New advice on a good car camping stove for one

[Marko Botsaris]

I'm going on a long multi-part trip in May, and I am going to keep things cheap by mostly car camping. My ultralight stoves are really not ideal for this. Looking for suggestions for a stove for car camping for one person. The criteria in order of importance are:

(1) Needs to be able to cook regular grocery store food, and using easy to find gas cans. In other words do a good simmer. If you have more thoughts on fuel choices I'd like to hear. This is new territory for me because up to now I have done car camping cooking (rare) ultralight style using ultralight techniques and dehydrated food.

(2) Sized for one person – assume that would be one burner only.

(3) Reasonably tough.

(4) Reasonably cheap – no Titanium necessary :-)

(5) Reasonably efficient.

(6) Reasonably compact and light, just for ease of use and storage in car.

I'm guessing what I want might be closer to the full-featured backpacking stoves of yore.

Thoughts, suggestions, raspberries or rotten tomatoes welcome.

[Paul Magnanti]

Many thrift stores often sell the old-style dual burner whitegas Coleman stoves for cheap [1]. Often work right out of the box. If not, spare parts (o-rings come to mind) are dirt cheap and easy to find..often online.

A quick ebay search shows working stoves, if a little beat up, for $25 shipped.

Tried, true and easy to field repair.

If you want something simpler, the single burner propane stoves work. The 1lb canisters can be found almost anywhere (big box stores, grocery stores, small camp stores). ~$25 for a Century or store brand one (Ozark at Walmart for example). This one only puts out 5000 BTUs..other for a little more money put out 10k BTU.
http://bit.ly/1bwT5YX

A third option is to purchase a used white gas stove that can also run on auto fuel. Simmering may be an issue.

1. With an adapter, the WG stove can run on propane. I use mine in this fashion and have it rigged up to a 5lb propane tank. I use the white gas for cold weather car camping.

[Theron Rohr]

I use a portable butane stove used for catering and Asian style cooking at the table. They're cheap and widely available as is the fuel. Only thing is they might not work around freezing temps. But lighter, cheaper and easier to use than propane I think.

[Valerie E]

Marko,

The classic Coleman stoves are really good, I've cooked Pad Thai, chicken & rice, pancakes, even omelets on our 2-burner stove. They can simmer quite well (although you might need a wind screen for that).

As Mags mentioned, the propane tanks are easy to find and cheap.

I'd recommend something like one of these two:

[Marko Botsaris]

This one seem like it might not be too bad from that category:

[Paul Magnanti]

Butane is good around 40-45F IIRC..then it really loses efficiency.

Would not work well for many places where people camp in the mountains.

Car camping meals with two types of stoves mentioned. The old style propane burner was my first "backpacking stove"  ..egads! :)

[Jerome H.]

Nowadays I'm limited to car camping with my growing family.

In terms of cheap one person burners, maybe a burner like this?
http://www.webstaurantstore.com/1-burner-butane-countertop-range-portable-stove-with-brass-burner/472BR1800.html?utm_source=Bing&utm_medium=CPC&utm_campaign=Product_Ads&utm_term=472BR1800

with this as fuel:
http://smile.amazon.com/GasOne-Butane-Fuel-Canister-Pack/dp/B0022BUT2O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1430161659&sr=8-1&keywords=butane+canisters

Usually if I'm with the family, I'll use a Coleman Triton stove. But if I want to use an "ultralight" stove for fun, I'll use a Kovea Spider with a Kovea LPG adapter which can attach to a 1lb. Coleman propane bottle. The Kovea adapters work well on the Spider as well as Snow Peak stoves and burners (the adapter, unfortunately, does not work on the Soto Windmaster). It even works on my Snow Peak LI burner (yes, the big burner people make fun of: http://snowpeak.com/products/gigapower-li-stove-gs-1000?variant=671131993) so I don't have to buy the more expensive isobutane canisters.

[Theron Rohr]

Lol, that's the exact one I have. (The iwatani one.) It has a built in lighter and the cooking surface lifts out for easy cleaning. I much prefer it to my sisters classic Coleman two burner. If you are going to use it a lot I would find an appropriately sized cardboard box to make a loose fitting windscreen out of.

[Sharon J.]

"This one seem like it might not be too bad from that category:

http://www.amazon.com/Stove-Butane-Single-Case-000/dp/B002QUT3AU/ref=zg_tr_3400941_2"

I had a similar-style one I picked up at an Asian Grocery (Ranch99) for about half that. It worked well for what I needed it to do, which was a couple of days car-camping outside of Yosemite in the summer.

[David Thomas]

I'll second the single-burner Coleman propane stove. $23.88 for the actual Coleman one. $16.75 for the Stansport version. Works fine at cold temps (I bring one snow camping). Fuel is cheaper than butane. Bigger burner and bigger base than BP stoves have. Base and burner head semi-nest to be reasonably compact. Fuel available at any sports, hardware, plumbing or grocery store.

Next trick: bring a full-on kitchen pot. With a thick, aluminum-disk in the base for great heat distribution. And an attached handle. And a real lid. Of course, I JB-welded aluminum HX fins on the bottom, but if you know me, you'd expect that. If you can't swipe one from home, look in a thrift store.

And bring two feet of heavy-duty aluminum foil as a wind screen.

[Matt Dirksen]

I'd recommend a stove which uses commonly available fuel in the area you are traveling in (that might be sold at campgrounds), is easy to light, and has a low profile. Wind protection is always a great feature, but extra aluminum foil can suffice just as well.

In other words, (in my area), I'd recommend a low profile propane stove. For simplicity's sake, propane is much easier to work with than white gas, and there aren't the adaptability issues that butane bottles/cartridges can occasionally have.

Example 1:
http://www.coleman.com/product/powerpack-1-burner-stove/2000020931?contextCategory=2010#.VT6dMyFVhBc

Example 2:
http://www.coleman.com/product/perfectflowtrade-basic-propane-stove/3000001223?contextCategory=2010#.VT6dbCFVhBc

If you want more bells & whistles, there are options galore.

[Stephen M]

I keep a Primus Omni fuel just for car camping, often on ebay cheap.

[Ben H.]

I would suggest the old coleman 2-burner propane camping stove:

http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-2000020943-Classic-Propane-Stove/dp/B00005OU9D/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1430178504&sr=8-1&keywords=camping+stove+coleman

(1) Easy to find and cheap fuel
(2) You mention 1-burner, but how often do you use two burners when cooking at home? Make your breakfast and coffee at the same time!
(3) tough as dirt
(4) $40
(5) coleman has been making these things for years and they get 4-stars on amazon for a reason
(6) not as compact as a one burner but sooo much more stable and nice to use

[David Thomas]

>"(2) You mention 1-burner, but how often do you use two burners when cooking at home? Make your breakfast and coffee at the same time!"

Or, better yet, get a 3-burner. You can make breakfast, lunch and dinner all at once, and then be able to drive all day long with stopping. Now that's a real road trip!

[Paul Magnanti]

The WG stove was a gift from my then girlfriend. (Well before Mrs Mags).

Truth-be-told, the propane IS easier to use. Which is why I have the converter:
http://www.amazon.com/Century-Regulated-Propane-Converter-Grey/dp/B000GPLIZU

For any propane based stoves:

The 1lb propane bottles aren't easily recyclable and can add up in price. I bought a 5lb propane tank on sale and use that. Kinda pricey as they don't make as many of these vs the more popular 20lb tanks, but it is nice to not have to worry about fuel as much. The 5lb tanks pack really well, too. And after a 5+ years of using the 5lb tank, I am at least even when buying all those green canisters. Costs me less than $4 to fill it up at the local propane place.

Here's our car camping tote with stove, propane tank, dishes, tent, cookware, utensils and other items. The 5lb tank fits in nicely. It is a car camping kit in a box. :)

If someone goes this route, and I suggest you do as it is more economical/less futzing, you need to purchase a converter hose for the Coleman type stoves to to the larger propane tanks:

[Nick Gatel]

Your best bet is a white gas Coleman two burner with the adapter Paul mentioned. They work well with the adapter. I just gave 2 of them to my local charity last month. The 16 oz green canisters are mostly propane, with a much higher pressure than the iso blends we use for backpacking, so they work better in cold weather, plus they are cheaper than a 8oz ISO blend canister. One problem with the small 5lb bulk tanks is most refill places have a minimum charge, which is 5 gallons – the amount required to fill a larger 20lb tank. Plus these bulk tanks have an expiration date of 7 years if I remember correctly.

You can buy a brand new 2 burner propane stove for around $50 at big box sporting goods and department stores.

Another option would be to buy a stove that you could use for winter backpacking trips, like a WindPro II, which is maybe more than you want to spend.

Or… Just buy a travel trailer, that was my wife's solution :)

[Dale Wambaugh]

If you are going to use a single burner, you might as well use a hiking canister stove. We use a 2-burner propane camp stove for car camping. They all work and I would just pick one that has the features and price you like. I think I got ours on sale at REI for $35. They fold down flat, so they don't take a lot of of space.

The two burner models are stable and will take large pots or frypan. You can simmer on one while boiling a pot of pasta, etc on the other.

[Paul Magnanti]

I knew the tanks expired, but not sure when. Looks like it is 12 years. Then you re-certify.

This link was very interesting (never knew about the TW designation)

http://toponautic.blogspot.com/2014/02/did-you-know-propane-tanks-do-expire.html

Looks like I am good until Dec 2021! :)

Yeah, I like the white gas with a converter as it is essentially a multi-fuel stove that way. When we were camping in Chaco Canyon one December (-7F !) , I was glad to have the white gas. OTOH, for warmer camping, the propane is more convenient.

[Nick Gatel]

I have heard it is cheaper to just buy new ones than re-certify unless you have big tanks. We had two 40lb tanks on our old camper and the new one has two 30 lb tanks. Standard BBQ tanks are 20 lb and fairly inexpensive.

I once had a small one like Paul's and would fill it when I took one of the BBQ tanks to be filled, so I could avoid the minimum charge most place charge.

Of course, living in So Cal, we can use an outdoor grill 365 days a year — sorry had to put that in ;)

Actually we need to fill our camper tanks about every other month. Our camping cooking equipment (stove and grill) looks like this….

I enjoy these kinds of threads where there is outdoor living aside from backpacking.

[Marko Botsaris]

Lots of great feedback. Damn, now I've actually got to think. I still like the idea of a compact one-burner stove. I like to think I can manage with one. On the regular upright camp stoves it seem like they would be potentially unstable in the somewhat hypothetical scenario where I use a wrought iron skillet. A lot to think about.

Nick, form that angle the last pic looks like some sort of space probe.

[Nick Gatel]

You mean cast iron, right? Yeah, you need a sturdier stove.

I had a Coleman stove that had an optional griddle for one side of the stove. When my son was out of college we spent one Christmas vacation together in Joshua Tree. One morning we were planning on driving south to day hike a slot canyon. It was really too cold and windy to comfortably cook breakfast at our campsite, so we drove to our canyon where it was much warmer. Cooked breakfast at the trailhead. Bacon, eggs, oatmeal and coffee.

[Paul Magnanti]

"I enjoy these kinds of threads where there is outdoor living aside from backpacking."

While I love backpacking, there are many great areas that aren't really backpacking destinations. And car camping, be it in established camp ground or a primitive site, is a great way to see these places.

The Puebloan ruins through the four corners area immediately come to mind. Our trips to Chaco Canyon and Hovenweep are among the favorite trips the wife and I took together.

And while I could use backpacking gear for a base-camp style trip, I do believe in bringing more appropriate tools for the job. The stove discussion we are having is a case in point.  My backpacking stoves would work OK I suppose. But if I am base camping, and weight is not an issue, I'd rather not eat backpacking food.  Other luxuries include camp chairs, a portable table (works well for non-established sites) and a good sized kitchen. True to my heritage, when I have the chance to cook well, I will. :) (My grandmother passed away five years ago today.  I think she would approve.)

The younger , and perhaps bit more arrogant to be honest, long distance hiker version of me used to poo-poo car camping.

The more mature version of me who just enjoys being outside as much I can, has embraced it as it allows my wife and I, to expeirence the outdoors in many different ways and to see many different places not normally seen by backpacking.  

[Matt Dirksen]

"(My grandmother passed away five years ago today. I think she would approve.)"

And I very much thank & "bless" you for honoring the memory of your grandmother on this day.

I'm sure she'd approve of that, too…

:)

[Dan Yeruski]

Get an Origo single burner alcohol stove. Use denatured alcohol readily available all over the USA. I'm using mine while camping here in California.

You can get used origo's on ebay also.

Edit to say: alcohol stoves are "quiet" ;)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dometic-Origo-1500-alcohol-stove-1-burner-/131426161575?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e999c13a7

[Joel Benford]

The last time I went car camping, there wasn't room for all the stuff people wanted to bring in the car. They had pillows under their feet and sleeping bags on their laps in the back seat. A bit of actual camping gear, like inflatable mats instead of folding beds, would have come in handy.

If you were in Britain I'd suggest this:

https://www.alpkit.com/products/koro

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