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Tom Servo · 02-27-2021, 10:45 AM

Hi all,
We're green as grass when it comes to Airstreams (or full size travel trailers).
We have camped with a tear drop for the past 7 years and always cooked outside (inside wasn't an option).
Now we have a new unit (fc25 rbq) and we're planning on a new camp stove.
We used a Coleman two burner in the past but considering it doesn't come with a stand we've also looked at the Camp Chef two burner.
Initially the weight difference is close to 20lbs.
But the Coleman doesn't come with a stand so you have to add the weight of an adequate stand to the Coleman.

Does anyone use the Camp Chef?
Is it superior to a Coleman?
Does the extra weight just seem like too much?
Thanks (in advance for sharing your expertise),
Mickey and Peggy

**GCinSC2** · 02-27-2021, 10:55 AM

Mickey

I own a Camp Chef and at least 9 Coleman stoves Singles, doubles and a triple. Each has its advantages. Camp chef wins for power and ease of use. Coleman works great matches older school camping gets a raised eye once in a while and has the fun factor.

The stand. These still show up but I just put mine on the picnic table or folding table and on special trips my Coleman camp kitchen table.

Get a classic 220 or the 228 big hat lantern and enjoy older school camp gear.

And no I do not will not try to compare $ to BTU of propane vs Coleman fuel which just about every collector is now using Crown camp fuel at about $9 / gallon. And there’s about 30+ lanterns in my cave. Single mantle, doubles, 500CP kero and 4 Milspecs.

https://www.colemancollectorsforum.com/categories

Gary

GetawA-S · 02-27-2021, 11:09 AM

A Coleman vs. the camp chef that’s about 30” wide? The CC works great and the legs don’t take up much space , but it’s like comparing an F150 to a Mack truck. If you’re only using one burner, a piece of plank or a couple of floor tiles convert the remainder of the CC top to a work area.

Norrin Radd · 02-27-2021, 11:23 AM

When backpack camping we use the little micro stove.
When car/tent camping the white gas coleman stove.
In the Airstream we carry a single burner butane stove for outside frying or just in case.
Have used the Camp Chef double & triples but only for group situations...kind of overkill otherwise.
Can always cook over a campfire in all instances too!
Doc

Hoagie · 02-28-2021, 10:25 AM

We do very little cooking inside. Meal prep is completed inside, but the cooking is mostly done in the open air.
We have what is now called the Pro60 Plus. Each burner is capable of 30,000BTUs of cooking heat and over 400 square inches of cooking area. Coleman stoves are capable of 11,000 to 15,000 BTUs of heat from each burner (propane fuel) and have about 200 square inches of cooking area.

The CC is a good bit heavier than a 2-burner Coleman. We don't always take the CC for that reason. But we have a single burner butane stove and this year we are looking at adding the Blackstone 22" Griddle. We also bring a smoker along on some trips. What we pack depends on where we are going, how many in the group, what and how often we intend to cook, etc.

BTW, Coleman does make a couple of 2-burner stoves with integrated folding legs, the FyreCaptain and the FyreMajor.

Atwebs · 02-28-2021, 10:59 AM

We had a Camp Chef with an oven and used it all the time, but once we got a full sized trailer, with the exception of a few "bacon" days, discovered we were happy to cook inside and just take our food outside to eat. One trailer of ours had an outside stove and after the first few months we never used it at all.

On hot days, you probably won't want to do a full hot meal anyway, on cold days it is nice to cook inside to warm up the trailer a bit and you don't have to haul an extra camp stove around with you. Clean up is inside using your hot water (unlike a trailer where you have to heat water on the stove) so your going to be hauling stuff inside and out one way or the other.

That said, we do have a Weber 2200 Grill with a flat top addition. There are times you do want to cook outside (that bacon!) or grill a nice steak and we are ready to do that. We use refillable propane tanks so we don't have to be tethered to the trailer when we cook, so we decide on a steak at the beach? We are good to go!

BillfromWI · 02-28-2021, 11:08 AM

Camp Chef makes several two burner stoves. I have used two: The Weekender that had large cast iron burners and legs and the Everest that is about the size of Coleman.

I don't think the Weekender is made now and that is just as well. Its 30K btu burners would not stay lit in the wind and they were not very adjustable. The legs needed extensions to be useful.

The Everest, on the other hand, is excellent. It has 20K btu burners that are very controllable and don't blow out. It is large enough for everything I use, including a 14" wok (with the lid laid flat).

I do almost all the cooking outside. I highly recommend the Everest.

Camp Chef makes a hose/regulator to replace the rigid tub/regulator. Third parties make extension hoses and other fittings that allow connection to a propane tank before the Airstream regulator. I use this arrangement.

pmckitrick · 02-28-2021, 12:08 PM

I have had my coleman propane two burner forever. It works fine and they do make a stand for it I have the stand but rarely use it.

Rusty B · 02-28-2021, 02:38 PM

find a good folding table at Goodwill or a camping store -- I have one that weighs about 5 lb at most and fits in the TV quite easily -- stay with the Coleman!

OutdoorIdaho · 02-28-2021, 03:33 PM

I am a big fan of Camp Chef. Their products and customer service have been fantastic for me. For cooking I use the two burner Explorer to which I added a quick disconnect fitting in place of the propane hose/regulator so that I can easily attach a hose that is connected to the trailer's propane system; no lugging around an extra bottle for me. In addition, I have a Camp Chef propane fire pit that has the same quick disconnect installed.

trailerKat · 02-28-2021, 06:31 PM

Coleman 2-burner propane, Weber Q, powered by a 5lb refillable propane tank. We cook a lot in the trailer and love having the real oven. That said, we like both portables in case it's too hot to cook in the AS, in case something goes wrong with the trailer propane system, in case we want a cookout on the beach etc. Redundancy is a good thing sometimes.

SeaLevel · 02-28-2021, 07:03 PM

We found we were only using one burner, so our 2 burner Camp Chef stays at home on our back patio and we now travel with a 1 burner Camp Chef, which we run off the Airstream propane outlet.

SilverWind · 02-28-2021, 08:19 PM

We love our Camp Chef Everest 2X High-Pressure Stove. It is elegant, well designed and easy to clean.

pwakeling · 02-28-2021, 08:43 PM

I had a Coleman 2 burner gasoline stove for 45 years and a 2 burner propane stove for 30 years. I bought an adapter for the propane stove to hook it up to the low pressure port on the trailer.

I also have a CampChef expedition 3 with all the accessories that I’ve used at home for 7 years. The burners on this stove are very high output. It’s the best BBQ I’ve had for reliability and performance.

Based on that, I bought a CampChef Versatop this winter to use with the trailer. It uses the same fuel adapter as the Coleman. The CampChef griddle and BBQ Grill accessories are better than the Coleman options. I also bought the CampChef roll up table to use it on.

banderabob · 03-01-2021, 06:34 AM

We have a two burner Coleman Roadtrip, on collapsible legs with wheels. Works week for us.

jenuinJOY · 03-02-2021, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OutdoorIdaho

I am a big fan of Camp Chef. Their products and customer service have been fantastic for me. For cooking I use the two burner Explorer to which I added a quick disconnect fitting in place of the propane hose/regulator so that I can easily attach a hose that is connected to the trailer's propane system; no lugging around an extra bottle for me. In addition, I have a Camp Chef propane fire pit that has the same quick disconnect installed.

Can you post the quick disconnect fitting info? This sounds great!

Classic Life · 03-14-2021, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Servo

Hi all,
We're green as grass when it comes to Airstreams (or full size travel trailers).
We have camped with a tear drop for the past 7 years and always cooked outside (inside wasn't an option).
Now we have a new unit (fc25 rbq) and we're planning on a new camp stove.
We used a Coleman two burner in the past but considering it doesn't come with a stand we've also looked at the Camp Chef two burner.
Initially the weight difference is close to 20lbs.
But the Coleman doesn't come with a stand so you have to add the weight of an adequate stand to the Coleman.

Does anyone use the Camp Chef?
Is it superior to a Coleman?
Does the extra weight just seem like too much?
Thanks (in advance for sharing your expertise),
Mickey and Peggy

The thing about cooking and grills is that it’s subjective. Some like the convenience of having a smaller grill or burner while others enjoy loading up the BBQ. Some like cooking indoors and some outdoors. It really comes down to what you enjoy and what your willing to tolerate.

We purchased a Camp Chef (CC) 2 burner about 3 months ago. We are full time but work full time near our RV park. We have a brand new Airstream 33’ Classic and I am a bit of a neat freak, so I want the smell of food kept to a minimum inside the trailer. With that said, the CC has been enjoyable but not necessarily convenient. The griddle is heavy and is stored correctly by either placing the griddle in a separate bag that can be purchased or placing it back on top of itself with a cover. If you have watched any videos, you will notice there are two prepping tops that fold out, one on each side (mine are red in color). The tops are supported by built in handles that act as braces when folded out. The griddle is then placed on top of the burners in preparation for cooking. The whole unit can be kept this way, similar to a BBQ, which is always ready to cook on. However, if left in this position, the cover (sold separately) will not fit over the unit. This will cause the griddle to rust if not covered properly.

I have no issues with cooking and all of my meals have been fantastic. In fact, I gave my BBQ away and now cook exclusively on the CC. The carrying bag will hold the burner section of the CC but not the griddle. All in all, it goes back to my original statement...cooking while RVing is a subjective idea, and sometimes, only trial by error is the way to find out what you like.

WP53 · 03-14-2021, 12:41 PM

I have had one of the larger Camp Chef two-burner stoves, a Camp Chef Everest stove, and a couple of Coleman stoves over the years. By far my favorite by far is the Everest, using the small, green propane bottles. It is extremely portable, easy to set up, and puts out far more BTUs than anything else (except for the other Camp Chefs). It is not great at simmering at very low heat, but it definitely shows its value with anything else.

sinfulpride · 03-14-2021, 03:59 PM

We use a 3 burner cc model that came with a griddle. We added a 2 burner cast iron bbq box to it and love it. We usually setup an outdoor kitchen including a sink that connects to our outdoor kitchen. It's a great setup for longer stays. For quick trips we have a cc everest. Best of both worlds imo !

OutdoorIdaho · 03-14-2021, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jenuinJOY

Can you post the quick disconnect fitting info? This sounds great!

DOZYANT 1/4'' RV Propane Quick Disconnect... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082683LGQ?

And a hose to connect to the trailer's low pressure system

DOZYANT 24 feet Low Pressure Hose...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W4YY2LS?

Prices may vary so certainly shop around and pick a hose length that works for you. The key is the 3/8" flare fitting to replace the the regulated hose on the grill and the correct 1/4" quick connect fitting for propane - not the style for air systems.