The Perfect Camp Stove

[MMc]

I’ve been using the Camp Chef Everest 2 burner stove for years now. industry leading heat, simmer control could be better, but i’m still wind it’s not bad.
But if you need to boil water or use med/high heat it can’t be beat. less than the Genesis and Cook Partner.
Which is funny as i’d like to get another stove, and those are the only other two i’d consider.
I just like stoves.

I had the same stove before the Cook Partner that I now use. After a long day of washboard in Baja, I discovered the gas line to the second burner had broken. I crimped it back and had it brazed. CampChef said I voided the warranty. I was day 2 on a 2 week surf trip. I am done with Camp Chef and their product line.

 

[Lazynorse]

I like my stove slim, for weight and packing. Thus, Kovea Slim Twin propane.

Used Colemans for years before I got fancy, those heat a pan just like a Partner stove.

 

[Downs]

I like my stove slim, for weight and packing. Thus, Kovea Slim Twin propane.

Used Colemans for years before I got fancy, those heat a pan just like a Partner stove.

I've also always used Colemans and Magellan branded stuff. Still do, other than a jetboil to make ramen or coffee, though thinking of going to a jetboil 2 burner or some other higher end unit. Don't get me wrong the Colemans and Magellans have always worked for me but the heat/flame control has always sucked. It's either so low it's being blown out or Saturn V scorching my cast iron griddle. There's not a lot of in between control.

 

[genocache]

Johnson Outdoors who owns Eureka announced they are closing the Eureka brand. Products will be available until sold out.

From Outdoor Retailer;
The Eureka product lines will be available for sale through the end of 2024 as Johnson Outdoors winds down Eureka's operations. Johnson Outdoors announced that it is exiting its Eureka product lines to focus on the cooking segment, including its Jetboil franchise.Oct 19, 2023

 

[Norbwillm]

I've been using a wood stove for camping for over 10 years now, and I can't imagine going without it. It's the best way to cook a hot meal in the wilderness, and it also provides a nice source of heat on chilly nights.
I've used a variety of different camping pellet stove over the years, but my favorite is the Solo Stove Campfire. It's lightweight, portable, and incredibly efficient. I've used it in all kinds of weather, from hot summers to cold winters, and it's always performed flawlessly.

 

[Alanymarce]

Open fire when permitted, Woods backpacker stove as plan B (light packs into a small box. If you want more time between new cylinders use the bigger cylinder).

 

[Sierra Outdoors]

Have you considered the aluminum Camp Chef Mountaineer? Detachable legs are optional....

View attachment 199771

This looks really nice. Are the legs a screw on or does it snap in? And if it's screw in, is it a pain to get this set up for somebody that keeps moving from location to location?

 

[Truckee]

I don't have this exact stove but I have another Camp Chef with similar legs. The legs line up and you screw them in with "thumb" screw. No special tools needed. Quick and easy.

 

[Noeltfg]

I appreciate the simplicity of the Dweller camping pellet stove. It's a little heavy, obviously not suitable for backpacking. Despite being bulky, it's an impressive stove and I love the clear glass design for great viewing. With an oven is great for cooking while camping in the wild.

 

[mirinda]

Thank you for all these suggestions I am looking for a good warmer mine is too old.

Mini Militia App Lock​

 

[genocache]

I just found this stove; what is old is new again; it is KISS, runs on lamp oil so fuel storage isn't much of an issue. Durn expensive though and that's why I don't have one.

Winnerwell® Iron Camping Cooker Stove SKU 910265 - winnerwell.com

www.winnerwell.com

 

[genocache]

I typically hate knock-offs. But this popped up.....

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806254731810.html?src=google&src=google&albch=rmkt&acnt=576-373-4425&albcp=16255467009&albag=&slnk=&trgt=&plac=&crea=&netw=x&device=c&mtctp=&albbt=Google_7_rmkt&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgbuB4d2QhAMVmC-tBh0T_QTbEAQYASABEgIJNPD_BwE&aff_fcid=026fb1eeedc34747a90c1ca6e3c39505-1707016973312-00294-UneMJZVf&aff_fsk=UneMJZVf&aff_platform=aaf&sk=UneMJZVf&aff_trace_key=026fb1eeedc34747a90c1ca6e3c39505-1707016973312-00294-UneMJZVf&terminal_id=921c77bff8784c57962bbe623d31ac88&afSmartRedirect=y&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa

I did see that, the first link the $14.35 is for the wick not the stove. If you highlight the stove picture you get the stove price $396.02, still too expensive and they probably make them for the first company.

 

[Truckee]

Good catch! I'll delete the post to not mislead.

 

[cug]

I've given up on gas stoves. Just not my thing, dealing with wind, open flame, refilling bottles or using throwaways, ... it's just not for me. So, I use this setup now:



And just now working on installing a 12V travel oven to add a secondary way of heating things or keeping things warm.

Results have been pretty good so far ...

 

[Dave in AZ]

Interesting, but kind of like clickbait a bit? The absolute key with induction is how much battery you have to use.
A 20lb propane bottle holds the same energy as 95 100Ah 12v lithium batteries. Ninety five. A small 1 lb propane bottle is the same as 4.75 100Ah 12v batteries, 475Ah.
So the real crux of the matter is, how are you powering this? Talking about induction without explaining where/how it is being powered, especially in an overland situation, just seems tricksy to me...

 

[cug]

So the real crux of the matter is, how are you powering this? Talking about induction without explaining where/how it is being powered, especially in an overland situation, just seems tricksy to me...

Sorry, didn't mean to make this in any way "click-bait" or "tricksy".

I guess it depends on the definition of overlanding. We are driving pretty much every day, have 200Ah batteries in the truck and re-charge with up to 55A. So, a max of four hours driving is good for a full charge. The dinner shown in the photo above (overall about 30 minutes cook time on the induction top), some runtime on a 900W electric heater (not long, just to heat the tiny cabin of the Alu-Cab Canopy Camper), hot coffee in the morning, lights, and some phone charging got the batteries down to 65% or so. That was re-charged in a pretty short time on our way to the next camp (and that 65% number is from memory, I actually think it was better, but haven't written it down anywhere – a typical fully cooked meal is about 20 to 30% of our battery capacity).

I got so sick and tired of gas bottles and overpriced stoves. And your equivalency numbers are useless as they don't account for efficiency of energy use. Even a home gas stove has only 1/3 efficiency compared to an induction top, a camping stove in the slightest wind drops to even lower numbers to the point where I've seen it being barely usable even on high power.

 

[cug]

All driven by this (photo taken during the build last year):



and this:

 

[Dave in AZ]

All driven by this (photo taken during the build last year):

View attachment 274557

and this:

View attachment 274558

Good info, very useful, thx! So 200Ah and a 55A charger. Interesting. I have a Tune, so very similar to Alu-Cab canopy camper.

I have a 1536 Watt-hr power station, so 1.2Ah, and a 100Ah 12v battery. Also a 3072 Watt-hrs expansion battery, so 360 or 460Ah if needed. Sounds like I have plenty to go induction. I only have 25A charging while driving though.

I have the same duxtop burner. Been getting tired of lugging my dual burner coleman and 5 lb propane, and also a backup coleman dualfuel sportster. I think I will try the induction for a weekend and see how it all budgets out.
Thx

 

[cug]

Good info, very useful, thx! So 200Ah and a 55A charger. Interesting. I have a Tune, so very similar to Alu-Cab canopy camper.

I found that most people overestimate the power requirements for induction cooking and massively underestimate the inefficiency of propane – the slightest wind can bring efficiency down way below 1/3 of the efficiency of induction. Even taking the number above regarding a 20lbs bottle having 95 times the energy of a 100Ah 12V battery, following that math means 47 times the capacity I have, at best efficiency for the propane that would result in about 16 times usable power. And that's in the best of circumstances, no wind and a good stove or range – the efficiency number is from the Department of Energy for home use. Which doesn't account for wind driving the flame away from your pot – which can easily take away another 50 to 80% of the produced heat.

Most of my cooking happens at 400 to 600W according to my Kill-A-Watt meter. Initial heat up with 1200 to 1500W, I don't go full high since I don't want to kill my pots and pans, then I can turn it down significantly. We heat water with an electric kettle, it's not as fast as a MSR Windburner, but not much slower either.

I've tracked a few things I regularly cook regarding their power consumption:

Task	Ah needed
Boiling water for coffee or tea for two people, three to four times a day	5Ah per two big mugs
Cooking scrambled eggs, no other incredients, we will do this only sometimes, not every day	5Ah
Cooking a one pan dish with chicken, vegetables, rice (pre-cooked rice)	up to 40Ah (but that's an upper limit, did it twice, one was around 30Ah, the other around 37Ah, it depends on the incredients)
Cooking noodles for two	15Ah
Re-heating left overs	5Ah to 10Ah
Scrambled eggs with veggies (including mushrooms which take rather long on high(ish) heat to evaparate moisture and cook down a bit)	20Ah

So, most of these take a max of 20% of my overall battery capacity. We rarely ever drive less than two hours per day which would re-charge 50% of the total capacity I have which I have so far not ever used in a single day. Plus there is solar. Currently I don't have solar installed, but plan on a 150W CIGS panel at some point. That should extend the time we could stay in a single place to three days depending on weather. We haven't stayed longer than two days in a single place so far.

Oh, and IF we go into a hotel, we can use our gear in the room to cook there ...

UPDATE: corrected my own math, it's 95, not 85 times ...

 

[WYWander]

Whew...all the rabbit holes. Camp stoves are on the new squaredrop build docket and this thread came up. I like your argument for induction, @cug, but I'm so used to cooking with flame that I'm not sure I want to switch away... I own a Camp Chef something, but dislike the lack of flame control. Might keep it for a kid's hand-me-down, but I won't be using it again.

I've been considering just a propane griddle for the majority of cooking and just heating water on the fire or a rocket stove.(I'm assuming it's pretty inefficient to heat a percolating coffee pot on a griddle.) Does anyone do that? Any regrets?