low/er budget camp stove review

[Regcabguy]

The propane conversion is cheap, easy and certainly worth having. Not sure how LPG in some kind of pressurized container is less of a "bomb" than a quart of liquid fuel?

A $20-$30 used Coleman plus a $15 LP conversion is just a great bang for the buck in a camping stove. The white gas really shines when you get to some altitude and the propane loses efficiency. When push comes to shove the Colemans will run on unleaded as well. Pretty hard to beat a $50 tri-fuel camp stove even with a little lower BTU rating in my opinion.

That Stansport has a nice slim form factor and puts out a lot of heat for an LP stove. I'm sure it's a keeper.

I was referring to white gas.

 

[AbleGuy]

The nostalgia of that scent is a certainly a component of my favor of them. Nothing reminds me of camping like the mixed aromas of pine, bacon, coffee and Coleman stove fuel in the morning. It makes me instantly think of my grandfather who I loved and miss dearly. His pre-war Coleman lantern is currently hanging in my garage and I fire it up from time to time just to conjure up fond memories.

Funny what molds our choices...

Thx for the shared memories, really enjoyed your simple but instantly evocative description!

 

[pith helmet]

Thx for the shared memories, really enjoyed your simple but instantly evocative description!

Yep. Combine that with mama saying “Don‘t touch the sides!” on the canvas tent when it was raining and I’m there!

 

[dbhost]

We converted our liquid burning Coleman's to propane years ago for Baja use. We didn't like carrying a bomb around in the Landcruisers. Propane was very easy to obtain down there. I still use propane up here. Looks like a good buy with the case.

Propane leaking is WAY more explosive than Coleman Fuel / Regular Unleaded gasoline. The safety considerations of propane VS. white gas / gasoline is one of the reasons I went with Coleman Liquid Fuel appliances. While I have both, I strongly prefer white gas / gasoline...

 

[dbhost]

And that's why I carry my five pound bottle in a carrier on the roof rack. I really like my sixteen inch two burner Partner Steel stove.
When you are camping out of a Defender 90 smaller appliances are a good thing.

View attachment 646793

Now that's how you do it!

 

[dbhost]

I will start by saying: I really wanted a Partner or Camp Chef Mountaineer. But this was half the price & more importantly, was available right then & there, & so was the case.

I recently picked up the Cabela's/Bass Pro 3 burner campstove made by Stansport. I knew I was taking as risk, but since you can return just about anything to them with the receipt, I felt comfortable pulling the trigger. So far, I am pleasantly surprised. I also picked up a padded carry case. Yes, it fits great, even though the dimensions say it shouldn't.

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/stansport-3-burner-propane-cook-stove

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/bass-pro-shops-padded-propane-stove-carry-case?searchTerm=camp%20stove%20carry%20case

For its test, I decided to try it out heating up to boiling, the Mac Daddy Cabela's 36 cup coffee pot, full, from cold tap water. It began rapid boiling at 13 min 55 seconds. Not too shabby IMHO. It took over 30 min with my Coleman with 10,000 btu burners. Granted, my test was indoors with no wind, & that's because it is about 0*F outside with the wind chill.

Sorry, I do not have pictures.

Pro's: 2, 25,000 btu burners & 1, center 10,000 btu burner. It seems to simmer very well......but it was indoors with no wind too. The 2 outside 25,000 btu burners have wind screens right on the burner, in addition to the lid and 2 fold up sides as wind screens. This thing REALLY cranks out the heat. Each burner has a removable grate. drip tray closely hugs the burners. It has 2 metal latches to hold the lid closed. Has a built in handle on one side of the bottom. Seems well made. Carry case seems well made & fits well/easily inside.

Cons: The knobs are not recessed, so care will have to be taken when packing it. For me, this is a non-issue. I put it in the padded carry case with knobs facing the carry handle of the padded case & pack it with the handles of case facing up. YMMV. Heat......this thing gets HOT. Windscreen & burner grate were glowing BRIGHTLY. It was a non-issue indoors with no wind but could possibly become an issue if you are not paying attention. Burner grate did discolor from the heat. The lid & side wind screens did not discolor from the heat. Center burner does not have the auto ignite feature that the other 2 have. If you had something like a griddle on it, it may self ignite from the other 2 burners, IDK. Again, this is no big deal for us. we always have matches or something that would work. The drip tray is not easily removable, that would involve a complete teardown but can be done. I would suggest using foil if you are a messy cooker. LOL

Observations: It seems to me that technology has greatly increased in camp stove btu output. That's great for me because I love to cook. But The btu output has reached the point now (again, just my opinion) that if you are going to be the one doing all the cooking or a lot of it anyways, it would be prudent to have a 20# propane tank & the proper hose & regulator. I say this because even with a brand new room temperature 1 lb propane tank, when I had a 25,000 btu burner going bull bore, & then turned on the other 25k burner to full bore, I could see a slight decrease in output. When I turned 1 off, it went right back. So a 1 lb propane cylinder is on the verge of not being quite adequate & then the "how long will it last" issue arises.

For me, all this stuff is a non-issue, I have 20# tanks & hose already & did not have to purchase them. I am REALLY liking this stove so far. Love the case too. It was a no brainer for the price, to protect the stove. They got a little mad in the store because I took both items out of the box's , to make sure the stove fit in the case, but they got over it. It was a 1 hr trip 1 way for us so I was making sure before I left ! LOL

Hope this helps other on a budget. When you have a lot of food to cook or coffee or tea to make, this thing does not disappoint. BTU's matter when those things need to get done.

That is one heck of a stove! 25K BTU burners is quite a blowtorch! Just for reference, residential gas stove burners typically put out around 7K BTUs. I am not sure why I would want to nearly quadruple that output. Boil a gallon of water in 10 seconds maybe...

 

[pith helmet]

I recently got a GasOne 15k btu "catering" type butane/propane stove. The biggest reason for that move was stability and the adjustability of the dial; simmers like a champ. It's very nice and was about $60. I have used it at home a ton already. It is a thirsty little bugger, though.

 

[billiebob]

I bought one of these probably 8 years ago for $20. Price is up to $28 now. Dual 10k burners. Works great. I love the white gas stuff, but this thing just keeps working and takes up no space.
View attachment 646881

Robot or human?

yep, I love simple propane stoves, run off refillable tanks
I swore by white gas and still use it even tho camp stove is 60 years old
What I want is a single burner $20 propane stove the size of a good book, ready to connect to a 20# tank
But that does not exist so I keep cooking on a 60 year old white gas stove

 

[JackW]

Well there is a candidate but it doesn't meet your cost requirements,,, its only a little over ten times your budget at $250. I bought my sixteen inch PS stove about ten years ago when they were merely expensive - haven't regretted it once.

The good thing about the Partner Steel stoves is that they are very stable at a slow simmer with a low flame - plus they can work really well at putting out a bunch of heat.

Partner Steel 9" 1 Burner Propane Stove with Windscreen

Partner Steel's newest stove is 9" wide. We have incorporated some important features requested by users. The windscreen is a standard feature with this stove. You can specify the gas connection on the left or right end. The stove uses a POL valve which is a gas connection fitting used on LPG...

aventuron.com

Partner Steel
PS-1B-9L-00-WS

 

[Vincenzo]

yep, I love simple propane stoves, run off refillable tanks
I swore by white gas and still use it even tho camp stove is 60 years old
What I want is a single burner $20 propane stove the size of a good book, ready to connect to a 20# tank
But that does not exist so I keep cooking on a 60 year old white gas stove

View attachment 654919

Not quite $20, but it's close. Gas One dual fuel propane/butane model 3400P. Going for $33 on Amazon. Is this something like what you are looking for or do you want something smaller?


Amazon.com: Gas ONE Propane or Butane Stove GS-3400P Dual Fuel Portable Camping and Backpacking Gas Stove Burner with Carrying Case Great for Emergency Preparedness Kit (Gold) : Tools & Home Improvement

 

[billiebob]

Not quite $20, but it's close. Gas One dual fuel propane/butane model 3400P. Going for $33 on Amazon. Is this something like what you are looking for or do you want something smaller?


Amazon.com: Gas ONE Propane or Butane Stove GS-3400P Dual Fuel Portable Camping and Backpacking Gas Stove Burner with Carrying Case Great for Emergency Preparedness Kit (Gold) : Tools & Home Improvement

WOW, many thanks, that fits perfectly, first time I have seen a compact stove plug and play for a 20# tank.
Ordered, I will update.

 

[Herbie]

Not quite $20, but it's close. Gas One dual fuel propane/butane model 3400P. Going for $33 on Amazon. Is this something like what you are looking for or do you want something smaller?


Amazon.com: Gas ONE Propane or Butane Stove GS-3400P Dual Fuel Portable Camping and Backpacking Gas Stove Burner with Carrying Case Great for Emergency Preparedness Kit (Gold) : Tools & Home Improvement

Yep, I have the 3900p (15k btu version) and I like it a lot. I use mine mostly on butane for convenience (I really like being able to whip out the stove, throw the lever, and get coffee going on a cold morning without fiddling with tank connections), but I always keep that adapter line in the kit so I know I have access to propane whenever I need it.

I really like this kind of stove for a number of reasons:

1. Stability - way safer to have a pot of boiling liquid on something 4" high with a 10"x13" base than something 13" high with the footprint of a gas bottle.
2. Flame control - these portable butane burners derive from the kind originally used as "catering" burners at omelet stations, etc. - these run better at low heat than anything else I've tried - great if you like soft eggs.
3. Package size - the wide/flat stove is easier for me to find space for. I have one that lives in a shallow drawer in the cabinet in my van (and can be used from there), and a second one I keep in the main kitchen box. Easier to pack and better for my use case than one 2-burner stove.
4. Easy light - see above for ease of use. As long as their was fuel in the cartridge, I've never had one fail to light on the first try. I strongly suspect the butane would suffer at very low temperature, but I think at those temperatures, only white gas would work anyhow.

Obviously, you need the right tool for the job. If I were doing South America, Europe, or Asia outside of the big cities - a coleman stove running gasoline would be preferable for fuel availability and field serviceability. For North American travel, these are my fave so far.

 

[Vincenzo]

WOW, many thanks, that fits perfectly, first time I have seen a compact stove plug and play for a 20# tank.
Ordered, I will update.

It may not be plug and play for a 20#. The hose looks like it might be for a 1# propane, however you can fix that with an adapter. I missed the 20# tank in your first comment.

Amazon.com : DOZYANT 4 Feet Propane Adapter Hose 1 lb to 20 lb Converter Replacement for QCC1 / Type1 Tank Connects 1 LB Bulk Portable Appliance to 20 lb Propane Tank : Patio, Lawn & Garden

 

[Herbie]

It may not be plug and play for a 20#. The hose looks like it might be for a 1# propane, however you can fix that with an adapter. I missed the 20# tank in your first comment.

Amazon.com : DOZYANT 4 Feet Propane Adapter Hose 1 lb to 20 lb Converter Replacement for QCC1 / Type1 Tank Connects 1 LB Bulk Portable Appliance to 20 lb Propane Tank : Patio, Lawn & Garden

If you don't want the extra hose, this is what I use that threads directly into the 1-lb bottle regulator on the GasONE hose:

 

[Vincenzo]

If you don't want the extra hose, this is what I use that threads directly into the 1-lb bottle regulator on the GasONE hose:

Yeah, that looks like a better way to go