Is a Campfire Enough, or Do You Really Need a Camp Stove?

[Shawn]

Do you prefer cooking over a traditional campfire, or do you always bring a camp stove? Why?

Are camp stoves taking away the authentic camping experience, or are they a necessity?

Which is more practical: a campfire for the ambiance or a stove for convenience and safety?

Have fire bans or bad weather ever forced you to rely on a camp stove?

What’s your go-to camp cooking method and why?

 

[corvus]

It's very situational for us.
I love a campfire, but it's not always practical.

When we are doing roadtrips and staying in our van, we will often just cook on our butane stove for the convenience. And so we don't have to deal with the campfire smell until we get to a shower.

If we're setup for a few days at a camp, we will most always have an evening fire.


We have a smallish cast iron dutch oven, and the lid doubles a skillet. It works great on the stove or over the fire.

 

[Shawn]

It's very situational for us.
I love a campfire, but it's not always practical.

When we are doing roadtrips and staying in our van, we will often just cook on our butane stove for the convenience. And so we don't have to deal with the campfire smell until we get to a shower.

If we're setup for a few days at a camp, we will most always have an evening fire.


We have a smallish cast iron dutch oven, and the lid doubles a skillet. It works great on the stove or over the fire.

More so than anything, we always cook on our pocket rocket stove or the camp stove in a more traditional camping setting.

But in all honesty, I do miss fires and cooking on them. A fire roasted brat tastes better, something about it!