Weight is a very important factor to consider because like its name states, it goes in your backpack. So do a lot of other essential items, so space is going to be at a premium. Now, there isn’t a lot that can be done to drastically change the weight of a stove, but there are a few options.

First off is the type of stove that you choose. They do come in many different styles, from small folding models to bigger single burner styles, all the way up to mini BBQ Hibachi types. Which one you pick all depends on what your needs are. If you hike with friends or family and like to make an occasion of it, maybe choose one of the larger ones. These are going to add weight to your pack, but usually no more than a couple of pounds. Now, if you like to go solo, or even with just one other companion, all you`re likely to need is a compact folding stove. This is pretty much just a stand and a burner, so of course, it won`t weigh much, about three ounces or so.

The bottom line seems to be that it’s not about how much the stove itself weighs because it’s not going to be very much. It’s more about the fuel you choose. The bigger the stove, the more fuel you`ll need, and the bigger and heavier the canister are going to be.

These stoves will need to be portable, that’s just the nature of its design. Unlike weight, however, there are several different measures that can be taken to reduce the footprint of the stove, making it even smaller and less intrusive. At that already tiny size and limited room for improvement, it is a bit of a give and takes that needs to be considered.

The foldable stove is going to be the smallest option, bar none. As I’ve said before, it’s just a burner on a tripod and uses a pretty small fuel canister. These are great stoves, ideal for shorter trips where full meals aren’t needed. I say this because they are small, so a using full-sized pot is not going to make a lot of sense in this case, limiting the user to a smaller, more specialized vessel.

The next size up is a wood-burning stove that is only slightly larger and is shaped a lot like a tin can. These ones don’t fold up, but their size is not significant at all, and the fuel source can usually be found lying close at hand. They do offer less cooking power and even less control since you need to rely on a lightly contained open flame, but they will do the job, and provide more of a sense of “roughing” it.

Now we come to the big boys of the camping stove scene. That’s a relative statement, because they aren’t big at all, taking up no more room than is needed to house either two small burners or a modestly sized grill top. These are the ones you’re most likely to find with small groups of campers out for a few days. These aren’t as common, however, since once more power and surface area is required, people start to turn to the much larger and more efficient hibachi-style grills, or will even just haul along a full-sized charcoal BBQ.

One potential downside to increasing the portability is the reduction in cooking surface, cooking power, and fuel capacity. This isn’t too much of a sacrifice, and manufacturers are always coming up with ways to make this a non-issue. In fact, there are a couple of foldable stoves on this list that actually boasts some of the highest BTU`s out there, and at least one with triple the burner size, so really, it’s up to you to decide how much cooking you`ll want to do.

A big annoyance when it comes to outdoor cooking is the weather. Sure, you will find your diehard chefs that will cook in any conditions and happily struggle to keep their fire lit, but for the more sane and practical camper, many are built with at least some protection from the elements. The most common protection acts against two factors: wind and water.

For wind, there is really only one solution other than cooking in your tent (never do this!), and that is a windscreen. Many stoves already come with one built around the flame source, but these have to be small in order to not get in the way and aren’t very useful. There are, however, larger windscreens available on the market that surround the entire portable stove, blocking out the wind from all angles while leaving you plenty of room to cook. Also, and this is very important, they are made from durable fireproof materials, usually aluminum. The nice thing about these windscreens is to fold up flat, meaning they really won’t take up any space in your pack.

The next sneaky villain trying to ruin your cooking experience is water. Now, it’s much more difficult to keep the rain away from the flames, even after you’ve taken the wind out of the equation. The best way to manage this is to use a canister stove, since the LPG used as fuel is unlikely to go out due to water, and the flame itself is pretty well protected.

In summary, it was fairly difficult to come up with a proper list of criteria to use for selecting the optimal stove, since they are all very similar in design and function. It all boils down to need, and to a smaller extent, how much money you’re willing to invest in this piece of equipment. Do you want classic, simple performance, or are you looking for high tech efficiency to get you hot food fast?

Whether you're just going camping with the kids or hiking up a mountain, there are bound to be some bumps along the road. It's important that your stove can handle these bumps otherwise you'll get to your spot and find a broken stove in your pack. A good way to ensure that you have a durable item is to read what reviewers have said about it. They have used the item in real-world situations and can't tell you how it held up.

One good way to keep your item safe is to buy keeping it in a protective case while traveling. However, not all of the stoves on the list come with a protective carrying case. Now the debate is strongly in favor of having the case since it also doubles as a wind guard. Wind guards that come as separate pieces are less durable than using the strong case as one.

For users that tend to pack light, a protective case usually means unnecessary bulk that isn’t needed. The smallest stove on the list can fit in a small pouch and is a far cry from the heavy and bulky models that come with a carrying case. When packing light is the only option, there is no room to lug around a carrying case with a stove in it.

And for many buyers, they tend to avoid these bigger models at all costs. Factor in whether size means anything to you and you’ll get a clear answer on just how important the protective case is to your buying decision. A once great feature may turn into something that you’re better off without.

As far as the small stoves go, the prices won’t vary all that much because there’s not a lot that you can change from stove to stove. This is due to two things. The first is that portable folding stoves have pretty much been perfected after decades of innovation, and no more tweaking is needed.

The second thing is that its design is necessitated by the need to be fireproof in the face of the open design. Thankfully, the materials that have been chosen for their fire resistance also happens to be very cheap and efficient to produce. As such, since production costs are low and can’t really be improved upon, you are not going to need to consider price all that much when choosing your new mini stove.

Now, as a contrast to the folding stoves, the higher end, and larger camp stoves can and will vary quite a bit in price, since their designs aren’t as strictly dictated. Whether you’re looking for higher capacity, more heat, or just flash, these stoves have plenty of bells and whistles that can rapidly jack up the price. Are they worth it though? They can be.

Some of them use proprietary systems for attaching the cooking vessel to the burner to increase efficiency. Some are designed to heat up food super rapidly or bring it to an extreme temperature. Others forgo the burner and incorporate a grill top to emulate an at home BBQ, or just have a really large cooking surface. In these cases, the increased price is more reasonable and even justifiable. It’s when you get into the add-ons that are strictly cosmetic or take away from the experience that the price goes up but the value doesn’t match up.

Most of the products on the list are low priced right out of the box. A small few are average to high priced, but they are worth the extra dollars when you look at the full feature list. Deciding to splurge a bit is a good idea depending on what you want to do with it. Some single stove sets let you combine them to make a two or even three stove set. There are even stoves that come with different options like wind guards and protective suitcases.

Find out the feature that attracts you the most and go from there, making it a priority to find out at least two things you can’t live without. There is no point in getting one that doesn’t use the fuel you want it to. And there is also no point in getting a stove that isn’t as portable as you need it to be. Plenty of options are available with each type of stove, so the price should only be a factor if your wallet doesn’t allow it.