Switched to a cheap camp stove after my fancy one let me down at Big Sur

I used to think spending $200 on a dual burner stove was the only way to go, but last month at Big Sur my expensive one just died on the second morning. The regulator gave out and I had no hot coffee or food for a whole day, which was brutal. A guy at the next site was using some basic $40 Coleman stove and it worked fine even in the wind. I bought the same one on the way home and honestly it's been just as good for half the price. Has anyone else had a high end piece of gear fail on them during a trip and switch to something simpler?

2 comments

2 Comments

lee.cole13d ago

The real trick people miss is that expensive gear often has more failure points. That fancy stove probably had a plastic regulator and thin metal connections. A Coleman has been basically the same design for 40 years. Same reason my buddy's old Honda starts every time but his neighbor's BMW needs a tow twice a year. Simple works better in the outdoors because there's less to break when you drop it on a rock or leave it in the rain.

the_nathan13d ago

And that whole thing about simple gear being more reliable is exactly why I just bought a used cast iron skillet off Facebook marketplace for camping. My nonstick pan started flaking after one trip and I figured if people have been cooking over fires with cast iron for a hundred years, it's probably not going to let me down now. Plus it doubles as a weapon if a bear gets too curious, which my expensive pan definitely couldnt do.