A portable stove cooks food and boils water for drinking when the power or gas is out, whether you are sheltering at home or on the move. It turns stored food into hot meals through a power outage, a two week bug in, or the road out with a bug out bag.
A good portable stove cooks hot meals and boils water when the kitchen goes dark. Match it to where you will use it, at home or on the move.
- Fuel type: Pick a stove that burns a fuel you can store safely and find easily, such as propane, butane or liquid fuel.
- Fuel supply: Lay in enough fuel to boil water and cook two meals a day for every person for two weeks.
- Weight and size: Choose a compact backpacking stove for a bug out bag and a sturdier two-burner model for sheltering at home.
- Durability: Look for a metal build, a stable base and a pot support wide enough for your largest pot.
- Ignition: Pack a lighter or waterproof matches even if the stove has a push-button igniter.
- Carbon monoxide: Run the stove outdoors or by an open window, and keep a battery carbon monoxide alarm nearby.
