Best Backpacking Stoves of 2024

A backpacking stove can enhance your wilderness adventures in a way that few other tools can, whether you’re a boil-water-and-let-it-sit kind of hiker or more of a backcountry gourmet. Key features like convenience, weight, packability, power, efficiency, and precision can determine which stove is right for you.

We’ve researched and tested over 40 of the best backpacking stoves available across the sky-high mountains of Nepal, the freezing ridges of Mt. Hood, and just about everywhere in between. We used our experience and expertise to narrow down this list of our absolute favorites.

And for more info, check out some of our other popular gear guides:

Quick Picks for Backpacking Stoves

Check out this quick list of the best backpacking stoves if you’re in a hurry, or continue scrolling to see our full list of favorites with in-depth reviews.

Best Backpacking Stove Overall: MSR PocketRocket 2 ($50)

Best Value Integrated Stove System: Jetboil Flash ($130)

Efficient Stove with Excellent Wind Performance: SOTO WindMaster ($70)

Ultralight Canister Stove with a Tiny Packed Size: Snow Peak LiteMax ($60)

Best Budget Ultralight Stove: BRS 3000T ($20)

Highly Wind-Resistant Integrated Stove System: MSR WindBurner ($190)

Best Budget Stove & Cookset Bundle: SOTO Amicus Cookset Combo ($50)

Affordable Stove with a Wide Burner: Primus Essential Trail Stove ($30)

Integrated Stove System with Wide Cookpot & Simmer Control: Jetboil MiniMo ($170)

Durable Canister Stove with Convenient Features: Snow Peak GigaPower 2.0 ($50)

Best Liquid Fuel Stove for Winter Treks: MSR WhisperLite ($135)

High-Efficiency Wood Burning Stove: Solo Stove Lite ($70)

How We Test & Methodology

There are four key metrics we use to test backpacking stoves: convenience, weight, packability, power, efficiency, and precision. We put each stove through on-trail testing as well as rigorous controlled experiments.

CONVENIENCE

Convenience refers to the stove’s overall ease of use and setup. This includes things like ignitor switches, additional pot stands, neoprene sleeves, and pour spout lids. We also factor in overall stove stability by giving it the ‘tip test’. In other words, how easy is it to knock over? All of these elements are taken into account to give it an overall convenience score.

WEIGHT & PACKABILITY

Whether you are an ultralight backpacker or a bushcrafter, the amount of weight you are carrying makes a huge difference. We weigh each stove with and without its extra accessories, measure its size, and see if it’s packable inside a one liter pot along with a fuel canister. This helps us (and you) determine if the overall features of the stove justify its weight and size.

POWER & EFFICIENCY

We assess power and efficiency by how quickly a stove can boil water and how much fuel is consumed in the process. We also look at how that performance changes in a windy environment. A quick boil is a much appreciated feature at the end of a long day and higher efficiency means less fuel is wasted. We time how long each stove takes to boil one liter of water, on high, with and without wind present. Then we measure how much fuel was lost.

PRECISION

Precision is defined by how much simmer control the stove has. Some stoves feature a fuel regulator which significantly increases its range, but even stoves without a regulator usually have some level of variability. With water in a pot, we put it on the stove and try to squeeze out as many definitive changes in flame output as we possibly can. Simmer control is most important to backpackers who want to do more than just boil water. Simmering provides more cooking versatility, allowing you to reheat a meal or even saute.

Why Trust CleverHiker

In addition to controlled lab-style testing, we put all of our backpacking stoves through real life, practical testing in the mountains. Gear Analyst, Brett Kretzer, has backpacked thousands of miles across the US and Europe. He’s thru-hiked the Long Trail, Colorado Trail, the GR11 in the Pyrenees as well as countless other desert and mountain treks. In the process, Brett has put a wide range of gear, including stoves from this list, through the harshest conditions. Through his roles as a gear tester and advisor, he’s learned to analyze and interpret the details that matter in gear selection and has become deeply familiar with how gear can alter the overall experience of a backpacking trip.

Analysis & Results

For backpacking stoves, it’s important that we test both with real-world experience as well as in a controlled environment to get a full picture of each stove’s value. Check out how each stove compares in every dimension: convenience, weight, packability, power, efficiency, and precision.

VALUE

Whether you’re going for the best performing, most highly featured stove on the market or the one with the most affordable price tag, it’s important to know you are getting the most bang for your buck. The PocketRocket 2 stands out as having some of the highest value overall with good stability, efficiency, and simmer control, all in a small package. For convenient, integrated stove systems, the JetBoil Flash takes the cake. For stoves that are the easiest on the wallet, the Primus Essential Trail and SOTO Amicus Cookset Combo bring the most quality at a great price.

CONVENIENCE

A stove with handy features that increase its overall functionality is more enjoyable to use. Integrated stove systems usually dominate this category, so it’s no surprise that the JetBoil Flash comes out on top. It’s thoughtfully designed with a fuel canister stabilizer, igniter switch, neoprene cozy, heat indicator and pour spout lid. It has all of the bells and whistles. Just behind the Flash are of course two more integrated stove setups, the JetBoil MiniMo, and the MSR WindBurner. The MiniMo is wider, more stable, and better for cooking. The WindBurner, while lacking a few of the fun things that the Flash includes, is more focused on performance.

All of the stoves on our list are highly functional and easy to use, but amongst the more lightweight stoves, the Primus Essential Trail and the MSR PocketRocket Deluxe stand just barely above the rest in convenience. They hold a pot of water almost just as stable as the top performers in this category and aren’t finicky to use. The PocketRocket Deluxe even features an ergonomic igniter switch.

WEIGHT & PACKABILITY

Weight can be a major factor in determining if convenient features of a stove are worth it. Everyone loves a quick boil, but is it worth carrying extra weight on your back? The BRS 3000T is the clear winner here at just one measly ounce, but at the cost of efficiency and added convenience features. Just behind at 1.9 ounces is the Snow Peak LiteMax offering a little more simmer control and stability and a lot more durability.

Add another 0.7 ounces and you have the best overall stove on our list, the MSR PocketRocket 2. We think the PR2 balances function and weight the best with its efficient and powerful burner, excellent simmer control, and stability. With a few exceptions, the ratio of weight to added functionality is pretty linear. The more weight, the more convenient and highly featured the stove. Another one that falls right in the sweet spot is the SOTO WindMaster, featuring a very high level of overall performance in a three-ounce package, right before heading into the realm of integrated stove systems.

POWER & EFFICIENCY

Power and efficiency indicate how well the stove performs its main function – making things hot – and whether or not it uses a ton of fuel in the process. Fuel savings can mean weight savings and a quick boil is just nice at the end of a long day or when you’re desperate for your morning coffee. Hands down, the best stove at being a stove is the MSR WindBurner. It boils water quickly while using hardly any fuel. The enclosed burner with the integrated pot allows it to maintain most of that performance even in high winds.

Not far behind is another integrated stove system, the JetBoil Flash which ranks as the best value integrated system on our list. The SOTO WindMaster and Primus Essential Trail both impressed us with their abilities to compete with integrated stove systems in efficiency and wind performance. The WindMaster features a highly effective collared burner while the Essential Trail features solid pot supports. Both do a great job at blocking the wind.

PRECISION

For some folks, having the versatility of a simmer control is important. The MSR WindBurner impressed us yet again by having the highest level of flame variability. With its fuel regulator, it allows you to minutely dial in your desired fuel output for excellent cooking versatility. Also equipped with a regulator and following close behind are the MSR PocketRocket Deluxe and the SOTO WindMaster. Although they are not equipped with the same quality of fuel regulators, the Snow Peak LiteMax and Primus Essential Trail had remarkably good simmer control.

How to Choose a Backpacking Stove

FUEL TYPES

Isobutane/propane canister stoves are the most common and convenient, and they’re the easiest to use. Liquid fuel stoves are the most efficient for trips at high altitude or below-freezing temperatures. Wood stoves are nice because you don’t have to lug fuel around, but they don’t work for trips above treeline or in most desert environments. Solid fuel stoves and alcohol stoves are generally pretty budget-friendly and ultralight, but you can’t control the flame, they yield slow boil times, and they’re not great in wind.

Forest fire danger is an important consideration for any stove user any time of year, but especially when conditions are hot and dry. Fire ban rules differ from place to place, so check the specific regulations in your area. In some strict fire ban areas, all stove usage is prohibited, but that’s not common. In general, canister stoves are usually viewed as the safest option. Solid fuel stoves may be permitted as well. Wood stoves and alcohol stoves are usually not permitted. Liquid fuel stoves may be allowed, but exercise extreme caution when priming. Spilling highly flammable fuel while priming is easy to do and could quickly start a fire.

COST

Typically the more you spend, the more features you get with backpacking stoves. More expensive stoves are likely to have better simmer control, superior wind performance, and many even come with an integrated cook pot. Hikers just looking to boil water for rehydrating meals may find that saving money with a less feature-rich option better suits their needs.

WEIGHT

While it might not seem like a couple of ounces should make a big difference in the grand scheme of things, ounces add up into pounds, and when you’re carrying that weight for tens of miles per day, your body can feel the difference. When choosing a stove, we try to find the best balance between functionality and weight.

PACKABILITY

When we’re packing our bag, we like each piece of gear to fit neatly into its place and not take up an excessive amount of space. Many stoves fold down small enough to nestle into a pot along with a small fuel canister and a lighter, making the entire cookset conveniently contained in a single vessel. Most integrated systems are specifically designed to pack away like this. If we have to pack our fuel canister or stove separately, away from the rest of our cookset, we factor that into our stove selection.

BOIL TIME

Most backpackers these days make very simple meals that only require boiling water to rehydrate food. For that reason, the main purpose for most backpacking stoves is to boil water quickly, not necessarily to cook. The quicker this can happen, the better.

EFFICIENCY

Just like your car, some stoves are more fuel-efficient than others. The rate at which a stove burns through fuel determines how long a single canister will last and how much fuel you need to carry. It’s not the most important spec in our book, but it’s worth taking into consideration.

WIND PERFORMANCE

Backpacking stoves don’t like wind. Strong winds will whip away heat before it ever gets to your pot, which will make your stove far less efficient. Some stoves perform better in windy conditions (integrated canister stoves) and others perform very poorly (alcohol stoves, wood stoves, and solid fuel stoves). For that reason, a windscreen is recommended with most backpacking stoves.

STABILITY

Knocking a fully cooked dinner onto the ground is the pits. Unless you enjoy eating dirt, you’re going to want to avoid that move at all costs. If you plan to cook large meals in big pots, get a stove with a wide base that will rest securely on the ground. Smaller pots used with upright canister stoves will work just fine, but they do tend to be a little less stable, so cook with care.

SIMMER CONTROL

IGNITER SWITCH

INTEGRATED SYSTEMS

CONCLUSION

There are a number of factors to consider when choosing the right backpacking stove. Whether you’re focused on minimizing weight or enhancing your outdoor cooking experience, factors like convenience, weight and packability, power and efficiency, and precision are crucial. Everyone prioritizes different features in a stove, and we hope this guide has helped you determine which stove is best for your purposes.