camp stove

Phil

Went through this same thing just before our trip about 2 1/2 months ago. Decided to go with the Coleman dual fuel stove and havent looked back.

Cost of running, hotter burning all make for a much more pleasant experience when out camping. I think it cost me about 7 litres of unleaded for the 6 weeks we were away, which is way less than what an LPG stove would have cost.

Highly recommended.

I can't compare the dual fuel and lpg versions of the Coleman. No experience with the dual fuel. But I do know that the burners/regulator on the Coleman gas stove result in a quite superior performance to other portable gas stoves. We had a Primus previously and the Coleman is in a different league. Cooking is much faster and the burners have never clogged on ours. The unit is small and light. We have had ours for many years of happy camping, often in extreme conditions, and it has never had problems of any kind.

Hi Phil

Never found one that hasn't at least some minor hassles

Agree with Richard etc that the shellite/unleaded ones are lowest cost and most powerful in same size unit - My two though have flared occasionally and they can't be turned
down to a low enough heat for my wife.

Mostly we use those cheap $20 butanne cartridge ones as a best all round compromise but even with the 20/80 mix cans they aren't as good in the cold weather as proper propane based ones. They temp control isn't real good either but can be lived with.
They are light, stable and easy to manage and we typically use 1 * $1.50 can of gas per day. So its easy to estimate our needs for any trip.
The plastic case they come in makes a reasonable wind shield.
We use the same cans in our portable gas camping heater and gas flame torch so it sort of all works together.

Some friends of ours use the circular Coleman fold out into two burners type. This is a pretty good unit but the flame makes quiet a noise and you have to screw on a seperate (but cute) propane gas container via a rod. This process has proved a little messy.

Other use the standard twin burner setup with gas bottle , and this works to but its to heavy/bulky and fiddly for our type of camping.

For redundancy we always take another seperate single burner Kovea stove which takes the squat gas cans with 70/30 butanne mix. Probably its the best all round unit as its always ready to go , however its downside is that its not as stable as the cheap chinese units .

This site has good general info.

http://www.bushwalking.org.au/FAQ/FAQ_Stoves.htm

We use 2x single burner Coleman dual fuel stoves and would not go back to gas. They are easy to setup, quick to light and using unleaded means fule always available.

Peter

Hi, we have just bought the Coleman dual fuel stove from downundercamping.com.au and are very impressed with it.
Delivered to the door, it was $30 cheaper than buying it locally. We effectively got the powerhouse for the price of the smaller model.
It is quiet, easy to light, burns well in windy conditions, can be turned down to a very low simmer or up to a fierce hot flame.
Our portable gas stove was falling to pieces and the hassle of gas bottles and hoses (not to mention hassles with filling regulations, date compliance stamps etc) was becoming a pain.
It has a nifty filling funnel that stops the fuel flow at the correct filling level, and the 1L tank should last several days.
Having just upgraded our old 3 way fridge in the van to a waeco, I can see us even replacing the gas stove in the van with a fuel stove if it gives any trouble.

Phil,

I think Coleman Duel Fuel Stoves are great. I have two - one is a little single burner which has it's own box , takes up no room and boils my coffee billy VERY quickly.

Originally I changed because I am scared of gas cylinders in the car.

Willie.

Coleman gas stove. Works well in low temperatures (used mine at -5C) and it will turn down to very low heat settings, excellent for things like rice also has good high heat for boiling water etc. Almost went to Coleman dual fuel but decided it probably can't be turned low enough for my style of cooking.

Mike Harding

We have a Colman 414 and a small single burner dual fuel that we use for coffee stops. The 414 is over ten years old. Both are original and we definaetly will not go back to gas. We also buy shellite in 20 lt. drums. The shellite is not labeled shellite but it is the same. The product is use to wash electronic and delicate mechanical devices because it is clean and evaporates without residue.

Phil, I like the LPG ones as they are clean and easy to use. Our Coleman is 20+ years old and we've not had any problems with it.

I've never used a duel fuel jobbie but my boss has a petrol one and he swears by it.

If you get an LPG one it's a good idea to carry spare O rings.

Louie

I asked the same question on this forum a couple of years back. I was specifically looking for something that will work in windy conditions (which is pretty much anywhere I go in W.A. )

I bought a Coleman Dual Fuel 424 - the recommendations were unanimous.
I've been very happy with it in Windy conditions - the flame has never blown out - and I often use a low flame simmering food.

I use premium unleaded (when I can get it) otherwise normal unleaded. I wouldn't waste money on Coleman fuel.

it does have some negatives,
the fuel filling can be a pain in the butt - the tank has much less capacity as the average gas bottle.
you also need to pump the plunger (on average - each second cook)
you need to carry spare pump kit and generator (so I was told - although I've never had to replace any parts)

however - these negatives are outweighed by the positives. I wont be going back to gas any time soon.

good luck
swampy

G'day Phil,

I've used the Coleman duel fuel stove for over 20 years and have never had a problem with them.
All the reasons given above are all valid.
Recently, I also purchased the Coleman Folding Oven (59.99) which sits on top of the duel fuel stove and I can only say it was 60 bucks well invested. It will do most things you can do in a domestic oven from scones and cakes to casseroles and roasts.

Cheers.

Oh, I have no affiliation with Coleman :-))

Coleman Dual Fuel. Have owned Coleman gas and primus gas and the coleman gas is far superior, but get a dual fuel and you'll never look back.