Best Backpacking Stove Reviews - Finding The Best Back Packing Stoves For You

These backpacking stove reviews provide adventure seekers with a guide, to a few of the best back packing stoves, suitable for various needs before setting out on the trail.

When choosing backpack stoves we primarily look at the stoves efficiency for the conditions our trip is planned for, keeping our backpack light based on the best our budget will allow.

Getting a camp stove the cheap and quick way, is knocking together a homemade alcohol stove. This is not what this review is about! Although, of course homemade stoves have advantages.

The backpacking stoves ratings and reviews below are what we found that the backpacking, hiking and camping community rave about from time to time.

Ultralight Backpack Stoves

MSR Pocket Rocket

The MSR Pocket Rocket Stove is a poplular choice that weighs just 3 ounces and is very compact.

This is a great stove if you need a really light backpack load. At 3 ounces or 85 grams it is pretty light. It offers fast and simple lighting, with no need for priming, pressurizing or maintenance. The pocket rocket will boil a litre of water in under 3.5 minutes. The glove-friendly controls allow precise flame adjustment. It uses clean burning MSR Iso Pro fuel.

Cannister fuel is not the best fuel at winter low temperatures, although overcome by keeping the cannister insulated when not in use,inside your backpack during the day wrapped in an item that provides insulation and at night in a warm place in your tent/shelter.

This is the cheapest MSR model and lightest, has less gadgets than other back packing stoves, making it less stable, but more simplified. It's what the minimalists like to see.

Esbit Stove

Another ultralight option is the Esbit Stove used by many for a backup stove (emergency)or for a couple of days on a trail.

The design is a fold open metal case that burns fuel tablets. Each tablet burns for approximately 12 to 15 minutes.

It's not designed for comfort driven car camping. If you are a minimalist who camps out of a backpack and eats primarily dehydrated meals, you will get a lot of use out of this.

It has been said the esbit fuel tablets can become an expense, although other cheaper fuel tablets from army surplus stores suffice.

You can buy one of these for under $10. Not for those that are inexperienced or those wanting speedy boiling time.

Rapid Boil Time - Backpack Stoves

Jetboil Stove

When deciding which was the best rapid boil stove whilst completing the backpacking stove reviews, we went for the Jetboil Flash Java Kit.

The jetboil flash java is the newer model: The predecessor being the Jetboil Personal Cooking System.

This stoves first objective is to boil water rapidly. It's a lightweight complete food and beverage multi-tool, that you can hold in your hand and weighs 15oz .It ignites with the click of a button, within two minutes you have got two cups of boiling water ready for coffee or a quick meal.

The java kit comes with a coffee press that you would normally buy separately for about $20, and some coffee to get started. It seems more beneficial to buy the jetboil flash java at the same price.

The stove packs inside the 1 litre cup that makes packing a pleasure. This is not the lightest backpack stove available but very efficient with fuel usage, which of course will save weight by using less cannisters and you dont need a pot. The 1 litre cup is the pot.

By popular demand we provide in depth backpacking stove reviews here for the Jetboil Stove. Below is more information about the popular models available:

Lightweight Backpacking Stove

The award winning MSR WhisperLite Stove has the shaker jet technology that makes cleaning as simple as shaking the stove. MSR has perfected the flame control on the whisperlite to allow fuel usage to be minimum and provide efficient heat. A weighted pin inside the jet pushes away any debris or soot to reduce maintenance involved.

The WhisperLite backpack stove has been a buyers choice for many outdoor adventurers for over 15 years, and is still going strong.

The boil time is just under 4 minutes, maximum weight packaged 14.5 oz, and uses liquid fuel (pref white gas). This is not the lightest stove available in comparison to some cannister stoves, but weight and costs would be saved by having less cannisters to take on the trail, if out for some time.

Like all the MSR stoves they need to be taken care of to prevent clogging and general maintenance issues. Many consumers have had a whisperlite for years without a single issue. A couple of buyers seem to have issues with the stove producing too much heat and cleaning it, however, some seem to buy in the hope of receiving benefits an item is not supposed to provide and they may not take care of the product properly.

If your looking for a camp stove for backpacking that is pretty light, compact, effective in all conditions and very affordable then this may be the stove you have been looking for. Best recommendable for cooking basic dried foods, boiling hot water and oatmeal etc.

Best All Rounder Backpacking Stove

After researching backpacking stove reviews and ratings for the best all rounder, we had to go with the majority and choose the MSR Dragonfly.

We love the MSR Dragonfly Stoves ability to cook on fast boil and simmer. The dual-valve design offers a great range of flame control, from simmer to boil with a twist of the flame adjuster. It's won numerous awards for its innovative dual-valve design.

The three wide pot supports hold larger MSR pots or frying pans for gourmet cooking. This is difficult to find when choosing back packing stoves. Many are boil, eat and go...

Weighing in at Packed Weight (max) 18 oz (510 g), it is not as light as others. The drangonfly burns white gas, kerosene or unleaded auto fuel to make this stove a flexible fuel option, and will weather the extremes.

Like other MSR camp stoves they are easily maintained on the field. Comes with a maintenance kit and instructions.

If your looking for stability, fuel flexibility and cooking options then the drangonfly is what we would go for. Make sure you are not too fussy about noise.

Further Advice

Many will agree when using any backpack stoves to become familiar with how it works best. Make your new backpacking stove a friend you wouldn't leave home without.

Whichever stove you choose, if you research backpacking stove reviews and information about what best meets your backpacking, hiking and camping needs, you cant go wrong. We hope these backpacking stove reviews have helped.

There are few other stoves worth credit; However this is our choice that we believe bring value to anyone setting out on the trail.