Our decide
This easy, rugged two-burner range cooks meals shortly and evenly. And it’s lower than half the value of different stoves we examined.
An important function of the Coleman Basic Propane Tenting Range is its reliability—regardless of getting tossed out and in of our automobiles repeatedly, it continued to work completely. We additionally appreciated its versatility: This Coleman mannequin boiled water sooner than another range we examined below $150, but once we turned it down low, it was mild sufficient to griddle golden-brown pancakes.
On a single 16-ounce tank of propane, this range can prepare dinner with each burners on excessive for roughly an hour, and it has the barest minimal of components, so it’s simple to keep up. This Coleman mannequin doesn’t have a piezo igniter (that little pink button on loads of stoves, together with the our runner-up and improve picks, that lights the fuel), so that you’ll have to carry a lighter. To us, that’s only one fewer factor to interrupt (and in case you’re paying lower than $150 for a range, the piezo igniters nearly all the time break).
Runner-up
The Cascade is much like the Basic range, nevertheless it means that you can regulate cooking temperatures with extra precision and features a deal with for simpler carrying. Nevertheless, it prices extra.
If our prime decide is out of inventory otherwise you’d like extra cooking management (and doubtlessly a contact extra sturdiness), the Coleman Cascade 222 2-Burner Tenting Range represents the subsequent step up over the Coleman Basic. What separates it from the Basic (and provides to the value tag) is extra management all through the vary of cooking temperatures. It boils water a bit sooner than the Basic whereas nonetheless offering a delicate flame that allows you to prepare dinner meals extra delicately than on the Basic (as an example, in case you want your eggs mushy scrambled). It additionally features a piezo ignition, which is ok so long as you don’t count on that element to final eternally (none of them do). The Cascade case is less complicated to hold because of its included deal with.
Improve decide
Attributable to its strong development, this two-burner range is heavier to hold than the Coleman fashions and dearer. However the Mountaineer additionally has a more-powerful output, so you possibly can prepare dinner on it prefer it’s your house range.
The heavy-gauge, all-aluminum Camp Chef Mountaineer is constructed just like the robust, traditional tenting tools you hear salty old-timers or vintage-equipment nerds speak about. It’s dearer than both of our Coleman picks, however in case you’re comfy with the soar in value, the Mountaineer could also be definitely worth the funding.
Weighing simply over 16 kilos, it’s 4 kilos heavier than the Coleman Basic. However with its massive, three-way windscreen, a hookup for an enormous (5 to twenty kilos) propane bottle, and a 40,000 Btu output (double that of the Coleman Basic), the Mountaineer allows you to do extra in the best way of high-heat cooking than our different picks. As an illustration, you possibly can sear a steak at the next warmth than on our different picks for a darker char extra shortly, which implies you possibly can prepare dinner extra meals in the identical period of time.
Managing the controls does require finesse—with a range this {powerful}, it’s simpler to burn your meals than to maintain the warmth low. This range is nice for probably the most dedicated car-camping gourmets, however for many campers, its value and sturdiness are overkill.
Additionally nice
Should you typically prepare dinner for a crowd, the FireDisc’s paella-pan-like design is good for making large meals. This range is nice for individuals who don’t need to tote additional cookware.
Although you most likely received’t be hauling the Unique FireDisc Transportable Propane Cooker far out of your automotive (in complete it weighs 55 kilos, probably the most of any range we examined), it does break down into three pretty easy-to-carry parts: two supporting trusses and one massive pan.
It has the simplicity and energy of one thing you’d count on to final a lifetime (with the correct care). In different phrases, the FireDisc ought to final quite a bit longer than its five-year restricted guarantee. It has a single-pan design (consider a wok or a paella pan, although the FireDisc is most carefully associated to a Mexican discada), so you are able to do away with the standard pots, pans, and sear plates.
Cooking on the FireDisc is akin to utilizing a big griddle plate: You may make a single large-pot meal, like a stew or fry-up, or arrange zones for various meals, as you may when getting ready fajitas. Both means, to some extent you’re inevitably cooking every little thing collectively, and the warmth controls are restricted.
