The best camping stove for campsite dining

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Whether backpacking, wild camping or car camping, cooking food outdoors can be huge fun. These hand-picked stoves help make it happen.

Ask anyone who's ever spent a night under canvas what they like about camping trips, and they’re likely to mention mealtimes.

Be it tumbling out of your sleeping bag to prepare a fry-up breakfast that sets you up for the day or enjoying a makeshift dinnertime banquet with fellow campers, self-prepared hot meals can make a camping trip all the more memorable.

But the days of open fires and disposable barbecues really should be consigned to history. So, whether looking to cook up an al fresco gourmet three-course meal or simply boiling water for a cuppa and some noodles, you’ll need controlled, portable heat.

We reckon the following selection represents some of the best camping stoves UK campers can buy right now, each one hand-picked for a different application.

Read more: Camping chairs that add comfort and convenience to your trip

When adventure travelling solo, be it as a backpacker or cycle tourist, weight and mass take on huge significance. Yet, you still need to be able to cook filling and nutritious meals to replace all those calories you’re burning.

The Primus Lite and associated cooking system represent a good choice in these circumstances. The 500ml cooking pot can be secured to the single burner head with a simple twist — and it will boil water to make a hot drink in about three minutes.

Weight-wise, it’s just 402g and it packs down to just 13 x 10 cm. Plus, it’s powered by LPG in gas canister format putting out a maximum 1500 watts.

The anodised aluminium pot is wrapped in a heat-retaining cork inner sleeve, itself wrapped in a coloured textile outer sleeve. It can be used either with the twist-on 500ml pot for boiling up hot drinks, soups and rehydratable food or with supplied support pegs to cook with a pot or frying pan.

Sooner or later, someone was going to drag the humble camping stove kicking and screaming into the 21st century — and judging by this product, it looks like Biolite was that company.

It’s an innovative product that is at its most basic a wood burning stove but one that, in a clever integrated system, uses the heat generated to create electricity via a thermoelectric generator.

This means you can charge up devices, such as phones and head torches, while completely off-grid using an integrated USB port. The product will, of course, rely on you having a decent supply of dry, burnable wood handy or alternatively a bag of wood pellets.

It gets a decent 4.6-star average rating from Amazon reviewers. Some buyers do, however, complain that it needs consistent attention to keep the fire going at the correct intensity. It also sits at a price point that some may find a little too steep for their budget.

Prices vary by colour and size

Weighing a tad more than some competing models, but putting out 2600w, its makers claim this product will boil water in just over two minutes. With its wider pot giving a low spoon angle, it’s well-suited for cooking, stirring and eating.

Given that it boils water and cooks food fast — and comes in at a relatively affordable price, this cooker earned a well-deserved spot in our list for its features and functionality.

If you really need to save on weight and space and will only ever be cooking for yourself, this micro stove may just be for you.

It works great if you only want to make hot drinks or Cup a Soups. But if your camping culinary ambitions stretch much beyond beverages and packet noodles, you might struggle.

That said, it's a cleverly designed piece of kit that weighs just 280g, packs down super small into a storage bag and will be adequate for single overnight camping trips or perhaps an overnight fishing jaunt.

It’s worth noting, however, that it doesn’t come with a stabilising stand. Given its light weight and footprint, this is available (and advisable) to purchase separately.

If you’re looking to create more of a party vibe on a camping trip but still want a product that’s highly portable, this is a great option.

It may be that you’re camping on a beach or a campsite with easy access to grocery outlets, in which case you’ve got options for both barbecuing and heating or frying food in pots and pans. There’s also a small hot plate area that could, for example, be used to fry an egg while sausages are being grilled.

The product uses standard Campingaz canisters — and the Party Grill is available in different sizes. This particular size would be great for two people when car camping, but you could easily transport even the larger-sized variants in a vehicle if camping in greater numbers.

When you’re camping in a group, and especially with the family, you’re going to need two burners, minimum. This product from Campingaz, is very reasonably priced but it’s also highly functional.

It will allow you to, for example, heat a tin of beans alongside bacon, sausages and eggs in the frying pan. And you can grill a couple of rounds of toast at the same time. In other words, it’s got 'big breakfast fry-up' written all over it (though, not literally).

Each of the two upward and the one downward (toasting) burners put out 1500w and the whole package weighs in at 4 kilos. Overall it’s a solid choice for families camping out and would even come in handy if your electric cooker is out of action in a power cut.

When embarking on a year-long intercontinental cycle tour some years ago, this was our camping stove of choice. Why? We’d already owned it for a few years and had come to admire, and indeed depend on, its simplicity, functionality and the ease with which an appropriate alcohol-based fuel could be purchased in virtually any small settlement we visited, however remote.

On that major cycle touring trip, it never let us down, and it’s still part of our camping kit to this day. Out on the road in remote spots in the Antipodes, the Pacific islands and North America, a packet of noodles, a tin of tuna and half an onion were all we needed to cook up a nutritious, filling and surprisingly tasty evening meal.

Come morning, breakfast tea or coffee could be brewed up in no time before porridge or bacon and eggs set us up for the day. Basically, the Trangia is a true design classic that will serve you well in all weather and locations.

This high-end double burner camping stove is a solidly built unit that’s designed to last. With its control knobs making for precisely controllable twin 3000w burners and wind resistance thanks to a supplied shield, it will allow you to indulge in gourmet cooking en plein air even in blowy conditions.

It additionally comes equipped with a removable stainless steel drip tray and a griddle plate that will toast bread, melt cheese or even fry up a steak and it all folds up into its own integrated carrying case.

It’s a bit of a long-term investment but, as we’ve found with our Trangia, good design, durable materials and excellent build quality tend to pay dividends through years of reliable and enjoyable use.

First, consider the basics. How many people will you need to cook for, how will you be transporting the stove and what kinds of fuel will be available for you to use in your intended location.

Next, do you need a double burner set up or will a single burner suffice? You may want to consider your existing camping kit, especially camping cookware to avoid duplication.

In a word, no. Don’t do it! The sole exception might be if you can sit or lie inside your tent and reach a stove outside which might be partially sheltered by open outer tent flaps. But even then, extreme care must be taken. Basically, use your common sense to avoid being poisoned by carbon monoxide or setting your tent fabric on fire.

There is clearly no single answer to this question but we invested in a Trangia many years ago for cycle touring purposes and have never regretted that choice. Apart from the odd hinge, there are no moving parts to go wrong. It’s easy to carry, robust and stable in all conditions and the fuel is widely available.

If we were heading out for a more relaxed camping trip with friends then the Campingaz Party Grill would be an attractive option for its versatility, ease of use and attractive price point. So you might call it the best camping stove for a more relaxed, party camping trip.

But if budget were less of a consideration, the Primus Tupike is a design classic that would open up a world of cooking options for hungry outdoor diners. And as we all know, food never tastes better than when it’s consumed after a long day of fun outdoor activities, on a campsite in the company of good friends — and accompanied by a couple of cold beers.

So after all that, once you've made your choice we wish you happy camping (and eating!)

Prices updated on 09/08/2023. We are not responsible for any changes made to the prices listed.

A seasoned journalist based in Glasgow, Mark Appleton specialises in automotive and cycling content. Spending much of his time in the Highlands with his young daughters, he is equally at home writing about outdoor pursuits, photography and kids’ products.