Lightweight Canister Camp Stoves

The lightest production camp stove is Monatauk Outdoors' Gnat stove at merely 1.6 ounces. This canister stove could be a hit among lightweight backpackers looking to reduce their pack weight wherever possible.

For its weight, the Gnat stove produces and impressive heat output of 11,000 btu/hr, enough to boil a litre of water in under four minutes. Comes with a hard plastic case and folds down to 2.25" x 2.25" x 2.5".

The Coleman Exponent F1 Ultralight stove weighs in at just 2.7 ounces but when it comes to heat output it outperforms most other 3-ounce stoves with an impressive 16,400 BTU/hr. It is powerful enough to be able to boil water in windy conditions without a windscreen. Boiling time is three minutes and fourteen seconds for a quart of water under a full flame in optimal conditions.

The Exponent F1 Ultralight folds down to 1.5" thick and with a height of just 3.1", it's very easy to pack. It doesn't have a piezoelectric ignition but it's not a problem if you have a match or lighter. Using this stove is very easy and straightforward.

The stove can take pretty rough handling without getting damaged. However, the valve may become a bit stiff if you use it long enough. Overall, it's one of the best lightweight camp stove around.

As the name suggests, this stove is both compact and powerful. It's also very light, weighing just 3.1 ounces. It folds down to 4.5" long and 2.2" thick and packs into a small triangular case but it's not as light and compact as both the Gnat stove and the Exponent F1 Ultralight stove.

Performance-wise it can't outdo the Exponent F1 but easily beats the Gnat stove. It's not the best for frying or baking because it has a small flame pattern but it melts snow and boils water quickly and easily as the heat is more focused. At full blast, a quart of water boils in three minutes twenty six seconds under optimal conditions.

The main body is made of steel and thick aluminum which makes it tough to break but the supports bend easily if you're not careful. Like most lightweight stoves it doesn't come with a piezoelectric ignition.

The Snow Peak GigaPower stove has four pot support rather than the usual three like all the other stoves here. The supports lock into place when you put weight on it. It's very stable and pots don't slide off easily. The support is one of its best features.

As for cooking performance, the wide flame pattern gives you even heating for frying or baking but it struggles in the wind. A windscreen might improve its performance a little bit.

Flame control is not one of its strength either. It takes several adjustments to get a steady flame at the desired level. Turn the control knob the whole way and you can boil a quart of water in four minutes and nineteen seconds under optimal conditions, quite slow compared to the other stoves here but understandable because of the wide flame pattern.

The titanium version weighs only 2.5 ounces (without piezoelectric ignition) but its performance is unfortunately quite disappointing.

My favorite stove here is Coleman's Exponent F1 Ultralight stove. It's lightweight as well as powerful, tough and reliable. Even though boiling time is not as fast as a heat exchanger stove like the Jetboil but it's so much lighter. At a recommended price tag of $39.99, it's a very good value stove.