There’s something almost magical about the backpacking stove – after a long day of hiking to near exhaustion and perhaps through a chilly rain, there’s nothing like getting a hot meal going and eating a steaming meal to warm the soul so to speak. But poetic license aside, when we hit the trail we need a stove that’s lightweight and reliable. Due to varying performance at different ambient temperatures, the best choice will vary by season.

While alcohol stoves were all the rage among ultralight backpackers 15-20 years ago, they are slow, the weight they save is debatable, and if a spill were to occur while running it could be a bad situation (not great with a canister stove either, however). They are perhaps best suited for ultralight overnights, or for the backpacker who doesn’t want to throw away or recycle gas canisters – an admirable approach.

In a similar fashion, venerable liquid gas stoves like the MSR WhisperLite aren’t slow, but can (will in my experience) be messy, are heavy, and while offering reliable performance when it gets cold, I’ve found inverted canister stoves have been just fine on deep winter trips below 0F. While for the true backpacking chef liquid-fuel stoves are known for their simmering capability, I’m almost always wanting to eat whatever is fastest and easiest at the end of the day. When I do want to get fancy, quesadillas and the like are no problem on an upright canister stove – with the right technique and cookware – and I’ve found many modern upright canister stoves to simmer quite well.

Thus, my alcohol and liquid gas stoves now occupy a bin on a shelf in my gear room, and stay there – I use some type of canister stove now for every trip.

Best All-Around / 3-Season Backpacking Stoves

For all-around 3-season use with temperatures above freezing or a bit below that, we need not create a lengthy list here (the winter stove list will be even shorter!). With performance that seemingly cannot be surpassed, and for over a decade, the Soto WindMaster upright canister stove (2.4 to 3.1 ounces, $70) – find our Soto WindMaster review here – has been our go-to and top choice in this category since it has been released.

This stove isn’t perfect. I wish the pot supports were simply integrated into the stove…there are options for an ultralight removable 3 prong support, and offering more stability an option for a 4 prong support. However, even with the slightly heavier 4Flex support the stove weighs just 3 ounces and this support can be left on in a semi-permanent fashion and folds partially for easier packing.

I’ve also had the piezo igniter fail once in over a decade of backpacking trips with this stove. Carry a lighter for backup and in your emergency kit. The piezo was replaced and makes the stove easy to use – I prefer an integrated piezo igniter on a stove whenever I can get it. A stove should include a way to light itself.

Any cons now explained, the Soto WindMaster offers consistent performance across a wide range of conditions, temperatures, and canister fuel levels due to its micro regulator valve system. To explain as briefly as possible, a regulator on a stove will automatically adjust in regards to pressure of the canister – which changes based on ambient temperature, elevation, and due to the amount of gas left in the canister, to give you more consistent performance.

While the Soto micro regulator system oddly seemed to generate much controversy when released, it works. It does add some complexity to the design of the stove (while simplifying use), however using this stove compared to a non-regulated upright canister stove is night and day. Looking for a 3-season upright canister stove for backpacking? You can very much just get the Soto WindMaster with the 4Flex pot support with no looking back.

That said following the Soto WindMaster release, MSR released an update to their venerable PocketRocket series – the PocketRocket Deluxe (2.9 ounces, $85). You can read our full PocketRocket Deluxe stove review here.

Adding a regulator to their already popular stove series made this stove even better, and to give credit where credit is due, this stove has the best piezo system of any stove I’ve ever used. It’s more integrated, protected, easier to use, and just well designed – one of those things that you just like to use.

In our testing we didn’t find the MSR’s valve to have quite the effect when compared to the Soto, and at $85, it’s not cheap. That said, this is a solid stove and the integrated pot supports are just what the doctor ordered.

MSR's ignition system on the PocketRocket Deluxe is best in class.

If you are looking to save weight but save cash as well however, there are various, very cost-effective (and simple) upright canister stoves available that many backpackers have used with success. However, when it comes to this category and considering what we’re dealing with, I prefer to stick with more of a name brand.

For a non-regulated upright canister stove (best for warmer temps, you may want to toss the canister in your sleeping bag to keep it warm along with needing to use other tricks and being patient with slower performance), options like the Toaks Titanium Backpacking Stove (1.6 ounces, $30) and a personal, nostalgic favorite of mine that has stood the test of time – the Snow Peak GigaPower (4.23 ounces, $40) are both worth a look.

Various integrated all-in-one stove systems are available, however I do not typically like the tall / narrow cookpots that come with these systems and prefer to mix and match my own gear – see our backpacking cookware guide for more.

However, if you’re mostly boiling water, don’t mind the significant upfront weight (although they are fast and efficient), the cookpot included works for your cooking, and you need something as wind-resistant as possible these can be worth a look while knocking a cookpot off your list as well. The MSR WindBurner Personal Stove System (16 ounces, $200) is unique here in that it features a radiant burner with MSR claiming it to be windproof with a capacity good for 2 typical freeze dried meals. There is no igniter on this stove and MSR recommends a lighter or match.

Summary: Best Overall & 3-season Backpacking Stoves

Soto WindMaster 4Flex
Soto WindMaster w/ TriFlex & 4Flex
MSR PocketRocket Deluxe
Toaks Titanium Backpacking Stove
Snow Peak Giga Power 2.0 Auto
MSR WindBurner Personal Stove System

Best Winter Backpacking Stoves

If you were to choose one of the stoves above for most of your 3-season trips, as I have, you’ll need one more stove in the gear stash if you want to go backpacking year round and during the winter seasons. Upright canister stoves are simple, but pressure in the canister decreases as it gets colder. When it’s very cold, and we’ll likely be melting snow for water and running our stove for long durations (cooling the canister even more due to evaporative cooling), another solution is needed no matter how fancy of an upright canister stove you might have.

Traditionally, the solution for this was to use a liquid gas stove like the MSR WhisperLite series (15 ounces, $200). These stoves are still a good choice, however they need to be primed and in my experience, gas will inevitably leak or get spilled. There is something special about them when they’re running, but for my needs I’ll turn to an inverted canister solution here. That said, if you can’t decide between liquid gas and a remote inverted canister stove, the WhisperLite Universal has you covered.

By having the ability to turn the canister upside down with a remote canister setup, you can now enter a liquid feed mode, relying now on the omnipresent effect of gravity rather than the changing pressures within a canister. Additionally since the canister is remote, you can often use a windscreen (check directions, it's often included).

For a remote canister stove and as might be expected, we can turn to MSR here. Their WindPro II remote canister stove – you’ll be around 11 ounces all packed and this stove will cost you about $140 – has served me well with solid performance on those winter trips melting snow for water…below 0F type backpacking trips. For more on this stove, take a look at our WindPro II stove review. This stove is a bit heavy for me for a summer trip, but then again if I could only have one stove this would be it and I reach for it without hesitation when packing for a winter trip. Unfortunately, this stove doesn’t have a built-in ignition system. This can be solved by carrying an add-on piezo igniter.

Summary: Best Winter (Cold Weather) Backpacking Stoves

MSR WhisperLite Universal
MSR WhisperLite International
MSR WindPro II Remote Canister Stove

Conclusion

If you want to backpack across all seasons and want to buy just one stove, go for a winter-capable stove and just carry the weight in the summer. You’ll be carrying around an extra half pound, however, and these stoves do take up more pack space. My preference is to have a dedicated winter stove and an upright canister stove for warmer and even shoulder season trips – regulated stoves are great for this but their additional performance can only do so much when the weather gets bitter cold.

For more on the best fuel to use for all these canister stoves we’ve discussed, check out our article on the best backpacking canister fuel. For more on different types of backpacking stoves, stove theory, and design considerations, see our guide on How to Choose the Best Backpacking Stove.

For a full selection of 3-season and winter-ready backpacking stoves of all types, see this page at REI Co-op.