Camping stoves

A hot meal and/or drink can make even the coldest of wild camps more palatable. Here’s our pick of the best MINI STOVES available right now.

Last summer I went through an ultralight reinvention, minimising my multi-day backpack weight with military precision. Toothbrush chopped in half? Check. No spare pants? Check. Labels cut out of clothing? Check. I became a gram-counting obsessive and even decided to go ‘stoveless’ for my adventures along the Pembrokeshire Coast Path and Wainwright’s Coast to Coast. This somewhat unhinged approach involved ‘coldsoaking’ – slowly rehydrating in cold water – instant noodles and camping meals. Cold chilli con carne or tepid tikka masala, anyone?

Personally, I didn’t mind the approach and I was always grateful for the weight-saving. But the taste of my meals was sub-optimal, to put it mildly. Everything could have been so different if I’d packed a simple, lightweight camping stove. I’d have been eating like a king, dining out on hot, hearty food every evening and supping on steaming hot coffee every morning. Sounds good, right? Well, in that case, do not follow my stoveless strategy (!) and instead make sure you pack a reliable, high-quality camping stove. The hot sustenance it provides will replace calories, restore your energy and boost your spirits. And I'd argue that’s definitely worth a few extra grams in your backpack.

HOW WE TESTED THE GAS STOVES

We conducted a boil test, timing how long it took each stove to boil 500ml of cold water to 100°C, as measured by a digital thermometer. The January air temperature was a cold 2°C, with variable wind up to 10mph. Where no pot was provided with the stove, a 650ml titanium pot with lid was used.

A full 230g canister of MSR Isopro gas was used for four of the stoves, while own-brand canisters were used for the Primus and Jetboil stoves.