Camping Panda
Gas stoves are nice and all, but the truth is that nothing can compare with food cooking on a wood fire while camping. To pamper your taste buds, you can build a fire yourself. Or you could invest in a portable wood stove. Coming in a variety of sizes, then can help you achieve that characteristic smoky taste you’re craving for.Â
Now, if you’re wondering which is the best portable wood stove, check out our selection below.
Cooking Power
Is it powerful enough?
Lifespan
Is it build for years to come?
Portability
Is it easy to carry?
Usability
Is it easy to use?
Durability
Is it sturdy enough?
Time to Boil
Is it quick to boil water?
Cooking Surface
Is it wide enough for your pan?
Wind Resistance
Is it efficient in windy conditions?
17
Hours Researched
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Products Evaluated
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Reviews Considered
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Sources Researched
Compact and versatile, the Solo Stove & Pot 900 Combo is perfect for everything, from car camping and backpacking. It’s light and fits easily into a backpack. The stove burns most vegetal material, from twigs and branches to larger pieces of wood.
It’s even suitable to use with coals, should you want to. Stove aside, we also like the included 30-ounce pot. Sure, it’s not large enough to cook for the whole family, but it’s the right size to brew coffee, cook instant noodles, or make a soup for one or two people. Made from premium materials, this portable wood stove will surely stand by your side season after season.
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The Ohuhu camping stove may not come with its own pot, but still impresses with its features. Coming with both a grill and a pot support system, it brings cooking versatility to your camping kit.Â
It’s suitable for couples, although you could use it with larger diameter cookware – provided that you can prevent the base from tripping. A space saving design allows you to break it down in multiple pieces, for easier storage and transport. Aesthetically pleasing, reliable, and affordable, this one of the best portable wood stoves you can get for the money.
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If you’re car camping with a larger group or your family and couldn’t care less about the weight of your outdoor cooking gear, the Camp Chef Alpine Cylinder is undeniably the best portable wood stove you can get your hands on.
This stove impresses with its 480 square inches of cooking surface. It provides enough heat for anything, from grilling burgers to searing meat to slow cooking soups and stews. Needless to say that you can use it with most types of pots and pans. Relatively easy to set up and highly functional, this is definitely your best bet for ultimate outdoor cooking.
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Cooking over a wood fire is the apotheosis of camping, but what to do if you want to camp on rocky summits? REDCAMP has thought of this, and came up with this versatile stove that can burn a variety of fuels.
You can use it with wood and coals, liquid fuel, and even solid alcohol. Besides fuel versatility, we also like the square shape that adds more balance. The stove is compact, yet solid enough to hold a 12-inch pot or skillet. Easy to refuel while cooking, easy to use, and dependable, this is another noteworthy portable wood stove to consider.
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Another portable wood stove designed with solo campers and couples in mind comes from TOMSHOO. At first glance, it looks just like the Ohuhu. However, a few design elements could make you prefer it over the other.
In terms of pan size, both stoves are suitable to use with 6-inch pans. The TOMSHOO, however, comes with X-shape, serrated grate that allows you to use it with smaller diameter cookware, too. The stove is also collapsible and lightweight, just perfect for backpacking.Â
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At first glance, there isn’t too much difference between the CANWAY and the TOMSHOO. All it takes, though, is a more attentive look to spot the different features. The CANWAY has about the same size and capacity as many similar camp stoves, but the pot support stands out.
While it’s not designed to hold smaller diameter cups, the three folding arms provide outstanding stability, thanks to their saw-like serrated edges. Obviously, if you don’t want to use a pot, but rather grill stuff, finding a compatible grate should be easy. Furthermore, we like the attractive price tag. No doubt, a camp stove worth considering.
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The Unigear Wood Burning Stove is an unpretentious camp stove designed with newbies in mind. Consisting of four parts, it’s very easy to assemble and use. A coal grill and pot stand add versatility, while the 6.3-inch top provides sufficient support for pans up to 8 inches.
Another highlight is its almost flat design when folded. Unlike the barrel-style stoves that still take some place in a backpack, this one is almost negligible. Suitable for 2-3 people, it’s perfect for hikers, backpackers, and occasional campers.
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Another entry from TOMSHOO, this rectangular portable wood stove comes as an alternative to the barrel-style one above. It’s made from the same quality materials and is built to last, but the rectangular shape can add more stability on the ground.
The stove is very light, which can be both a curse and a blessing. On the bright side, it’s very easy to carry. However, it may lose balance, especially when cooking in windy conditions. That said, this stove is still worth it, and even comes at an attractive price.
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Portable wood stoves don’t come in 1-2 person sizes only. When you’re camping with your gang and have to feed larger crowds, this fire pit from Volcano Grills could meet all your needs.Â
This stove impresses with a large cooking surface. It works with cookware up to 17 inches, and comes with a grill grate. Broken down, it’s compact and easy to carry, while a convenient handle makes it easy to move around. Dependable and versatile, it also works with three kinds of fuel, so you can use it in all kinds of weather. A great choice for families.
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The England’s Stove Works 12-CSS is another portable wood stove designed with groups and survivalists in mind. It can be used to cook food or heat an enclosed space, as long as you can ensure all combustion fumes are expelled outside the tent.
In terms of cooking, you can enjoy a huge surface that can hold all sorts of pots and pans. A large door provides easy access to the firebox as well as seamless temperature control. It isn’t the easiest to transport and mount, but if you’re camping for long periods or in a cold climate, this stove is truly worth it.
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A wood stove is a great alternative to cooking over the fire while exploring the outdoors. You can pick from a variety of sizes and designs, but no matter what model you want, they all share a few important features you should check before buying.
The first thing to decide is what type of wood stove you need, based on your camping style and stove design.
How many people do you need to cook for? What size pot do you usually use when camping? Answer these two questions to decide which wood stove is the best for you.
For hiking and backpacking, a compact stove such as TOMSHOO could suffice. This stove can hold pots with a diameter up to 6 inches, and is ideal for one or two people.
Groups up to 6 people will benefit from a stove such as the Volcano Grills. Larger than a backpacking stove but still small enough to transport with ease, it can hold pots with a diameter up to 17 inches. It also works with wood, coal, or propane, so you can easily use it even if it rains and there is no dry wood around your campsite.
A full-size stove such as the Camp Chef is a great choice for car camping with your family. It can hold 18-inch pans and boasts a griddle-like surface on which you can cook burgers, sausages, or heat buns. Such a stove is ideal for groups of 6 to 8 people.
The main advantage of a wood stove is that you have the fuel readily available outdoors. Many of these stoves work with twigs, branches, dry leaves, and other vegetal materials, so you won’t have to spend money on fuel.
However, if you don’t want to keep refilling the stove with sticks, it is essential to invest in a performing stove.
In other words, the stove should have optimized airflow that distributes the air effectively in the space being heated. Air vents should also help you adjust the intensity of the flame, especially if you need a full-size stove that doubles as a heater.
While all portable wood stoves have relatively compact dimensions, the size of the firebox can still vary from one model to another. There is only one rule to keep in mind – the bigger the firebox, the most performing the stove. Indeed, a bigger firebox, the greater the autonomy of your stove, so you won’t have to spend too much time adding sticks and twigs.
Regarding the burn time, a small wood stove can provide anywhere between 10 and 30 minutes of heat. If you only want to boil water for tea or coffee, a stove with short burn time would suffice. If you want to make mac-n-cheese, soups, or other dishes, get a stove with a burn time of at least half an hour. In this way, you won’t have to stick to the stove and refuel it for the entire cooking time.
Portable wood stoves are made from either cast iron or stainless steel.
Some of the best portable wood stoves come complete with accessories that add more value for money. Among the most popular, we can mention:
Yes, you can put a wood stove in a tent, as long as the stove has a chimney that conducts all combustion fumes outside the enclosed space.
Some of the smallest wood stoves on the market will cost you under $30. However, higher quality small wood stoves built to last for a lifetime can cost over $100.
Yes, wood stoves save you money in the long run. Since you can use vegetal material found at the campsite to run them, you won’t have to spend money to buy liquid fuel, gas, or coals. Simply gather dead leaves, twigs, and sticks to get them running.
It really depends on your camping style. In general, they are worth it if you want your food to have that delicious, smoked aftertaste. They are also easy to use in all environments and are eco-friendly. Furthermore, wood stoves come in all styles and sizes, suiting everyone’s needs.
The Solo Stove & Pot 900 Combo is undeniably the best wood cook stove for the casual camper who likes to travel light. It comes with stove and pot, for seamless cooking and water boiling. On the other hand, the Camp Chef Alpine Cylinder is the best wood cook stove for larger groups and people planning to live in tents on caravans during winter.
