Best Backpacking Stoves of 2025

The Soto Windmaster is the only stove that we considered that can handle both small, solo cook pots and large, group cook pots, skillets, and frying pans. Here, it is frying up a breakfast of potatoes and zucchini in the White Mountains, CA. Photo by Liz Thomas.

The WindMaster has a sturdy, flat pot stand with teeth that grip the bottom of your cookpot. It can accommodate solo or group-sized pots (as shown with a 3L pot above), making it versatile enough for trips alone or with friends and family. Photo by Liz Thomas.

The Soto WindMaster on a section of the Pacific Northwest Trail in eastern Washington. Photo by Liz Thomas.

While we often find that the push-button ignition (aka, the piezo) fails on upright canister stoves, Soto’s is considered the best in the industry due to its protected design (it doesn’t leave out any hanging parts that can catch, become loose, or fill with trail gunk). Of all the Treeline Review writers who own this stove and have used it for years, no one has had a piezo fail on this stove. I personally never baby my stove, doing a bunch of no-no’s like storing it in the cookpot without drying the contents out first. The piezo still works. Still, a separate ignition is one of the Ten Essentials, so we’ll keep carrying our Mini Bic Lighter.
The WindMasterhas a pressure regulator that's considered among the best in the industry. It is capable of cooking at 11,000 BTUs (aka 2800 kcal/h 3260w 11000 BTU). It cooks significantly hotter (and thus faster) than most of the stoves we considered.
The Soto WindMaster was the best of the stoves we tested for boiling water in 30 mph wind, managing to give us hot water in 5 minutes in 30 mile per hour winds. he way the Windmaster excels in the wind is that the burner head is recessed--it’s shaped in a concave manner that pushes heat up.
The WindMaster is the only stove we tested that comes with a detachable pot support. It's got a learning curve, but doesn't take long to become natural.
You can use it on small solo pots or convert it to hold 2L pots for group trips.
We’ve used the Windmaster from the Arizona Trail to Pacific Northwest Trail, in cold windy rain and summer monsoon wind.
The WindMaster, despite its learning curve, will not disappoint those willing to put in some extra time to learn how to set it up.
It’s windproof, among the fastest at boiling water, durable, and reliable and versatile enough to use solo or with groups. Plus, it’s less expensive than similar stoves like the MSR PocketRocket Deluxe (review below). For checking so many of our boxes, we award the Windmaster the highest award.
After extensive use for 7+ years, several Treeline Review testers have had a failure in the O-ring on the Soto Windmaster that leads to fuel leakage. We all separately reached out to Soto and had excellent customer service.

Best Fast Boil: MSR Pocketrocket Deluxe

The MSR PocketRocket backpacking stove is a good balance of price, durability, and quality construction.

Weight: 2.9 ounces
Push start integrated piezo igniter button: Yes
Pressure regulator: Yes
Integrated pot: No
Fuel type: Canister
Fuel source: Isobutane-propane
Fuel efficiency: 7.5L boiled per 100 g fuel canister
Average boil time (1L): 3 minutes 18 seconds
BTUS: 11,000 BTU
Water boiled per 8-oz canister: 17 L
What we liked: easy to use, durable, easy puezo igniter, versatile, very fast boil
What we didn’t like: not as windproof as other stoves, not as fuel efficient as other stoves

After more than three years of testing, we believe that the MSR PocketRocket Deluxe is the best fast boiling backpacking stove f. The MSR PocketRocket Deluxe excels at all the criteria we set—from boil time to simmer mode—and is the best for ease of use and durability. A previous overall winner, it’s got a price increase in the last year, so it’s not as good as a value. Still, we think it's the best option if you want your water fast and don’t want an integrated stove.

From its igniter to its pressure regulator (which ensures a consistent flame even in the cold or when the fuel canister is low), this feature-packed stove delivers a lot in a compact package.

Read our full review of the MSR PocketRocket Deluxe for more information.

Compare Prices On The Msr Pocketrocket Deluxe

The MSR PocketRocket Deluxe is among the most straightforward and small backpacking stoves to use. Photo by Liz Thomas.

A close-up of the Deluxe’s teethed arms and push button start at a campsite in Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado. Photo by Liz Thomas

Close-up of the burner head on the Pocket Rocket Deluxe, which is much more wind resistant than the Pocket Rocket 2 (our former winner for Best overall stove). Photo courtesy Liz Thomas.

We found that the MSR PocketRocket Deluxe is among the most straightforward to use of the lightweight backpacking stoves to use (falling short only of the Snow Peak GigaPower).
What makes using the Deluxe (and its predecessor, the PocketRocket 2) so easy is that the pot-stand arms go in two directions: up to hold a pot and down to stow away. The arms don’t fold on themselves like the phalanges on your finger (as on the Snow Peak LiteMax). This means fewer parts to break or get stuck.
The MSR PocketRocket Deluxe is a durable and reliable hiking camp stove, while not feeling overbuilt. Even with a piezo ignitor, its simple design doesn’t have delicate parts that can snag, or break off. We threw it in our backpack's mesh without a protective case (not recommended by the manufacturer) for an entire thru-hike, and had no problems.
Stable arms won’t wobble if you accidentally brush against the pot or place the stove on less-than stable ground (don’t do this).
The Deluxe also features a pressure regulator. This means that in colder conditions or when the fuel canister is low, the stove will deliver a consistent flame. This means that boil times will be more consistent from boil-to-boil compared to most other minimalist camp stoves we tested. While the stoves in this guide are designed for 3-season use, a pressure regulator could stretch it into mild 4-season use.
The PocketRocket Deluxe design is more windproof than its predecessor, the PocketRocket 2. It has a broad burner head with a wind lip somewhat similar to our windproof overall winner, the Soto Windmaster.
The PocketRocket Deluxe is capable of cooking at 11,000 BTUs (aka 2800 kcal/h 3260w 11000 BTU). It cooks significantly hotter (and thus faster) than most of the stoves we considered, except the Soto Windmaster.
The Deluxe is a ubiquitous favorite of almost all the professional reviews we scanned and was the lightweight backpacking stove used by nearly every thru-hiker we encountered on our John Muir Trail thru-hike.
After 7 years of hard use and not a lot of babying, we've noticed one of the arms has become stuck on our Jetboil Deluxe and looks rusty. It is still usable. We're not too worried, though, as MSR has some of the best warranties in the industry.

Easiest to Use: Jetboil FlasH 1.0 L

Weight: 13.1 ounces (includes cooking pot)
Push start integrated ignitor button: Yes
Pressure regulator: No
Integrated pot: Yes
Fuel type: Canister
Fuel source: Isobutane-propane
Fuel efficiency: 10L boiled per 100 g fuel canister
BTU: 5200 BTU
Average boil time (1 L): 4 minutes
What we liked: best ignitor of any stove, easiest to use of any stove, insulating cozy and handle, thermochromatic heat indicator, fits fuel canister inside, fast boil, all-included, colorful designs
What we didn’t like: not recommended for cooking or simmering, price, heavier than non-integrated stoves, no pressure regulator

The Jetboil Flash 1.0 L comes with a pot, piezo igniter, and stove, so if you get this system, you don’t need anything else, which makes it a convenient system for those who aren’t sure what they want.

The Jetboil Flash is not only our easiest to use backpacking stove, it's one of the best gear innovations we've seen in recent times.

The updated Flash has a new turn-and-click ignitor that makes the Flash the easiest to use stove we tested, like using a gas stove at home. Like the previous version, the Flash still has a thermochromatic heat indicator that changes color to let you know when your water is hot (a feature we long wish other stove manufacturers integrated).

The Jetboil Flash easily fits a fuel canister and the stove components inside of the included pot. Plus, its insulated handles and colorful pot cozy prevents your hands from getting burnt.

While the previous version of the Flash was not a winner in this guide, with the many improvements, we wholeheartedly recommend the new Jetboil Flash.

Compare prices of the Jetboil Flash 1.0 L

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The new Jetboil Flash is by far the easiest backpacking stove to use. The new knob to turn it on is as easy as a stove at home. It has plenty of insulation to prevent burns. And it locks and unlocks smoothly.

The new Jetboil Flash has a Fluxring system that protects your flame in wind and increases heat transfer, making it one of the most fuel efficient stoves we tested.

The main difference is the new Jetboil Flash has a twist and click ignition that is easier to use and more reliable. This one-step ignition is like on a gas stovetop at home. No lighter needed. This replaces the old push-button ignition that failed us after several years.
The twist and click ignition also gives you some flame control to simmer, but we still think the Flash is best for boiling water.
We also noticed the pot-to-burner locking mechanism runs smoother and is easier to set and unscrew than the previous version. It has three locking points now and includes some visual indicators to ensure it is locked in there.
They've also made the pour spout less leaky with a more robust lid material. There are also better measuring marks that are easier to see in the dark by headlamp.
Other than that, the cozy designs have changed and include some cool patterns. It includes a rubberized grip zone on the handle. We didn't have an issue with the old handle, but the new one is more secure.
The one downside of the new model is it is a little slower to boil. The reported boil time of the old model was 3 minutes 18 seconds. It's 4 minutes for the new one. In reality, when using these stoves in the field, it seems like every time we tested we got different results due to wind, water temperature, outside temperature, and how full our fuel can was. The Jetboil Flash is still one of the fastest stoves we tested.
The Jetboil Flash has some of the best insulation we've seen on any integrated stove. This means you are less likely to accidentally burn yourself. The cozy comes in pretty and colorful designs.
Like the previous version, the Jetboil Flash has a Fluxring that increases the surface area of the bottom of the cup. Not only does this lead to a faster boil, but it means the Flash has a high efficiency that uses less fuel than many other stoves. The Flash claims it will boil 10L per 100g Jetboil Fuel can. This, of course, is during ideal conditions (our own tests didn't show it performed quite that well).
The boil time is up more than 30 seconds than the previous version. But it is still among the fastest stoves we tested at 4 minutes per 1L boil.
The Flash hasn't changed in dimensions, which means it still has the challenges of its barrel shape. It's bulky for a backpacking stove and requires thinking ahead where you are going to store it in your backpack. If you prefer a more packable integrated stove, see the Jetboil MiniMo, our winner for best packable integrated.

Best integrated stove: Jetboil Minimo

Weight: 14 ounces (includes cooking pot)
Push start integrated ignitor button: Yes
Pressure regulator: Yes
Integrated pot: Yes
Fuel type: Canister
Fuel source: Isobutane-propane
Fuel efficiency: 12L boiled per 100 g fuel canister
BTU: 6000 BTU
Average boil time (1 L): 4 minutes 30 seconds
What we liked: fits fuel canister inside, fast boil, ease to use, space efficient, all-included, simmering, insulated rubber handles and side-body, a pressure regulator to keep fuel use consistent in the cold, includes pour spout in lid
What we didn’t like: price, heavier than non-integrated stoves, system locks to canister when hot making it harder to pour water, pour spout could be better angled, doesn't have a Thermochromatic indicator, doesn't have a twist-and-lock mechanism like the updated Flash

Like the Jetboil Flash, the Jetboil MiniMo comes with a pot, piezo igniter, and stove, making it a convenient system for those who aren’t sure what they want.

It’s a bestseller and favorite of experts and customers alike, getting praise from media like the REI Co-op journal. It’s also known for being among the best integrated cooking systems for simmering and precision cooking.

That’s why the MiniMo is one of the most common stoves on the Appalachian Trail, where thru-hikers value convenience and being able to cook up food quickly while occasionally simmering up soups or slower cooking meals.

You can read our long-term, in-depth review of the Jetboil MiniMo for more information.

COMPARE PRICES ON THE JETBOIL MINIMO

The Jetboil MiniMo builds on the success of the classic Jetboil Flash system but is more compact, making it easier to store in a backpack. Here, we tested the MiniMo on a section hike of the Sierra High Route. Photo courtesy Liz Thomas.

The MiniMo comes with a pot, piezo igniter, and the stove, so if you get this system, you don’t need anything else—which makes it a convenient system for those who aren’t sure what they want. Here, the author tests it on a backpacking trip in the San Gabriel mountains.

The Jetboil Flash (left) and MiniMo (right) in coffee mode at a campground in Joshua Tree. The MiniMo is so fast and easy to use, that it will likely become your favorite for camping trips when your camp stove burners are limited and more coffee is required. Photo courtesy Liz Thomas.

Close-up on the small gap in the insulation cover on the MiniMo. Photo courtesy Liz Thomas.

Treeline senior editor Brandon Lampley finds this the most exciting part of the Jetboil MiniMo system: “To me, the major benefit of carrying the stove in an outside pocket...is hot drinks or hot lunch on the go. Plus, quick hot drinks as soon as you stop to camp.” Lampley finished his PCT thru-hike in late October. When camping in cooler weather, a quick hot drink during breaks or lunch can be a morale booster and motivator to push on.
What we liked about this Jetboil is that it is compact. It fits better into the front mesh of a backpack than other integrated stoves we tested. The MiniMo is also less tippy and more stable than the Jetboil Flash, while also being easier to disassemble and clean than other camp stove systems. The main drawback of this Jetboil stove is its price and how it fares in the wind (though it performs similarly to our fast boil winner, the MSR PocketRocket Deluxe).
We also like that the Jetboil MiniMo is a small canister stove and less bulky than other integrated stove systems (with the exception of the Stash—see review below). Many stoves and cook pots are awkward sizes that don’t fit well into backpack pockets. In contrast, the Minimo conveniently fits inside the mesh or water bottle pockets in a backpacking backpack.
With the Jetboil MiniMo, the bottom screws off easily (although it could be easier) and fits inside the pot along with a sideways-oriented fuel canister. Unlike every other integrated canister stove we tested, the MiniMo has actual metal pot handles with rubber insulation (so they don’t feel hot — though some customers complain that the joints can burn you). The MiniMo’s system is a far more efficient use of space than any other integrated canister stove system.
Unlike the Jetboil Flash, the Jetboil MiniMo comes with a pressure regulator. This means that you can simmer and cook with this stove. It isn't just for boiling water. We found this feature useful when cooking Bear Creek dehydrated soups, which are a common food for thru-hikers and easy to find in most grocery stores.
The pressure regulator also helps in cold weather and at altitude. Like the Jetboil Flash, it has that same FluxRing that keeps out the wind and helps keep in the heat. But the pressure regulator allows for consistency when your fuel canister is cold or at low pressure. That pressure regulator also means that MiniMo is more fuel efficient than the Flash boiling 12 L in 100 g canister.
Coils underneath the MiniMo pot give it a quick boil time.The MiniMo has a relatively fuel-efficient system and speedy boil time (4:06 to boil a liter, the second-fastest of those we tested after the new Jetboil Flash).
But that short height also means it’s also quite stable. That short-sized pot also means the Jetboil MiniMo doubles nicely as a bowl — one that doesn’t require a long-handled spoon!

Best Backpacking Stove For Groups: MSR Windburner Duo

Weight: 21.1 ounces
Integrated pot: Yes
Ignitor: Yes
Fuel type: Canister
BTU: 7000
Fuel source: Isobutane-propane
Fuel efficiency: 7.9L boiled per 100 g fuel canister
Average boil time (1L): 4 minutes 30 seconds
What we liked: Extreme windproofness, works well in cold conditions, biggest capacity integrated stove we found, modularity allows for group and solo use without additional equipment, fast boil, stability, ease of use
What we didn’t like: weight (although it’s quite good for a group stove), slower boil (but only by a few seconds)

The MSR WindBurner Duo is great for situations when you’re in charge of group cooking for a lot of people and want a quick system that is windproof and simple to use. The WindBurner shows up as a highly recommended stove on almost every professional review we considered. But its extra price, bulk, and weight make it best for situations where you really need a stove of this caliber: when you’re in charge of scouts, a group of friends you’re taking outdoors, clients you’re guiding, or taking family or friends out overnight.

View The MSR Windburner Duo

The Windburner stores fuel. Photo courtesy Liz Thomas.

Close up of the burner on the Windburner stove. It’s similar to the burner on the MSR Reactor, which is a bestseller designed for mountaineers who want to boil water above treeline. However, the Windburner is more fuel efficient and affordable than the Reactor, so is better-suited for all but the most extreme trips. Photo by Liz Thomas

The MSR WindBurner is a taller stove whose burner is held up by a multi-legged support. The Duo works with both the 1.8 L pot (left) and 1 L pot (right) as well as the WindBurner Sauce pot and WindBurner Skillet. Photo by Liz Thomas.

Built around the same technology as the award-winning MSR Reactor, the WindBurner shares many similarities with that designed-for-mountaineers stove. The windproof burners on the two stoves are similar, but the WindBurner is designed to use fuel more efficiently with several features that make it more tailored to ease-of-use than the utilitarian Reactor. It’s also significantly less expensive than the Reactor.
As you can imagine from its name, the WindBurner’s major perk is that it can still function in high winds. By reducing the effect of wind, it burns more efficiently and boils faster.
The WindBurner Duo is a remote canister stove, which gives it better stability over the Reactor. (Note that the WindBurner Personal doesn’t have the remote canister, so isn’t quite as stable).
The WindBurner also has an insulated sleeve and handle. Although these are minor additions, they give it a much more user-friendly design than the Reactor.
The WindBurner Duo takes everything we like about the Reactor and makes it more user-friendly for those in charge of groups who are cold, hungry, and need a morale boost in the form of hot food.
The WindBurner is an intuitive system. Unfold the legs, plop the stove on the burner, and screw the canister into the end of the satellite piping system. That’s right. Unlike the other stoves we considered, the WindBurner is a remote canister stove.
The fuel piping system cuts down on the system’s height (it’s already the tallest we reviewed) and makes it more stable. While some reviewers complained that the pot doesn’t screw in securely to the base, we liked that feature. It made it much easier than the MiniMo to handle while hot (though it still must be done with care).
One of the places we tested was during a winter group hike in Central Oregon where we stopped trail-side to make everyone hot coffee. It made the trip even more delightful and pumped out large quantities of water quickly so no one had to wait their turn to get served.
Another huge advantage of the WindBurner 1.8 L is its modularity. You can use the same stove base for the 1 L WindBurner cooking pot. The 1 L cooking pot plops onto the WindBurner’s base just as well as the giant 1.8 L pot. This means you can convert your group system to a solo or couple’s system without having to buy a whole new integrated canister system.

Best budget backpacking stove: BRS 3000T

Weight: 0.9 oz
Integrated pot: No
Ignitor: No
Pressure regulator: No
Fuel type: canister
Fuel source: Isobutane-propane
Fuel efficiency: 3.5L boiled per 100 g fuel canister
Average boil time (1L): 4 minutes 45 seconds
What we liked: price, lightweight
What we didn’t like: slow boil time, learning curve, cannot handle high heat

For a fraction of the cost of the other stoves, the BRS 3000T ultralight backpacking stove is among the most loved stoves among customer reviewers and professionals.

It's not the most fuel efficient by any means. It's not great in the wind. And we've heard more than a few stories about getting stoves that were duds. But if you're on a budget or just want to play around with a really ultralight stove, the BRS 3000T may be for you.

Several Treeline Review writers and editors have bought and used this stove for thousands of miles and have found it a good bang for the buck—if you learn how to use it correctly.

Compare prices of the BRS 3000T

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The BRS 3000T is an ultralight backpacking stove with many positive reviews including from our friend Scott “Shroomer” Williams, whose set-up is shown here. It has traveled thousands of miles with him on numerous backpacking trips domestically and internationally. *Photo courtesy Scott Williams.*

For anyone interested in the BRS, it’s essential to learn its flaw: it can’t operate at full power lest it melt the arms of the stove. Several BRS devotees that we interviewed say that flaw is more-or-less an open secret that they knew going into the purchase. They said they’re ok using a stove that they know can only operate at 75% power.

We found operating the BRS at 75% to be plenty powerful to boil water and simmer food. It’s slower to boil than almost any other stove we considered. But the BRS is a lightweight stove that is easy to use and inexpensive.

While there’s a lot to like about this stove, consider the safety hazards and ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS.

It's also worth adding that this stove has the worst fuel efficiency of any stove we considered. It's especially not effective in wind, so be sure to get behind a rock when using this one. If you've read all these warnings and still think you'd prefer the budget stove over something more reliable, maybe it really is for you.

We tested the Jetboil Flash while camping in Joshua Tree National Park. Photo courtesy Liz Thomas. — **We tested the Jetboil Flash (older model shown here) while camping in Joshua Tree National Park.** *Photo courtesy Liz Thomas.*

Other backpacking stoves we tested

Here are some of the other stoves we tested that we think are worth being on your radar. Even if they aren’t necessarily the best stoves for most people, they may meet your needs better than our winners.

See the Comparison Table to see how all the stoves measure up side-by-side.

MSR Switch Stove

Weight: 13.8 oz
Integrated pot: Yes
Ignitor: Yes
Fuel type: Canister
BTU: 7000
Fuel source: Isobutane-propane
Fuel efficiency: 6.5L boiled per 100 g fuel canister
Average boil time (1L): 5 minutes
What we liked: versatility, pressure regulator, pot easily removable, cork pot cozy
What we didn’t like: slower boil, weight, price

The new MSR Switch stove is designed to be the best of both worlds–a canister stove system that can handle and pot and an integrated system. It comes with a barrel-shaped tall pot with a hemispherical pot bottom designed to optimize boil time and fuel efficiency. Yet with a literal switch of the pot arm positioning, it can accommodate any size pot or even skillet. It comes with a Piezo ignitor and while this stove hasn't been out for long, we've been impressed by the quality of the MSR Piezo on other stoves.

Notably, the main differentiator with the MSR Switch and the Jetboils is that it has an internal pressure regulator that allows for consistency in colder temperatures and at altitude or when your fuel can is pretty low. The pressure regulator also means you have control over your temperature better, allowing for simmering and cooking more complicated meals than just boiling water.

As a result, the MSR Switch feels like an integrated stove for backpackers headed to higher altitude and more extreme conditions than they would take their other integrated stoves.

One thing we like is instead of having an insulated cozy made of plastics, it comes with a renewable cork cozy. We also like that it is removable to save weight.

As with almost all the integrated stoves we tested, the stove, fuel canister, and canister stand (if you're carrying) all fit inside. It also comes with an included cup.

The MSR Switch is a little bit heavier and a bit slower than other stoves at boiling water. It also is less fuel efficient getting around 8 L of boiling water per 4 oz canister.

The Switch is a good choice if you are on the fence between whether to get an integrated stove or a traditional canister stove.

MSR Switch Stove

MSR PocketRocket 2

Weight: 2.6 oz
Integrated pot: No
Ignitor: No
Pressure regulator: No
Fuel type: Canister
Fuel source: Isobutane-propane
Fuel efficiency: 7L boiled per 100 g fuel canister
Average boil time (1L): 3 minutes, 30 seconds

We’ve carried the MSR PocketRocket 2 for more than 100 days of dinners and morning coffee and continue to pack it on most of our trips.

Almost every person who writes or edits for Treeline has purchased and continued to use this backpacking stove.

Adventures in Stoving calls it “dead simple,” “beefy,” with a design where there is “nothing to go wrong with it” as well as “simple, strong, and reliable.” The PocketRocket 2 is a hassle-free, intuitive backpacking stove that doesn’t require babying, but still performs better than its competitors in most conditions.

Compare Prices On The Msr Pocketrocket 2

However, after a year of testing the PocketRocket 2 against the PocketRocket Deluxe (see review above), we find ourselves continually reaching for the Deluxe instead.

The PocketRocket 2 has been a handy standby for years, like a trusty pair of socks that never lets you down.

I still keep my old one in my camping kit as a back-up. But the Deluxe’s features are more convenient. We think if you’re only going to buy one stove, the Deluxe’s features are worth it.

Snow Peak Gigapower 2.0 Auto

Weight: 3.2 oz
Integrated pot: No
Ignitor: Yes
Pressure regulator: No
Fuel type: Canister
Fuel source: Isobutane-propane
Fuel efficiency: 5.8L boiled per 100 g fuel canister
Average boil time (1L): 4 minutes 48 seconds

The Snow Peak GigaPower 2.0 Auto is arguably the easiest to use stove and is the best stove for temperature control for those who want to do gourmet cooking in the backcountry. Its design is like a work of art, and it is much loved by professional reviewers. The GigaPower is also incredibly durable.

Compare prices on the Snow Peak Gigapower 2.0 Auto

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But compared to the MSR PocketRocket Deluxe, it has extra weight, bulk, and slower boil time. Because it doesn’t have a pressure regulator, boil times are less consistent when in cold temperatures or when the fuel canister is low. We think most backpackers wouldn't be bothered if one of those stats were true, but all four pushed it down in rankings for us.

For those looking to save a little more, the GigaPower 2.0 is also available in a manual version. This version does not have an igniter.

Jetboil Stash

Weight: 7.1 oz (includes pot)
Pot included: Yes
Ignition: No
Fuel source: Isobutane-propane
Fuel efficiency: 12L boiled per 100 g fuel canister
Power: 4500 BTU/h / 1.32 kW
Pressure Regulator: No
Boil Time: 5 minutes (1 L)

In 2021, Jetboil released one of the most anticipated stoves on the market, the Jetboil Stash. The Stash is part minimalist canister stove, part integrated stove. As a result, the Jetboil Stash takes the best parts of both kinds of stoves. It’s lighter and more compact than any other integrated stove on the market, including our winner for integrated stove, the Jetboil Minimo. Yet, the Stash has the fuel efficiency of an integrated system. That’s one reason it almost immediately sold out after its release.

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**The Jetboil Stash’s is a compact stove system. It includes the pot and the fuel canister and stove both fit inside for easy carrying in a backpack.** *Photo by Liz Thomas*

The base of the Stash has a similar design to the MSR PocketRocket or other non-integrated canister stoves. However, the cooking pot looks more like the screw-on pot of the Jetboil Flash or Jetboil MiniMo. It uses Fluxring technology for a heavier but more fuel-efficient heat transfer. Where the Fluxring technology really shines is in fuel efficiency-getting 12 L of boil out of a single 100 g fuel canister.

The pot also doesn’t screw on like the Flash or MiniMo meaning it’s easy to remove — a benefit compared to true integrated systems. At 7.1 oz, the .8L Stash is 40% lighter than Jetboil’s lightest stove, the .8L Jetboil Zip. In weight, it’s pretty comparable to carrying a lightweight canister stove and a titanium cookpot.

Another aspect where the Jetboil Stash excels is the ability to fit both the fuel canister and the stove base into the pot. This was a feature we liked with the Jetboil MiniMo, but it works much better on the Stash. In fact, when you buy the Stash, it comes with an empty fuel can-shaped trinket case just to show off how well everything fits together in the pot.

The downfall of the Stash is that it doesn’t have an ignitor, a common complaint in customer reviews. All Jetboils up until now have had ignitors, so the departure hit some backpackers hard.

Additionally, many customers complained that the Stash doesn’t function well in the wind. As with the ignitors, all Jetboils so far have been known for their windproofness. We hope that in future design updates, the Stash integrates a more windproof lip or concave system that protects the flame from wind better.

Snow Peak Litemax Titanium

Weight: 1.9 oz
Integrated pot: No
Ignitor: No
Fuel type: Canister
Fuel source: Isobutane-propane
Fuel efficiency: 5L boiled per 100 g fuel canister
Average boil time (1L): 4 minutes 25 seconds

The Snow Peak LiteMax Titanium is a well-designed, ultralightweight, and very compact stove with arms that unfold like a piece of Origami. Thus, its beauty (and what makes it so well-beloved by Switchback Travel, Outdoor Gear Lab, Sectionhiker, and Greenbelly) is also its downfall. We don’t think that a stove that requires that much folding is a good first stove.

Compare Prices On The Snow Peak Litemax Titanium

The Snow Peak LiteMax is great for those who like to nerd out about stove specs. But if you’re simply looking for something easy and simple to cook your food on, we think the LiteMax’s bulkier brother, the Snow Peak GigaPower 2.0, will serve you better.

Optimus Crux

Weight: 2.9 oz
Integrated pot: No
Ignitor: No
Pressure Regulator: No
Fuel type: Canister
Fuel source: Isobutane-propane
Fuel efficiency: 13L boiled per 100 g fuel canister
Average boil time (1L): 3 minutes

We took the compact Optimus Crux camping stove for 1,200 miles of backpacking on the Pacific Northwest Trail. Rated at 10,200 BTUs, it’s notably quicker at cooking than the MSR PocketRocket 2 but is less fuel-efficient. In our tests, its concave design also makes it less wind-resistant than our upgrade pick, the Soto WindMaster (and even less wind-friendly stoves like the Snow Peak LiteMax). We also found that the large burner and lack of pressure regulator make it especially sensitive to changes in fuel canister pressure. Even in mild ambient temperatures, the flame sometimes goes out as the pressure of the fuel canister changes.

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Additionally, in a series of stability tests by Adventures in Stovin’, the Crux didn’t fare as well as the PocketRocket. That’s consistent with our experience in the field. The joints on the Crux’s pot support arms perpetually feel stuck, requiring yoinking to get open (and pushing to close). The Optimus Crux Lite is a solid choice and has been trusted for many years, and while we don’t think you can go wrong with it, the PocketRocket meets our criteria better.

One thing we absolutely loved about this stove: the unique folding design of the burner head. It folds down and, with its storage bag, will fit in the bottom of your fuel canister. Hands down one of the better innovations we’ve seen in stoves.

The slightly lighter and non-folding Optimus Crux Lite is often sold as part of a kit with the Terra Solo Backpacking System. It’s one of the better packing compact stove+pot systems we’ve seen.

MSR Windburner Personal 1 L

Weight: 15.5 oz
Integrated pot: Yes
Ignitor: Yes
Pressure regulator: Yes
Fuel type: canister
Fuel source: Isobutane-propane
Fuel efficiency: 9L boiled per 100 g fuel canister
Average boil time (1L): 4 minutes 30 seconds

The MSR WindBurner Personal 1 L is an excellent stove with almost all the benefits of our best stove for groups, the WindBurner Duo. While we were happy to take on the WindBurner’s bulk and weight when we cook for a group, we dismissed the 1 L WindBurner as being too heavy and bulky for a solo integrated canister system.

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Aside from pot size differences (1 L vs. the 1.8 L in the Duo that we recommend), our concern with the WindBurner is the tall design. The WindBurner 1.8 L uses a remote canister for stability. The WindBurner personal has a 7.1-inch pot above the 2.5-inch canister. This beer stein-shaped pot is similar to the Jetboil Flash in that it is not as compact as packable for fitting in a backpack.

However, if you already own the WindBurner Duo anyway, we highly recommend the MSR WindBurner 1 L accessory add-on cookpot. Why? Because you can use the same stove base as the group-sized WindBurner, effectively two stoves in one!

Plus, MSR also makes a French Press conversion for the 1 L WindBurner cookpot (sadly, not available for the 1.8 L cookpot...but that would be a really big cup of coffee).

MSR Whisperlite

Weight: 10.9 0z
Integrated pot: No
Ignitor: No
Pressure regulator: More strokes creates more pressure
Fuel type: Liquid (requires weight of fuel bottle)
Fuel source: White gas, auto, kerosene, isobutane (for the International model)
Average boil time (1L): 3 minutes 30 seconds (white gas), 3 minutes 45 seconds (isobutane)

The liquid fuel burning MSR WhisperLite has been a gold standard for backpacking stoves for decades, but we think that newer stove technology has surpassed the need for the WhisperLite for most backpacking situations.

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