Overlanding Ovens

[rnArmy]

I've had non-camping folks ask me about camp cooking like there was something special or mysterious about it. I always tell them "If you can cook it on a stove or in an oven at home, you can do the same thing when camping". Lots of folks are familiar with camp stoves, but not so much with camp ovens. So I thought I'd start a camp oven thread. Please feel free to add to this thread with your camping oven items or experiences. What other oven options are out there you know of?

 

[rnArmy]

I have one of these little folding Coleman ovens (had it for literally decades - they've been around for ages). It works well too and takes up very little space when folded up. To use it you unfold it & lock it in place (takes a minute or so), put the wire oven tray in place, and then put it on top of a stove burner. You're looking at around $40 plus/minus, and it comes in a cardboard box (no case or carrying bag included or as an optional purchase). Last time I used it I made blueberry muffins for breakfast while running the TAT. Picture below was taken at home while testing it out on my little one-burner stove. It is very primitive, and you have to watch the temperature while using it, but it works. Lots of us older folks grew up with their parents cooking with these while camping. Some folks will make a cover out of a welding blanket to cover the oven while using to help keep the heat in.

I believe the rack inside is 10" x 10".

Coleman Camp Oven Stove Topper (midwayusa.com)





I made a carrying case from a military surplus bag thingy. It fits nicely in my trailer along with the little gas-one stove pictured above.

 

[rnArmy]

I've also got one of these Camp Chef stove/oven combos. It takes up some space, but it is nice when cooking dinner on the stove and making biscuits in the oven below. Mine's a basic one bought probably ten years ago. They're sold at lots of places (they have basic to fancy models now) starting just over $300 for the basic model (they have some fancier models that cost a little bit more, but based on the same chassis). It uses the one-pound green propane cylinders (I haven't tried it with a larger propane tank). IMO something like this might be a little too much to carry if you're traveling light and solo, but there were two of us overlanding on this trip in Alaska and we were pulling my little trailer, so we had room. Those are Red Lobster cheddar cheese biscuits (they sell them in the grocery store in ready to mix packets). On the stove is chicken alfredo (from a box mix and a can of chicken). One night on this trip we made pizza on Greek flat bread with it. I like to eat well when camping. An oven opens up so many more possibilities. Lots of places sell this item - here's one link:

Deluxe Outdoor Oven and More | Camp Chef

Figure another $75 for a carrying bag, which I would recommend purchasing.



Lately I've been doing more solo overlanding, so I've been using the little folding Coleman oven and single burner stove mentioned in the previous thread. But this Camp Chef one pictured above always served us well. I don't think they sell any of the painted models anymore - I think they're all stainless steel now.

 

[rnArmy]

I came across this Hike Crew oven/stove combo recently (a new brand for me); haven't seen it in person but it looks pretty cool. Price is $229 - $249 on Amazon; slightly more elsewhere. And it comes with a carrying bag (which for the Camp Chef costs $75 extra for the carrying bag). They come in black, red, and OD green from what I saw on Amazon (and I'm a sucker for anything OD green), and the reviews seemed good. It only runs off a larger propane tank with the supplied hose according to what I've read (I don't know the length of the hose, and don't know if it would be possible with the right hose and a regulator to use the 1lb green canisters). I carry a five-pound propane tank on my trailer, so that's not an issue. Not that I need another camp oven, but since when has need had anything to do with it. Costs a good bit less than the Camp Chef one, but is possibly not as "refined". I also like how the side carrying handles don't stick out on this one like they do on the Camp Chef (which when packing a small trailer, those little details sometimes make a difference).

And on both this one and the Camp Chef model, the oven thermometer is more of a guide as to what the oven temperature is. On none of these ovens do you set a temperature and expect it to auto-adjust. When using either one, you've got to pretty much continuously monitor the temperature and adjust the heat as needed to try and keep it constant.

Hike Crew Outdoor 2-in-1 Dual Burner Camping Stove and Oven with Carrying Bag HC210BWS - The Home Depot

The oven portion is a little smaller than the Camp Chef model (10' deep x 13.5' wide x 7.5" tall vs. 11" deep x 16" wide x 9" high), but external dimensions between this one and the Camp Chef model are about the same (Camp Chef external measurements reported at 12.5" long, 21" wide, and 18" tall [lid closed]). In my thinking, if it'll hold a regular 6-hole muffin tin or a baking sheet, I'm good!

I might have to rethink my current cooking set-up.



My five-pound propane tank on my lil' adventure trailer.

 

[rnArmy]

Another stove-top oven that has gotten a lot of press in the Overlanding Community is the Omnia Stove Top Oven:

Omnia Oven: The Ultimate Camping Oven - Fresh Off The Grid

Even the Expedition Portal did a write-up on this:

Reviewed: The Omnia Oven We Never Knew We Needed - Expedition Portal



Figure around $65.00. I'd been mildly tempted to get one to try it out (especially after I had read the Expedition Portal write-up way-back-when linked above), but just haven't yet. Some folks love them. I just think it has limitations (can I make a pizza with one?), and it seems kinda bulky. But if making muffins or a cake, it might just be the ticket. And I wouldn't have to unfold it and put it together like I do with my Coleman folding oven before I can use it. There are optional accessories you can purchase for this thing depending on what you're wanting it to do.

Oven & Accessories - Omnia (omniasweden.com)

Let us know if you've used an Omnia, and what your thoughts are.

 

[rnArmy]

I'll throw this one out there because I think it looks cute. Don't know availability, but they must be out there somewhere.

Campingaz Camp Stove Oven Camping oven with 2 Burners (ibexcamping.co.uk)



This one looks interesting. Definitely doesn't look as tall as the other two combo units, but is wider and deeper. Measurements are:

• Product Dimensions: 69 x 47 x 38 cm (27.2" x 18.5" x 15")
• Oven Dimensions: 37 x 34 x 14 cm (14.6" x 13.4" x 5.5")

149.99 British Pound Sterling = $204.07 US dollars (as of 17 Feb 2022). Figure another $35(?) plus tax to ship to the states.

No mention of a carrying bag option, and haven't seen one in person or read any reviews.

 

[RDinNHand AZ]

Another stove-top oven that has gotten a lot of press in the Overlanding Community is the Omnia Stove Top Oven:

Omnia Oven: The Ultimate Camping Oven - Fresh Off The Grid

Even the Expedition Portal did a write-up on this:

Reviewed: The Omnia Oven We Never Knew We Needed - Expedition Portal

View attachment 708005

Figure around $65.00. I'd been mildly tempted to get one to try it out (especially after I had read the Expedition Portal write-up way-back-when linked above), but just haven't yet. Some folks love them. I just think it has limitations (can I make a pizza with one?), and it seems kinda bulky. But if making muffins or a cake, it might just be the ticket. And I wouldn't have to unfold it and put it together like I do with my Coleman folding oven before I can use it. There are optional accessories you can purchase for this thing depending on what you're wanting it to do.

Oven & Accessories - Omnia (omniasweden.com)

Let us know if you've used an Omnia, and what your thoughts are.

I’ve had an identical one since about 1980. Used it a lot even when backpacking if the trip was not too strenuous to carry an extra thingy. It makes a great muffin ring in the shape of a small bunt cake, johnycake, etc. You won’t make a normal pizza but could make a round ring shaped Calzone?? It takes little gas/butane to run it and my results have been good. After 40+ years and probably 200 cookings my bottom ring (black in the picture) is rusty and the top (mine is blue) is dinged and chipped. Car camping is its forte as no one in their right mind would carry it on a backpacking trek. The parts do stack a bit but it is large to carry.

 

[emulous74]

I own the Coleman Stove Top Oven, a Camp Chef Deluxe Oven, Camp Chef Professional Oven, and the Omnia.

There is a learning curve with all of these products, and some are dependent on your stove and some are limited by the product itself. If I was going to start from scratch I would go with the Omnia for light camping when I want the most minimalist setup while still want oven cooking. I would also go with the Camp Chef Professional Oven when I bring my trailer.

Coleman Stove Top, I've never been able to get consistent results with this, I'm sure if I stuck with it, I'd be able to figure it out and get the results I want, but it is limited in size and the folding capability doesn't make it the most stable of setups.

Camp Chef Deluxe Oven, great concept, poor execution, I was never able to get the Oven hot enough, nor stable enough in temperature to get .the results needed to fully cook something. I believe this is because the oven portion is underpowered. This product is now only kept at home for emergency situations.

Camp Chef Professional Oven, this version has upped the output for the Oven portion and has meet my expectations of great concept to great results. The biggest problem is the size and somewhat the weight, which is why I only use it when I bring my trailer where the size is not as big as a problem. This product also lives on my patio in my outdoor kitchen as I get great results and don't have to heat up my inside kitchen during the summer and bake on my patio. I love this product.

Omnia, probably the biggest learning curve, but once learned against your stove top and how the Omnia reacts to different temperatures and recipe setup, it is a great minimalist solution and always goes with me when I go camping. The other big plus to this is you can use it on your indoor/house stove top to really learn how to use it. In my opinion this is the best all-round solution in terms of price, size, performance, and weight. I do suggest getting using the silicone accessories, that make cleanup a breeze. Yes you have to get use to working in a ring and your recipes have to be altered to have ringed baked goods rather than square and round. The Omnia is the oven and the baking vessel all in one.

 

[OllieChristopher]

Jet boil for me. It does everything an oven can. Compact quick to deploy/use/store.

 

[rnArmy]

Yes there's definitely a learning curve when using any of these oven products. I've burned the bottoms of plenty of muffins. Fortunately, everything always tastes better when camping.

 

[rnArmy]

Jet boil for me. It does everything an oven can. Compact quick to deploy/use/store.

So you can make blueberry muffins or pizza with your jet boil?

 

[mccolganm4]

I'll throw this one out there because I think it looks cute. Don't know availability, but they must be out there somewhere.

Campingaz Camp Stove Oven Camping oven with 2 Burners (ibexcamping.co.uk)

View attachment 708007

This one looks interesting. Definitely doesn't look as tall as the other two combo units, but is wider and deeper. Measurements are:

• Product Dimensions: 69 x 47 x 38 cm (27.2" x 18.5" x 15")
• Oven Dimensions: 37 x 34 x 14 cm (14.6" x 13.4" x 5.5")

149.99 British Pound Sterling = $204.07 US dollars (as of 17 Feb 2022). Figure another $35(?) plus tax to ship to the states.

No mention of a carrying bag option, and haven't seen one in person or read any reviews.

Great find. I think ill be trying to find someone with stock of these. Im in the UK and have been looking for a cooker for my trailer and this looks spot on

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

 

[rnArmy]

Great find. I think ill be trying to find someone with stock of these. Im in the UK and have been looking for a cooker for my trailer and this looks spot on

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

Glad I could be of help. If you find a source, please share.

It looks like it would work well on a slider set-up. Not being as tall as the others would be a plus in that kind of slide-out kitchen design.

 

[mccolganm4]

I will keep things updated if i find one. Slide out kitchen is what im going for. Supplies for 'overland' anything over here are pretty poor though so im having to be inventive. If i can find 1 of these itll be the easiest part

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[OllieChristopher]

So you can make blueberry muffins or pizza with your jet boil?

Yes by steam baking or using silicon cup on top of foil. Large ovens are good when you are camping with a large family.