Camping Stove Buying Advice Published By OutdoorGearLab

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Oct. 1, 2014 - PRLog -- OutdoorGearLab, the world's fastest growing online outdoor gear review website, recently set live a comprehensive best in class stove review with an accompanying camping stove buying advice article to complement it. In this article gear review Editor Laura Lingeman explains the difference between backpacking and camping products and discusses the best size product to purchase based on individual needs. She next explains BTUs and power efficiency and offers some pros and cons regarding using liquid vs. propane fuel and 16 oz. vs. five-gallon propane tanks. In conclusion she touches on the subject of using accessories like grill plates and offers tips and tricks to keep in mind when using camping cookware.

When explaining the differences between backpacking and backpacking cookware, Lingeman reminds readers that the main thing to keep in mind while making your decision on what to buy is how much weight you want to carry, how much space you have to haul or transport items and how much you want to cook at one time. Camping cooking apparatus tend to be much heavier and take up much more space than backpacking cookware but they are also much sturdier and generally have two or more burners that can handle cooking for more than one person or a group of persons while backpacking stoves only have one burner and thus limit how much can be cooked at once. Lingeman explains that backpacking models are small and light and designed to use fuel efficiently, but can be delicate and do not handle cooking for more than one or two persons very conveniently or quickly.

Lingeman next offers advice on camping models and what size works best for what. Lingeman suggests that two burners are great for cooking for small groups of people and are relatively light and fit into the back of a car easily for transporting to a campsite. This size product offers the flexibility of using either a five-gallon propane tank or the smaller 16 oz. compact canisters. Lingeman advises keeping in mind the size of your skillet or cook pot when purchasing one of these products and to check the dimensions of the cook space when shopping for a two-burner model to make sure that they will fit. When cooking for a medium size group of people, Lingeman and her review team suggest using a two-burner model complemented with an additional one burner or backpacking model. This type of set up is nice because more than one person can cook at a time.  A three-burner stove can be used in this instance, but it might be too much trouble to set and clean up unless cooking for a larger group of people. When cooking for a large group of eight persons or more, then Lingeman advises definitely going with a large three-burner model. They require more time to set up but have more powerful burners that boil water and cook food faster than two burner models and when camping with this many persons this can be a huge advantage as to how long it takes to feed everyone and get moving on rather than spending the whole time at camp cooking instead of adventuring.

The next topic Lingeman covers is the subject of BTUs and energy efficiency. She explains that a BTU stands for British Thermal Units and is a measurement of power that represents the amount of energy required to heat a pound of water by one-Fahrenheit degree. But Lingeman warns that the most powerful models are not necessarily the ones with the most BTUs. She explains that the placement of the burners, the size of the windscreen and the amount of BTUs available, all determine what makes the most efficient and most powerful models. Good wind resistance and a high output of BTUs combined with the ability to simmer at a low level flame without turning off or blowing out is the best combination.

The different types of fuel and fuel transportation options are covered next. Lingeman describes the pros and cons of liquid fuel vs. propane. She explains that liquid fuel can be messy to refill but burns cleanly and strongly until it runs out. Propane is much more convenient but can loose efficiency and power when it is getting close to becoming empty. Overall, she advises that five-gallon refillable propane tanks are the most efficient and cost effective solutions when cooking for larger groups of people. She also offers advice on the best types of adapter hoses to consider when using a refillable five-gallon propane tank.

Lingeman concludes by discussing accessories such as grill plates and cast iron griddles, which can increase cooking space and save time while cooking. She also suggests models that have these features already built in. Finally Lingeman offers a few tricks such as how to disconnect a propane tank hose without having precious fuel shoot out and how to keep your product from rattling in the back of your vehicle when traveling.

A complete review of thirteen products each with its own write-up is offered to readers in conjunction with this buying advice article.

About OutdoorGearLab:

Based out of Cheyenne, Wyoming, OutdoorGearLab, LLC strives to create world’s best outdoor gear reviews. It is a free resource dedicated to educating outdoor enthusiasts and online customers to assist them in making their purchasing decisions. The website, outdoorgearlab.com, offers a wide range of comparison reviews of outdoor equipment and apparel, such as camping, hiking, skiing, biking and climbing gear in addition to men's and women's clothing and footwear. The testing team performs rigorous head-to-head tests of top products and publishes the results in comparative reviews. Each test product is scored across a range of weighted metrics and then ranked accordingly with awards ultimately given to the highest scoring products.