Coleman Classic 1-Burner Stove Review

Bottom Line

This Coleman Classic 1-Burner camping stove is easy for beginners to navigate and inexpensive. It packs into a convenient carrying case, is one of the lightest of all our favorite camp stoves, and has an Instastart ignition. However, this stove solely runs on butane gas, providing limitations for cold weather and high-altitude use. We also found that the low setting extinguished when we tried to simmer a pot of rice. 

When we tested the Coleman Classic 1-Burner, we found it to be reliable, easy to set up, and perfect for getting food cooked fast when we were stressed about time. We appreciated the wind baffle, which is a low-profile barrier around the burner. It wasn’t as powerful at keeping out the wind as the taller windscreens we used on other stoves, but it helped on a breezy evening. Packing it up was probably the best part of this stove. Its carrying case allows it to stash easily in our packed cars. 

We wish that the low setting was more reliable, and compatibility with other fuels would make it more versatile. Overall, this stove is a great option that takes minimal thought and effort. 

How We Tested

We put this stove through multiple tests to determine its ability to hold a constant flame, cook evenly, and pack into our car. To complete these tests, we set the stove to low to simmer a pot of rice, then cooked burgers and their buns, and figured out how to pack the stove into an already packed car. Finally, we tested its power by timing how long it took one liter of water to boil. Before and after this test, we weighed its fuel canister to test the fuel efficiency of the stove.

Power

To boil one liter of water, the Coleman Classic 1-Burner took 16 minutes and 8 seconds. This was on the higher end of time compared to all nine of our favorite camp stoves. 

We were surprised that this stove took so long to boil water compared to the competition. In fact, ignoring the stoves that we couldn’t get a reliable boil on, Coleman stoves were the slowest boilers compared to the rest of our top stoves. This didn’t affect the stoves’ ability to simmer well (see Cooking Ability section below), but it is a good note if you are looking for something with a lot of power. 

Efficiency

This stove used 0.8 oz of butane fuel to boil one liter of water for 16:08 minutes, which is somewhere in the mid-range of fuel use among our nine favorite camp stoves.

This fuel-use rate is on par with the other Coleman stoves; the two burners we used also used 0.8 and 0.9 oz. Even though it is also a butane stove, the Classic 1-Burner couldn’t come close to the efficiency of the Snow Peak Home & Camp stove (which only took 0.4 oz of fuel to boil one liter of water). 

This stove uses less fuel than the Blackstone Original Griddle and Camp Chef EX60LW Explorer (2.2 oz and 3.2 oz, respectively). However, both of these stoves are large and powerful, meant to make massive amounts of food for big crowds. 

Cooking Ability

We found that while this stove cooked pretty well, it had issues staying lit at lower temperatures. It has sleek features like precise temperature controls and a discrete wind baffle built around the burner, but these don’t help the lack of flame power at low settings.

In the field, we set the stove to low so that we could simmer a pot of rice. We noticed the lack of flame within a couple of minutes, so we saved our meal but had to relight the stove. 

It was a cooler evening (about 37 degrees), but we can’t blame the butane for this poor performance. The stove had no issues when set to medium or high heat. At the end of it all, the rice came out decent but not fluffy and perfectly cooked like some of our other favorite single-burner stoves (like the Snow Peak Home & Camp butane stove). The temperature control does allow for a great range, the lowest setting looks perfect for simmering a pot of rice, but unfortunately doesn’t perform. 

As we said, at higher temperatures we found this stove to be very reliable with a good, even cook. We threw burgers on, making sure to have each patty touch the edge of the pan. After getting a good sear (and seeing the nice color throughout), we put cheese on each patty to see if one side would melt before the other. Nope! Even melt. Next, we threw on the buns in a similar position. We found that each part of the burger was cooked evenly and well. 

Being a single burner does limit how complicated your camp meals can be, but for single-pot meals, this is a good option –– as long as you monitor the stove when on low settings.

Portability

The Coleman Classic 1 rates very highly for portability. It comes with a convenient carrying case, is very light, and fits easily in the tightest packed cars. 

This stove weighs 5.2 pounds. Though very light, we were surprised that it is a couple of pounds heavier than other single burner options. Its dimensions are 15-inch length x 10-inch width x 6.5-inch height – a little bigger than a shoebox.

The carrying case is simple. It opens flat like a suitcase and the stove is easy to throw into it. There are sliding locks next to the handle to ensure that the case won’t open even while transporting on the bumpiest of dirt roads.

Ease of Use

The Coleman is a reliable and easy-to-use stove. It is simple enough that a beginner should be able to pick it up and figure it out. It involves no assembly (beyond fitting the butane canister into it). We love that it features an Instastart ignition built into the temperature control. It is easy to clean and feels stable when set up for cooking. 

When we tested this stove at our campsite, we were excited at how contained this stove is. The butane attaches directly into the stove, saving space on our camp table. When we set this up, we were hungry and wanted to get dinner cooking immediately.

We loved that even in our rush, this stove felt easy to use. The ignition works by turning the temperature control all the way up – the stove ignited on the first click. After we cooked cheeseburgers and rice on the stove, it was easy enough to wipe off before packing back up.

Should You Buy the Coleman Classic 1-Burner Butane Camping Stove?

The Coleman Classic 1-Burner is a great option for those seeking simplicity. It is a quick-cooking option for those who might have a busy day at camp planned and need a stove that just unpacks and starts up without fuss. It’s also a great emergency stove to keep in your car as it packs down well and weighs almost nothing. 

This stove would not be a great option for those who want more cooking space, greater power, or more reliability in challenging weather. This stove only runs on butane which won’t work in freezing temperatures and though it has a wind baffle, it doesn’t fully protect from the wind.

What Other Camp Stoves Should You Consider?

The Coleman Classic 1-Burner is just one of our favorite camp stoves. Check out the three below, then check out our full camp stove gear guide to evaluate all nine stoves side-by-side. 

Gas ONE GS-3400P Review: This is another single-burner stove that packs well, is light, and transports easily. The thing this stove has that the Coleman doesn’t is the ability to run on butane or propane. 

Coleman Cascade 3-in-1 Camp Stove Review: This beefed-up Coleman stove provides more power than its single-burner sibling (about 12,000 BTUs vs 7,650 BTUs). It also has an adjustable windshield and a flat top and grill top attachments. 

Snow Peak Home & Camp Stove Review: This single burner stove also runs on butane, but has a higher power (8,333 BTUs vs 7,650 BTUs) and packs down even smaller than the Coleman. It even features a bottle opener.