Companion Butane Stove Review

What’s in the box

A single burner butane stove in a powder-coated steel cabinet, with a removable steel trivet, a 7,500 BTU burner, piezo ignition and a lever that locks the canister in. A twin release safety valve and a safety alignment mechanism look after the 220 g canister. It comes in a hard plastic carry case; the gas isn’t included.

Quick Specs

Build

The cabinet and trivet are powder-coated steel, and after several trips the coating has shrugged off the usual scuffs. The trivet lifts off for cleaning and gives pots and pans a stable base, and at 34 × 28 cm the stove is wide enough for our 25 cm frying pan to sit squarely without hanging over the edge. The case is tough enough to be knocked around in the back of the car.

Using It

Lift the lever, click a canister in, lock it, and the stove is ready. The piezo button lights it first time, with no matches or lighter, and the knob turns smoothly from a hard boil to a gentle simmer. The wide, low shape keeps it steady, so a heavy pot of stew is unlikely to tip it. Like every stove of this type, it’s affected by wind, so a windshield helps on an exposed campsite.

Gas and Safety

At full power the burner uses 152 g of gas an hour, so a 220 g canister lasts about an hour and a half flat out; with normal cooking, turning it up and down, that’s several meals over a weekend. The twin release safety valve lets the canister go if the pressure builds too high, and the alignment mechanism makes sure the canister sits in the right way round. That’s reassuring with a big pot or pan that reflects heat back down onto the canister.

Single or Double Burner?

Companion also makes a Double Butane Stove with two of the same 7,500 BTU burners and a non-stick hotplate. Each burner has its own canister and knob, so you can boil the kettle and fry at the same time, and it comes in a carry case too. It’s nearly twice as wide and heavy, though, and costs about twice as much. For one or two people the single does the job; for a family, the double is worth the space.

Which Single Burner?

We’ve also reviewed two other single burner butane stoves in a carry case: the Dune 4WD Single Burner Butane Stove and the Gasmate Travelmate II with Hotplate. The Dune is very close to the Companion, with a little less heat and a touch less weight for the same price. The Gasmate costs more and is heavier, but it has the most heat of the three and comes with a hotplate.

	This oneCompanion	Dune 4WD→	Gasmate→
Hotplate	No	No	Yes, reversible
Gas use	152 g/h	152 g/h	180 g/h
Output	7,500 BTU	7,100 BTU	8,500 BTU
Weight in case	1.95 kg	2 kg	2.65 kg
Price paid	$40	$40	$60
Our score	9.0	9.1	9.3

Conclusion: Companion Single Butane Stove

The Companion Single Butane Stove is simple, dependable camp cooking: a 7,500 BTU burner, piezo ignition and two canister safety features in a tough steel cabinet with its own case. It lights first time and turns down to a real simmer. It runs on butane only, the flame is affected by wind, and it’s too bulky for a pack, but for $40 it’s a stove we’re happy to rely on.