Best camping stoves 2022: Portable, lightweight wood and gas cookers

Best: Overall

Rating: 10/10

This is an absolutely fantastic stove which screams quality from the get go. We were especially enamoured with the controls – they feel much more sturdy than the average camping stove controls, and have more in common with the ones on a high-end oven.

It’s also incredibly versatile – the four non-stick cooking surfaces (the griddle was the one we used most) have chunky rubber feet, which meant we could move them from the burner to table tops without risking damaging delicate surfaces. The presence of two burners means it’s possible to cook two items at once, and the tough carrying case – a sleek silver piece of kit which wouldn’t look out of place in a James Bond movie – doubled as a handy rest for the stove.

Best: For ease of use

Rating: 10/10

Cadac’s camping kit is famously versatile, and this is one of the best examples. A circular stove with four non-stick cooking surfaces, Piezo push button ignition and a compact, lightweight design. But the real highlight of this model is the four legs which fold easily away but provide reassuring stability on uneven ground, largely thanks to the way they lock firmly into place.

There’s little you can’t cook on this – as pizza lovers, we were over the moon to see a pizza plate, but we also found the wok attachment incredibly useful, too. The Piezo ignition felt much more reliable than others we’ve come across, and there’s the same sense of durability throughout. Absolutely everything about this stove screams quality, and it’s clearly been built to last.

One point worth noting: this stove uses threaded cannisters, rather than the easy clic system, CampinGaz’s patented system. But this isn’t a problem – the cannisters are easy to pick up in camping stores and online.

Best: For traditionalists

Rating: 9/10

Whether you’re travelling light, nervous about tinkering with gas canisters or simply looking for an eco-friendly way to cook your campfire cuisine, Quecha’s wood burning camping stove is a brilliant investment – with the added bonus that its tiny fuel hatch and the resulting eau d’wood can’t help but crank up the cosiness. Don’t worry about being smoked out, either – an innovative air flow system means minimal smoke and maximum power, and boiling a one-litre pan of water will take under 10 minutes.

Our only warning relates to the fact that the all-metal construction means it gets incredibly hot incredibly fast. But in reality, the same can be said for most camping stoves, and the gas-free power will appeal to anyone nervous about cooking with gas. Just don’t forget the matches!

Best: For efficiency

Rating: 9/10

Fiddling around with complicated camping stove controls has never been our idea of a good time, which is precisely why we love the Jetboil zip cooking system, designed for solo campers and hikers (or two, at a push). Simply attach the 0.8l cup to the burner, clip on the gas cannister and get cooking. Or boiling.

This is best suited to soups and hot drinks, although small pans and pots can also be balanced on the burner – a small tripod will help to keep it stable on uneven ground. Being tea addicts, we used it for hot drinks and relied on a larger stove to prepare our campfire cuisine, and we loved the added extra of the cup’s insulated neoprene jacket and carry handle.

Best: For cooking on the go

Rating: 9/10

This is a fantastic option if you’re travelling light, and not planning on cooking up elaborate feasts. With a weight of just 0.38kg, it’s best suited to drinks, soups and liquid-based meals such as baked beans, which it will heat in no time at all, thanks to the model’s brilliant thermal efficiency. The anodised pot, which sits atop the gas canister, is incredibly durable and easy to clean, although you can place your own saucepan or griddle (albeit a small one), atop the canister, too.

It’s worth bearing in mind that the heat exchanger isn’t the fastest of stoves, largely because the included pot sits on top of the stove, rather than clipping directly onto it. However, given this is a stove designed with solo hikers in mind (and therefore relatively small amounts of liquid), this is unlikely to pose a major problem. We also loved the added extras – in addition to the pot lid, there’s a stand for the gas cannister, two bowls, two spoons and a storage bag.

Best: For families

Rating: 8/10

This brilliant box of tricks does it all – well, almost. It’s got two burner stoves and a toast grill, and is refreshingly simple to use, with tactile controls alongside clear, bold symbols. The three knobs protrude more than most, but we actually preferred this – anything which puts more distance between us and a naked flame/whistling kettle/spitting frying pan is a good thing, in our book. Additionally, the knobs had to be pushed in quite firmly before they could be turned, which meant no accidental temperature tweaks. We loved the wind protection too, provided by the raised top lid of its suitcase-style carry case.

Best: For simplicity

Rating: 8/10

Another piece of portable perfection, Primus’s essential trail stove duo weighs just 114g. Simply pop it onto your gas canister and you’ll be cooking up a storm in under one minute, using either threaded or clip-on canisters like the ones made by Campingaz. Apparently it’s been made in Sweden and we’re not surprised, given its stylish look. Despite its ridiculously low weight, the position and size of the three arms does a great job of supporting small pots and pans.

Best: Compact design

Rating: 8/10

We’ve admittedly got a weakness for accessories, and we were particularly impressed with the tiny carry case for this portable gas stove, which has an astoundingly compact foldable design. Perfect for backpackers and trekkers alike, it’s incredibly simple to use – it took us a matter of seconds to attach the gas canister and fire it up, after which we could tweak the power by turning the small knob on the hose. The beauty of stoves like this is that they mean minimal washing up – its tiny size means the pan or pot you’ll use will always be larger than the burner itself (so no messy food splashes) and the carry case keeps it clean when not in use.

Best: Value

Rating: 8/10

This stove strikes a brilliant balance between portability and power. It’s slim and lightweight, but its large cooking area will easily accommodate family-sized pots and pans, and the tough enamel coating makes cleaning it a breeze. We were impressed with the power (it took just under six minutes to boil a large pan of water and a stack of sausages was cooked to perfection in 10 minutes) and we loved the stability offered by the four extra-long prongs above the burner, as well as the chunky dials, which allowed us to quickly tweak the temperature without risking an accidental burn.

Best: For cooking multiple items

Rating: 8/10

Yes, this stove might bear a striking resemblance to Campingaz’s chef folding camp stove (£39.99, Outdoorworlddirect.co.uk), but it’s actually a new, improved version released in early 2022. To start with, it’s silver, which doesn’t serve any practical purpose, but certainly means extra points in the style stakes. This particular model is also more suited to shorter camping weekends or trips when you don’t want to be weighed down – unlike the chef folding camp stove, it uses smaller Campingaz CV470 gas cartridges, which are lightweight and portable.

Best: For drinks

Rating: 8/10

This brilliant lightweight burner comes with a 500ml anodised aluminium pot – perfect for hot drinks as well as soups and sauces. The ultra-secure connection between the integrated pot and the burner provided peace of mind (a previous incident which left us with singed eyebrows has left us with a certain wariness of gas canisters), and laminar flow burner technology (which allows for a more consistent gas flow) helps improve both efficiency and power. Brewing a pot of tea took a mere three minutes.