The Best Backpacking Stoves, From Our Hands-On Tests

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Whether it’s making your morning coffee or cooking a warm evening meal, a backpacking stove is an important part of your backcountry kitchen. To figure out which model provides the best performance and the smoothest user experience, I acquired in brand-new canister stoves from MSR, GSI, Primus, Soto, Snow Peak, and JetBoil. They were then put through a series of controlled tests before heading out on Outdoor Life’s annual backpacking gear testing trip to the Goat Rocks Wilderness to be tested in tandem by experienced backpackers. Here are the best backpacking stoves, based on those controlled tests and field experiences. 

• Best Overall: JetBoil Stash
• Best Value: MSR PocketRocket 2
• Lightest: GSI Pinnacle
• Smallest: Soto Amicus
• Primus Express
• Soto Windmaster
• Snow Peak GigaPower

How We Tested the Best Backpacking Stoves

Field Testing

Backpacking stoves were included in Outdoor Life’s second annual backpacking gear test, which took place along a 40-mile section of the Pacific Crest Trail in Washington State’s Goat Rock Wilderness.

Each day, testers were assigned a new stove to use while making their morning coffee, and cooking up the best backpacking food. The team included thru-hikers, ultralight enthusiasts, and traditional backpackers. We took notes on our experiences, which were then collected in formal testing sheets at the end of the trip. 

Control Testing

In addition to collecting field notes from a range of testers, which are both objective and subjective in nature, I also ran a series of controlled tests on the backpacking stoves we looked at. I weighed each stove, without its carrying case or add-ons like piezo lighters. I measured the dimensions of the pot supports to better understand how stable a pot would be when perched on top, and how large of a pot each backpacking stove could support.

Finally, I measured how long it would take each stove to boil a half liter of water, at sea level, and how much relative fuel was used by each stove, in a controlled, windless environment (my garage). I then brought out one of the best camping fans, turned it to a medium setting and set it about 2.5 feet back from the stoves. The wind that was hitting the stoves was not extreme, but it was noticeable and caused the canister stoves to sputter. Canister stoves are not suitable for extreme-wind conditions, so rather than cooking in high winds, I would recommend setting up a windshield or moving on down the trail before stopping to cook. Outdoor Life has plans to conduct a head-to-head of canister stoves designed specifically for intense wind at a later date.

Control Testing Results

Below are the results of my controlled tests of the best backpacking stoves. 

The following reviews provide more details about our testers’ field experience. 

Best Backpacking Stoves: Reviews & Recommendations

Best Overall: JetBoil Stash

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Key Features

• Price: $150
• Weight: 2.1 ounces (just the stove); 7.1 ounces (as a system)
• No push-button ignitor 
• Windless Boil Test: 0.20 ounces of fuel boiled 500mL of water in 3 minutes, 14 seconds
• Moderate Wind Boil Test: 0.25 seconds of fuel boiled 500mL of water in 4 minutes, 25 seconds

Pros

• Amazing fuel efficiency
• All-in-one package
• Stove is very lightweight

Cons

• Expensive
• Accompanying pot is on the heavy side

JetBoil is known for its great performance in windy conditions, but even in my controlled setting — a windless garage — the Stash blew the competition out of the water for fuel efficiency when used with the included pot. It used so much less fuel than other backpacking stoves in this test — about half as much — that you could easily get away with purchasing a smaller fuel canister rather than a larger one. That more than makes up for the weight differential of pairing a different backpacking stove with an ultralight titanium pot. Over enough trips it’ll make up the price differential too.

Testers were all impressed by how easy the JetBoil Stash was to use. “I love the ridge on the bottom of the pot which grooves into the stove so it doesn’t slide off,” said Sven “Magic” Anderson. “Super secure, easy to set up,” reported Diana Helmuth, who described this as the backpacking stove system she wished she had had when she started backpacking. “Felt intuitive to turn on and off.” Magic also noted that “A small fuel canister attaches to the lid (inside) along with the stove and lighter, which makes for a tight and compact cook system. Having Parkinson’s disease, I really appreciated that.” 

Best Value: MSR PocketRocket 2

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Key Features

• Price: $50
• Weight: 3.7 ounces (with case); 2.6 ounces (without case)
• No push-button ignitor (Deluxe model does have one)
• Windless Boil Test: 0.30 ounces of fuel boiled 500mL of water in 3 minutes, 32 seconds
• Moderate Wind Boil Test: 0.40 ounces of fuel boiled 500mL of water in 5 minutes, 36 seconds

Pros

• Used slightly less fuel than other backpacking stoves
• Works well in the wind
• Lightweight 
• Small

Cons

• A little finicky to fold the stove arms down

Several of our testers had used both the first generation and the second generation of the MSR PocketRocket in the past, and at the end of testing still believed that this is the best backpacking stove out there. The second gen MSR PocketRocket excels in every category: It’s easy to turn on and off, easy to adjust the height of the flame. It’s light, the second lightest stove we looked at. It had a nice, wide base to support the pot. It’s plenty affordable. And it somehow used slightly less fuel to boil a half liter of water than every other backpacking stove we looked at except the JetBoil. 

Testers who were new to the MSR PocketRocket 2 struggled at first with the wraparound arms, as you essentially fold them in the opposite direction from what you expect. “It took me a minute or two to figure out how the stove folded/unfolded into such a compact form,” noted OL editor-in-chief Alex Robinson. “But once I understood the design it was super easy to deploy.”

One note here is that the version of the MSR PocketRocket 2 we tested did not have a push-button ignitor. The issue with push-button igniters is that they always break. You do still need to carry at least matches if not a lighter with you. Given that, my feeling is that you should save the weight and the expense and go for a backpacking stove that doesn’t bother with the piezo igniter. However, if you enjoy the convenience of the push-button igniter, then you can purchase the deluxe version of the stove for $35 more and another 0.3 ounces and also pick up better wind resistance and a pressure regulator in the process.

Lightest: GSI Pinnacle

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Key Features

• Price: $50
• Weight: 2.6 ounces (with case); 2.35 ounces (without case)
• No push-button ignitor
• Windless Boil Test: 0.35 ounces of fuel boiled 500mL of water in 4 minutes, 44 seconds
• Moderate Wind Boil Test: 0.50 ounces of fuel boiled 500mL of water in 6 minutes, 5 seconds

Pros

• Lightest backpacking stove in this test
• Small packed size

Cons

• Loud

Testers appreciated the small size and light weight of the GSI Pinnacle. It was particularly notable that even though this was the lightest backpacking stove by several tenths of an ounce in this test, it used 0.35 ounces of fuel to boil a half a liter of water, comparable to everything else in this test. This is sure to go straight to the top of ultralight backpackers list, based on this alone. That doesn’t mean, however, that it wasn’t without issues.

Magic, who is hiking with Parkinson’s, expressed some frustration with the stove arms on the GSI Pinnacle. “They were too loose and it was more difficult than it needed to be to get all the arms up,” he reported. “I had a difficult time lighting the stove and I found it difficult to regulate temperature because it was always hot.” While other testers did not report any issues with the setup, Helmuth did note that this stove is substantially louder than others that we looked at. “I had to raise my voice to speak to the person next to me,” she reported. 

Smallest: Soto Amicus

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Key Features

• Price: $50
• Weight: 3.15 ounces (with case); 2.80 ounces (without case)
• Has push-button ignitor
• Windless Boil Test: 0.35 ounces of fuel boiled 500mL of water in 3 minutes, 2 seconds
• Moderate Wind Boil Test: 0.40 ounces of fuel boiled 500mL of water in 6 minutes, 14 seconds

Pros

• Affordable
• Small packed size
• Quiet
• Good performance in windy conditions

Cons

• Doesn’t provide as wide a base for pots as others we looked at
• Feels flimsy

The Soto Amicus impressed testers with its small packed size. “It can definitely fit in the pot with a fuel canister,” noted Patrice “Steady” La Vigne. “This was also the quietest I tested of all the stoves.” While its construction felt flimsier to our testers than other backpacking stoves we looked at, this was the lightest stove we tested that included a push-button ignitor. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as reliable as others we looked at, and during testing I noted that even when the push-button ignitor generated a spark, it didn’t always spark a flame on the stove. This isn’t a make or break issue, but it is a little annoying and can lead to fuel loss over time. 

The diameter of the pot support was one of the shortest in our test, with OL associate editor Ashley Thess noting that the “arms were finicky and a little short for balancing.”

Take care when using a newer fuel canister with this stove, as both the Soto Amicus and Soto Windmaster tend to leak a surprising amount of fuel when screwing on the stove, and even more when you unscrew it again. 

Primus Express

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Key Features

• Price: $50
• Weight: 4 ounces (with case); 3.05 ounces (without case)
• No push-button ignitor
• Windless Boil Test: 0.35 ounces of fuel boiled 500mL of water in 3 minutes, 26 seconds
• Moderate Wind Boil Test: 0.55 ounces of fuel boiled 500mL of water in 5 minutes, 4 seconds

Pros

• Easy to use
• Stable pot surface
• Sturdy build

Cons

• Larger packed size
• Somewhat heavy

While most of the backpacking stove designs in this test made an effort to tuck away the stove arms when not in use, the Primus Express simply accordioned them all together off to the side. This made this stove exceptionally easy to use, but resulted in an odd shape. “It doesn’t pack down super small and remains in an L-shape, which is mildly inconvenient for storage,” said Steady, with Magic noting that it “was bulky to carry in the carrying pouch.” He ended up storing the stove in a backpack pocket rather than the inside of his pot, because it simply didn’t fit. 

While other backpacking stoves made an effort to disperse the flames across the base of the pot, the Primus Express dispensed with this and simply shot the flames straight up. For the purposes of boiling water (what we were testing), this had no impact on the amount of fuel being used and the Primus Express clocked a respectable boil time for a half liter of water. Precision backcountry chefs, however, may balk at the lack of heat disbursement, however. The direction of the flames meant that the smaller regulator was still easy to use and not hot to the touch when it came time to turn down the heat. 

Soto Windmaster

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Key Features

• Price: $70
• Weight: 3.4 ounces (with case); 3.05 ounces (without case)
• Has push-button ignitor
• Windless Boil Test: 0.35 ounces of fuel boiled 500mL of water in 2 minutes, 36 seconds
• Moderate Wind Boil Test: 0.50 ounces of fuel boiled 500mL of water in 4 minutes, 40 seconds

Pros

• Broad pot support
• Fast boil time

Cons

• A little pricey
• Heavy
• Finicky set up

While there were some advantages to the Soto Windmaster, testers found the setup frustrating. Unlike other backpacking stoves our testers tried out, the supports for this stove can be removed when you take it down, allowing for a smaller overall pack size that’s easier to fit into your pot. All testers, however, found this pretty frustrating. Thess noted that “the arms of the stove detach from the stem making it annoying to replace it and fan them out every time. The ends of the arms are also very loose so you have to make sure those are extended as well.” Magic, who is hiking with Parkinson’s, noted similar issues, stating, “I had a hard time setting up this stove.” 

However, testers were impressed with its performance in windy conditions, due in no small part to how powerful the flames were: This one boiled a half liter of water in a mere two and a half minutes. Despite having the same fuel leaking issues that the Soto Amicus has (be sure that your flames are completely extinguished before taking the stove off the canister), all but one of the testers stated that the push-button ignitor worked for them. 

Snow Peak GigaPower

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Key Features

• Price: $45 (Windscreen sold separately)
• Weight: 3.9 ounces (with case); 3.05 ounces (without case)
• Has push-button ignitor
• Windless Boil Test: 0.35 ounces of fuel boiled 500mL of water in 4 minutes, 15 seconds
• Moderate Wind Boil Test: 0.70 ounces of fuel boiled 500mL of water in 10 minutes, 57 seconds

Pros

• Affordable
• Small packed size

Cons

• Difficult to adjust the regulator without the windscreen
• Difficult to put the windscreen on
• Heavy
• Slow boil time
• Performed poorly in windy conditions, even with the windscreen

While testers were impressed with the intense heat that this stove gave off, the design of this stove left them frustrated. While every other backpacking stove in our test shot flames upward, the Snow Peak GigaPower shoots them out the side. While this would be very effective in sending heat out across the base of a large cooking pot (not an issue on this testing trip which looked at one-person backpacking pots), it resulted in a few issues for testers. The first was that it made it difficult (and a little scary) to reach the regulator, given how close it was to the flames. “I am happy I didn’t burn down the forest!” said one tester. It also caused the handles of our smaller pots to heat up very quickly, so that we needed to use a makeshift pot holder to pick up the water once we were done. 

Whether or not testers liked the design of the folding arms depended on whether or not they used the optional windscreen. Steady, who skipped that step, was impressed by the “four arms that easily move into place for cooking, and no twisting or turning required to get it to collapse.” However, she noted that “you couldn’t adjust the flame without the windscreen on because the flames were shooting up and outward.” Thess, who did use the windscreen, ended up even more frustrated. “You have to place a shield over the arms before opening them and coordinating it was very annoying,” she said. “Difficult to set up.” 

I ran the moderate wind test on this unit twice and, unfortunately, the windscreen did not appear to result in any significant fuel or time savings in those conditions. 

How to Choose a Backpacking Stove

Backpacking stoves are fairly straightforward, as backpacking gear choices go, but there are still a few considerations you’ll want to keep in mind.

Backpacking Stove Weight

The backpacking canister stoves we tested all weighed around 3 ounces or less. There are some models, typically designed for extreme cold or extreme wind, that are heavier than this, but for most people in most conditions, your backpacking stove doesn’t need to be especially heavy.

Packed Size of the Best Backpacking Stoves

A stove that is small enough to fit into your cooking pot along with your fuel (maybe even a utensil), will make for a simpler mealtime preparation. The backpacking stoves in this test will all easily fit inside of a 1-liter pot or larger, but some may not work well in a 750mL pot or smaller. 

Fuel Type for the Best Backpacking Stoves

The vast majority of backpacking stoves, and all of the backpacking stoves we tested, use isobutane as their main fuel source. However, there are some backpacking stoves that use white gas, kerosene, or even unleaded gasoline. Know which type of fuel your stove needs and where you can obtain it (fuel typically cannot be shipped in the mail) before making a purchase.

Push-Button Ignitions on the Best Backpacking Stoves

It’s become fairly standard for backpacking stoves to feature push-button ignitions. However, these are all prone to failure, sometimes after only a couple of uses. Always bring a lighter or matches with you into the backcountry.

FAQs

Q: What type of stove is best for backpacking?

Canister stoves, covered in this roundup, are the best for backpacking, due to their low weight, reliability, and simplicity. While alcohol stoves will always have a place in the backcountry, the risk of starting a fire is simply too great and they are decreasing in popularity over time. Wood-burning stoves have been gaining in popularity in recent years, but their effectiveness depends in large part on the available supply of fuel. In the West, increasingly, summer-long fire bans mean their use would be prohibited. 

Q: Do you need a stove for backpacking?

If you’re willing to forgo a warm meal in the evening and hot coffee in the morning, there is no reason to bring a backpacking stove with you. 

Q: How long does a fuel canister last?

In average conditions, a small fuel canister will last two people for three days.

Q: Do you need a backup stove?

No. If properly stored, backpacking stoves are unlikely to fail thanks to their simple design. If your stove does fail, you might be able to borrow someone else’s, cold soak your meal, or eat other food.

Final Thoughts on the Best Backpacking Stoves

The quality of backpacking stoves coming out of the likes of MSR, Soto, JetBoil, and other manufacturers is impressive. Whatever your plans for your next backcountry trip, one of their canister stoves will take up a miniscule amount of room in your pack and provide excellent functionality. 

• Best Overall: JetBoil Stash
• Best Value: MSR PocketRocket 2
• Lightest: GSI Pinnacle
• Smallest: Soto Amicus
• Primus Express
• Soto Windmaster
• Snow Peak GigaPower

 

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