7 Best Camp Stoves For RV Outdoor Cooking That Nomads Swear By

There’s a moment every RVer knows well: the sun is setting over a perfect campsite, and the smell of dinner cooking outside fills the air. Your indoor kitchen is great, but cooking outdoors is a core part of the nomadic experience—it keeps heat and smells out of your small space and connects you to your surroundings. Choosing the right outdoor camp stove isn’t just about gear; it’s about enabling the lifestyle you want to live on the road.

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Key Factors in Choosing an RV Camp Stove

Before you buy anything, you need to be honest about how you cook. Are you a gourmet chef who needs precise temperature control, or are you just boiling water for coffee and heating up a can of soup? The answer dictates whether you need high BTUs for a hard sear or delicate simmer control for a perfect sauce.

Power, measured in BTUs (British Thermal Units), is the most common spec you’ll see. A stove with 20,000 BTUs per burner, like the Camp Chef Everest, will boil a big pot of water for pasta in a fraction of the time a 10,000 BTU burner will. But that power comes at a cost: higher fuel consumption and often, a bigger, heavier unit. Don’t just chase the highest number; match the power to your actual needs.

Consider the physical reality of your setup. Where will this stove live when you’re driving? Where will you set it up at camp? A massive griddle station is fantastic if you have a toy hauler with an empty garage, but it’s a nightmare if you’re trying to cram it into an already-full passthrough bay on a 22-foot travel trailer. Size and weight aren’t just specs; they are daily logistical challenges.

Finally, think about fuel. For most RVers, propane is the only answer. You’re already carrying it for your furnace, water heater, and indoor cooktop. Tapping into your main propane tanks with an extension hose is far more convenient than constantly juggling a collection of a dozen 1-lb green canisters. Make sure the stove you choose can easily adapt to a bulk tank.

Camp Chef Everest 2X: High-Power Performance

The Camp Chef Everest 2X is the go-to for anyone who refuses to compromise on cooking power just because they’re outdoors. Each of its two burners blasts out 20,000 BTUs. That’s residential stove-level power, meaning you can get a cast iron skillet screaming hot for a perfect steak or bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil in minutes, even on a windy day.

This isn’t just about raw power, though. The temperature controls are surprisingly nuanced, allowing for a decent simmer, something many powerful camp stoves struggle with. It also features a three-sided windscreen and a push-button igniter that actually works reliably. It’s a workhorse designed for people who take their cooking seriously and frequently cook for more than two people.

The tradeoff is its size and heft. It’s not the most compact stove, and it feels substantial because it is. If your storage is limited or you only cook simple meals, the Everest 2X is overkill. But if you want a no-excuses outdoor kitchen that can handle anything you throw at it, this is the one nomads consistently recommend.

Blackstone 17" Griddle: The RVer’s Favorite

Walk through any RV park, and you’ll see the Blackstone. Its popularity isn’t an accident; it fundamentally changes how you cook outdoors. Instead of balancing pots and pans, you have a solid steel flat-top surface that’s perfect for cooking bacon and eggs for a crowd, searing a pile of burgers, or making a perfect Philly cheesesteak.

The magic of the griddle is its versatility and efficiency. You can cook your entire meal on one surface, minimizing cleanup. The 17" and 22" models are the most popular for RVs because they offer a great cooking area without being excessively bulky. The rear grease management system is simple and effective, funneling mess away into a catch cup.

However, a griddle is not a stove. It’s terrible for boiling a pot of water or using a saucepan. For this reason, many RVers pair a Blackstone with a small, single-burner butane stove for morning coffee. It’s a specialized tool, but for the kind of meals most people love to cook at a campsite, it’s a game-changer.

Coleman Classic Propane Stove: Timeless Value

This is the green suitcase stove you’ve seen your entire life, and there’s a reason it endures: it works. The Coleman Classic is the definition of a no-frills, reliable tool. It’s relatively lightweight, compact, and affordable. For the RVer on a budget or the minimalist who just needs to heat things up, it’s often the perfect solution.

Its two 10,000 BTU burners are adequate for most basic cooking tasks. You can percolate coffee, fry some eggs, and heat soup without any issue. The simple design means there’s very little that can break, and if it does, you can find a replacement at almost any Walmart in the country. That kind of accessibility is a huge plus when you’re on the road.

The downsides are what you’d expect for the price. The simmer control is notoriously touchy, often feeling like it only has two settings: off and inferno. The thin metal windscreens can be flimsy in a strong breeze. But if you understand its limitations, the Coleman Classic offers unbeatable value and has earned its place as a staple of outdoor life.

Partner Steel 2-Burner: Built for a Lifetime

If the Coleman Classic is a disposable razor, the Partner Steel stove is a straight razor your grandfather passed down to you. These stoves are hand-welded from aluminum in Idaho and are built to withstand an apocalypse. They are the choice of hardcore overlanders and river guides, and for the full-time RVer who wants to buy their last camp stove ever, this is it.

There are no frills here—no push-button igniter, no fancy paint. What you get is absurd durability, precision-machined brass gas fittings, and burners that deliver consistent, controllable heat. The entire unit is a thick, metal box that shrugs off abuse that would destroy lesser stoves. It’s an investment in pure, bombproof function.

That investment is significant. A Partner Steel stove costs several times more than any other stove on this list. It’s a piece of professional-grade equipment, and it’s priced accordingly. This is not for the casual weekend camper. It’s for the dedicated nomad who relies on their gear daily and is willing to pay a premium for something that will never, ever let them down.

Eureka! Ignite Plus: Compact and Reliable

The Eureka! Ignite Plus hits a sweet spot right in the middle of the market. It offers a significant step up in build quality and performance from a basic Coleman without the bulk and extreme power of the Camp Chef Everest. Its 10,000 BTU burners are stout, and its main selling point is its phenomenal simmer control, which is arguably the best in its class.

This stove is perfect for the RVer who values precision. If you want to gently sauté onions or keep a sauce warm without scorching it, the Ignite Plus delivers. It’s also more compact than many of its competitors and features a reliable push-button ignition and a sturdy, locking lid. It feels like a well-engineered piece of equipment.

The "Plus" model is slightly wider to accommodate two 12-inch pans simultaneously, a thoughtful design touch that makes a real difference in practice. While it may not have the raw, water-boiling power of a high-BTU monster, its balance of size, control, and solid construction makes it a fantastic all-around choice for everyday RV cooking.

Coleman RoadTrip 285: Grill and Stove Combo

For the RVer who wants one appliance to do it all, the Coleman RoadTrip is a compelling, if compromised, option. It’s a portable grill on a stand at its core, but its key feature is the swappable cooktops. You can pop out the grill grates and drop in a griddle top or a stove grate (sold separately), transforming its function in seconds.

This versatility is its greatest strength. You can grill steaks one night, make pancakes the next morning, and boil a pot of corn on the cob in the afternoon, all with one device. It has three independently controlled burners, offering decent temperature zoning, and the whole thing collapses down into a reasonably portable, wheeled package.

The tradeoff for this flexibility is that it doesn’t excel at any single task. The grill grates can produce flare-ups, the griddle surface is smaller than a dedicated Blackstone, and the stove grate can be unstable with larger pots. It’s also quite bulky and heavy. But if storage space is tight and you refuse to choose between a grill and a stove, the RoadTrip 285 is a clever, jack-of-all-trades solution.

Jetboil Genesis Basecamp: Ultimate Portability

The Jetboil Genesis Basecamp system is an engineering marvel designed for a very specific user: the RVer who prioritizes packability above all else. The entire two-burner stove, a 5-liter pot, and a 10-inch skillet all nest together into a single, compact unit that fits neatly into an included carrying bag. For those in smaller vans or truck campers where every inch counts, this design is brilliant.

Despite its tiny packed size, it performs surprisingly well. The flower-like burners unfold to provide stable support, and the simmer control is excellent. It connects to a standard propane bottle and delivers efficient, consistent heat. It’s the perfect system for someone who might take their cooking setup from the RV picnic table to a hike-in campsite.

The limitations are obvious. The burners are close together, making it difficult to use two large pans at once. Its power output isn’t as high as larger stoves, so boiling times are longer. And the price for this clever, compact system is steep. It’s a niche product, but for the space-conscious nomad, there is simply nothing else on the market quite like it.

Ultimately, the best outdoor stove is the one that gets you cooking outside more often. Don’t get lost in spec sheets; think about the last five meals you wished you could have made at a campsite. Choose the tool that makes those meals not just possible, but easy and enjoyable.