Coleman Classic butane review

What this stove is for

This is a small, one-burner butane stove sold by Coleman, the long-established camping brand. It is the sort of stove you set on a table outside to boil water for a dehydrated meal, heat a can of soup, or make coffee when the kitchen range is out of action. It suits a household that wants a low-effort backup for hot water and simple food, not one that expects to cook full family meals.

Coleman's own product page could not be read for this review, so the specifications below come from the independent outdoor site CleverHiker, which lists the stove at 7,650 BTU from one burner and butane as its only fuel. It describes a stove with an Instastart ignition built into the control knob, a low-profile wind baffle around the burner, and a carrying case. Check the figures against Coleman's page or the manual before you rely on them.

Strengths

A single burner is easy to store and quick to set up, and CleverHiker called it reliable and easy for a beginner, with an ignition that lit on the first click. That suits the jobs an outage kitchen mostly needs: boiling water for freeze-dried meals, instant oatmeal, tea, baby formula water or heating a can of soup. The case keeps it clean in a cupboard or a go-bag, and the wind baffle helps a little on a breezy evening, though CleverHiker says it does not fully block wind.

A butane stove also avoids the large propane cylinders the bigger two-burner stoves use, which keeps storage compact.

Limits you should plan for

One burner means one pot at a time. CleverHiker found the stove used 0.8 ounces of butane to boil a liter of water in just over 16 minutes, which it rated mid-range for fuel use. It also reported that the lowest setting went out when it tried to simmer rice on a roughly 37 degree evening, and says a butane-only stove will not work in freezing temperatures. That matters for a winter outage, so keep a second way to heat water.

Because this is a tabletop stove with an open flame, it should sit on a stable, level, non-flammable surface and never be left unattended.

Carbon monoxide: use it outdoors only

CDC says carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that kills without warning, and that it is found in fumes produced any time you burn fuel in cars or trucks, small engines, stoves, lanterns, grills, fireplaces, gas ranges, or furnaces. Its instruction is plain: never use a portable gas camp stove indoors. Its winter-weather guidance adds that you should never use generators, gas or charcoal grills, camp stoves, or similar devices inside your home, in basements, in garages, or near windows.

CPSC adds that people die every year from carbon monoxide poisoning from portable camping heaters, lanterns, or stoves used inside tents, campers, and vehicles. Have a battery-powered CO alarm in the home, and see our carbon monoxide guide.

How it compares, and the verdict

On our camp stove comparison, the Coleman Triton 2-burner runs on standard propane and cooks real meals, the Fire Maple Saturn is a high-output single burner, and the Gas One portable butane stove is the closest like-for-like rival. Compare prices on the day.

Verdict: a basic backup for boiling water outdoors, suited to small households. Skip it if you expect to cook for a family, if you will need it in freezing weather, or if you only have a balcony, garage or indoor space to use it in.

Can I use the Coleman butane stove indoors during a power outage?

No. CDC says never to use a portable gas camp stove indoors, and its winter guidance says not to use camp stoves inside your home, in basements, in garages, or near windows.

Why is carbon monoxide such a concern with camp stoves?

CDC says carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless and kills without warning, and that it forms any time fuel is burned in stoves, lanterns, grills and similar equipment.

What can I cook on a single-burner butane stove?

Mostly boil-in-the-pot jobs: water for freeze-dried meals, soup, pasta and coffee. One burner means one pot at a time, so it suits one or two people better than a family.

Do I need a CO alarm if I only cook outdoors?

Yes, as a precaution. CDC advises battery-operated or battery back-up CO detectors near every sleeping area, because outages bring other fuel-burning risks into the home.