Coleman Dual-Fuel 2 Burner Stove

Comments about Coleman Dual-Fuel 2 Burner Stove:

It doesn't have the bells and whistles of some other stoves (like an igniter) and is bulkier and heavier too (mostly because of the liquid fuel bottle) but it is durable and built to last. And parts are readily available.

Comments about Coleman Dual-Fuel 2 Burner Stove:

I first starting using this kind of stove in the early 80 with my Father. They can be a bit problematic to get started, but once they get warmed up they are about the best stove for general car camping that I've found. No more wondering if the propane tank is full, and no more wasted propane tanks. As a bonus, try to find another product at REI that is made in the USA. This is a great stove. Completely rebuildable and serviceable.

Comments about Coleman Dual-Fuel 2 Burner Stove:

I like the simplicity of this stove. It is more work and fuss to light than the propane stoves. So, if you car camp with your family twice a year, I would go with propane. But for regular use, I think this is the way to go.
PROS
1. Those green propane canisters are a landfill disaster. There is little to no recycling; if you don't believe me, read Coleman's own website.
2. Propane costs about three times more right off the bat. You can get a gallon (128 oz) of white gas for $10 or a canister (16 oz) of propane for $3.25. But the white gas is about 25% more efficient in BTUs, making the savings even greater.
3. Many backpacking stoves use white gas, so you're only buying one fuel for both.
4. You can use gasoline in a pinch.
5. Propane is harder to use when the temps drop, or the altitude increases. (Easier to light perhaps, but harder to keep a steady flame).

CONS
1. There is often some spillage when filling the tank.
2. It's really not that hard to light, but it does take some practice to get the flame right.
3. It's relatively heavy, definitely not for hiking.

Comments about Coleman Dual-Fuel 2 Burner Stove:

I have nothing good to say about this stove.

Some of the problems we encountered:

The tank is difficult to fill. It comes with a tiny funnel, so tiny that it overflows all the time when we tried to fill the tank. While standing around to wait for the fuel to trickle into the tank, we were surrounded by the gasoline vapors evaporating, and that's not a smell I want around my food.

The stove is difficult to light. A couple of dials, a toggle, a pump, several steps before you can try to light the pilot, and everything has to be JUST right for the flame to come on. And stay on. And during the operation it still smelled like gas.

The flame is difficult to control. Hard to get it blue. Granted, this was the first time we were using it so maybe with practice we could've performed better.

The stove caught on fire. This was a little scary. The fire wasn't coming from the burner but around the piping, as if there was a leak. We turned all the knobs and dials to the off position and it still kept burning.

We did a lot of cooking by the camp fire as a result.

I would not recommend this stove.

Comments about Coleman Dual-Fuel 2 Burner Stove:

I really like this stove but it is not for everyone. Here's why it may not be for you:

Set up- It takes a few tries and reading the instructions to light if you are not familiar with non-propane stoves so if you are like me and expect everything you buy to be completely intuitive like an iPhone then I'd look elsewhere. (Once you get the sequence right it's really pretty simple every time after that though!)

Flame- While we're talking about how it's not propane be warned if you expect hurricane like jet afterburners like a Jet Boil then you will be disappointed with the slow and steady flame produced by liquid fuel propelled only by the pressure gained when you pumped up the reservoir

Controls- You definitely get a good range of heat adjustment but be this by no means implies it is precise adjustments. You have to fiddle with the knobs (especially on burner number 2) and hope for the best

Now if you can get past all this you will end up with a nice reliable stove that can run on gas out of your car in an emergency (part of the reason I bought it) that does a good job around the car camping site making cowboy coffee and cooking up some hash browns to go with the bacon and eggs you are cooking in an iron skillet over the campfire!

Comments about Coleman Dual-Fuel 2 Burner Stove:

If you had only one stove to get, this is the one. Versatile, durable and won't let you down. Some reviews point out it is bulky, however this is not the stove that you will be strapping to your pack for a backpacking adventure. For its intended purpose I've always thought as this stove's weight and size as a good thing as it makes this stove serviceable, extremely stable and durable. I've used this stove on campouts, group gatherings, picnics, on the back porch on a hot day when I didn't want to heat the house up and in emergencies where services were knocked out from my house for a week. Really the stove has only been limited then my imagination, even then it has never let me down.

I very much prefer the dual-fuel to the propane model. It is easy to know how much fuel you have, also I have always been able to get mine lit (I've had one for over 30 years now). Sometimes they can be finicky, however they always light. The propane stoves can have issues lighting in cold weather or by grabbing an empty green canister by mistake. Secondly the dual-fuel stoves are great as an option because they do burn white gas and unleaded in a pinch. Propane deck grills are ubiquitous and easy to find on a neighbors porch if you need, however the liquid dual-fuel stoves gives you one more option if in an emergency.

I backpack a lot and have an embarrassingly large stove collection ranging from the very small to large, but if I were to sell all and keep only one, the Coleman Dual-Fuel would be it.

Comments about Coleman Dual-Fuel 2 Burner Stove:

My old stove finally gave up the ghost and I naturally bought the same unit. My original was purchased in 1970. Rust, long use, handle falling off made me toss the old one and replace with new model. Expect to get similar service from the new one. Not for back packers, heavy, rugged and will last for years under regular use if cared for.

Comments about Coleman Dual-Fuel 2 Burner Stove:

I grew up with one of these and when I grew old enough to want a change from single burner back packer stoves I didn't even consider any other. We do primarily car camping. But... after several seasons of use, my stove began to leak where the fuel feed tube inserts into the generator, then became hard to light and finally last year it blew up! Probably user error, but it happened - on a cold morning in the rockies just when we needed hot drinks and breakfast. Thank goodness that I keep the old Coleman single burner backpacker in the camp box.

Nonetheless, it is reliable (at least it lit, even if it did blow up !) I'll buy another one of these - and keep my fire extinguisher handy.

Comments about Coleman Dual-Fuel 2 Burner Stove:

This is an ideal stove for car camping, especially when there are many hungry stomachs. Many meals, from steak and eggs to stews to blueberry cornbread, have been prepared on this stove

The painted surfaces are easy to clean, and the wide base makes this stove very stable.

Sure it isn't lightweight or pack friendly, but who is taking this into the BWCAW or trekking in the Rockies? Answer: no one. Anyone giving negative marks regarding the weight or bulk of this unit should read the specs before buying.

Burner control is good, the stove is easy to clean, and Coleman camp stove reliability is legendary. There are literally 2 o-rings, a fuel cup and fuel filter to service and that is all.

Overall, an outstanding stove for anyone whose primary camping experience involves driving to their campsite.

Comments about Coleman Dual-Fuel 2 Burner Stove:

I haven't had this stove long, but I just cooked dinner on it, and did a review on youtube.

I cooked a large pot of Chicken, Egg Drop soup, and it performed great, with plenty of power from the main burner(I didn't use the auxiliary burner, but I am sure it is fine). I boiled 8 cups of chicken broth, 2 cups of water, and cooked 2 pounds of chicken, and vegetables, in about 30 minutes. Start to finish. The stove, lights, and works very well. The Auxiliary burner is easy to light, and extinguish.

I used Coleman fuel that was AT LEAST 10 years old, and maybe 20 years old, and left first, in a porch exposed to cold, and heat, and sunlight. It burned just fine.

I have found Coleman fuel to be Extremely stable.

Propane is more stable, and burns cleaner, but I just can not justify using those little 1 pound bottles, and then chucking them in the trash when they are empty. It just seems really stupid to me to use those.

I will stick with liquid fuel if I can. It generates much less waste. 1 can of Coleman Fuel equals something like 5 of those little green 1 pound bottles that you throw away when you are done with them. you can get Coleman fuel anywhere. Plus, this can run on gasoline if you wish.

Anyway, back to the stove. It is great. It lights easily, has plenty of power, has great fine adjustment on the heat, and burns very steadily after the first five minutes, and the generator heats up.

The cooking platform is very stable, so you don't need to worry about things tipping over.

This will be a fine stove for my car camping( I already have an MSR Dragonfly for backpacking).

One big plus was that it was manufactured in the USA. That means a lot to me.

Be aware though, the first couple times you use it, you will likely burn some paint off, so you will smell burning paint fumes a little, if you have the burner turned up high.

Also, the stove body gets hot, so keep stuff that may unintentionally melt away from the stove body.

I will attach my video review where I cook dinner with it.

Good luck!

Mark :)