Can you recommend a basic camping gas stove which takes small bottles?

GervisLooper

I just havent been able to figure this out so far.

Due to the consensus being that it is a bad idea to light liquid fuels inside the van I am thinking probably best to go for gas but I dont get it.

I still have no idea where they usually sell them and apart from those little aerosol can camping stoves I have no idea which stove to buy which would take the bottles.

I am living full time in the van so dont want to have to buy gas every couple of days. At the same time it is a very small van so dont want a really big bottle.

So can anyone recommend a stove itself and where to get the bottles

The only bottle ones I see online are the campingaz ones and not sure if calor is better availability or flogas?

I saw some stoves on calors own website so they must do them.

Just hoping someone can demystify this for me.

Watching vanlife youtube videos most of them in smaller vans are using those tiny aerosols but as I said they dont really appeal and seem awfully wasteful in terms of waste from empty cans produced as I think I read they only cook for just over an hours heating time. That would mean one would last me probably 2 days as brown rice take about 30 mins to cook and eat that most of them time or related slow cooking carbohydrate.

I am not really interested in the underslung lpg stuff either as that requires installation. I might go with electronic induction down the road as the preferred but I want to be cooking inside the van right away so electrics are down on the priority list for when I have more luxury of time to research it properly once other more essential are completed on the van build.

Andy_L

the listed burn time is generally at max burn. If you're only simmering they will last longer

Do you just want one burner or do you want to be able to cook more things at once?

Do you want something portable or something that is set into the worktop? 

Will it get below freezing in the van?

rob7475

I use one of the Capmingaz portable bbq's with the CV300 canisters when we're out and about and they last ages.

DullGreyGuy

Is this just for your domestic use? Unfortunately you keep starting different threads so it's difficult to keep track of the whole story but I thought I saw in one post at least that this was for a catering van rather than camper van?

I cannot recommend a particular device but would suggest either looking at a campervan site or something like Nisbetts as both will have options for running off propane tanks... the later will generally be much larger units as they are aimed at commercial kitchens but sometimes have great value items for domestic settings too. 

daveyjp

Sack the idea of gas.  Fit a leisure battery, solar panels, inverter and induction hob.

GDB2222

daveyjp said:

Sack the idea of gas.  Fit a leisure battery, solar panels, inverter and induction hob.

Is that practical year round? Won't he end up running the van engine just to charge the leisure battery?  

Eldi_Dos

In this country I have never seen a lorry driver use gas for cooking, they almost invariably use a plug in kettle and a microwave wired into the vehicle electrics via a inverter. These guys are out all year round and in all sorts of weathers so they will have found the best system for it.

GDB2222

Eldi_Dos said:

In this country I have never seen a lorry driver use gas for cooking, they almost invariably use a plug in kettle and a microwave wired into the vehicle electrics via a inverter. These guys are out all year round and in all sorts of weathers so they will have found the best system for it.

But, they have the engine running anyway when travelling, so charging the battery isn't a big deal.  

FreeBear

DullGreyGuy said:  I cannot recommend a particular device but would suggest either looking at a campervan site or something like Nisbetts as both will have options for running off propane tanks... the later will generally be much larger units as they are aimed at commercial kitchens but sometimes have great value items for domestic settings too. 

For van camping, a cheap twin burner & grill from somewhere like Go Outdoors will do the job. Get an adaptor & regulator so that you can use it with a 6Kg Calor bottle, and you are set to go. Avoid anything that needs "special" canisters like the Campgaz stuff (just too darned expensive).

Eldi_Dos

GDB2222 said:

Eldi_Dos said:

In this country I have never seen a lorry driver use gas for cooking, they almost invariably use a plug in kettle and a microwave wired into the vehicle electrics via a inverter. These guys are out all year round and in all sorts of weathers so they will have found the best system for it.

But, they have the engine running anyway when travelling, so charging the battery isn't a big deal.  

             I assumed the same for the camper van, a static camper van kind of defeats the purpose.

Andy_L

Eldi_Dos said:

GDB2222 said:

Eldi_Dos said:

In this country I have never seen a lorry driver use gas for cooking, they almost invariably use a plug in kettle and a microwave wired into the vehicle electrics via a inverter. These guys are out all year round and in all sorts of weathers so they will have found the best system for it.

But, they have the engine running anyway when travelling, so charging the battery isn't a big deal.  

             I assumed the same for the camper van, a static camper van kind of defeats the purpose.

AIUI from other threads the OP intends living in the van (semi-) permanently so I suspect likely to be more static than on the move