The Best Campfire Stoves: An Option For Every Camping Style

Regardless of whether your camping style involves a well stocked RV, a simple tent, or whatever you can carry on your back, the fact remains that at some point in your camping adventure you are going to need to eat. A good campfire stove can help ensure that you are able to prepare the type of high-quality, delicious, and tasty foods that keep you well-fueled for whatever lies down the trail ahead.

Let’s take a look at some of the best campfire stoves for each camping style. 

Campfire Stoves For RV Campers

RV campers are often well-equipped with a basic stove, and perhaps even a microwave inside their rig. However, there is often still reason for RV campers to pack along a campfire stove as well. 

For instance, many RV campers want the full camping experience, and that means cooking outside, not to mention the obvious benefits of keeping the mess out of your RV. The great thing about RV camping is that most RVs have plenty of room for you to stow a solid, powerful campfire grill that provides everything you need in an outdoor cooktop.  

Check out our top two picks for the best campfire stoves for RV campers looking to add some outdoor cooking flavor to their RV camping experience.  

Camp Chef Explorer Two Burner Stove

The Camp Chef Explorer Two Burner Stove is equipped with two powerful cast-aluminum burners capable of producing 30,000 BTUs/Hr. of cooking heat using the standard propane tanks attached to your RV. The Camp Chef Explorer stove features appliance style temperature controls for an easy transition from indoor to outdoor cooking, and the detachable steel legs raise the stove top up to a comfortable height for the cooks comfort. 

Solo Stove Campfire Stove

The Solo Stove Campfire Stove is a great choice for RV campers who really want to bring the rustic flavor, and experience of cooking over a campfire into their RC camping experience. The Solo Stove is a wood fired camping stove that allows you to easily create the campfire experience virtually anywhere that an open flame is allowed. This allows you to enjoy the comforts of RV camping without sacrificing the joy of cooking over an open wood-fired campfire. 

Campfire Stoves For Tent Campers

Tent campers obviously have vastly different needs than RV campers. While both often have the desire to prepare delicious meals outdoors, or over an open campfire, tent campers are often looking for a campfire stove that is light, and doesn’t require a lot of storage space. 

Fortunately, this is where most campfire stoves really shine, and there are several lightweight, portable options to choose from. Here are our top two picks. 

Camp Chef Rainier 2 X

The Camp Chef Rainier 2X is an excellent choice for tent campers who want the convenience of grilling, and cooking over an open flame but don’t have the space to lug both a grill and a campfire stove. The Camp Chef Rainier 2x combines both a gas burner, and a flat-top grill surface in one compact campfire stove. Both cooking surfaces are gas  powered and the entire cooking system folds down inside a traditional campfire stove shell. An included carrying case makes it easy to transport the stove from campsite to campsite.  

Coleman Triton Series

The Coleman Triton Series campfire stove packs a lot of power into a relatively compact size. The Coleman Triton Series features an easy-open case that doubles as a sturdy windguard during cooking. A heavy-duty latch keeps the campfire stove securely closed when not in use, and a built-in handle makes it simple to move the stove from place to place. Despite its compact exterior, the Coleman Triton Series packs a substantial 22,000 BTUs of power fueled by a standard 16oz propane cylinder. The stove features two-burners, each having its own independent flame controls for more precise temperature control and cooking flexibility. 

Campfire Stoves For Thru-Hikers

For thru-hikers, finding a portable, lightweight campfire stove is crucial to enjoying hot meals on the hiking trail. Because thru-hikers will be carrying all of their equipment with them as they travel, they need a campfire stove that can be folded down to a compact size, and easily carried from campsite to campsite in a backpack or carrying case. 

The following two lightweight, compact campfire stovers are our top picks for thru-hikers looking for a portable cooking option. 

 MSR WindBurner Combo Stove System 

The MSR WindBurner Combo Stove System packs everything you need for cooking on the go into one compact package. The MSR WindBurner features a heating unit combined with a 2.5 L sauce pot, AND an 8 in. skillet. Both the sauce pot and skillet feature Fusion ceramic-coated non-stick surfaces making cleanup quick and easy. 

A no-topple stove design, extra-deep burner lip, windproof radiant barrier, and built-in pressure regulator ensure that the MSR WindBurner provides efficient, and effective cooking power regardless of the conditions. Best of all, each of the individual pieces of the MSR WindBurner Combo Stove System are designed to nest tightly together with space inside to add the 8oz MSR IsoPro fuel canister needed to power the system. 

Jetboil Genesis Base Camp System

The Jetboil Genesis Base Camp Systems is a two-burner campfire stove fueled by a standard 16oz propane canister making it perfect for thru-campers, car camping, and other applications where portability, and compact size is vital. The Jetboil Genesis Base Camp System comes with its own carrying bag for easy packing along the hiking trail. The key to the Jetboil Genesis Base Camp Systems is the Jetlink-compatible design which allows additional burners to be attached and removed as needed, making the Genesis Base Camp perfect for any type of camp cooking needs. 

Final Thoughts

Whether your idea of the perfect camping trip involves a decked-out RV or a simple backpack there is no reason that you can’t enjoy a warm, delicious meal at the campsite. We are sure that one of the campfire stoves above will be the perfect fit for your camping lifestyle. Now get out there and start enjoying the great outdoors!