Camper vans are getting more popular and affordable by the year as they allow people to travel all across the country for cheap once the initial purchase is made. However, there are a few things to get used to while traveling, and a big one is how to cook things. You’ll want to grab a cooking surface that can be taken on the go if you’re serious about your cross-country road trips. There are various options out there, and you don’t even have to get anything that’ll result in an open flame inside your camper if you don’t want to.
A lot of your choices will come down to how much space you have in your van. If you’re tight on space, you can opt for a single-pan cooktop from Duxtop or Coleman. If you have a bunch of room available, you could fit an oven and stove combination in there. You’ll also want to account for how many people are on your trip. A single cooktop might not be a great fit for a family as dinner will take a long time to make. So, here are the five best camper van stoves to buy in 2023.
Duxtop 1800W Portable Induction Cooktop
This Duxtop is an induction cooktop, which means you’ll need a different set of pots and pans to use it than you might be used to. If that’s not an issue for you, then Duxtop’s portable cooktop is a perfect option. It is more efficient than gas and electric stove tops, heats up fast, and you will have a good amount of control over the heat. There are 15 preset power levels (200W to 1800W) depending on how hot you need the cooktop to be, so it’s quite easy to plug in and use. It comes in at the price of $77.99 on Amazon.
The only real downsides to this cooktop are the small size that only allows a single pan at a time and the fact that you need a set of induction cookware. If you have a cast iron pan that you use at home, you can bring that with you, as it works with this Duxtop and other induction tops. Not having to buy a separate fuel source is a big plus.
Camp Chef Mountain Series Everest 2X
For a gas option, you can go for the Camp Chef Mountain Series Everest 2X, which’ll give you two burners, the complete control gas cooking offers, and a very portable cooktop. This comes with a price tag of $189.99, so you’ll want to make sure you use the cooktop quite a bit to get your money’s worth out of it.
Traveling with a group of people is where you will see the most gains, as you now have two cooking surfaces. The lid works as a wind protector for outdoor cooking, as nobody wants a breeze coming through and blowing out your flame. The cooktop comes with a one-pound propane cylinder that allows for easy cooking, which should be more than enough to last a weekend trip. The compact and portable nature of the Camp Chef stove allows lots of versatility, and practically any flat surface will work just fine. The only hangup could be the price, but at least you won’t have to buy a bunch of induction-ready cookware with this option.
Deli-kit 24 inch LPG/NG Gas Cooktop
If you have space in your camper van for a drop-in cooktop, you can’t go wrong with the Deli-kit option. This cooktop will slot right into the countertop cutout you made available and give you four burners. This won’t be the best for everybody because not everyone has the space available for this, but it represents one of the best ways to feel like you have a stove in your van without buying an actual stove. The drop-in Deli-kit will cost about $200 from Amazon.
With this being a gas cooktop, you’ll need to provide your own propane. This means you’ll need a safe place to set it up since you’ll treat this as a more permanent option than other selections on the list. Build quality is rather solid as it’s completely cast iron, so durability and longevity shouldn’t be an issue. It has an ignition switch for easy lighting, but using a lighter or a match can work if you don’t have power. A three-year warranty backs the Deli-kit cooktop if anything goes wrong with the purchase.
Coleman Classic 1-Burner Butane Stove
Thanks to their budget yet reliable offerings, Coleman is a very well-known brand by campers. Coleman has a single-burner butane stove that is perfect for camping. Instead of hooking up propane, you’ll use a butane canister, but it all works pretty much the same. For $35 on Amazon, Coleman’s cooktop comes in at a much more affordable price than anything else on the list.
The issue here is the single burner, so unless you’re cooking for just yourself, it’ll take a while to prepare dinner if you’re not throwing everything into a single pan. However, at $35, there’s not a lot to complain about. You get an easy-to-control gas cooktop that doesn’t take up a lot of space that’s lightweight enough to take just about anywhere. Butane refills don’t tend to be all that expensive, and it’s easy to stock up on extras if you’re going on a long trip. Coleman says you’ll be able to get over an hour of cooking time on high using a single canister, so you should have plenty of time to make a meal.
Camp Chef Outdoor Camp Oven
If you want to go all out, you can get an oven and stove combo from Camp Chef. This will cost you about $238 from Amazon, but it will provide all sorts of versatility. Anybody who wants to emulate the type of cooking they can do at home will love having a camp oven. You have two racks available, along with two burners on top. This propane combo will light without the need for matches or lighters, but you can use either of those if you don’t have power available.
What could be viewed as a downside to this appliance is the size of it. You’ll want to make sure you have a lot of extra space if you’re traveling with this stove and oven combo. If you’re tight on space in a camper van, you’re probably much better suited to something smaller. You’ll also want to figure out if you’ll even be using the oven for anything while on the road. Camping and traveling typically mean smaller meals, but every person’s lifestyle is different.
