Atom is powerful, boiling enough water for two cups of tea in under 2 minutes.

You’ll need to take pans – we used the stackable Vango Hard Anodised Adventure Cook Kit with two saucepans (one with lid), and a frying pan. The stove clips conveniently on top of your gas bottle but can be a little precarious with a pot balanced on top, and is therefore not ideal with young kids or pets in tow.

The Decathlon Forclaz Remote Gas Stove Trek 500 is slightly larger (170g) and more expensive but is more stable if you have room in your backpack, plus it has a piezo lighter.

• Available from Blacks (£33)

Decathlon Wood-Burning Camping stove M-500

• Available from £59.99

Best back-to-basics stove

There’s nothing quite like gathering around a proper fire and for this you need a wood-burning stove. The warm glow and smell of burning wood create a lovely atmosphere for old-school cooking and yet the modern stainless steel design is very easy to use.

The fire took quickly using eco firelighters and kindling. We liked that you could safely light and add more wood from a small side door. Cooking took a little longer than our gas choices but the experience was worth it.

• Available from Decathlon (£59.99)

Trangia 25-1 UL

Best lightweight cooking stove set

This camping stove offers everything you need in a compact design – two saucepans and a frying pan with the latter doubling up as a lid for the saucepans, plus windshield and carry-handle. The UL stands for ultralight, which it is. There are two choices of fuel, spirit or gas.

We tested spirit (you can get bioethanol from Amazon). Again, cooking wasn’t as fast as the gas burners. The stove also has feet that you flip up or down depending on which pans you’re using and this was a little tricky when hot. That aside, it’s a clever design that packs a lot into a small space.

Which camping stove should I buy?

When making your choice, ensure you can readily purchase everything you need. Fuel type is the first consideration and below we have included gas, wood and spirit burners.

Gas stoves are the most common. For some larger stoves you may need a hose and regulator (not always included) and a bigger gas canister. For smaller stoves, there are two main types of attachment, screw or clip on – so double check before you buy as they can look similar side by side.

We found gas most efficient, providing a powerful, adjustable heat. The other two fuel types were a little slower but only by a few minutes. Wood-burning stoves offer old-school charm while a spirit burner has a higher level of portability for backpacking and hiking.

With so many on the market and options ranging from budget to blowout, it’s worth having an idea of how you’re going to use your stove.

The main considerations are weight, size and how they hold up in blustery conditions. You also need to think about what you'll be heating – if it’s just your morning cup of tea, then a pocket-sized burner covers that.

For one-pots, a single burner will suffice, but if you plan to put together more elaborate dishes or you want to make your cuppa and fry-up simultaneously, then a double burner will be better suited. Some brands also offer cookware as part of the kit, or different styles of cooking such as griddle, grill or wok.

How we tested camping stoves

We tested a representative range of camping stoves and marked them against the following criteria on our testing matrix. We cooked a fry-up and boiled a litre of water without a lid, creating windy conditions using a large fan.

Portability: We looked for stoves that were easy to transport with a sensible weight/capacity ratio.

Power: Boiling water gave us a good indication of how much power a stove could generate.

Wind shielding: We chose products that could cook our food even when the wind is up.

Safety: Stability and safety features were given extra points.

Capacity: We considered capacity versus size. Big isn’t always best, but versatility caught our attention.

Cleaning: We gave extra points to stoves that were easy to clean or could be taken apart for washing-up.

Added features: These were a bonus only where their addition outweighed extra bulk.

Camping safety

Take some basic precautions to ensure you’re using your gas stove safely. Check all equipment is in good working order. We’d recommend looking at the safety precautions and instructions for your specific stove, as they will vary.

Never cook inside your tent as the stove releases poisonous carbon monoxide fumes. Keep an eye on the flame to ensure any wind hasn’t blown it out, and we recommend giving a brand-new stove a trial build at home to ensure you have the right fuel.

For gas stoves, only change the gas cartridge when the stove is cold and in a well-ventilated area. Always remove the cartridge while travelling.

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This review was last updated in December 2022. If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability, please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.

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