Propane personal camp stove

[Wolf Greenblatt]

There's a kid in my family who wants to go on hiking trips of a couple of days. Nothing really fancy requiring special light-weight equipment, but he'll be on public land where you can't scavenge wood for a fire (nor would they take kindly to smelling wood smoke) so he needs a personal camp stove for cooking food and maybe for keeping a bit warm on the colder nights.

I'm thinking of getting him a small one-man propane stove for Christmas. Any suggestions based on your own experience?

I've already got some reviews from this lookup, but I am seeking personal experience here from those of you who have a small personal camp stove.

[invalid unparseable]

Try this one. It can use a butane cartridge in a hidden compartment behind the turning knob, but it also comes with adapter hose to use propane canisters. It comes with a carrying case also.

[hubops]

My fav from canoe tripping days < where weight was a factor > was a tri-pod style 1 burner it had 2 sturdy fixed legs and the propane tank formed the third leg. A simple little valve to control the flame ; light as a feather and stable. It was a god-send when you wanted a hot drink in a hurry and firewood was all wet. For night-time warmth a good foam-filled sleeping mat < not air only mattress > and good sleeping bag. John T.

[micky]

I think of something like this for backpacking:

[hubops]

That style - where your pot of boiling water or frying pan full of food is balancing on the base of the fuel can .. seems just a little precarious .. I'd want something more stable. .. although there are optional base attachments for those.

This is similar to mine :

No attachments needed. John T.

[rbowman]

I have one of these. It takes the standard bottles you can find anywhere rather than some specialized canister. It regulates nicely rather than some which go from off to blow torch.

The downside is the bulk if he's backpacking. While it has an ample base it does have a tall profile and you have to exercise a little care. Some of the squat types may be more stable but you still can't just throw a pot on them. It needs a match or some other way to light it. I'm guessing we're not talking winter mountaineering but propane/butane stoves don't work as well when it's cold or a high elevations.

fwiw, if you do go that route Walmart has a 'Ozark Trails' house brand that is less expensive than the Coleman name. I haven't used their stove but a single mantle propane lanp has worked okay.

Not what you asked for but

amazon.com/Trangia-327508-TRANGIA-28-T-Mini/dp/B000LN7HUC

is what i use most these days. The burner nests in the pot/frying pan and I thow in a ferro to keep everything together. It does require carrying a bottle of alcohol but that can be standard hardware store alcohol. A nice feature is it is absolutely silent.

[hubops]

Here's my exact model - from canoe tripping days :

John T.

[invalid unparseable]

The gas adapter head and the rickety legs will break if you put a large pot of water on the stove.

My recommendation is the best. It is sturdy, and it won't tip over to pour the whole pot of boiling water on you.

[Bob F]

Wow! A 4 lb for a stove for hiking?

I will pass.

[hubops]

To each his own, but when we would carry our 75 lb. canoe and all our gear and provisions over the portages in Algonquin Park every pound counted ! The legs on that little burner are plated steel and will easily hold anything that a sane person would try to put on it. John T.

[Bob F]

To go along with you cast iron backpacking dutch over?

[Bob F]

oven

[invalid unparseable]

I have an old one that looks like this one:

It would be the lightest one to carry.

[micky]

Plus the weight of the propane tank, too, I think.

The only problem with it that I see is that it's tilted a bit. That means you'll have to find a hill to camp on.

[Clare Snyder]

Likely level with a BernzoMatic tank - or easy enough to bend the 2 legs into a slight bow to level it with the Coleman tank - or use a small rock or stick under the tank - - - -

[rbowman]

That's what the make mules for.

[rbowman]

I'm a little skeptical about the

Item Weight ‎0.01 Kilograms

The tank will be about 2 lbs when full.

The Esbits are the lightest option but they do have limitations. They go well with freeze dried pouches.