Camp Stoves, lets discuss

[Tex68w]

I plan to carry a Skottle to do most of my grilling and frying while traveling, but I obviously need a stove as well for boiling water/vegetables, making soup, pasta, chili, beans, etc. I want something simple, durable, and reliable. Most of the options I am seeing from Camp Chef, Coleman, and others are propane bottle use only, I don't want to be forced into propane as my only option for fuel. I found a Coleman Guide Series Powerhouse model that appears to be a dual fuel system which is much more attractive as having a white fuel option is more efficient. That said, it appears to be a bigger stove and far less streamlined.

Am I over thinking this here or is a propane only stove fine even though it's less efficient and requires a specific bottle? I mean after all, I will be using bottles for the Skottle as well, but I'd like to keep from having an entire pallet of the consumable bottles on board just to be able to cook.

Is one of these brands better than the other? I hear great things about Partner Stoves as well, but their website is archaic and extremely vague so I can't get much detail about their product or pricing. Thanks for any insight here!

 

[jonnyquest]

The Coleman Powerhouse is dual fuel, gasoline and white gas (Coleman fuel). You can get an adapter to run the Powerhouse with propane. https://www.amazon.com/Stansport-18...sr=8-5&keywords=coleman+propane+stove+adapter

The problem with propane is that the fuel containers are much bigger than the equivalent energy in white gas. I use Coleman fuel lanterns and stoves. A gallon lasts a long time. I can take a week long trip and have a lot of fuel left over.When I want to grill, I use charcoal. I have added a propane powered fire pit which is truly glamping. It is so convenient compared to gathering or buying wood for a campfire but it and the tank take up a huge amount of space. It uses a little over a gallon for an evening campfire. I'm using an 11 lb tank, so a week long trip is going to require several refills along the way. I guess it comes down to the space available and how often you want to resupply.

 

[jonnyquest]

The cool thing about older Coleman stoves and lanterns is there are no rubber o-rings for seals. They use brass compression fittings. You can leave them stored away for 10 years and they will still work just fine. White gas does require a bit more futzing compared to propane to get going but it's not that big of a deal. Plus temperature has no impact on function with white gas.

You can find NOS (new old stock) Coleman stoves on eBay with shipping right around $100.

 

[perterra]

You can pick up a Coleman dual fuel two burner and add a propane adaptor, it will allow you to use either white gas, gasoline, 1# propane or even a 20# if you have the hose.

If you want a single burner, MSR and Optimus (and I think Primus) all make small dual fuel isobutane/gasoline back packing stoves.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

I have a Powerhouse in the garage that was used a few times before picking up our Camp Chef, also have about a half dozen older Coleman stoves in great condition (used to collect them), if you decide to go the Coleman route let me know.

 

[Tex68w]

I have a Powerhouse in the garage that was used a few times before picking up our Camp Chef, also have about a half dozen older Coleman stoves in great condition (used to collect them), if you decide to go the Coleman route let me know.

What made you leave the Coleman's behind and go with the Camp Chef and propane only cooking?

 

[jeep-N-montero]

What made you leave the Coleman's behind and go with the Camp Chef and propane only cooking?

2 things, first thing is the altitude and the Camp Chef seems to put out more btu's at 9,500 feet, second thing is some wives are just better with a simple propane setup. Other than that the Coleman units are great.

 

[tarditi]

I have several as well - prefer my Camp Chef everest due to BTU output and fine flame control, but have a smaller coleman 2-burner in my dosko (everest doesn't quite fit) if I'm camping compact. When we go multi-family car camping, I bring several stoves so we can have a dedicated stove for coffee/water, etc. and other(s) for cooking.

 

[Martinjmpr]

We used a Camp Chef propane folding camp stove for 5 years of camping with our teardrop and T@B and last year we upgraded to a large, stand-alone unit:
.
https://www.amazon.com/Camp-Chef-EX...0490&sr=8-3&keywords=camp+chef+propane+cooker
.
We haven't looked back. Yes, it takes up some space in the tow vehicle (see my signature line though... ) but it puts out enough heat that it makes cooking much easier and much quicker. It's also nice to have a stand-alone unit that doesn't take up table space. No little 1lb cylinders, we carry the 20lb refillable tanks and never have to worry about running out.
.
I still have white gas lanterns and a couple of white gas stoves (413G and H.) When I'm by myself I like the white gas stoves, but they are more labor intensive (since you have to manually pump them to pressurize the fuel.) You can find used stoves for $5 if you look around or shop yard sales in the Summer.
.
If you don't like the 1lb cylinders (and I don't) then get an adapter to use a refillable tank and buy a tank in 5, 10 or 20lb size (you can carry a 20lb propane tank easily in a milk crate - you have a pickup, IIRC, so you don't even have to worry about gas vapors.)

 

[jeep-N-montero]

I have several as well - prefer my Camp Chef everest due to BTU output and fine flame control, but have a smaller coleman 2-burner in my dosko (everest doesn't quite fit) if I'm camping compact. When we go multi-family car camping, I bring several stoves so we can have a dedicated stove for coffee/water, etc. and other(s) for cooking.

We have an Everest for my solo trips as well as an older 2 burner 16 inch Pro Deluxe model (the newer ones are only 14 inches deep) that just keeps on going no matter how many times I threaten to replace it with a newer one. It is big and heavy though with 2 griddles and the grill box, but it does everything you need it to.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

We used a Camp Chef propane folding camp stove for 5 years of camping with our teardrop and T@B and last year we upgraded to a large, stand-alone unit:
.
https://www.amazon.com/Camp-Chef-EX...0490&sr=8-3&keywords=camp+chef+propane+cooker
.
We haven't looked back. Yes, it takes up some space in the tow vehicle (see my signature line though... ) but it puts out enough heat that it makes cooking much easier and much quicker. It's also nice to have a stand-alone unit that doesn't take up table space. No little 1lb cylinders, we carry the 20lb refillable tanks and never have to worry about running out.
.
I still have white gas lanterns and a couple of white gas stoves (413G and H.) When I'm by myself I like the white gas stoves, but they are more labor intensive (since you have to manually pump them to pressurize the fuel.) You can find used stoves for $5 if you look around or shop yard sales in the Summer.
.
If you don't like the 1lb cylinders (and I don't) then get an adapter to use a refillable tank and buy a tank in 5, 10 or 20lb size (you can carry a 20lb propane tank easily in a milk crate - you have a pickup, IIRC, so you don't even have to worry about gas vapors.)

The Explorer series is okay if you are on a budget, but when I tried using my brother in law's Explorer last year I found the much smaller cooking space and not very accurate knobs to be a pain and it didn't seem to block the wind as well as our Pro Deluxe version.

 

[huachuca]

Single burner, dual fuel, simple, reliable, Size: 7.38"H x 7.8"W x 6.55"L. Weight: 2 lb. - Coleman 533 Sportster II. Mine fits neatly in a plastic Folgers coffee can.

http://www.coleman.com/sportster-ii...fn1=grillPowerSource&prefv1=Dual+Fuel&start=2

$58.14 direct from Coleman w/free shipping. Sometimes a 20% discount if you give 'em an email. Paid $15 for mine a few years back off craigslist

 

[Tex68w]

Well it turns out my father had exactly what I was looking for in the attic. A 1975 model 425E Coleman Liquid Fuel Stove. This thing is in pretty darn good shape for being 40+ years old. I plan to pick up a propane conversion generator to have as an alternative should I ever run out of fuel for it. I am still considering picking up a Camp Chef Explorer Two burner as well, but it might be overkill if I have a Tembo Tusk Skottle for the majority of my grilling along with the 425E.

Now I just need to find some quality stainless pots to go with my Lodge pans, any suggestions?

 

[Corey]

Nice score there, I use to use one just like it back in the early 80s.
If you want a great stainless steal set that is also non stick, look into the Magma with ceramic coating.
It is a bit heavy, but I have been using it for a few years.
This coming season I will be using the GSI Pinnacle small and large non stick set.
Lighter weight than the Magma.