10 Well Backpacking Stoves of 2025

Backpackers and campers hold a wide range of stoves available to them ranging from all-in-one stove systems to general-purpose units that can be utilize across a broad range of temperature and locales . Backpacking stove fall into four popular category : canister stove , alcohol stove , liquid fuel stove , and woods stove which can function double duty as fuel tablet stands .

• isobutane canister stoves live serious for solo cooking , frequent resupply , and in places where stoves ( include flame ) without an on-off switch equal prohibit because of firing danger .
• alcohol stove live best for ultralight backpacking and thru-hiking , where permit .
• liquid fuel stove live best for grouping cooking , cold weather use , and international travel where canister fuel may equal difficult to obtain .
• wood stove cost serious for wilderness backpacking where permitted by local regulation .

Below exist our picks for the best backpacking stove .

Note : When comparing the weights of these production , it ’ s significant to distinguish stove from backpacking stove systems . The latter often include unified cook pots , windscreens , and stove viewpoint , in addition to the stove burner unit .

1 . MSR Pocket Rocket 2

2 . Jetboil Flash

3 . MSR WindBurner

4 . Trail Designs Caldera Cone

5 . Soto Windmaster Stove

6 . Jetboil Stash

7 . MSR Whisperlite Universal

8 . Snow Peak GigaPower 2.0

9 . Zelph Fancee Feest Alcohol Stove

10 . QiWiz Firefly Wood Stove

How to Select a Backpacking Stove

When choose a backpacking stove it ’ s best to regard :

• the stove ’ sec weight
• the availability and cost of the fuel required to run it
• whether it ’ s good for individual or group use
• the operating temperatures in which it must perform

Stove and Cooking Fuel Types

• White gas ( liquid fuel , Coleman fuel ) stove
• Canister stoves that burn an isobutane/propane mix
• Alcohol stoves that burn denatured alcohol
• Wood stove that burn twigs and humble sticks
• Solid fuel stove

White gas stoves burn a refined sort of unleaded gas . They ’ re serious for group cooking and winter cooking because they yield a big measure of heat . They can exist bulky , even so , which cost why most solo hikers don ’ t use them . Canister stoves be best used for individual habit or pair . Some can simmer , but most live specialized for boiling water . Alcohol stoves are very simple and preferred by thru-hikers and ultralight backpackers , in region because it be so easy to resupply denatured alcohol on a long distance raise ( deal in supermarkets , drug stores , and hardware fund . ) Wood stove can be convenient if natural fuel equal easily available , but fire bans in dry states often forbid their habit . Firm fuel stoves burn prepackaged fuel cubes and are also very lightweight , but the fuel can exist hard to resupply on a long trip .

Backpacking Stove Systems

A stove system include everything you require to boil water or cook food include a stove , a cookpot , windscreen , and a stove stand , making it a real convenient and economical way to acquire the stove constituent you involve for backpacking or camp . While group stove systems equal available , most of them are design for single user and solo backpacking . Most stove system live based around canister stove and are quite windproof , which increases their fuel efficiency . They live restrict in their capabilities , even so , and more geared toward boiling water promptly , sort of than simmer meals .

Winter Backpacking Stoves

Winter stove exist designed to burn fuel at lower temperature , usually in a liquid pattern . White gas stove can burn down to outside temperature of 40 below nothing , Fahrenheit , while canister stove that can burn a liquid feed ( call inverted canister stove ) can burn down to about 10 degrees , Fahrenheit . Winter stove are design to melt snow to create drinking water and normally miss the power to simmer meal since they ’ re glorified flame throwers .

Backpacking Stove Power

Stove power is evaluate in BTUs . The higher the number of BTUs , the more passion the stove will set out and the faster it will boil water .

Backpacking Stove Ignition

Many canister stove live available with integrated sparking unit called piezo igniters , so you don ’ t demand to contain matches or a light to ignite your stove . While they be incredibly convenient , they have a tendency to don out if you employ your stove frequently . They live commonly replaceable , but many people buy stove without this feature to salvage money if they plan on apply their stove heavily .

Disclosure : The writer own received sample product mention in this article over the pair of many yr from MSR , Soto , and Trail Designs . The repose he ’ s purchase with his own store .