People cooking food whilst out camping can fall into many categories. There’s those who love to BBQ and tend to take any chance they can to bang out some snags on the campfire or grill.
Likewise there’s the baker who likes to use a camp oven to churn out loaves of bread, stews and pot roasts, impressing their fellow campers along the way.
But what about when you want to recreate an easy meal from home with minimal fuss and no cumbersome and unpredictable cooking over campfires? In this case, a portable camping stove can fit the bill. They run on gas, so turn on and heat up instantly, come in different sizes and can come with multiple burners.
Cooking on a gas stove is the closest experience you will have to your home kitchen, whether you are cooking a stir-fry, a pasta sauce along with some spaghetti, a batch of rice or some boiled or steamed vegetables – gas camping stoves are easy and will produce the results you are after quickly. So read on as we break down the best camping stoves on offer in Australia right now.
| Coleman Hyperflame FyreKnight 2 Burner Stove | Companion 2 Burner High Output Stove | Coleman 3 Burner Eventemp Stove | 360 Degrees Furno Stove and Pot Set | Primus Mimer Stove |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | best multi burner  |  | Best single burner  |  | |
62L x 45D x 39H cm | 63L x 36D x 37H cm | 64L x 48D x 45H cm | Combined 21L x 13W x 14.5H cm | 5.5 x 12.5 x 12.5 | |
Steel with corner bumpers | Powder Coated Cabinet, Stainless Steel Drip Tray | Steel, Non-stick Aluminium Griddle | Hard Anodised Aluminium, Stainless Steel | Hard Anodised Aluminium, Stainless Steel | |
LPG | LPG | LPG | LPG | LPG | |
2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | |
Piezo | Piezo | Piezo | Manual | Manual | |
7.1 kg | 5 kg | 8.6 kg | 0.358 kg | 0.227 kg | |
3 years | 3 Years | 5 years | 1 Year | ?? |
Best Portable Camping Stoves
Coleman Hyperflame FyreKnight 2 Burner Stove
Honourable Mention
The Coleman Hyperflame FyreKnight 2 Burner Stove is an impressive looking stove with its own carry case, quality materials and simplistic usage. However, it tends to fall a little short of the other camping stoves when it comes to actually using this to cook food.
The turndown on the burners is quite poor, with minimal adjustment available on the knobs. This means that the burners tend to blast out a lot of heat, making fine-tuning of your temperatures a pretty big issue.
This is fine if you like to boil water or cook on a super-hot fry pan or wok, but if you are trying to simmer foods then you may have problems.
Customer reviews are very mixed with the majority of people happy with this stove, but for those that are not happy – it’s a pretty sharp contrast.
Reports of the knobs breaking off within the first few uses, the piezo lighter stopping working, the temperature control issue and a gas regulator issue that causes the stove to stop working completely has left a small, but loud contingent of reviewers not recommending this product.
These appear to be design and manufacturing issues that a stove costing over $200 should not have. While we like the look of this stove, it’s hard for us to recommend it.
Companion 2 Burner High Output Stove
Best Value 2 Burner Stove
A very similar model to the Coleman FyreKnight, the Companion 2 Burner High Output stove is a solid performer offering the same two-burner setup inside its own carry case. Unlike the FyreKnight, the Companion stove has great temperature control which means you can cook with a range of heats from simmer to a fast boil with no fuss.
It comes in at almost $100 cheaper, is a couple of kilos lighter and doesn’t have any of the reported issues of the Coleman FyreKnight – making this a solid two-burner stove that won't disappoint the camping cooks.
It’s not perfect, however, and while the majority of the reviews are 5 stars and super happy with this stove, there appear to be some manufacturing issues affecting some units.
Dented lids, flimsy side wind protection that you have to bend a little to make it sit correctly and a grill that can warp when heated too long at max temp have all been reported.
These are all covered by warranty, but they are something to take into consideration. When it comes to cooking on a two-burner stove, the Companion High Output is a solid performer but by no means perfect.
Coleman 3 Burner Eventemp Stove
Best For Large Groups
This 3 burner camping stove is the biggest, heaviest and most expensive stove on this list and maybe the best camping stove in terms of overall usage.
The 3 burners can all be used independently so you can use a frying pan, a large pot and a small pot all at the same time. Conversely, it comes with a large tray that sits over all three burners so you can use them all at the same time to cook up a large meal easily too.
It’s a solid portable stove that will keep most camp cooks happy and the food flowing reliably.
Like its two-burner cousin, the FyreKnight, the Coleman Eventemp stove has a reported temperature control issue. Unlike its two-burner cousin, the Eventemp’s knobs don’t fall off, but rather need a few turns to reduce some stiffness and then tend to work well after that.
If you like to cook for your family, like making meals with many ingredients and steps, or just want a simple and functions gas camping stove, we can recommend this product over Coleman FyreKnight and it's only $20 more.
It appears to be better made, more functional and with fewer issues, putting it firmly in front.
360 Degrees Furno Stove and Pot Set
Our Pick
The 360 Degrees Furno Stove and Pot Set is at the other end of the spectrum to the Coleman 3 burner Eventemp in terms of the quantity of food you can cook at once.
This product is a single burner, which means you can only really cook one thing at a time. It does come with two different sized pots, so you can conceivably cook one thing and then another straightway for a more complex meal.
As far as a single burner goes, the 360 Degrees Furno is a solid performer with no issues other than it can be affected by strong winds as it does not come with its own windshield.
A single burner unit like this is never going to feed a whole campsite, but it will feed a couple or can be used in conjunction with a BBQ or a camp oven to create bigger meals.
Customer reviews are very solid with really the only negatives coming from the pots included, not the stove itself. They are much better suited for boiling, stewing or simmering as opposed to frying meats or vegetables which tend to stick and cause cleaning issues.
This is not a problem if you have a separate fry pan. If you cook for one or two or use this as part of a wider camp kitchen then it’s a solid choice.
Primus Mimer Stove
Best For Simple Cooking
Like the 360 degrees Furno, the Primus Mimer Stove is a single gas burner that sits on top of a propane canister to function. Unlike the Furno, the Primus Mimer Stove is simply this, no pots, no legs, no accessories: just a canister, a burner with a stand for pots or pans.
A single burner leans towards simple cooking or being used as part of a wider camp kitchen and nothing does simplicity like the Primus Mimer Stove. It is lightweight, reliable and doesn’t use the canister too fast which means this unit can easily double as a hiking stove you can carry with you on the move.
Reviews are all very positive as this product does exactly what it says it does. It isn’t any good for cooking for a large group, but that's not what it's designed for.
Like the 360 Furno, the Primus Mimer does have issues with wind, but this can be mitigated fairly easily. If you’re after a hiking stove, a stove for just you and your partner or a quicker boiler of water around the campsite – you can go wrong with this little unit.
What To Look For When Buying Portable Camping Stoves
Like any piece of camping equipment, there are always a few considerations we should make before going online and reaching for the credit card, given the price range for these camp stoves is quite wide.
How many people and how often do I want to cook?
It should be obvious that a two or three burner stove is going to be able to produce more food at the same time than a single burner stove.
Multiple burner stoves are also easy to set up and use as they tend to come in their own carry case that doubles as a windshield. These units tend to work better on a table, which is another consideration.
The multiple burner stoves can cater from two up to ten adults easily with big pots and pans being able to be used at the same time, while the single burners are limited in both their burner output and the size of the pot you can use (unless you use multiple single burner stoves in conjunction).
If you choose a single burner, then both the 360 Degrees Furno and the Primus Mimer stoves are perfect for you, depending on if you just want a stove or one with accessories.
The Companion 2 Burner is the multiple burner stove of choice on this list, though it is not cheap.
Best Portable Camping Stoves FAQ
Are camp stoves safe to use indoors?
The general rule with gas burners is not to use them inside an enclosed space like a tent. That goes for heaters too. However, like many of our homes, you can use gas burners for cooking provided you have good ventilation such as a gazebo with open sides.
Cooking with gas or flame in a small enclosed space can lead to oxygen depletion issues and carbon monoxide poisoning, and while these are rare with gas burners, it’s always best to use them next to the door or window if the weather conditions outside give you no other choice.
Can you grill on a camp stove?
Absolutely you can, especially if you have a two or three burner camping stove that you can place across them. A small fry pan on a single burner stove works too. It’s important to note that the grilling we are referring to is a solid plate, and the higher the quality frypan or pan you use, the better your grilling will be.
You cannot BBQ meat over a wire grill on top of your burners as the fat will drip down and cause an unholy mess (assuming it doesn't start a grease fire first). You can cook some vegetables like this, for example, corn, however, you need to be careful not to burn.
Final Thoughts
Camp cooking can be a chore, but it needn't be. Getting the right gas camping stove for you will go a long way to making sure cooking is easy. With any of the stoves on this list, you can produce tasty and healthy food in no time.
The Companion 2 Burner Stove is the pick of the multiple burner stoves in this list and provides quality and flexibility in your cooking.
If you prefer simplicity or already have a decent set up with a grill for BBQing over your fire pit and a classic camp oven that produces most of the food – then a smaller single unit like the Primus Mimer can augment your camp kitchen allowing even more flexibility for the styles, amounts and types of foods you can create overall.
Still have questions about camp stoves? Leave a comment below!
This article may contain affiliate links. I will earn a commission if you choose to purchase a product or service after clicking on my link. This helps pay for the cost of running the website. You will not be disadvantaged in any way by using my links.
Note that while every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this page, there may sometimes be errors. Check all specifications with the manufacturer before purchasing any product.
