Being able to cook up a storm while on a bikepacking trip can be difficult. Mainly due to the limited space to be able to pack larger sized camping stoves. By a storm I mean a nice and tasty meal that requires more preparation then just boiling water.
Some bikepackers prefer to keep their kitchen equipment to a minimum and only take a small stove that can boil water. And that is about its only use. This post is dedicated to finding all those camping stove options that are recommended and used by others. Who take them on bikepacking adventures. That are lightweight and can fit in a frame bag or any other bike bag.
Personally I use the traditional Trangia. Which is quiet a large piece of kit that is on the boarder of being way to big for a bikepacking trip. I manage to make it work, as I love cooking with the Trangia it allows me to cook some of my best vegan recipes in very remote locations all over the world. You can read my review here if you are interested to learn more about this camping stove.
When looking for a camping stove for bikepacking. It is a good idea to get something that can use just about any fuel source or at least a fuel that is easily available in the places you will be travelling. In some places in the world some stove fuels are harder to find. Getting a stove that can burn unleaded, kerosene and/or use cartridges might be good for a world tour? A stove that has many fuel applications is ideal.
The packed size is another factor and if it will pack away in your bikepacking bags. Again its capability to be able to cook more advanced meals if you are feeling creative.
It might be a good idea to look into getting a saucepan that will be big enough to fit your appetite. then use Primus or MSR burner, combined with a a wind protection cap depending on the conditions where you plan to travel.
A wood stove might be a better option for a bikepacking stove. As you don’t need to track down any fuel. Just use the abundance of pencil sized twigs around camp to keep it going. Even cardboard from food packaging makes great tinder.
You might want to consider having a two stove setup for bikepakcing and touring. More so for touring especially on long adventures. It makes camp feel more like home and it is great to use a alcohol stove for cooking and a wood stove to keep water warm or boiled for beverages and cleaning.
So what are your bikepacking camp stove options? In no particular order here they are! These are used by other bikepackers and can be recommended if you are looking for a adequate stove for bikepacking.
*If you want to buy any of these bikepacking stoves, doing it via the affiliate links give Cycle Travel Overload a small commission which goes into creating more great resources for the bike travel community.
- JetBoil with Pan Adapter
- Trangia Triangle
- BioLite Campstove
- MSR WhisperLite Universal
- Tato AB-13 Hybrid
- MSR Windburner
- Optimus Svea 123
- Primus Omnifuel
- Firebox nano Ultralight Stove
- MSR Dragonfly Stove
- SnowPeak LiteMax Stove
- MSR Pocket Rocket 2
- Emberlit Titanium Wood Burner
- Solo Stove Lite
JetBoil with Pot Support
Although it is not the best system for cooking some very advanced meals, like one can master with a full sized Trangia. It still is a great cooking system for boiling water, doing so in 100 seconds. You can get the pot support attachment. Which allows you to cook in a frying pan. Total weight for this system is 13.1 ounces or 371 grams.
Trangia Triangle
Although I highly recommend the original non stick Trangia for cooking some epic meals. Unfortunately it is not the best option for bikepacking and being able to pack away in a small space. However Trangia have caught onto the demands for lightweight and small packing camp stoves. That they do offer the Trangia Triangle which is essentially a Trangia fuel canister with 3 stainless steel sides along with a support ring. Offer a very minimal stove setup, that packs away small with the dimensions of 14cm x 10cm x 1cm and only weighing in at 115 grams.
BioLite Campstove
This is a really cool stove design. Named a “Electricity Generating Wood Camp Stove”. It does just that, they energy it generates from burning wood is able to charge your phone. How awesome? The stove creates a vortex of smokeless flames for a portable campfire that can cook your meals and charge your gear, all at the same time. It takes about 4.5 mins to boil 1L of water. The unit weighs 2.06 lbs or 934 grams. And packs down to the size of a 32oz widemouth water bottle. This stove has some great reviews on Amazon which are worth reading.
MSR WhisperLite Universal
The selling point for this MSR stove and why many bike tourers and bikepackers love using this stove is its ability to use multiple fuel sources. Including, canister fuel, white gas, kerosene and unleaded gasoline. Take about 3 min. 30 sec to boil 1L of water. The total weight of the Stove, pump & canister mount is 13.7 ounces or 388 grams.
Tato AB-13 Hybrid
The AB-13 is a very minimal and cheaper stove option. This is a super lightweight Alcohol stove that weighs only 16 grams. Has fold-out legs on the bottom to increase the stability to help prevent tipping as well as legs to act as a pot stand.
MSR Windburner
Ideally designed to be used in tougher windy conditions. The windproof design allows the stove to boil water fast. The all-in-one system nests inside its pot for easy packing and assembly into your bike bags. Boils 1 L in 4.5 minutes. And weighs 15.25 oz / 432 g.
Optimus Svea 123
Another very lightweight camp stove option, Optimus have been making this Svea for decades. Originally designed for light-and-fast climber’s kits. The Svea is a very minimal and simple build. That gets the job done in any weather conditions. It is a compact construction and provides reliable performance at altitude.
Primus Omnifuel
The OmniFuel is Primus’ most award winning stove they have ever made. Made with to be robust, reliable and powerful. Designed to handle demanding situations, extreme altitudes and both low and high temperatures. The great thing about this stove, it can be used with most fuels, including gas, gasoline/petrol, diesel, kerosene/paraffin – even aviation fuel. The whole unit weighs in at 375 grams.
Firebox Nano Ultralight Stove
Firebox Nano is one of the smallest wood stove option on the market. Similar to the Folding Firebox it is much smaller and lighter. It is only 4Â ounces or 113.4 grams, the Titanium Firebox Nano is 3″ wide and folds down to a ridiculously thin .25″
MSR Dragonfly Stove
One of the main features in this Dragonfly stove, thanks to its dual-valve design. Is its ability to deliver fuel burner or flame control with precision, through simmer-to-boil control. All in a chassis that’s built to handle a variety of fuels and the frequent use expected when used on bikepacking and touring expeditions. Weighing in at 1 lbs 1.8 oz / 506 g. Depending on the fuel source you use, white gas, kerosene or diesel you can expect 1 litre to boil in 3.5 to 3.9 minutes.
SnowPeak LiteMax Stove
A very lightweight stove, thanks to the Titanium and aluminium construction keeps this stove down to less than two ounces, attaching to a fuel canister you are ready to go. Surprisingly stable for being so tiny and its folding arms double as wind shields to prevent blowing out.
MSR Pocket Rocket 2
Another lightweight fuel stove canister attachment system from MSR. A 2.6 oz / 73.7 grams and compact 2x2x3 when folded up and packed. With the fuel burner time of boiling 1 litre of water in 3.5 minutes. The folding pot supports allow for the ability to use larger pots to cook with while packing away to a very small package.
Emberlit Titanium Wood Burner
I really like the idea of this wood burner stoves like this Emberlit that have the ability to just pack away in a flat packed size. This stove is identical to the Emberlit Original but made from ultralight Titanium. At just under 6 oz / 170 grams it is roughly half the weight of its stainless steel brother. Designed and made here in the USA.
Solo Stove Lite
The Solo stove is another great wood burner stove that is super small, and it has some great reviews, you should read more about this little power house. No need to buy fuel again with this stove as it runs on just a handful of twigs.
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