Propane Stove or Hot Plate?

[KenDeb]

We just sold our pop up camper and are returning to tent camping! I need to buy either a propane stove or a hot plate. My husband usually does the grilling over the campfire, but I will need to be able to make side dishes. The pop up had a propane stove but it used the large propane tank that was attached to the camper. Do those little bottles work well or will we need to replace them frequently? I forgot to mention that we mostly camp in campgrounds with electricity.

[Nickadeamus]

Re: Propane Stove or Hot Plate?

I like to use a propane stove with the little bottles. I do most of my cooking on the fire but one small can of propane works well for me to do some side dishes for my meals for a 3 day campout. With a hot plate you will have electric cords running through your camp site to your camp cooking area. To me this is unsightly and make for a tripping hazard. Add rain and it is a shock hazard.

[tplife]

Re: Propane Stove or Hot Plate?

Unless you're planning on buying one of the "Big Chef" propane stoves (Gulp!), the 1 lb. bottles will do you right!

[Oudoorsman]

Re: Propane Stove or Hot Plate?

You can get adapters to run the stoves off of a big bottle. I have seen people run heaters and lights and stoves off of one of the big bottles. I keep two or three of the small cans when I go camping. I right full on the new ones and cross it out when I use them so I know which ones are not full. One or two bottles will last 3 days.

[Bigdog57]

Re: Propane Stove or Hot Plate?

I like the propane stove - quick, clean and no cords to worry about. It also increases your flexibility - IF you decide to camp where AC is not available. A one pound bottle handles my simple needs easily for a weekend - if you do fancier meals needing more cooking, just carry a spare or two.

[Oldcoyote]

Re: Propane Stove or Hot Plate?

KenDeb

Just out of curiosity, what prompted your switch from a pop-up to tents?

[steps]

Re: Propane Stove or Hot Plate?

I like the propane stove - quick, clean and no cords to worry about. It also increases your flexibility - IF you decide to camp where AC is not available. A one pound bottle handles my simple needs easily for a weekend - if you do fancier meals needing more cooking, just carry a spare or two.

[KenDeb]

Re: Propane Stove or Hot Plate?

We sold the pop-up to help pay for a SMALL bit of my daughter's college tuition. She just graduated and those loans will be due soon! We started out camping in a tent so we figured we can do it again. Also, the pop-up was getting to be more work . . . set up and take down were taking too long which made weekend camping trips more of a chore than fun!

[tplife]

Re: Propane Stove or Hot Plate?

Dual fuel appliances that use unleaded gas require generator replacement more frequently, taking away some of the savings of gasoline vs. Coleman Fuel . That's probably why Coleman recommends you use Coleman Fuel most of the time. Commercial gas contains octane boosters, oxygenators, ethanol, and detergents that accererate wear on parts, don't burn as well and leave more deposits behind than Coleman Fuel. In addition to the stinky smell, unleaded gasoline is much more volatile than either Coleman Fuel or propane, so actually I'd rather have either one of the latter in my car on a hot day and not bother with siphoning gas. It does cost half as much as Coleman fuel, so if you want to put up with the drawbacks you'll still come out ahead in the end, which in your case sounds like the best way to go.

From Coleman: "Although it's the most economical fuel to use, you'll extend the life of your appliance by using purer Coleman™ Fuel most of the time."

[busere]

Re: Propane Stove or Hot Plate?

I would have to agree with everything that TP and HogSnapper said. ESPECIALY about the fuel cost. For winter backpacking we use white gas stoves...but the cost of white gas is not cheap. MSR came out with the Whisperlite Universal that also burns unleaded gas...which gives us (even us backpackers) the option of a cheaper fuel source. However, you do have to keep in mind the maintenance that goes along with the fuel.

[tplife]

Re: Propane Stove or Hot Plate?

Wow do we have bad gas out here, barely lasts 30 days before decomposing into gunk...at $4.50/gallon. Thank God for SeaFoam and Coleman Fuel, otherwise I'd be a generator distributor! Good grief...

[lizrfoust]

Re: Propane Stove or Hot Plate?

I'd go with the propane stove. I find them a bit more flexible in terms of the places where I could camp. And just like what steps mentioned, you don't need to worry about all those cables, which can be quite hazardous to you and others at night.

[cloudswinger]

Re: Propane Stove or Hot Plate?

I have a propane stove, but I also use an electric water kettle. We don't have issues with the cord in the campsite plus it's fast and has an auto shutoff.