Best camping stoves for families: how to choose a two-burner for car camping
· Updated
For a family that drives to the pitch, the right stove is almost always a double-burner gas stove. Two burners let you cook a meal on one and boil the kettle on the other, which is the difference between everyone eating together and someone waiting for their beans while the tea goes cold. The Campingaz Series 400 SG and the Coleman two-burner classics are the workhorses you will see on half the pitches in Britain, and either will feed a family of four for years.
Weight barely matters when the stove travels in the boot, so ignore the ultralight numbers that dominate backpacking guides and buy for cooking power and stability instead. This guide covers the four types worth your money, what the specs actually mean, and which one suits your family size and camping style.
It is part of our guide to campfire cooking essentials from Camping Sites in Britain, where you can find and compare campsites, caravan parks and glamping across the UK. Once you have picked a stove, pair it with our list of essential tools for campsite cooking to round out the kit.
The four types of family camping stove
Car campers really only need to choose between four formats, and the double-burner gas stove suits most families. Here is how they compare.
| Type | Best for | Typical power | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Double-burner gas stove | The default family choice, cooking a meal and a brew at once | Around 4 kW total | Bulkier than a single, needs a flat table or stand |
| Single-burner stove | Couples, minimal weekends, a back-up ring | 2 to 3 kW | One pan at a time, slow when feeding a crowd |
| Stove and grill combo | Families who want a griddle or grill as well as burners | Around 4 kW plus grill | Grills eat gas and can be fiddly to clean |
| Camp kitchen unit with stand | Longer stays and bigger groups who cook properly | 4 kW and up | Heavier, pricier, more to pack and set up |
Double-burner gas stoves
This is the family workhorse and the one most people should buy. A double-burner runs off a screw-on or clip-on gas cartridge, or off a hose and regulator connected to a refillable Calor bottle, and the good ones fold shut into a case the size of a briefcase. The Campingaz Series 400 SG is a two-burner and grill rated at 4400 watts with a built-in windshield, and the Coleman two-burner range does much the same job. Two rings of around 2 kW each mean you can simmer a bolognese while the pasta water comes to the boil.
The choice within this category comes down to fuel connection. Cartridge stoves are tidy and quick to set up for a weekend. If you camp often or for a week at a time, running the stove off a Calor bottle on a hose works out cheaper and you never run dry mid-fry-up. Our guide to getting the most from Calor gas covers bottle sizes, regulators and how long a canister lasts.
Single-burner stoves
A single-burner is the simplest option and it earns its place as a couple's stove or a back-up ring. One good burner of 2 to 3 kW will boil a kettle and cook a one-pot meal, and the whole thing packs down small. The limitation is obvious the moment you are feeding four hungry people, because you cannot do the sausages and the beans and the tea at the same time.
Buy a single if your camping is short, light and low on cooking, or add one to a double-burner kit so you have a third ring for the kettle. For a family as the only stove, it is a false economy.
Stove and grill combos
A stove and grill combo gives you two burners plus a grill or griddle plate, which is brilliant for bacon, toast and anything you would rather not boil. Many of the popular family stoves, the Campingaz 400 SG included, already build a grill into the lid or offer a griddle accessory. Cadac make a range of grill-first units that double as a stove and are a firm favourite for barbecue-style camp cooking.
The trade-off is that grills use more gas and take longer to clean than a plain burner. If your family lives on fry-ups and toasties, the combo is worth it. If you mostly boil, simmer and heat tins, a plain double-burner is lighter on gas and easier to scrub.
Camp kitchen units with a stand
A camp kitchen unit puts the burners on a folding stand at worktop height, often with a prep surface, a windshield and somewhere to hang utensils. For longer stays and larger groups this is a proper upgrade, because you are not hunched over a picnic table and the stand keeps the stove level and stable. Vango and Cadac both make popular family camp kitchens.
The cost is bulk, price and setup time. A camp kitchen is more to pack and more to pitch, so it rewards families who stay put for several nights rather than moving on each morning.
What to look for when buying
Ignore weight and focus on the handful of specs that decide how well the stove actually cooks. These are the ones that matter for family car camping.
- Two burners. The single most useful feature. Two rings mean a meal on one and the kettle or a second pan on the other, so nobody eats cold food while they wait.
- Total power output in kilowatts. Look at the combined kW. A family double-burner sits around 4 kW total, roughly 2 kW per ring, which boils a full kettle in a sensible time and still simmers low.
- Wind resistance and a windshield. Wind is the enemy of an open burner, robbing heat and wasting gas. Buy a stove with fold-up side panels or a proper windshield, and pitch the kitchen in the lee of the car or a wall.
- Piezo ignition. A built-in piezo spark lights the burner at the push of a button, so you are not fumbling with matches in the rain. Keep a lighter as a back-up, because piezo units can fail over time.
- Stability. Wide feet, a low centre of gravity and sturdy pan supports stop a full pan tipping. A stove on a proper stand beats one balanced on a wobbly picnic bench every time.
- Gas type. Butane burns fine in summer warmth but struggles in the cold. Propane keeps flowing well below freezing, so it is the pick for cold-weather and shoulder-season trips.
Butane or propane, and the Calor question
Choose butane for summer and propane for the cold. Butane cartridges are cheap, widely stocked and perfectly good from spring to autumn, but the gas stops vaporising properly as temperatures approach freezing, so an early or late-season pitch can leave you with a feeble flame. Propane keeps working down to around minus 40C, which is why cold-weather campers run their stoves off a red Calor propane bottle rather than a blue butane one.
For most families a cartridge stove in summer is all you need, and a hose to a Calor bottle makes sense once you camp often or in colder months. The full detail on bottle types, regulators and refills is in our guide to getting the most from Calor gas.
Safety: use it outside, never in a tent
Only ever use a gas stove in the open air, never inside a tent, awning or closed porch. Burning gas produces carbon monoxide, a colourless, odourless gas that builds up in an enclosed space and can kill you in your sleep. Every year people die cooking or heating inside tents, and it is entirely avoidable. Cook outside, in the open, with air moving around the stove.
The rest is common sense: set the stove on a flat, stable surface away from tent fabric and long grass, keep children and the flysheet clear of the flame, turn the gas off at the cartridge or bottle when you finish, and let everything cool before you pack it. Read our full guide to the dangers of cooking in a tent before your first trip.
Which stove to pick by family and style
Match the stove to how many you feed and how you camp, not to the longest spec sheet. Here is the short version by situation.
| Your setup | Best pick |
|---|---|
| Couple or solo, light weekends | A single-burner stove, or a small double if you want the option |
| Family of three or four, summer weekends | A double-burner gas stove on cartridges, such as the Campingaz 400 SG or a Coleman two-burner |
| Family who love a fry-up and a grill | A stove and grill combo, or a Cadac grill-and-stove unit |
| Bigger group, week-long stays, cooking properly | A camp kitchen unit with a stand, run off a Calor bottle |
| Cold weather or shoulder season | Any two-burner, but run it on propane rather than butane |
Whatever you choose, a two-burner is the family sweet spot. Add a hose and a Calor bottle when you start camping for longer, and keep a spare cartridge or a full bottle in the boot so a big Sunday breakfast never runs you dry. Ready to book a trip to cook on? Browse pitches across the country in our campsite directory.
Frequently asked questions
How many burners does a family camping stove need?
Two. A double-burner lets you cook a meal on one ring and boil the kettle or a second pan on the other, so a family of four eats together instead of in shifts. A single burner is fine for a couple but slow for a crowd.
What is a good power output for a family camping stove?
Around 4 kW total, roughly 2 kW per burner, suits most families. That boils a full kettle in a reasonable time and still turns down low enough to simmer. The Campingaz 400 SG, for example, is rated at 4400 watts.
Should I use butane or propane in my camping stove?
Use butane in summer and propane in the cold. Butane is cheap and widely available but struggles near freezing, while propane keeps flowing well below zero. Cold-weather and shoulder-season campers should run a propane Calor bottle.
Can I use a camping stove inside my tent?
No. Gas stoves give off carbon monoxide, which is odourless and can be fatal in an enclosed space. Always cook outside in the open air, never inside a tent, awning or closed porch, even in bad weather.
Is it better to use a gas cartridge or a Calor bottle?
Cartridges are tidy and quick for weekends. A hose to a refillable Calor bottle works out cheaper and lasts far longer, so it suits families who camp often or for a week at a time. Many double-burners take either.
Do I need a stove with a windshield?
Yes, wind steals heat and wastes gas. Choose a stove with fold-up side panels or a proper windshield, and pitch your cooking spot in the shelter of the car or a wall for a faster, more efficient flame.
The short version
Buy a double-burner gas stove of around 4 kW with a windshield and piezo ignition, run it on butane in summer and propane in the cold, and only ever use it outside. That covers almost every family that drives to the pitch. For the wider kit and cooking ideas, head back to our guide to campfire cooking essentials.
