RiggedOut
Menu

Best Camp Cooking Methods Compared

Propane, butane, wood, charcoal — every camp cooking method has tradeoffs. Here's an honest comparison of fuel types, stove styles, and cooking techniques from years of cooking on the trail.

Last updated: 2026-04-17

# Best Camp Cooking Methods Compared There's no single best way to cook on the trail. The method you choose depends on your trip length, vehicle space, fire restrictions, cooking ambitions, and how much cleanup you're willing to tolerate. I've used all of these extensively, and each has earned its place in different situations. ## Fuel Types: The Foundation ### Propane **The overlanding default.** Propane is available everywhere, works in cold weather, provides consistent heat output, and the infrastructure is mature — stoves, adapters, regulators, and tanks are all standardized and affordable. **Small cylinders (1 lb):** Convenient, disposable, widely available. But expensive per BTU and wasteful. A single cylinder lasts about 1-2 hours of cooking. Fine for a weekend, expensive for a week. **Bulk tanks (5-20 lb):** The smart play for regular overlanders. A 20-lb tank costs $15-$20 to fill and provides 20+ hours of cooking. Requires an adapter hose ($12-$15) to connect to your stove. More weight and space, but the economics are dramatically better. **Cold weather performance:** Propane works down to about -44F. Below 32F, output drops slightly but remains functional. This is a significant advantage over butane. ### Butane **The backpacker crossover.** Butane canisters (the slim, tall ones used by MSR, Jetboil, Snow Peak) are lighter and more compact than propane. The stoves that use them tend to be smaller and lighter too. **Advantages:** Compact, lightweight, excellent simmer control on quality stoves, cleaner burn. **Disadvantages:** Poor cold-weather performance (output drops significantly below 40F, nearly useless below 20F), harder to find in rural areas, higher cost per BTU than bulk propane, canisters are non-refillable and harder to recycle. **Best for:** Overlanders who also backpack and want one fuel system, solo travelers who cook simple meals, warm-weather trips. ### Wood **The romantic option — and sometimes the only option.** Wood is free, available almost everywhere, and cooking over fire produces flavors no stove can match. **Advantages:** Free fuel, infinite supply in forested areas, great flavor for grilling and dutch oven cooking, provides warmth and ambiance. **Disadvantages:** Fire restrictions eliminate this option in many areas (especially western US in summer), requires fire-building skills, smoke and soot on cookware, inconsistent heat control, slow to get started, requires proper extinguishment, leaves no-trace concerns. **Reality check:** Fire restrictions are increasingly common and increasingly enforced. If wood fire is your only cooking method, you will get shut down at some point. Always carry a stove as backup. ### Charcoal **The dutch oven specialist.** Charcoal briquettes provide consistent, controllable heat that's perfect for dutch oven cooking. You count briquettes to control temperature — a level of precision that wood fire can't match. **Advantages:** Consistent heat, excellent for dutch oven and slow cooking, burns hotter than wood, more compact fuel. **Disadvantages:** Must carry fuel (heavy), fire restrictions apply, ash disposal required, slow to light, single-use. **Best for:** Dutch oven enthusiasts, group cooking where you're feeding 6+ people, established campsites where fire is permitted. ## Stove Types ### Two-Burner Camp Stoves The standard. Coleman Classic, Camp Chef Everest 2X, Partner Steel 2-burner — these sit on a table and give you two burners at roughly home-stove capability. **Pros:** Familiar cooking experience, two burners allow simultaneous cooking (heat water while frying), wind screens improve performance, widely available. **Cons:** Bulky, require table or stable surface, exposed to wind (even with screens), propane only. **Best for:** Most overlanders, families, anyone cooking real meals. ### Single-Burner Stoves Jetboil, MSR PocketRocket, Snow Peak GigaPower — these are backpacking stoves adapted for vehicle use. Compact, light, fast at boiling water. **Pros:** Tiny and light, fast boil times, minimal pack space, great for solo or duo. **Cons:** Limited to one pot, poor simmer control on cheaper models, unstable with large pots, not great for actual cooking (mostly boiling). **Best for:** Solo overlanders, quick meals, backup stove, boiling water for dehydrated meals. ### Portable Griddles Blackstone, Camp Chef flat-top griddles — these are essentially commercial griddle surfaces on a propane burner. Large cooking surface, excellent for breakfast and group meals. **Pros:** Huge cooking surface, great for breakfast (eggs, bacon, pancakes simultaneously), even heat distribution, easy to clean. **Cons:** Heavy, bulky, single-purpose (not great for soups or boiling), grease management needed. **Best for:** Groups of 4+, breakfast enthusiasts, established base camps. ## Cooking Techniques ### Dutch Oven Cooking The dutch oven is the slow cooker of the trail. A 10" or 12" Lodge dutch oven with legs and a flanged lid (designed for coals on top) opens up a world of cooking — stews, chili, bread, cobbler, roasts, casseroles. **The charcoal method:** Place counted briquettes on the lid and under the oven. A 12" dutch oven at 350F requires roughly 25 total briquettes — 17 on top, 8 on the bottom. Adjust up or down by 2-3 briquettes for each 25F change. **Pros:** Incredible food quality, set-it-and-forget-it cooking, can bake bread and desserts on the trail. **Cons:** Heavy (a 12" Lodge is 8 lbs empty), requires charcoal or fire, long cook times, seasoning maintenance. **Verdict:** If you have the space and weight capacity, a dutch oven is worth carrying. Nothing else produces camp cobbler. ### Griddle Cooking Whether it's a standalone griddle or a flat plate over your camp stove, griddle cooking is fast, efficient, and easy to clean. Smash burgers, quesadillas, grilled cheese, stir-fry vegetables — anything that benefits from a large, flat, hot surface. **Tips:** Season your griddle like cast iron. Use a squirt bottle of water and a scraper for cleaning — no soap needed. A thin coat of oil after cleaning prevents rust. ### Campfire Cooking Cooking directly over a campfire requires patience and practice. Let the fire burn down to coals — flames are for ambiance, coals are for cooking. **Grate cooking:** A simple camp grill grate over the fire ring gives you a grilling surface. Best for burgers, sausages, foil packets, and anything you'd put on a backyard grill. **Skewer cooking:** Simple and fun. Hot dogs, kebabs, marshmallows. Low skill requirement, high satisfaction. **Foil packets:** Wrap food in heavy-duty aluminum foil and place on coals. Potatoes, vegetables, fish — foil packets are nearly foolproof and cleanup is throwing away the foil. **Coal-roasting:** Wrap potatoes or corn in foil and bury directly in the coals. 45 minutes for potatoes, 20 minutes for corn. Primitive, effective, delicious. ## Method Comparison Matrix | Method | Setup Time | Heat Control | Fuel Cost | Weight | Versatility | Fire Restriction Safe | |--------|-----------|--------------|-----------|--------|-------------|----------------------| | Propane 2-burner | 2 min | Excellent | Low (bulk) | Medium | High | Yes | | Butane single | 1 min | Good | Medium | Low | Low | Yes | | Dutch oven + charcoal | 15 min | Good | Medium | High | High | No | | Griddle | 3 min | Good | Low | High | Medium | Yes | | Campfire | 20+ min | Poor | Free | None | Medium | No | ## My Recommendation **Carry a propane stove as your primary.** It works everywhere, in all weather, regardless of fire restrictions. A two-burner propane stove with a bulk tank is the most reliable, versatile, and cost-effective cooking setup for overlanding. **Add a dutch oven if you have space** and you camp in areas where fires are permitted. It's a luxury, but one that dramatically expands your meal options. **Campfire cooking is a bonus, not a plan.** Enjoy it when conditions allow, but never count on it as your only cooking method. Fire restrictions, wet weather, and above-treeline camps all eliminate the option. **Skip the dedicated griddle** unless you regularly cook for groups. A cast iron skillet on your propane stove does 80% of what a griddle does with a fraction of the space and weight. The best camp kitchen is the one that matches your actual cooking style, not the one that looks best on a gear list. Start simple, cook a lot, and let experience guide your upgrades.

Related Articles

Cooking & Camp Kitchen

How to Build a Budget Overland Camp Kitchen

You don't need a $2,000 slide-out kitchen to eat well on the trail. Here's how to build a functional camp kitchen at three budget levels, with DIY solutions that outperform some premium gear.

Cooking & Camp Kitchen

Cast Iron vs Titanium Cookware for Overlanding

Cast iron and titanium sit at opposite ends of the cookware spectrum. Here's when each makes sense for overlanding, what they're actually good at, and why most vehicle-based campers should pick one over the other.

Cooking & Camp Kitchen

How to Store Food Safely on Long Overland Trips

Food spoilage, bear encounters, and rodent invasions can ruin a trip fast. Here's everything you need to know about storing food safely on extended overland trips, from cooler strategy to bear country protocols.

Stay Trail-Ready

Get our latest gear reviews, trail guides, and overlanding tips delivered to your inbox. No spam, just the good stuff.

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.