While the propane stove is the stove of choice for camping beginners, it is far from perfect. It’s not perfect but they’re good enough for many people.

Heating Efficiency

Pressure decreases as the cartridge of a propane cooker empties making them less efficient when there is little fuel left. Other factors that has an effect of heating efficiency are temperature, altitude and wind. You may not be able to start a propane stove in sub-zero temperatures and high altitudes.

Reliability

A backpacking stove must be able to take rough handling and still work perfectly|Conditions inside you backpack and you body movement subject the stove to constant abuse. A stove is a critical camping equipment so you don’t want it to be broken too easily. Older versions of cartridge propane stoves use puncture fit coupling which I remember having a hard time with especially the first few times of using it as a boy scout.

Improvements in design makes the propane stove much more realiable. Now you can even use propane stove at sub-zero temperatures. Reliability is a more of a matter of design rather than whether gasoline or propane is used for fuel.

Weight

Propane stoves (used for backpacking) are lighter than liquid fuel stoves but the fuel is much more heavier. Using bigger cartridges on a long trip will save you a little bit of weight. Bigger cartridges are recommended for longer trips because they result in less weight compared to carrying smaller cartridges.

Litter

Using a lot of cannister fuels will result in a lot of garbage. Empty fuel cannisters cannot be reused and needs to be disposed. To protect the environment you should carry empty cannisters with you until you find the right place to throw them away. An empty cartridge should never be thrown in the wild.

Convenience

To light up a propane stove, all you need to do is turn the knob and light up the gas. Some even come with automatic ignitions you don’t even need to light up the gas. Cartridge stoves are also cleaner and less noisy.

Safety

The flame from a liquid fuel stove may be harder to control and can be unpredictable when you first light it up. This should however be done with caution and with good ventilation only. Using stoves in tents has been linked to carbon monoxide poisoning many times before. There is also a risk of fire when using a stove near flammable material like your tent and sleeping bag. Never under any circumstances use liquid fuel stoves inside tents or you might end up without a tent.

Propane stoves are known to blow up due to broken or missing parts. A stove that is simple reduces the chance of it being broken.

Fuel Availability

Gasoline stoves can use many different types of fuels and white gas is widely available. A particular type of cartridge for your stove may not be available everywhere so need to take that into consideration.

Cost

Propane stoves are cheaper than liquid fuel stoves in general. But if you regularly use, you’re going to be spending a lot more on fuel.

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