Portable stoves - wood or gas?

[gretchens]

I don't think I would go with a wood burning stove, although I do like the idea of them. To often in the summer there are burn bans. so no open flames allowed. Jet Boil stoves are great as long as you only want to boil water or heat up liquids. The stove and cooking vessel are all one. It does boil a liter of water in 1.4 minutes. I just bought an MSR Pocket Rocket. Does not boil water as quickly at 3.5 minutes per liter. What I did like is that I could use a fry pan or a tea kettle, more versatile, also it has very good flame adjustment and is very compact.

[k0wtz]

I think I paid 25.00 for our coleman s/burner all gas stove the wood burners I saw were well pricey plus so many variables I guess you could keep a wood supply on hand.

I keep a small amount of gas in a container just for the coleman it was tricky in Europe until I found a 2 liter bottle cleaned it up and next fill up put some gas in there for the stove. oh it was funny the first fill up of the stove I had to go to the gas station for a quarters worth!

since I got the s/burner we don't use the 2 burner any longer!

bob

[Rzrbrn]

Read what RogerDat posted in #15 above.

We have used propane for 40 years. Now using Coleman 2burner gas because at
High elevations propane does not give off enough heat. My gas stoves do a really go job and quickly,

[k0wtz]

I can tell when we get up there our gas stove wants to struggle a little too! I have never used propane for cooking as I have always been a gas guy and they run so cheap coleman fuel not so cheap any longer. I have learned to control that high flame with gas to get the generator going I also clean that needle valve regularly!

I enjoy reading these experiences and there is always another way to do things!


bob

[Al and Cindy K]

Good thread - its neat to see everyone's preferences and solutions for such a basic need. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but most of what's listed below is usually on board when we camp.

Liquid Fuel - Our 'go to' setup. A two burner Coleman 413F stove and a Coleman folding oven bought at a yard sale during my college years in the sixties. A single burner Coleman similar to that referenced by RogerDat for coffee was added about twenty years ago. I'm pretty sure the MSR Whisperlite from our backpacking days is somewhere in the Scamp to round out our liquid fuel appliances.

Charcoal - Cobb grill, a fifty year old Son of Hibachi, a dutch oven and a bag of Kingsford Premium.

Propane - A plumber's torch to start a campfire or preheat the liquid fuel stoves in lower temps. Our Campfire in a Can makes some mean Smores and has a yet untried grill accessory. Plus we have the two burner in the Scamp which is rarely used.

Wood - Hatchet, axe, bowsaw and a box of light'ard knots for when all else fails.

Maybe overkill??????????? But we do eat well.

[Roger C H]

We have a two burner Coleman which we haven't used in years. We used it for tent camping before we upgraded to FG. Never had any problem with it. It holds enough fuel for probably a week. We only used it for week-ends. There is a clever invention for pouring fuel into it. It is called a funnel.

[Casita Greg]

OK, maybe I'm seeing camping cooking appliances a bit different in this regard than some here, but, the way I look at it, I own a travel trailer. I am not backpacking, (which I did when I was a lot younger, and climbed Mt. Rainier twice,) so I really don't understand why anyone with a trailer is cooking on a cheesy backpacking camp stove. After all, you're not carrying the silly thing on your back! You're not climbing Mt. Everest! You have a trailer...DUH?

I roll with a Camp Chef 2 burner stove, and accompanying flat top grill and BBQ box, and a small charcoal grill, a Joule Sous Vide, a pressure cooker, a Dutch Oven, and enough other pots and pans that I could probably sink a battleship with. I guess I'm just not of the "minimalist" mentality. I like to cook, and I like to eat, and I like cooking appliances. 'Nuff said.

[k corbin]

Yet another posting where the creator has gone MIA after dropping in to make a request of information. We may never know what they decided to do

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by Rzrbrn

If you use the stove for backpacking get a Svea 123r. Or the fancy new stoves. If for use a trailer get a Colman dual burner gas or dual burner propane. If propane get a 10 lb bottle and hose adapter. You will go thru a lot of 1 lb bottles. Also look at the Volcano stove. Can burn wood or propane.

I had a 123R in the 1970s. its a very old design, and not very efficient, it takes it considerably longer to boil water than any of the newer white gas stoves such as the MSR's

Me, I use the propane stove (and OVEN!!) in the camper, and I use a JetBoil (original) for boiling water to make coffee.

[k0wtz]

casita greg our p/o took everything out and put a smooth counter top on I like it. 98% of our cooking done on a s/b coleman all fuel stove. we use disposable I am on vacation wifey is on vacation.


no heavy cooking allowed good for those that want that we do that at home. a 20lb gas cylinder lasts us a long time as its only used for heat. I am interested though in hearing these cooking ideas.
bob

[Kai in Seattle]

Mike Magee: LOL

[Kai in Seattle]

Originally Posted by k corbin

In the summer time there are many areas of the country that will have a burn ban active. They would fine you if they caught you using a small wood stove for cooking. They also don't let you use charcoal during burn bans.

So if you only want to have one type of stove as your cooking equipment then go for one type or another of a gas/propane unit.

If you are not going to be cooking much of anything a jet boil will do. But if you want to cook some meals in a frying pan then get a propane or butane stove that is large enough to prevent accidental tip overs. Getting burned or having a mess to clean up is not much fun. I would suggest you look at one of the dual fuel cook-tops such as made by GasOne. They can use either small canisters of butane or be hooked to a 1lb propane cylinder or even a larger propane gas line. Then put back in the case and stowed away when not needed. You won't have any issue using it during a burn ban.

Exactly! Is the OP, camptheworld, backpacking? 'Cause if they have a TV and tow, they don't need to go ultra-tiny/light. We like our little butane one-burner so far.

[Kai in Seattle]

https://ll-us-i5.wal.co/asr/bbeeaae4...0&odnBg=ffffff

Our little blue one-burner butane cookstove. Works great on a picnic table outside. It's a "Golidlocks" stove for us--it's juuuuuuuuust right.

[Al and Cindy K]

Originally Posted by Kai in Seattle

Exactly! Is the OP, camptheworld, backpacking? 'Cause if they have a TV and tow, they don't need to go ultra-tiny/light. We like our little butane one-burner so far.

OP's brand of trailer says 'Newmar' Not sure why they'd be too worried about stove size or cost,

[Kai in Seattle]

k. corbin & Al & Cindy K: camptheworld did indeed disappear.

CAMPTHEWORLD: Come back, camptheworld! Tell us why you care so much about the size/weight of your camp stove. And how the advice is working for you, and...come back!

[Mike Magee]

Originally Posted by Kai in Seattle

Mike Magee: LOL

Thanks, Kai. You may have been the only one who got my reference to the (Rolling) Stones. Great minds think alike, ya know...

This evening I saw my neighbor use an interesting propane appliance, and it occurred to me how great this gizmo could be on a camping trip. Starting campfires is just one potential use. It could also speed-grill your charburgers, wipe out ant colonies, and deter wild animal attacks. Only $24 (after the ubiquitous HF 20%-off coupon) puts a 3500 degree flame at your command.
https://www.harborfreight.com/propan...ter-91037.html
Be sure to watch their video to witness the true potential of this great camping appliance.

[BarbinBC]

Mike: I also understood your reference to the Stones!

As for the propane torch? Years ago I saw a fellow at a campsite pull out a torch on a really long hose. It went from the 20 lb. tank on his trailer at least 30 ft. to his campfire on the beach. Then he fired it up to get his fire going. So noisy! I figured he had to be roofer to own something like this.

And here we are today talking about the same thing. I thought it was an anomaly. But I won't be buying one. I like the process of building and starting a campfire too much.

I won't be using it to burn the weeds in my concrete either, as I don't have any of that where I live in the country, just a gravel driveway with grass down the middle.

[John in Santa Cruz]

hahahah, that torch is 500,000 BTU. that would empty a 20 lb tank (really 17 lb with OPD) in 40 minutes. yeah, yeah, I know, you only use it for a minute or two.

[BarbinBC]

After many years of backpacking and paddling with white gas stoves, from a SVEA 123 to a MSR WhisperLite and then a Dragonfly International, I was used to using white gas (AKA naptha) or Coleman fuel as it seems to be called in the US.

When I eventually purchased a car camping stove it was a 2 burner Coleman white gas model. I used that thing for close to 30 years, changing the generator, the leather cup on the fuel container pump and the occasional drop of oil was all the maintenance it ever needed.

Now I have graduated to a Coleman 2 burner propane unit which is a lot safer and I don't have to filter the fuel before it goes in the tank. But I still have a Coleman white gas lantern that I love the sound of as long as it's turned down low. They both bring back many good memories from camping of all sorts since I was a kid. There's just not the same history and cachet with the propane. I've tried wood, alcohol, gel and butane stoves too, but for all round ease of use I'll stick with the propane.

Year ago when I was in West Africa I soon discovered that it was impossible to purchase white gas for my MSR stove. It was a model before they made the international units that will burn just about anything including jet fuel. So I had to purchase a large brass kerosene stove made in Russia. At bit heavy to carry around backpacking, but kerosene was easy to find anywhere.

So over the years I think I've tried just about all the fuel types. My favourite for a quick cup of tea was the little Australian venturi wood stoves for boiling water quickly if there were a few dry sticks around.

Are they any types I've missed???

[John in Santa Cruz]

those multifuel stoves, to burn Kerosene (jet fuel, etc) in them, you need to change the jet. I had a multifuel MSR... if you used automotive gas in it, it needed to be cleaned a lot more often, and if you used the kerosene jet and burned road diesel, you had to clean it daily. white gas never needed cleaning.