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I bought a cheap camp stove that almost ruined my whole trip
I was trying to save some cash before a trip to the Red River Gorge last fall, so I grabbed a no-name camp stove online for about $25. It looked fine in the pictures, but the first time I tried to light it, the flame was all over the place and wouldn't stay on. I spent an hour trying to get it to work right, and when it finally did, it took forever to boil a simple pot of water for coffee. The metal felt thin and cheap, and I was honestly worried it might break or leak fuel. That morning delay threw off our whole hike schedule. I ended up just buying a better one at the local gear shop for $80, so the cheap one cost me time and extra money. Has anyone else had a stove fail on them like that? What's a good budget brand that actually works?
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kaip116mo ago
Yeah, I had that happen with a cheap stove once. I just started bringing a small backup fuel canister stove in my pack, the kind that screws right on. It's saved breakfast more than once when the main one acts up.
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sageallen7mo ago
Oh man, the real danger nobody talks about is the smell. Those cheap stoves often leave a nasty fuel odor on your pots and hands that just won't quit. It gets on everything in your pack and you end up tasting gas with every meal. A bad stove doesn't just ruin your schedule, it ruins your food.
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