Coleman 424 Dual-Fuel 2 Burner Stove

The Coleman Dual Fuel is the first camping stove I purchased and it lasted nearly twenty years of canoe camping, and I could be using that same stove today if I’d take the time to order a replacement fuel tank.

If you’re looking for a rugged camping stove capable of cooking meals for large groups for the next twenty years then this is your stove. Unlike propane camping stoves, these Coleman Dual Fuel camping stoves pack away efficiently and can endure years of abuse. I know this because my first stove has been dropped, smashed, bent, straightened, stepped on, dumped to the bottom of a river and endured cold wet weather for days at a time. And when I’m packing heavy I pack my Coleman Dual Fuel at the bottom of the canoe and pack my dry gear on top of it to keep the dry gear out of the water accumulated at the bottom of the canoe. So not only does this stove manage to support a load it is also often setting in water for days at a time and functions perfectly every time. In twenty years this stove hasn’t failed me.

 And although these liquid gas fuel stoves are a little more time consuming to ignite than the instant ignition propane stoves, you will get the hang of it after two or three uses. These stoves also pack away more efficiently because there is no bulky propane tank to deal with. And beyond that the propane stoves are so flimsy and cheap compared to the rugged design of this Coleman Dual Fuel stoves that you get the sense this thing will last you a lifetime, and it will if you replace a few parts every ten or fifteen years. And when camping you don’t always have the perfect surface for cooking, so the rugged heavy design of this stove provides a more stable platform for cooking than those lighter flimsy propane stoves.

Another feature of this stove is that it burns on white fuel or unleaded gas, although messing with gasoline isn’t so appealing; I tried it once and decided to stick to white fuel. The only real downfall to this stove is it doesn’t ignite as quickly as the propane camping stoves and the flame doesn’t always burn even across the main and second burners.

Other features:

Specifications:
Suggested use  – Family camping
Weight  – 9 lbs. 13 oz. 
Dimensions – 18 x 11.5 x 4.8 inches
Fuel  – White/unleaded gas 
Heat output  – 21,000 BTUs
Ease of operation  – Good 
Cold weather use – Excellent 
Pot stability – Excellent 
Distance between burners  – 9.5 inches

You can order this stove directly from the REI website.

This is a 4 out of 5 rating. The only thing that could improve this stove would be improved flame between the main burner and second burner.