After spending a whole day on the trail, you need a backpacking stove that is dependable, easy to use, and lightweight. You have many options to choose from out there. From tried and true workhorses like the MSR PocketRocket 2 to newer stoves like the Jetboil Stash, there’s something out there to fit your needs. There are stoves with integrated pots and handles for boiling water in the backcountry, stoves meant to simmer and cook more complete meals, and stoves barely the size of a Bic lighter.
Below, we’ll talk about the best stoves for backpacking as we head into 2023 and hopefully make your decision a little easier. While no stove will work for everyone, we’ll try to make objective decisions regarding the best stove for backpacking. And like other articles, the most significant factors we’ll consider are quality and weight.
Best Overall
Weight – 2.6 oz
Fuel – Canister – Isopropane
BTUs – 8,200
The Good:
Light, affordable, reliable
The Not-so-Good:
Integrated cook systems like the Jetboil perform better in the wind and uneven ground
Review
The MSR PocketRocket 2 is one of the market’s lightest, most compact, and most affordable backpacking stoves. Weighing in at just 2.6 ounces, this stove packs a powerful punch and is perfect for simmer control. With a price tag of only $50, the PocketRocket 2 is an excellent value for your money. This stove is a familiar sight in the backcountry and is a popular choice for backpackers for the reasons mentioned above. The integrated design of the Jetboil Flash still offers better wind resistance and is more efficient, but the MSR PocketRocket 2 is still our go-to choice for backpacking trips where every ounce counts.
This stove tends to cater to a perfect market of backpackers. While a stove like the Jetboil Stash c(See the next stove on our list) may be more efficient, this comes at the cost of size and weight. You will inevitably pay for this boost in performance; well, the currency for backpacking is weight. On the other hand, if canister stoves aren’t your preferred fuel type, you may lean toward another lightweight option, like an alcohol stove. These stoves come with their issues, including but not limited to poor boiling time, messy setup, and reliability. The PocketRocket 2 lands right in the sweet spot on this spectrum of weight and performance. It does most of what you will NEED it to do on the trail, does it all well, and has very little of what you don’t need. This is a fantastic stove for the price and should be your go-to if you’re counting ounces and want a no-frills backpacking stove you know you can count on to work when it matters.
Best all-in-one
Weight – 7.1 oz (2.1 oz for the stove itself)
Fuel – Canister – Isopropane
BTUs – 4,500
The Good:
This is Jetboils lightest and smallest offering
The not-so-good:
This stove is more expensive than many options on this list, and the simmer control is pretty meh at best.
Review:
This may get flak as the Jetboil Flash usually holds this spot on other sites. The Jetboil Stash is our favorite stove we’ve tried in a long time. It’s a relatively new offering, released in 2021 by Jetboil. This stove will fill the same space in your kit as the Jetboil flash but at literally HALF THE WEIGHT. Honestly, if it weren’t for the fact that I don’t need everything that comes with this, I would probably put it in the number 1 spot on this list. But, considering its weight, it fits nicely in the number two spot for now.
This stove also boasts a much smaller form factor than other all-in-ones like the Jetboil Flash or the Jetboil Minimo, and it has a great internal organization system. Everything you need packs neatly in the pot, and there is no rattling around while hiking. Another great feature is the universal burner that works with any stove. Other Jetboil stove systems only work when attached to a Jetboil brand pot. The STASH’s new burner pot support arm has a groove or notch around it, and the flux ring on the pot rests nicely inside, helping add to the stability. This is a big reason we don’t think it’s a significant saving to go with a separate lightweight stove and titanium pot. While you can save money this way and get down to roughly the same weight, the stove and the pot were designed to work together. This is an excellent option for someone with a bit more money to spend and who wants to jump in immediately and have a lightweight pot and stove.
Best Stove with Simmer Control
Weight – 14.6
Fuel – Canister – Isopropane
BTUs – 6,000
The Good:
It can simmer!
The not-so-good:
Expensive and not that powerful
Review:
Like other Jetboils, this is another all-in-one system that is just under a pound. The Minimo is a lot like a wider Jetboil with the added ability to simmer. The Minimo features a 1-liter cooking pot wrapped in a neoprene sleeve. This pot is wider than other Jetboil pots and is perfect for cooking rather than just boiling water. It also doubles up as a convenient bowl to eat from. The temperature regulator offers better simmer control than many other stoves at this price point.
At $155 at the time of writing, this is definitely more expensive than a standard Jetboil Flash, but it is also a little more premium. It does come in at 14.6 ounces compared to the Flash’s 13.1 ounces, so you’ll want to consider this if you are on the fence between the two. Overall the Minimo is a solid sub 1lb backpacking stove option perfect for someone who wants a single unit that does it all and wants to put a little more pizazz into their cooking than just boiling water.
Best Budget Stove
Weight – 26g
Fuel – Canister – Isopropane
BTUs – 9200
The Good:
This backpacking stove is small and light
The not-so-good:
Performance isn’t the best, and there are far more reliable options in the same weight class.
Review:
I used the BRS exclusively for almost two years, so this little stove holds a place near and dear to my heart. If you have spent time searching for a lightweight backpacking stove, you’ve stumbled on the BRS 3000t. Coming in at a staggeringly LOW price of $17 and weighing less than 1 ounce, “quality” is probably not the first adjective that comes to mind. But notice the numerous reviews (over 2,400 at the time of writing), and you might do a double take.
This stove has a standard design, and the performance almost keeps up with offerings from brands like SnowPeak or MSR. Almost. The three arms along the top fold in toward the body, making it very compact. The main drawback of this stove is that it is far less efficient than other models.
The bottom line is that this stove works. If you are worried about it failing, you can always carry 2 of them with you just in case one breaks. This will probably be cheaper, lighter, and take up less space than many other options for a single stove system.
I’m not saying these are the most reliable stove out there, or you should rush to get one, but I can say that the one I used never had an issue. You can always spare the extra ounce and carry it as a backup stove. The extra weight won’t hurt too much on a quick weekend adventure.
Best lightweight stove
Weight – 2 ounces
Fuel – Canister – Isopropane
BTUs – 11,200
The Good:
Lightweight and powerful
The not-so-good:
Pricey for the quality
Review:
This is a basic screw-on design stove made with high-quality titanium. This no-frills option includes foldable arms that double as miniature windscreens. We haven’t noticed a considerable boil time or efficiency improvement because of this design. You can’t remove them, though, so it’s difficult to determine whether the fuel savings if any, are a result of this design.
The Snow Peak LiteMax comes in at a featherweight 2.0 ounces at the expense of some features that may be important to you. The lightweight design does sacrifice some stability we would expect from a model at this price point. Like other pieces of lightweight gear, this stove may be more comfortable bringing on shorter trips with favorable weather conditions. If weight is your primary concern and price isn’t a huge concern for you, this is a great option that worked well for us.
Best Multi-fuel Stove
Weight – 11.2 ounce
Fuel – Canister – Liquid
BTUs – 9,700
The Good:
This stove can operate off a canister OR liquid fuel
The not-so-good:
This stove is expensive and heavy
Review:
So far, all the stoves we’ve listed use isobutane canisters for their fuel supply. That is generally the lightest, cleanest, and most efficient fuel source, but there are instances where these canisters aren’t an option, particularly on cold weather trips. The cold weather depressurizes your canisters, rendering them nothing more than an extra few ounces in your backpack. Liquid fuel stoves are the solution here, and the MSR WhisperLite Universal is the best you can find. But it comes at a high price point.
The MSR WhisperLite Universal (not to be confused with the international version) can use either standard isobutane canisters like what you are probably already used to OR liquid fuel. The stove has an integrated pump that allows you to regulate the pressure yourself. You can configure it to use an isobutane canister upside down. This means you can use most fuels with this stove, and it doesn’t matter what the temperature is. The stove will operate the same. It’s a workhorse of a stove that’s been around for decades, and if your plans include adventures to icy areas, then this should be on your shortlist.
