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Many moons ago, I was on a camping trip with a now ex-partner who wouldn’t let me touch their camping stove. Mind you, it wasn’t a “be careful, you’ll burn yourself” situation, it was a “this stove is a precious heirloom” situation. They said the portable burner was, and I quote, “vintage.”
Though I wanted to roll my eyes, I politely collected myself and inquired a bit about the stove I wasn’t allowed to touch. It was their dad’s childhood camping burner from the ’60s, and because it’s a Coleman, it was still in great working condition more than 40 years later.
Flash to last summer when, on a solo camping trip in rural Pennsylvania, I stopped at a Walmart for groceries and camouflage clothing. There, in the camp section, were modern versions of my ex’s dad’s childhood camping grill for less than $50. I picked one out for myself, excited to have a camp burner I was actually allowed to use. Here’s what I bought:
The Coleman classic two-burner propane stove with over 16,000 five-star reviews
A two-pack of propane fuel
Straight from the box, it worked great. It’s already assembled, but you do have to attach the little propane canister you purchase separately, which takes about a minute. After connecting to the propane, you’re ready to rumble. You’ll likely need to light the stove, but it’s easy to do and never smells like fumes. It also cooks food super evenly — a feat for camp cooking. The wind protectors on the side let you make food even when it’s blustery, and it folds up nicely and has a little buckle to everything secure when you pack it away in the car (it would be cumbersome to backpack with). Its stovetop area is surprisingly spacious, allowing you to fit both a pot and frying pan on the burners at the same time. And because it’s fueled with propane, there isn’t any ashy mess to clean up.
I’ve used my stove for garden and backyard dinner parties and cooking during power outages. It’s great for beach barbecues and poolside picnics if you can’t set up a whole fire or simply don’t want to deal with all the mess and preparation of getting a whole grill.
When looking at my beloved stove online, it’s clear that others love it, too. Boasting tens of thousands of positive reviews, it’s a popular, timeless item that doesn’t cost a fortune and could last you forever. Who knows, in 40 more years, my kids may be calling it vintage.