Home
Win $500!
Gear
Backpacks
Boots
Clothing
Sleeping Bags
Tents
Stoves
Food
Maps
GPS
Tips Beginners
Navigation
Safety
Fun!
Photo Contest
What's New!
Other About Us
Contact Us
Privacy Policy
Resources
Teton Crest Trail

Subscribe To This Site
XML RSS
Add to Google
Add to My Yahoo!
Add to My MSN
Subscribe with Bloglines

What's the best Backpacking Stove?

Best Backpacking Stove - An Essential Guide to finding the perfect stove for you! Read the Reviews!

Win $500! Enter Contest Here or Scroll Down

Learn about and enter more Backpacking Contests here.






Here are some tips and guidelines to help you decide on the best backpacking stove.

Backpacking stoves can be divided up into 5 categories:

  • Canister Stoves
  • Liquid Fuel Stoves
  • Multi-Fuel Stoves
  • Alternative (Alcohol) Fuel Stoves
  • Homemade Stoves

Before deciding on the best hiking stove, there are some things to consider. Weight would probably be the biggest factor. When manufacturers advertise the weight of a camp stove, remember that they are not adding in the fuel weight. Another concern would be cook-time. The better the fuel and the more fuel output, the faster your cook-time.

Click here for an Essential Guide on Lightweight Backpacking Stoves



Alternative and homemade stoves that run on fuel like Alcohol, generally have higher cook-times which results in more fuel being used. Look through the different types of stoves below and follow the guidelines to find the best backpacking stove for you.



CANISTER STOVES

If weight and efficiency are your biggest contenders when deciding on the best camp stove, then a canister stove might be your greatest option. Typically the stove-piece will twist/thread into and sit on top of the fuel canister. Sometimes though, there will be a short fuel line connecting the stove-piece and the fuel canister.

These stoves are small and lightweight and work very well for individuals or small groups. Isobutene is the primary fuel source. They also have relatively fast boiling times at 2 – 5 minutes on average. One of the only drawbacks is that they can be a bit unstable when the stove-piece sits on top of the fuel canister.

Remember, the best backpacking stove for someone else, might not be the best backpacking stove for you! Shop smart and you'll come away happy.



LIQUID FUEL STOVES

These are very similar to the canister stoves except that they use petroleum distillates like white gas or kerosene rather than isobutene. The reason you might want to use white gas or kerosene is because they are the best fuels for cold weather camping.

Isobutene doesn’t work well below 15 °F and unlike white gas and kerosene, can’t deliver powerful enough heat to melt snow. I would choose white gas over kerosene because kerosene is not pure and can clog up your lines and shorten the life of your camp stove. These fuel types usually come in larger containers that have a pump for pressurizing. Great for bigger groups.

Read Backpacking Stove Reviews here!





MULTI-FUEL STOVES

This is a type of liquid fuel stove that is able to run efficiently on many types of liquid fuel including white gas, kerosene, diesel, and unleaded automobile fuel. Best used when world traveling or when access to conventional camp stove fuel will not be reliable.





ALTERNATIVE (ALCOHOL) STOVES

If you are looking for something cheap and environmentally friendly and are willing to forgo on fast cook-time and efficiency, then considering alternative fuel or alcohol stoves might be best for you. Alcohol stoves or Zen stoves are typically lightweight and don’t require a heavy fuel canister.

A water bottle for holding the alcohol will do. And it is odorless. It also is extremely quiet and has a nearly invisible flame. This might make it difficult to judge your flame danger though. Not a good option for cold weather or large groups, but if you’re traveling alone or light in mild temperatures and want take as little from the environment as possible, then this might be a great option for you.

Read Backpacking Stove Reviews here!

HOMEMADE STOVES

These are typically alcohol stoves made from scratch. They can be manufactured out of soda cans and cost mere pennies. Not to mention, they are extremely lightweight camp stoves. Some disadvantages are that there is a learning curve and let’s face it, a stove made of soda cans is going to really require some gentle looking after in order to no accidently damage it. Now that you know a little bit more about backpacking stoves, I hope you’ll enjoy making the right decision.

Read Backpacking Stove Reviews here!


Are you looking for great deals on the best backpacking stove?











It's Not just About the Camp Stoves

  • Backpacking Backpacks

  • Solo Camping Tents

  • GPS Buying Guide

  • Best Camp Stove Picture Contest

    A $500 visa gift card could be yours to spend at your favorite gear store? (or anywhere else for that matter!) All you have to do is enter to win!

    It’s effortless to enter and only takes a couple of minutes! Be sure you know the Terms and Conditions as well as the Rules for Entry.

    You don’t have to be an expert, just tell us what you know!

    Share with us your best backpacking stove photo. The most attractive and creative photo with the best story gets the big cash prize!

    Did you balance your MSR Pocket Rocket on the edge of a canyon cliff while whipping up a batch of Ramen?

    Share your photo and story to inspire others!

    Maybe you rocked out a backcountry snowboarding trip with a Snow Peak Giga Power Li and made hot sausage and scrambled eggs and the stove worked great (because, well it’s made for high altitude winter conditions!)? Share your adventure and your pictures!

    Give us the highlights about your best backpacking stove photo and include the story about your adventure and how this stove worked for you!

    Here’s what you have to do. Fill out the following form and make sure you include your picture. Each entry will be scored using points (100 total) on the following factors:

    Entry MUST be 200 - 500 words or more. This is roughly two paragraphs.

    Make sure you opt to enter your email address so we can contact you if you win!

    After you click Click to Win or Submit Your Contest Entry, the next page will allow you to enter your email address. (Your email address is always safe and will NEVER be shared)

  • Use of Picture (40 points) – If you include a nice, well lit picture of your stove in action, you’ll get lots of points! (a second picture (or more!) would be nice too! *hint hint*) Only original / non-copied pictures please!

  • Quality and Organization of Entry (40 points) - This is important folks! Make sure that all the highlights of your story and the best photo of your camping stove in action are in an easy to understand format with correct grammar and spelling of words. Original writing only, do not copy! We will know if you have copied someone else's work!

  • Your Personal Flair (20 points) - This is the fun part! We want to see some creativity. Get descriptive. Don’t be shy. Tell us the story behind that camping stove photo. Share something interesting! A good way to do this is to tell a story.

  • Facebook & Twitter (BONUS 20 POINTS!!!) - Using the buttons at the bottom of this page, you can Share this contest on Facebook and Tweet about it on Twitter. 10 points for Facebook and 10 points for Twitter. We’ll keep track of your entries and award you up to 20 additional bonus points!

    The winner will be announced right here on May 15th 2012. Enter the contest as many times as you'd like by May 14th 2012 at 11:59pm.

    The more times you enter, the better chance you have of winning!


  • Best Camp Stove Picture

    Submit Your Best Camp Stove Picture for a Chance to Win $500!

    Enter Your Title

    Go from the Best Backpacking Stove to Backpacking Home


     

    Gear Deals







    The North Face 20%-60% off

    win 100 dollars

    Win a $100 Visa Gift Card
    Backpacking Food and Recipes Contest!