Choosing the Best Portable Gas Stove

Portable gas stoves are crucial gear for the gourmet on the go. These stoves usually come with a burner and a cooking surface, and they let you boil, simmer, sauté, and fry. If you can do it on a stovetop at home, you can do it on a portable stove.

Portable stoves are different than a portable gas grills. Portable grills are similar to the grills you use at home. If you want to grill up hot dogs, chicken, or vegetables, you’re good to go with a portable grill. But sometimes you want more than your standard backyard barbecue menu, and that’s where a portable gas stove comes in. These have burners more like a traditional stove. They often come with containers to cook in, but many can also be used with other types of pots, pans, and skillets like a regular stovetop.

What Kind of Portable Gas Stove Do You Need?

The adventures you have on the trail aren’t like anyone else’s. Your needs and your priorities are unique. That’s why there are stoves for every type of outdoor explorer, from long-distance backpackers to car campers.

As you think about your needs, there are some specific features you may want to think about:

Size – If you’re hiking, you’ll want to save as much space and weight in your pack as possible. If you’re getting to base camp and setting up quickly, you might be more willing to haul a little more gear in the name of having the perfect home away from home.

Fuel type – There are three main liquid fuels. Each have their own considerations and limitations. Then there’s our Jetpower fuel, which combines the benefits of both.

• Propane is the most common camp stove fuel. It’s high-performance, and you can find it just about everywhere. Propane is what powers the Genesis basecamp system, and Jetlink technology lets you build a high-efficiency network of burners from one propane tank.
• Isobutane has a lower boiling point, and it’s lighter. That means it’s easier to carry, and it’s more efficient in colder environments. However, it’s also more expensive.
• Butane is the cheapest fuel for a portable gas stove, but it’s also the least efficient and reliable. It has the highest boiling point and the lowest vapor pressure of the three gases.
• Jetpower is Jetboil’s engineered blend of propane and isobutane. It’s a unique mix that combines the best aspects of both, and it’s what we trust to power most of our stoves. Jetpower delivers high vapor pressure in all four seasons.

Cost – Cost is certainly a factor in choosing a portable gas stove, and there are options at every price point. However, it’s worth noting that sometimes paying more up front can save money in the long run. A high-efficiency stove means you’ll spend less on fuel over time, and durable equipment means you won’t have to buy a replacement for a long time.

Durability – Most people want a stove that holds up outdoors as well as they do. Knowing that you’ve got a well-engineered stove means knowing you’ve got a reliable one.

Number of burners – How big is the group that you’re feeding? If you’re solo, or just out with a partner, you can probably get away with one. But if you’re feeding a group, you may want a setup like the Genesis, which starts with two burners and can expand as your group dose.

Utility – What are you cooking? Are you boiling soup? Are you making a three-course meal? The meals you plan to cook may be the biggest factor of all in choosing the stove that suits your needs.

Best Backpacking Stove

People hike for different reasons, but if you’re taking a stove on the trail, you want something light, tough, and versatile. Something that can fuel you and help you push yourself as you make your way through new terrain.

Our backpacking stoves break down into two categories: Rapid boil, designed to get you fueled and moving quickly, and precision cook stoves, which offer more control over your cooking.

Rapid Boil

FluxRing technology maximizes your heat and fuel efficiency, giving you a light, quick option for meals on the go.

With a boil time of just 100 seconds for a liter of water, the Flash Cooking System is the speediest portable gas stove you’ll find. Press the button, and in less than two minutes you’ve got water for coffee or cooking—or you’ve got soup, or stew, or anything else you might want to make.

For Jetboil engineering without the frills, there’s also the Zip Cooking System. A smaller canister and match ignition system save on cost, but you still get the high-efficiency FluxRing and the reliability that people count on from Jetboil.

Precision Cook

Typical camp stoves go from “off” to “maximum power” in a quarter turn of the knob. Our precision cook stoves give you four full turns to adjust your heat. This gives you unprecedented control over the flame output, and lets you cook the way that works for you. It’s a small change, but one that affects the experience a lot.

Within the world of precision cook stoves, you have a lot of options. The one that’s best for you depends on what you plan on doing with it.

The standard system for one person is the MiniMo. This burner holds 1L, and it’s a good, all-around burner for one person on the move. It’s a great blend of efficiency and lightness, and it’s perfect for most backpacking.

While Jetboil’s canisters are designed to optimize the cooking experience for the minimum pack space, some people may want a broader surface to cook on. If that sounds like you, the MightyMo is for you. The open platform lets you bring any pot or pan to the stovetop for a wide variety of experiences. (That said, you’ll still get the best cook times if you use a FluxRing cooking pot.)

If you’re trekking long distances, the light MicroMo is your best bet. This smaller, lighter system can still hold .8L of liquid, but it takes up a lot less weight and space in your pack.

For large groups, the strongest option is the SUMO. The SUMO is still portable. In fact, most of the rest of the stove can fit inside the cook pot for easy carrying. But at 1.8 liters, it’s also large enough that you can cook for yourself and for your friends after a long day of sweat and protein bars.

Best Portable Gas Stove for Camping

When you’re going out car camping, or even setting up a base camp for longer excursions, you have some flexibility in bringing in heavier, more complex gear. That means giving yourself more freedom and more possibilities to cook what you want.

That’s where the Base Camp system comes in. The Base Camp system is a network of stovetops and burners, all connected to one, super-efficient fuel source through the Jetlink hose. The backbone of the Base Camp system is the Jetboil Genesis stove—a folding, two-burner stove that’s incredibly efficient. If you need something smaller or lighter, there’s also the Half Gen. It’s called that because it’s one burner—half of a Genesis. And if you already have a Base Camp system going, you don’t need to throw a separate burner into the mix just for boiling. You can hook up the Luna satellite burner for the same efficiency in one brilliantly-engineered package.

From FluxRing technology in the pots to the simmer control you won’t find anywhere else, the Base Camp system is the best way to equip yourself for anything you might want to cook in the backcountry.

The Sky’s the Limit!

Whoever you are, whatever you need, there’s a portable gas stove out there that can meet you where you are. There’s no one “best option”. There’s the option that helps you the most. Maybe “best” means getting the best performance as you ski cross-country. Maybe “best” means having the best time with your friends. But whatever your “best” is, Jetboil is ready for it.

Once you gear up, the next step is planning a hearty meal to keep you fueled up for your adventure. If you’re looking for the best backpacking recipes, we’ve got you covered there, too.