Best camping stoves for power cuts and emergencies in the UK

Explore the power cuts hub

A stove can heat water and a simple meal during a power cut. First make sure you have a suitable place to cook outdoors. For your wider power-cut food plan, start with the appliances and food you already have.

For most homes, a single-burner butane lunchbox stove such as the Campingaz Camp'Bistro 3 is a simple option. Families may prefer a two-burner stove. Every camping stove is for outdoor use only, never indoors, even with a window open. If you don't have safe outdoor space, plan meals that need no cooking.

Outdoors only: read this first

• The NHS says not to use a barbecue or camping stove indoors or inside a tent. It advises a carbon monoxide alarm in each room with an appliance that burns gas, oil, coal or wood.
• The London Fire Brigade says outdoor cooking equipment must not be used indoors.
• CPPrepared says to change camping gas cartridges outdoors, away from any flame.

An open window, extractor fan or open door doesn't make indoor use safe. Read why a camping stove never comes indoors. A narrow balcony or shared escape route may not be suitable either.

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Seven camping stoves compared

We compared the makers' own product pages and published figures. We have not tested these stoves. Figures are makers' claims, and real boil times change with wind, cold and pan size. These picks cover different fuel types so you can choose by fuel as well as by model.

Figures are from maker pages, checked 4 November 2026. They are makers' claims, not our test results. Jetboil is a boil-water system with its own pot, not a stove for ordinary pans. PocketRocket 2 takes threaded canisters, not Campingaz CP250 or CV cartridges. Trangia also sells this set with a gas burner.

Campingaz Camp'Bistro 3: best for most households

This single-burner lunchbox stove takes ordinary pans up to 26 cm and has piezo ignition. Campingaz describes a cartridge safety lock that cuts gas and ejects the cartridge if the compartment overheats. Its limit is one burner, so you can only heat one pan at a time. It takes a CP250 cartridge. See Camp'Bistro 3 stove options; check the listing says Camp'Bistro 3 because results can include the griddle version. See CP250 cartridge options.

Campingaz Camping Cook CV: best for cooking a family meal

The two burners let you heat two pans outdoors, and the hose and regulator are attached. It takes CV300 Plus or CV470 Plus cartridges. Campingaz gives a 1 hour 40 minute run time with a CV470 Plus. Ignition is manual, so keep matches or a lighter with it. Use pans up to 22 cm and don't let an oversized pan cover more than one gas ring. See Camping Cook CV options and CV470 Plus cartridge options.

Jetboil Flash 1.0L: best for fast hot drinks

Jetboil says the Flash boils half a litre in 120 seconds on average over a canister's life. It has its own 1 litre pot and suits drinks, instant porridge and pouch meals. It is built to boil water rather than fry food, and won't take an ordinary pan. It uses JetPower propane/isobutane canisters. See Jetboil Flash options.

MSR PocketRocket 2: best for a small gas backup

The burner weighs 73 g and screws onto a threaded, self-sealing canister. MSR gives a one-litre boil time of 3.5 minutes and about 60 minutes of burn time per 227 g canister. Bring your own pan and lighter because it has no piezo igniter. A tall pan on a canister is less stable than a lunchbox stove, so use a flat, steady surface. See MSR PocketRocket 2 options.

Trangia 27-1 UL: best without pressurised gas

This set includes two pans, a frypan and a windshield. The spirit burner is quiet and uses alcohol-based fuel. Trangia gives 1,150 W and about 10 minutes to boil a litre. It is slower than the gas boil-water systems, and liquid fuel needs careful handling. A daylight flame can be hard to see. Use alcohol-based fuel only, never petrol. See Trangia 27 set options; check the listing says 27-1 UL if you want that exact set.

Esbit Pocket Stove: best for a grab bag

The large stove folds flat and tablets fit inside it. Esbit gives about five minutes to boil half a litre with its 4 g tablet. It is for one small pot at a time, not family cooking. The maker says to use it outdoors only and keep solid fuel dry. Esbit says dry solid fuel has no specific expiry date. See the maker's Esbit Pocket Stove page for the product; we haven't found a matching Amazon UK listing.

Kelly Kettle Base Camp: best without stored fuel, garden only

This kettle boils water with natural fuel such as twigs. The maker says it boils within a matter of minutes. It is a chimney kettle, not a pan stove, and it makes smoke. Use it only in a clear outdoor garden space, never on a balcony or shared escape route. Smoke may bother neighbours, and local rules on fires may apply. See the maker's Kelly Kettle Base Camp page; we haven't found a matching Amazon UK listing.

Fuel: what to store and how

Match the fuel to the stove. Camp'Bistro takes CP250; Camping Cook CV takes CV300 Plus or CV470 Plus. Jetboil Flash and PocketRocket use threaded isobutane-mix canisters. Trangia's spirit burner takes alcohol-based fuel. Esbit uses its solid fuel tablets.

Government fire safety advice says not to store gas cylinders under stairs, and to store them outside away from direct sunlight and frost. Turn the tap off before changing a cylinder. Check for leaks with soapy water, never a flame. Change cartridges outdoors and away from flames. Keep Esbit tablets in their packaging, away from heat and moisture. Its maker says dry tablets have no specific expiry date.

Maker runtimes can help you estimate your own use. Campingaz lists 1 hour 15 minutes for a CP250 on Camp'Bistro 3 and 1 hour 40 minutes for a CV470 Plus on Camping Cook CV. MSR gives about 60 minutes per 227 g canister. Jetboil says 10 litres of water per 100 g canister. These are not days-per-cartridge figures.

Using a stove outside safely

Read the manual first. Use a stable, level, non-flammable surface, well clear of buildings, sheds, fences, branches and other things that can burn. Keep children and pets back, and never leave a lit stove unattended. Don't build a shelter or windscreen around it unless the maker permits that. Turn gas off before changing a cartridge and let the stove cool before packing it away.

The NHS recommends a carbon monoxide alarm in rooms with fuel-burning appliances. It protects against appliances in the home. It doesn't make a camping stove safe indoors.

No outdoor space?

Shared balconies and escape routes may not be suitable cooking places. Plan no-cook meals, keep a flask and fill it before a forecast cut. Read meals that need no cooking and the broader power-cut food plan. Check local support if you need help during an outage.

What to heat

Choose simple tins that can be heated in one pan and follow their label. Read which tins give the most energy, and keep a manual tin opener.

Common questions

Related guides

Sources and checking

• NHS: carbon monoxide and camping stove advice
• London Fire Brigade: cooking safety
• Fire safety outdoors: gas cylinder storage and handling
• CPPrepared: staying safe during a power cut
• HSE: carbon monoxide
• Campingaz: Camp'Bistro 3 specifications
• Campingaz: Camping Cook CV specifications
• Jetboil: Flash 1.0L
• MSR: PocketRocket 2
• Trangia: 27-1 UL
• Trangia: spirit burner B25
• Esbit: Pocket Stove
• Esbit: solid fuel
• Kelly Kettle: Base Camp

Sources checked 4 November 2026. Product figures are manufacturers' claims, not our test results.