Best Backpacking Stove (2025): MSR, Jetboil, Firebox

Which Type of Stove Is Best for Backpacking?

Canister? Alcohol? Traditional achromatic gas? There's a wealthiness of options retired there, truthful which 1 is The Best™? The reply is that it depends connected wherever you're going (altitude, weather, pain bans, etc), what you're cooking, and really agelong you're backpacking. Thru-hikers person a different group of needs than those of america who only get successful a fewer weekends and possibly 1 10-day travel a year. That said, our apical prime is simply a awesome prime for some thru-hiking and play warriors. I emotion intoxicant stoves for their soundlessness and simplicity, but pain bans sometimes mean they're not permitted. When successful doubt, a lightweight canister stove setup is your champion bet. The objection is acold weather. Inverted canister stoves do amended successful cold, but I trust connected achromatic state anytime I deliberation nan temps will dip beneath 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

What's nan Best Stove for Actually Cooking?

How Much Should My Stove Weigh?

As small arsenic imaginable while still being functional. Seriously, it depends connected what you want to do. If you're solo and you conscionable want capable h2o to rehydrate a pouch of nutrient you tin get by pinch thing astir an ounce aliases two. If you want to navigator up a due repast for tired children, it mightiness beryllium worthy carrying a small other weight.

Should You Buy a Stove System?

That's up to you. They do often make life connected nan way easier, acknowledgment to nan measurement astir stove-pot combo systems click together and battalion down bully and small. But if you're looking to spell ultralight and trim weight arsenic overmuch arsenic possible, nan reply is decidedly no. A small, lightweight cookware pinch either nan MSR PocketRocket Deluxe aliases BRS 3000 and a DIY foil windscreen weighs little than immoderate integrated stove strategy I've tested. Pro tip: make your ain lightweight cookware lid retired of immoderate dense work foil to prevention moreover much weight.

Why Don't You List Boil Times?

Because accelerated boil times are a silly number made up by nan manufacture truthful that it would person thing to comparison and brag about. The clip it takes to boil h2o depends connected factors nary 1 tin power successful nan existent world, including starting h2o temp, ambient aerial temp, altitude, wind, and more. Even if you power for each of those factors to effort to absurd retired a number, it won't show you anything, because immoderate stoves are amended than others successful nan wind, truthful you can't extrapolate thing astir their capacity successful still aerial that will representation to their capacity successful wind. All of which makes boil times a wholly useless number.

What Backpacking Stove Do You Use?

I ain respective stoves, but honestly, I americium usually cooking connected immoderate I americium testing for this guide. On nan uncommon occasions I don't person a caller stove to trial … it depends. For solo trips covering bully distances I usage nan apical pick, nan MSR PocketRocket Deluxe. When I'm bikepacking aliases backpacking pinch my kids, I usage nan Firebox Freestyle stove divided into 2 units, 1 pinch a Trangia tone burner and 1 pinch nan state burner. Dividing each that up betwixt 4 group keeps nan weight reasonable (total weight for this setup is 26 ounces) and efficaciously gives maine a two-burner stove and a twig fire, which is bully erstwhile you don't cognize what you'll beryllium capable to bargain erstwhile resupplying connected nan trail. In acold weather, I trust connected an MSR WhisperLite International that I've had for almost 3 decades. I benignant of dislike it, but it's reliable.