Camp Chef Weekender 2-Burner Stove 2012

Thank you Camp Chef Weekender!

My Coleman propane and white gas stoves and low BTU camper stove took ages to boil water at high altitude if at all and frankly just didn't have enough room to do much "serious" cooking. For me, good food makes a good camping trip.

Frustrated, I took a leap and bought a bigger "Yukon" sized 2 burner Camp Chef...Mistake. Great stove, it was just too big and too heavy for my purposes. Sadly, I returned it, but before I did I browsed through the Camp Chef catalog and lo and behold there it was...."The Weekender"...a suitcase style stove with cast iron burners with 30,000 BTU each and it looked to be built to take some abuse. I HAD TO HAVE IT! ...and thusly, the Weekender found it's way into my life and my camping meals have improved tremendously.

This stove goes with me every time we go camping...car camping with the Cub Scouts and with our pop-up camper, I even banished the stock camper stove to the attic and take the Weekender instead (you can buy and adapter hose to connect directly to your camper...Sweet!).

The Weekender puts off enough heat I was able to boil water in a 50 gallon galvanized stock tank. (Elk taxidermy project...don't ask)

If you are looking to buy, here's a couple of things to keep in mind...

1. Construction is steel and cast iron this is not a light weight stove

2. Cast iron griddle you probably need one...if you get one, buy a flame diffuser plate to go between the burner and the griddle to more evenly disburse the heat across the griddle. You will be happy you did.

3. Size. This stove is probably 3x larger(wider for sure and definitely taller) than a 2 burner Coleman camp stove. This stove doesn't run on the 1 lb green propane tanks. You will need to have a 5, 10 or 20 lb propane tank to use this. Not a problem but something to note.

4. Stove does not come with an igniter to light the burners but they can be added if you like.

The only to possible "cons" I have for this stove are minimal. 1. knobs are somewhat exposed and seem like they could be broken off if transit but I haven't had that happen. 2. Latches that hold the lid down and wind screens in place are sturdy but could latch a bit tighter. Minor nits.

Buy this stove with confidence and bring your outdoor kitchen up a level...or two!

Very good light and powerful unit... Maybe to hot a burner but it sure does it's job... We canned Salmon in the field in Alaska..

Buy Camp Chef Weekender 2-Burner Stove 2012 Now

This is a great compact stove for tailgating or if you "camp" from a prairie whale or a popup. Excellent for community events like World Tai Chi day or the club or fire department picknick.

Unlike the burners on the Camp Chef Camping Outdoor Oven with 2 Burner Camping Stove (see my review) this will boil 2 quarts of water even in adverse conditions and do it quickly. It stays lit much better than the burners on the oven particularly when on high.

The Good:

Well made given the weight constraints.

The way the wind shield wings attach is much sturdier than most.

Puts out a lot of heat, even when turned down.

The legs attach with captive machine screws easily.

Folds up securely into a compact bundle with a suitcase handle.

Low legs make it easy to use on a picnic table or tailgate.

Captive wrench on the hose for the burner attachment.

If you take the regulator and hose off it and the legs stow inside the case.

The bad:

Puts out a lot of heat, even when turned down, finer control would be good.

Uses up propane quickly--well DUH!

Low legs mean uncomfortable bending unless it is set on something.

The ugly:

Puts out a lot of heat so sitting it directly on most things or close (

Read Best Reviews of Camp Chef Weekender 2-Burner Stove 2012 Here