REVIEW: Outdoor cooker 3 - gas cooker

Gas stoves are indispensable for tent travelers, campers, or even occasional trips. The times when there were only wobbly strange constructions are long gone (although simple stoves that are attached to the cartridge are still widely used at Mediterranean stands). There is now a huge variety of models available, from pocket-sized stoves to 4-burner camping stoves.

Here, a butane/propane mixture or pure butane is burned. The handling is simple, turn the valve, ignite the gas, and start cooking. The gas burns very quietly and soot-free, making it suitable for indoor or vestibule use, and has a high calorific value. Depending on the type of valve, the flame is adjustable and can be used to prepare demanding dishes.

There are essentially two types of gas cartridges, pierceable cartridges and cartridges with valves. The Campgaz C206 pierceable cartridge is widely used in North America and Europe (and is also sporadically found in the Arab world), outside these areas only the 20kg bottle or something similar is usually available. The supply situation is even worse for special cartridges. For longer trips, you must therefore carry the entire fuel supply or inform yourself about the supply situation in the destination country before the trip.

Another disadvantage is the boiling point of butane of about 0.5°C, so it cannot be used in cold regions. To remedy this, propane or isobutane is added, which in turn increases the price per cartridge and the weight (since isobutane has a higher gas pressure, the cartridge must be correspondingly more stable). Also, empty cartridges take up the same amount of space as full ones, and depending on the tour, they produce a lot of empty storage space, since the cartridges cannot simply be disposed of in nature.

Depending on the design, these stoves are more or less susceptible to wind and stable, so it is worth knowing the intended use before purchase and setting up the stove in the store to assess if it is suitable.

Especially the cheap attachments for the pierceable cartridges offer no wind protection, are extremely unstable; possibly suitable for the Mediterranean holiday, but unfortunately they cause more trouble than other solutions for much more.

Alternatively, there are more expensive hanging systems or complete burners that come with special cartridges and pots with integrated wind protection, which the manufacturer demands a high price for, but they are more or less storm-proof. Here too, it is important to know what you need before buying and shop accordingly.

The purchase costs range from €3-200 and depending on the cartridge €2-20 per cartridge.

Barthel

All about hobbies - HERE is the first part of the article.

All about solid fuel stoves - HERE is the second part of the article

To be continued

HERE you will find a few specific gas stoves presented in a concise manner.