Propane cookers and camp stoves come in many shapes and sizes. Well, to be completely honest almost all of the shapes are rectangular, or square, and sizes range from one burner to four (or six in a couple cases).
One of the key benefits to propane stoves; they’re insanely easy to operate, just plug in a little green canister or bulk tank hose adapter… turn some knobs and ignite. A huge plus, the propane fuel they use is very easy to find and affordable, especially when compared to specialty fuels like white gas.
Here are our top picks for the best propane camp stoves on the market.
Bulletproof Propane Stoves
If you’ve ever enjoyed a professionally guided whitewater, hunting, or camping trip you have probably seen a Partner Steel stove. Constructed and hand welded by craftsmen in Pocatello Idaho; these stoves are built to last. Think “life times,” yeah with an “s.” They come in a ton of configurations, but every variant features brass manifolds, a high grade aluminum body, and stainless grill(s). The largest model will give you plenty of real estate and six burners to cook for a large party, while the smallest is a two burner unit that packs down to a tidy 12″x6″x9″ package… perfect for Jeeps and vehicles where space is limited.
If you can afford one (prices start north of $200) and love the outdoors, we strongly recommend that you end your search now and buy one. They’re that good. Now you just have to choose the perfect configuration. We love the folding four burner model.
Classic Stoves
If you grew up in the 60’s, 70’s, or 80’s your family probably had a camp stove. It was probably green, made by Coleman and either ran on liquid fuel or small green propane canisters. There is also a good chance that you now have that very stove in your camping gear if it’s not still in use by your parents.
While they aren’t as robust as a Partner Steel stove, the classic models from Coleman (like this dual fuel model or the classic propane option) will also last a lifetime if they are treated with respect. We are not big fans of Coleman’s other camp stove offerings as they tend to fall more into the gimmicky or too much money for not much value categories. While it’s not a propane model… here’s a our favorite Coleman just for the sake of remembering the good old days. (Also… this model is a must if you have a 45 or 60 Series Land Cruiser, a classic Jeep, or an American-made 70’s-80’s 4×4)
Best Value in a Durable Propane Stove
Maybe we were a little hard on the new crop of Coleman’s in that last section. But, it’s with good reason. And, that reason is named Camp Chef. Their Everest model is a clean looking, high quality, and very reliable Coleman alternative. We’ve used one for years now and it is holding up great while we wait for the justification to shell out a few hundred dollars on a Partner Steel stove.
If you have some… or maybe a lot of extra space, we think Camp Chef might have a couple of stoves that beat out everything on the market. They’re very stable, sturdy, durable, and might have enough BTU’s to literally melt the stoves mentioned above. We’re confident they will cook anything you throw in their path. The more affordable option is the Camp Chef Explorer two burner range; while its three burner counterpart, the Camp Chef Pro, gets pretty close to the pricing found in the more affordable Partner Steel models. It’s a difficult decision but we recommend the Explorer, pictured below.
