Gas Stove

Gas stoves, chosen by the pot that sits on them

A gas stove for outdoor cooking is a burner head, a valve and a set of supports, fed from a pressurised canister. The folding outdoor models here pack down around the canister and open into a stand, which makes the size of the pot supports, not the burner, the detail that decides what you can cook on.

How does a camping gas stove work?

Liquid gas sits under pressure inside the canister. Opening the valve lets it turn back into a vapour, which mixes with air on the way to the burner head and ignites at the ring of jets. Because that change draws heat out of the canister, the metal grows cold in use, and a canister that gets too cold stops delivering pressure. Nothing is wrong with the stove when that happens.

Which canister fits which stove?

There are two common fittings and they are not interchangeable. A threaded valve canister screws directly onto the burner and seals itself when unscrewed, so a part-used one can be taken off and stored. A pierceable canister is punctured by the stove and has to stay attached until it is empty. Check which one a stove takes before buying fuel, since the wrong pairing will not connect. Kit across the camping furniture & cooking range is usually built around the threaded type.

What should you check on a gas stove?

• Support span: measure the distance across the open arms and compare it with the base of the pan you intend to use, since a wide pan on narrow arms tips.
• Valve control: a long control wire keeps fingers away from the flame and lets you turn the heat down far enough to simmer rather than only boil.
• Ignition: a built-in piezo sparker fails eventually, so a stove is only as usable as the lighter carried alongside it.
• Folded size and weight: a stove that packs inside a mug is carried on every trip, one that needs its own space is left behind.

Why does a stove struggle in cold and wind?

Two separate problems with the same symptom. In the cold, canister pressure drops as the fuel chills, so the flame weakens as the meal cooks. Keeping the canister inside a jacket before use and standing it on something insulating rather than on frozen ground both help. Wind is the bigger thief: an open flame loses most of its heat sideways, so a pan boils far slower in a breeze. A windshield, or cooking in the lee of a wall or a pack, changes the result more than a hotter stove would. For long winter trips, a solid fuel stove avoids the pressure problem entirely.

What safety rules apply?

Cook outside, in the open air, and never inside a tent, a porch or a closed vehicle. A burning stove consumes oxygen and produces carbon monoxide, which has no smell and gives no warning. Set the stove on a level, non-flammable surface, check the connection for hissing before lighting, and let the burner cool before packing it away. Pans matter here too: a lid cuts cooking time sharply, and stable flat-based pans from the camping pots and pans range are far less likely to tip on folding arms.