From the number of burners, fuel type, to portability, we dove deep into research and product reviews on the best factors to consider when purchasing the best camping stove in Australia. We’ve also narrowed down 10 of the best stoves for backpacking, camping, and other outdoor activities.
Our Picks For Best Camping Stoves
Quick Links
10 Best Camping Stoves in Australia
- Jetboil Zip
- TitleColeman 2000017462NP Hyper Flame Fyre Cadet Stove
- Coleman 1405530 Peak1 Stove
- Ohuhu Camping Stove Backpacking Burner Stove
- Coleman FyreLite Butane/Propane Stove with Backpack
- Butane Stove Portable Gasmate®
- Solo Stove Lite – Portable Camping Hiking and Survival Stove
- Bulin Windproof Camping Stove
- lixada Camping Stove Wood Burning Stove
- Campingaz, Portable Two Burner Gas Cooker
Camping Stoves: Buyer’s Guide
There are a lot of advantages to bringing your own camping stove, instead of opting to avail the cooking facilities at a campsite, or gathering up wood and cooking the old fashion way. This is why it’s very important to be very meticulous when choosing the right cooking gear for your trip.
We’ve laid out a list of major factors to consider, which type of stove fits your trip, and other points to bear in mind before making the purchase.
The Different Types of Camping Stoves
Canister Stove
Canister Stoves are very easy and convenient to use. You will just simply need to attach the stove to the fuel canister and turn the ignition knob to start using. It uses two pre-pressurized gasses: isobutane and propane.
Because most come in small and portable sizes, this type of camping stove is traditionally used by hikers and backpackers. There are also tons of varieties to choose from; the most common is the lightweight option having only a burner and the canister and a more integrated canister system that includes a pot.
Liquid Fuel stoves
Liquid Fuel stoves perform well in cold weather (even in below-freezing temperatures) and it’s more versatile than the canister stoves. The fuel used, compared to the canisters, are less expensive. It runs on white gas such as kerosene, jet fuel, gasoline, or unleaded auto gasoline.
Alternative-fuel stoves
Alternative-fuel stoves are deemed lighter than canister stoves and liquid fuel stoves as they do away with the bulky gas or fuel containers. Instead, it uses alternative fuels such as alcohol, fuel tablets, antifreeze, or wood sticks.
Denatured Alcohol stoves
Denatured alcohol stoves are appealing to backpackers and hikers as these are usually lightweight—weighing an ounce or two. Instead of bringing a fuel or gas canister, you’ll just need a bottle of alcohol (size will depend on travel circumstances) to help you light up the stove.
Wood-burning stoves
Wood-burning stoves are definitely environment-friendly as it does not make use of any type of fuel or gas at all. Instead, it will just need twigs and leaves that are scattered all over the campsite. This is a great option as well for lighter trips as it’s extremely lightweight.
Campground stoves
Campground stoves are great for families and if space and storage are not a big issue. Most of the products of this type have more than one burner. So if you’re looking to cook for a whole family or for a handful of people, then you may need to consider a campground stove.
This type of stove will be heavy to carry so it’s more convenient for RV camping or those that will use a car to get to their campsite (instead of hiking). Although there are “semi-portable” campground stoves, they may still be heavy and bulky to carry around.
Solar stoves
Solar stoves are designed in line with how other solar-powered products work—with the use of the sun. These are also known as “solar ovens”. This type of stove is meant for cooking or heating food over long periods of time.
Explaining the Terminology
BTU (British Thermal Unit)
BTU (British Thermal Unit) is a unit of heat. With stoves, it is a measure of how hot the burners can be.
Burners
A burner is a part of the stove that emits flames. Some stoves have more than one.
Piezo
Piezo is a material used to make electrical ignition in stoves. Instead of lighting up the burner with a match or lighter, the ignition will produce a spark of electricity to fire it up.
Canister
A canister is a cylindrical container that is usually made of metal which is used for storing food, chemicals, or, in this case, fuel or gas for cooking.
Camping Stoves: Primary Considerations
Stove weight and size
The weight and size of the stove to consider will mainly depend on the kind of trip you will have. Backpackers and hikers will likely look into the smallest or the most portable stoves available so it’ll be easy for them to carry the weight along with their other camping gears.
When opting for liquid fuel stoves, bear in mind the weight of the refillable fuel canister and the extra liquid fuel container for refilling. Stoves will differ in sizes; small ones may not be able to hold large pots and there are stoves that have double burners.
Burn time
When comparing stoves, make sure to look at how long a type of stove will burn a certain amount of fuel. This will tell you two things: First, which type of stove will conserve more fuel? Second, how much extra fuel you may need to pack for the whole trip.
Fuel type
The two most common fuel types are gas and liquid fuel. Both have their own advantages and disadvantages. You might need to compare which type of fuel you’re most suitable to use.
Gas is usually placed in pre-pressurized canisters and will not be refillable. So you’ll take into consideration the number of canisters you’ll be bringing and its disposal.
Liquid fuel, on the other hand, is refillable. But there’s a good chance of it spilling inside your bag. And it’ll be heavier to pack than a gas canister.
Denatured alcohol will be one of the most portable fuel types that you can carry. So if you’re opting for an ultralight backpacking trip, you might want to look into stoves that accommodate denatured alcohol. This is usually used by alternative fuel stoves, such as wood-burning ones and the alcohol will help start the flame.
Number of burners
The need for multiple burners will depend on the number of people there is a need to cook for or much food you will be cooking on every meal on the trip. For families or huge group outings, you may want to opt for stoves with a minimum of 2-3 burners. Take note that opting for more burners may cost more and will need more attention, in terms of cleaning and maintenance.
Burner Output (BTU)
The burner output or how hot the stove can get is measured by BTU (British thermal unit). Basically, the higher the BTU, the hotter the stove will be and the faster the food will be cooked.
If you want the food to cook faster, you may want to opt for a higher BTU. Although, that would mean higher gas consumption.
Secondary Considerations
Wind Protection
There are stoves that have sidewalls or some other kind of wind protection to keep the flame burning. This will be of great help when cooking in windy weather conditions. Some stoves will have lids and this too will serve as a wind protection.
Maintenance
There will be stoves, usually those with multiple burners, that are high maintenance and need extra time to clean. Nevertheless, most are often low maintenance and are easy to clean.
When cleaning the pan supports make sure to check if they are dishwasher-safe or not as they may get ruined. With canister stoves or liquid-fuel stoves, you may need to take out a few parts, aside from the pan support, like the burners. So make sure to be careful when doing so.
Legs
Not all camping stoves will have collapsable or detachable legs unless you purchase them separately. Having that option will make it easier to set up a place for cooking. Others, instead of legs, have sturdy bases.
The 10 Best Camping Stoves Available in Australia
#1. Jetboil Zip
Best Selling Canister Camping Stove
- 0.8 Liter FluxRing cooking cup with insulating cozy
- Adjustable burner
- Match ignition
Weight: 340 g | Dimension: 10.4 x 10.4 x 16.5 cm | No. of Burners: 1 | BTU: 4500
Standout features: Comes with a drink-through lid, strainer, and pour spout
The Jetboil Zip is quite popular as a very handy canister camping stove, most especially with backpackers and hikers. It offers a complete canister stove system. Aside from the stove burner, it comes with a cooking pot, a tip lid, a measuring stand, and a tripod.
It’s very small and very handy to carry in a backpack. It comes in three variants: the zip cooking system, flash system cooking, and the Flash Java Kit (includes a coffee press).
The basic variant, the Zip cooking, is about .8 liters tall that can boil .5 liters for 2 minutes 30 seconds. It is designed to boil water to make hot drinks or rehydrate freeze-dried backpacking meals while on a hike.
It is worth noting that the Zip will need a match to be ignited, so make sure to bring a match or lighter along with the compact stove.
#2. Coleman 2000017462NP Hyper Flame Fyre Cadet Stove
Amazon’s Choice for Camping Stove
- Product Type: Sporting Goods
- Package Quantity: 1
- Package Dimensions: 45.0 cms (L) x 69.0 cms (W) x 39.0 cms (H)
Weight:4.54 kg| Dimension: 45 x 69 x 39 cm | No. of Burners: 2 | BTU: 11,000 (Each burner)
Standout features: Interchangeable cooktops, easy-press ignition
The Coleman 2000017462NP Hyper Flame Fyre Cadet Stove looks and feels like a premium camping stove. One of its noteworthy features is the interchangeable cooktops. You swap them with a small grill grate for convenient grilling or with a griddle for frying. It takes away the need to bring separate, not to mention bigger, pans and grills. However, these extra cooktops are sold separately, so it’ll be up to your budget to decide.
There are more flame holes on each burner for faster cooking and can even boil water twice as fast—3 m/sec wind. To give you a sort of perspective on its fuel usage, it will take one hour to consume a 16.4-oz. propane cylinder with two burners on a high.
The whole stove is built for convenience. It has a Wind Block pan support that will provide 360° of wind protection when cooking. It can be ignited with just a push of a button, with its Instastart push-button ignition. Also, it can be carried with ease, despite being over 4 kg, as it has a built-in handle and latching lid.
#3. Coleman 1405530 Peak1 Stove
Best Overall One Burner Camping Stove
- Perfect flow technology provides consistent performance, even in extreme conditions
- Perfect heat technology for more efficient cooking with less fuel
- Powerful burner boils 1 litre of water in 3.25 min (10,000 total btu's of cooking power)
Weight: 235.87 g | Dimension: 13 x 14 x 11 cm | No. of Burners: 1 | BTU: 10,000
Standout feature: Powerful burner
The Coleman 1405530 Peak1 Stove is designed to perfectly fit a 6-inch pan. It is packed with a great burning system as it can boil a liter of water in 3.25 mins. It has a fully adjustable heat control for its 10,000 BTU burner, with pressure control to maintain the flow of the flame in any weather condition.
The stove is very easy to pack as it only weighs around 6.7 ounces and it has a folding design for easy storage. For its fuel capacity, it can consume a Coleman® 3250 220-g fuel cartridge in an hour while on full blast.
#4. Ohuhu Camping Stove Backpacking Burner Stove
Best Alternative Fuel Camping Stove
- Wide Compatibility: You Can Fit Just About Any Pot or Pan on This Handy Portable Wood Stove Thanks to the Sizeable Cooking Surface....
- Adjustable Ash Catcher: Get Exactly the Heat Levels You Need Thanks to the 2 Adjustable Heights (7cm/9.5cm). Use Intense Heat for...
- Compact, Portable & Lightweight: It Can Be a Pain Lugging Around One of Those Heavy Gas Stoves, but This Wood Stove is Super Portable...
Weight: 14.2 oz | Dimension: 5.3″ x 5.3″ x 3″ (folded) | No. of Burners: 1
Standout features: Comes with a grill gid, 3-arm base support
The Ohuhu Camping Stove Backpacking Burner Stove is very portable and environment-friendly, making it one of the best camping stoves for backpacking or hiking. When folded, it’s only as tall as 5.3”, and weighs around 14.oz so it’s definitely a very portable item to carry.
To use this camping stove, you’ll need twigs, leaves, pinecones, or woods as fuel—definitely environmentally friendly. It has a series of layers and the bottom layer works as its stand and natural air ventilation to keep the flame alive. On top of that is the stove chamber where you place your alternative fuel.
The top layer, the cooktop, has 3-arm pot support for stability and even heat distribution. Alternatively, you can swap the cooktop with a grill grid for barbecues and other grilling needs.
#5. Coleman FyreLiteStove with Backpack
Best Camping Stove for Backpacking
- Perfect flow Technology provides consistent performance, even in extreme conditions
- Powerful burner boils 1L of water in 9.8 min. In a 3M/sec. Wind. 12,000 total BTU's of cooking power
- Ultra-lightweight at only 2.7oz. (76.5g) for easy carrying
Weight: 76.5 g | Dimension: 8 x 12 x 5 cm | No. of Burners: 1 | BTU: 12,000
Standout features: Comes with a carry bag, ultra-lightweight
The Coleman FyreLiteStove with Backpack is designed to fit an 8-inch pan. It’s ultra-lightweight as it weighs only around 12 oz (76.5 g) and it comes with a carry bag for easy packing and storage—making it a perfect fit for backpacking adventures.
It provides consistent performance even in extreme conditions. It has a powerful boiling system (12,000 BTU) that can boil a liter of water in less than 10 minutes in a 3-meters/second wind. For its fuel capacity, it can last up to 1 hour on high on one Coleman 3250 220-g fuel cartridge. You have to keep in mind that the fuel cartridge is sold separately.
#6. Butane Stove Portable Gasmate®
Most Safe Butane Camping Stove
- Pressure sensing safety shut-off device.
- Plastic carry case included.
- Use with bayonet butane canister.
Weight: 2.12 kg | Dimension: 30 x 22 x 6 cm | No. of Burners: 1| BTU: 8,500 / 9 MJ/h
Standout features: Comes with a carry case, Pressure sensing safety shut-off system
The Butane Stove Portable Gasmate® is very easy and convenient to use and maintain. It comes with a single burner (other variants of the same brand have two), that has a fuel consumption of 150g per hour.
One of its key features is its pressure sensing shut-off system. Basically, if overpower occurs, it will either eject the canister or automatically cuts off the gas supply. This is a worry-free feature that is best to have most especially when you have kids around or when they’re helping to cook. Of course, even without children around, having this feature is an overall lifesaver.
For the type and size of fuel cartridge used, you’ll need a 220g butane cartridge.
#7. Solo Stove Lite - Portable Camping Hiking and Survival Stove
Best Camping Stove for Solo Backpacking
- Pressure sensing safety shut-off device.
- Plastic carry case included.
- Use with bayonet butane canister.
Weight:9 oz | Dimension: 5.7 x 4.25 inches | No. of Burners: 1 | Material: Stainless Steel
Standout features: ultra-lightweight, wood-burning
The Solo Stove Lite - Portable Camping Hiking and Survival Stove is a great camping stove to bring when you’re going on an ultralight hiking trip alone or with a partner. It boils 32 fl oz of water in 8-10 mins. It’s efficient to have around when there’s a need to boil water real quick before heading back out on the trail.
It’s not collapsable, however. Although it’s just under 6 inches tall so it won’t take as much space in your backpack. As to how it works, you will need to fill the inside of the stove of either twigs, leaves, or small pieces of wood.
It has a 360° Airflow Design that will draw the air through the lower vent holes. This will help heat up the double insulated walls of the stove. The heated air will ignite after it leaves the upper vent holes, which, in turn, creates a secondary burn.
#8. This product is currently unavailable
Best Heavy Duty Liquid-Fuel Camping Stove
No products found.
Weight: 1 lb. | Dimension: 2.8 x 4.5 in | No. of Burners: 1 | BTU: 3800 W / 12966.1 BTU/h
Standout features: Excellent firepower, great for cooking big meals
The This product is currently unavailable can boil water in 4minutes—that’s how powerful it is! It’s a great kitchen item to have when cooking for big families or planning for big meals during the trip.
The stove is made with rust-resistant, high temperature resistant, corrosion-resistant stainless steel. Because of its structure, it can accommodate any pan or cookware size. The burner is enclosed with a furnace plate that provides a strong fire support, especially against strong winds.
One downside that needs to be highlighted is its fuel consumption. Because of how great its firepower is, it will consume more fuel. A 220g fuel will only last up to 72 minutes of use, while a 450 g can run the stove for about 140 minute.
#9. Lixada Camping Stove Wood Burning Stove
Best Camping Stove for Grilling
- Strong stainless steel construction for rugged backpacking and camping.
- Air vents for good ventilation and efficient burning.
- Anti-skid serrated cross stand creates a stable cooking platform.
Weight: 600g | Dimension: | No. of Burners: 1 | Material: Stainless steel
Standout features: Can be folded flat, convenient for grilling
The Lixada Camping Stove Wood Burning Stove is a great pop-up-like grilling set-up for backpacking. The base frame, which is made of stainless steel, can be folded flat, making it very convenient to pack and carry. It comes with both the barbeque grill and the Anti-skid serrated cross stand.
Controlling the fire and manoeuvring around the stove is made very easy and simple. Placing and adding small pieces of wood, twigs, or sticks is effortless as the other side of the stove is open. The height of the ash plate and the charcoal grill adjustable, to accommodate different fuel sources.
#10. Campingaz, Portable Two Burner Gas Cooker
Best two-burner gas stove
- Powerful: Two high-performance, fully adjustable 2 kW stainless steel burners; push and turn knobs for full flame control; removable...
- Compact and slim design: Easy to use gas cooker with manual ignition; folds up compact, side panels come with built-in carry grips and...
- Enhanced design: The lid covers the cooking top for protection and works as a wind deflecting Shield when it is open
Weight: 3.8 kg | Dimension (open/closed): 49 x 45 x 33/49 x 35 x 10 cm | No. of Burners: 2 | BTU: 2 kw / 6824.28 BTU/h
Standout features: high-performance stainless steel burners, compact and slim design
The Campingaz, Portable Two Burner Gas Cooker has a compact and super slim design. It’s not as bulky as the others of the same type. The lid covers the burners for protection and serves as a wind protection when cooking. Also, it comes with a hose and a regulator.
For fuel consumption, it can last up to one hour and 30 minutes on a Campingaz gas cartridge CV 470 Plus, running on 291 g/h. With each burner heating up to 2 kw or 6824.28 BTU/h. It’s working on a manual ignition, instead of a piezo. So, make sure you have a light or a match ready when using.
