Switched from a propane stove to a wood stove for car camping last summer

Used to carry two 16 oz propane bottles for a weekend trip. Always ran out by Sunday morning. Switched to a tiny folding wood stove after a trip to Big Sur in June. Burns twigs and pine cones, no fuel to pack. Saved about $15 per trip and never worry about running out. Anyone else ditch gas stoves for wood burning?

2 comments

2 Comments

schmidt.amy1mo ago

Same thing happened to me last fall on a trip to the eastern Sierras. I had a little propane canister that ran out halfway through making coffee on Sunday morning. Picked up a $30 folding wood stove from a guy at a swap meet and now I just grab dry sticks and pine cones from camp. Saved me about $12 a trip and I don't have to pack out empty cans anymore. The only trick is making sure you burn everything to ash so you don't leave a mess, but it's hard to beat that feeling of cooking over a fire you built from scratch.

the_derek1mo ago

I dunno man, I get the appeal of building your own fire but I've had too many mornings where everything is wet from dew or rain and you're hunting for dry tinder for an hour. Plus in a lot of popular spots around here they've got fire bans half the summer so that fancy stove just sits in the truck. I'll stick with my little propane setup, it just works every time no matter what the weather's doing.