Just got back from a week in the Ozarks and my newer model Coleman suitcase stove developed a leak somewhere, kept using it until the knob started to flame up. Not cool.

I used to have an older Coleman white gas pump stove and wish I wouldn't have let it go. I'd like to avoid buying those green propane canisters as they just seem like unnecessary waste.

Is there a dual burner car-camping stove that will last me the next 20 years?

Coleman still makes the two burner white gas stove. I cannot attest to the quality of the newer ones. The one we have used for our annual brothers' trip was made in the '70's. It also developed a flame up issue. The one I used for family camping (inherited from my dad) was made in the '60's and lasted well into the '00's. It too flamed out. I am sure they could both be fixed but other options have been taken.

A new Coleman Camp Stove will run around $160. Ebay is all over the place from $30 to $200 for a "vintage" stove. Garage sales, they are often a bargain. The new stoves are very close in parts to the old models and share replacement parts so I would not worry about quality.
I still use my 425b that's around 60 years old.

butthead

Usually worn O rings/ packing is the root of the first leak, and melted O ring is the root of all following leaks (flame ups). Since they are simple stoves usually easy to repair.

cmanimal: "Usually worn O rings/ packing is the root of the first leak, and melted O ring is the root of all following leaks (flame ups). Since they are simple stoves usually easy to repair."

Thanks for the tip!

butthead: "A new Coleman Camp Stove will run around $160. Ebay is all over the place from $30 to $200 for a "vintage" stove. Garage sales, they are often a bargain. The new stoves are very close in parts to the old models and share replacement parts so I would not worry about quality.
I still use my 425b that's around 60 years old.


butthead"

Butthead, always love another episode of This Old Stove.

Love my Voyager stove. Simple to set up, light weight and bulletproof.

In my brevity I failed to mention that Voyager Stove is a supporter of this website... but the real reason I endorse them is because the product is so darn good! It is a Minnesota idea developed by a few guys who trip in the great land of lakes. With time on their hands around an evening campfire they created their "dream dual burner stove". Mine has been on many expeditions in the BWCA, Quetico and even North of the Arctic Circle a couple times. Dependable primus burners and available/inexpensive fuel. Clean up? A simple wipe down after use. Handy table too for everything from prep to washing dishes. I've had suitcase stoves and will never, ever go back to those bulky contraptions again. One more "love" of the Voyager, it is mighty nice to stand while cooking over a stove.

MacCamper: "In my brevity I failed to mention that Voyager Stove is a supporter of this website... but the real reason I endorse them is because the product is so darn good! It is a Minnesota idea developed by a few guys who trip in the great land of lakes. With time on their hands around an evening campfire they created their "dream dual burner stove". Mine has been on many expeditions in the BWCA, Quetico and even North of the Arctic Circle a couple times. Dependable primus burners and available/inexpensive fuel. Clean up? A simple wipe down after use. Handy table too for everything from prep to washing dishes. I've had suitcase stoves and will never, ever go back to those bulky contraptions again. One more "love" of the Voyager, it is mighty nice to stand while cooking over a stove. "

Thanks Mac, I'm not familiar with these. I would like to avoid the canisters but it's not a dealbreaker as I use canisters for one of my other stoves. Seems like there are almost no parts that could fail.

Will give it a closer look.

fadersup: "

MacCamper: "In my brevity I failed to mention that Voyager Stove is a supporter of this website... but the real reason I endorse them is because the product is so darn good! It is a Minnesota idea developed by a few guys who trip in the great land of lakes. With time on their hands around an evening campfire they created their "dream dual burner stove". Mine has been on many expeditions in the BWCA, Quetico and even North of the Arctic Circle a couple times. Dependable primus burners and available/inexpensive fuel. Clean up? A simple wipe down after use. Handy table too for everything from prep to washing dishes. I've had suitcase stoves and will never, ever go back to those bulky contraptions again. One more "love" of the Voyager, it is mighty nice to stand while cooking over a stove. "

Thanks Mac, I'm not familiar with these. I would like to avoid the canisters but it's not a dealbreaker as I use canisters for one of my other stoves. Seems like there are almost no parts that could fail.


Will give it a closer look.

"

Hey Mac, how do these burners do at simmering? The dial is below deck I assume?

I got a Voyaguer stove for Christmas and can’t wait to try it out. Obviously packs down so I can slide it on the side of the food pack. I like the large wind screen as I like to keep thing like pancakes and bacon warm in the back wrapped in foil. Hopefully it runs well at a lower setting. Very simple set up.

The Voyager looks like an folding reflector oven with 2 Primus Trail Classic canister stoves mounted to it, when I looked at one at Canoecopia years ago. The Trail Classic is a well known canister stove and as such has full flame control. The burners and stove are separate and need assembly in camp.

butthead

fadersup: "

fadersup: "

MacCamper: "In my brevity I failed to mention that Voyager Stove is a supporter of this website... but the real reason I endorse them is because the product is so darn good! It is a Minnesota idea developed by a few guys who trip in the great land of lakes. With time on their hands around an evening campfire they created their "dream dual burner stove". Mine has been on many expeditions in the BWCA, Quetico and even North of the Arctic Circle a couple times. Dependable primus burners and available/inexpensive fuel. Clean up? A simple wipe down after use. Handy table too for everything from prep to washing dishes. I've had suitcase stoves and will never, ever go back to those bulky contraptions again. One more "love" of the Voyager, it is mighty nice to stand while cooking over a stove. "

Thanks Mac, I'm not familiar with these. I would like to avoid the canisters but it's not a dealbreaker as I use canisters for one of my other stoves. Seems like there are almost no parts that could fail.



Will give it a closer look.

"

Hey Mac, how do these burners do at simmering? The dial is below deck I assume?

"

Great question about low simmer. First point, the green "pounders" will need an adapter to make them work with the primus burner (look on-line). Second point, I believe propane burns hotter than the iso/propyl (small canisters) and thus the smaller fuel units likely simmer better. That said, I haven't had an issue making kamikaze-cakes with the green tanks. Perhaps, if it is necessary to create a super low simmer, a small fuel unit could be brought along for this special opportunity. Third point, yup the valve is under the stove top... not a deal breaker but not real convenient either. Fourth point, if you are a cold weather camper, you will find the green pounder a much better fuel source as it performs pretty well in cold temperatures. The little iso units do not. Fifth point, it was recommended by a friend to use a heat diffuser plate set on top of the heating element. I do and am pleased with consistent heating across the bottom of my pans.

Another positive for those who have cross-threaded a Coleman fuel line... it would be pretty tricky to cross thread the "pounder", or smaller tanks, to the adapter/burner.

Having not shut of a valve once, I now remove the tanks when I am done cooking.

Negatives of the system: To make the table unit fit in a 60 liter blue barrel for river tripping I needed to remove about 1.5 inches off each leg. The little magnets that hold the wind deflector back/sides eventually came off. However, the designers drilled tiny holes adjacent to where the magnets go "just in case" and I have used "twisties" and small fish hooks to serve the same purpose as the magnets. Hard to believe, and kind of sad, but those twisties can be found in almost any well used BWCA campsite. I think there should be another accessory, a stainless steel 1 " tall ring 1" or collapsable rectangle/square that surrounds the heating unit (a few inches out) and supports larger pots and especially the large square griddle pans.

Mac

cmanimal: "Usually worn O rings/ packing is the root of the first leak, and melted O ring is the root of all following leaks (flame ups). Since they are simple stoves usually easy to repair."

I don't think there are any o-rings in the coleman 2 burner gas stoves, at least not on the older ones. There is a gasket in the fuel cap. A lot of the flame ups come from a bad generator. They are easy to replace, that's usually my first try to fix. They are cheap, and easy to find at old coleman parts.com, or at Fleet Farm. If it's the packing that needs to be changed, that's doable, and I have done it on coleman lanterns. It's a bit more involved, but not too bad.

I've never brought one into the BWCA, however. Just car campers.

Pricey but interesting dual burner: Jetboil Genesis

Standard Coleman 2-burner green suitcase Model 425.
Main player on car camping trips since 1978 and still going strong.

MacCamper: "Love my Voyager stove. Simple to set up, light weight and bulletproof."

One more vote for the Voyageur stove. I recommend getting the fuel save hose which allows you to use a single can of fuel for both burners. That way you reduce the number of partial cans you end up with. You are always working with a single can.

Or this new Optimus, Gemini Double Burner
Brought up by brotherbear in another post. Packs very small uses a single canister.

fader, there is still plenty good to be said for the classic suitcase 2 burner Coleman. Solid and reliable, parts are commonly available, my local True Value still carries parts. No a backpacker but a very good basecamp, vehicle camp stove.

butthead

Camp Chef Everest. It is consistently the top rated two burner stove in the camping magazines. We have taken one for the last 3 years. It can be turned down to just simmer, but can also do 22,000 btu's. Best of all, it handles winds really well.

I remember about 15 years ago VNO used to supply a 2 burner liquid fuel stove in their outfitted kits but whatever that stove was has been discontinued.
I new I should have bought one when I had the chance.
They were awesome.

I think it was made by Primus or Otimus. Butthead will remember and he probably has 2 or 3 in his collection ;)

Wouldn't liquid fuel violate the burn order? I understood it must be propane or butane with an off switch.

Liquid fuel stoves do have valves and on/off switches. You can’t have alcohol burners like Pepsi can stoves or Trianga stoves, but liquid fuel (aka white gas stoves) are all good for a fire ban.

gotwins: "I think it was made by Primus or Otimus. Butthead will remember and he probably has 2 or 3 in his collection ;)"

Never have seen one but if they made a few custom 2 burners it would not be difficult. Coleman style suitcase have been made by several makers. Canister or propane also.

butthead

Well I've searched and can't find out what stove my brain thinks existed, but I feel like it was 2 Primus omnifuel stoves linked together somehow.

Interestingly enough, while searching on google through images, I ran across a photo of Butthead's stove collection sitting on a folding table in his garage :)