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When spending one night (or many) in the backcountry, a warm dinner at night and hot beverage in the morning can make the difference. That invariably involves using a stove of some sort–but which one?
Stove technology has been around for decades, but new tech is making them lighter, more efficient, and more dependable than ever before. Here’s a rundown of the different kinds of backpacking stoves:
How they work: These lightweight stoves screw directly onto a pressurized fuel canister containing a blend of isobutane and propane.
Pros:
Easy to use—just twist on, open the valve, and light.
Lightweight and compact, perfect for short to medium trips.
Fuel is widely available.
Cons:
Fuel canisters can be expensive and aren’t always recyclable.
Performance drops in very cold temperatures or at high altitudes.
Hard to know exactly how much fuel is left in a canister.
Many stoves lack a way to precisely control heat output.
Best for:Weekend backpackers, thru-hikers, or anyone who wants a balance of convenience and efficiency.
How they work: These stoves combine a burner with a specialized cooking pot that locks in place, often with built-in heat exchangers for efficiency. Popular examples include Jetboil and MSR WindBurner.
Pros:
Incredibly fast boil times.
Wind-resistant and fuel-efficient.
All-in-one design reduces packing fuss.
Cons:
Bulkier than standard canister stoves.
Usually better for boiling water than for real cooking.
Higher upfront cost.
Best for: Solo hikers, cold-weather backpackers, and anyone who prioritizes speed and efficiency.
How they work: These stoves burn white gas (like MSR WhisperLite), unleaded gasoline, or other liquid fuels. They use a refillable fuel bottle pressurized by a pump.
Pros:
Work well in extreme cold and high altitude.
Fuel is cheaper than canisters and widely available worldwide.
Refillable bottles are more sustainable than disposable canisters.
Cons:
Heavier and more complex than canister stoves.
Require priming and regular maintenance.
Not as compact.
More opportunities for a leak.
Best for: Winter trips, international travel, mountaineering, and long expeditions where reliability matters most.
How they work: These ultralight stoves burn denatured alcohol, HEET, or Everclear. Often made from soda cans or titanium cups, they’re a favorite of DIY backpackers.
Pros:
Inexpensive and easy to make yourself.
Super lightweight and simple.
Fuel is cheap and easy to find at gas stations or hardware stores.
Cons:
Slower cooking times.
Not efficient in cold or windy conditions.
Flame can be hard to see, which can be a safety issue.
Best for: Ultralight backpackers, minimalist hikers, and those on a budget.
How they work: These compact stoves burn small fuel tablets, often from Esbit.
Pros:
Extremely light and compact.
No moving parts, no maintenance.
Tablets are easy to carry and store.
Cons:
Slow cooking and limited heat output.
Strong chemical smell and residue.
Tablets can be expensive.
Best for: Emergency kits, ultralight hikers, or short trips where weight savings are critical.
How they work: These small stoves burn twigs, pinecones, and other natural fuel found on the trail. Some feature fans for added efficiency.
Pros:
No need to carry fuel—nature provides it.
Creates a campfire feel without a full fire ring.
Great for long trips where resupply is tough.
Cons:
Dependent on dry fuel sources (hard in wet weather).
Slower cooking and more smoky than gas stoves.
Not allowed in some areas due to fire restrictions.
Best for: Long-distance hikers, bushcrafters, and those who like a more natural camp experience.
Your perfect backpacking stove depends on the kind of trips you take most often:
Weekend hikers: Canister stoves are the sweet spot.
Thru-hikers: Many forgo stoves in favor of cold soaking; those that use them tend toward integrated canister systems to save weight and time.
Winter adventurers: Liquid fuel stoves thrive in the cold.
Minimalists: Solid fuel or wood-burning stoves keep it ultralight.
The used gear store in Durango,Durango Outdoor Exchange, has many kinds of new and used backpacking stoves as well as several sizes of low-priced fuel canisters. Stop by today to see them in person and learn more about backpacking stoves.
If you are camping in bear country, or in any place where food storage is a concern, you should strongly consider using a bear canister–a storage system that is built to keep bears out of your food. And in some places, particularly parks in California, Montana, Colorado, and Washington,backcountry campers are required to have and use bear canisters.
While you may get lucky by hanging your food in a sack from a tree, this is not permitted in many areas and virtually impractical in many alpine anddesert backpacking zones. Bear canisters are the preferred method for storing food and other smelly items, but there are many kinds to be aware of. Let’s look at them in more detail.
For many hikers, summiting one of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks is a lifetime achievement. Others make it their entire personality, working for years and even decades to climb all of them. Some make a goal of climbing them all in a single season while others try to ski them all.
The problem with climbing 14ers for many people is that they are difficult–and we’re not just talking about the thin air. Of the 58 in Colorado, about one-third entrail considerable exposure and require skilled route-finding and ascent/descent skills. About half have either moderate or considerable challenges. Just eight are considered “easy.”
Hikers looking to summit a 14er near Durango will find four that rank generally as easy or the easy end of moderate. They are all in the same two canyons and can be climbed by someone with decent fitness, good shoes, and a penchant for waking up early. The roads to access all these peaks are part of the Alpine Loop and can be driven from Silverton in a four-wheel drive such as a Tacoma, but are generally not in all-wheel drives like Subarus.
Ready? Here goes!
