Wind is the enemy of a camp stove. Even a stove with a built-in shield, like our Dune 4WD single burner, loses a lot of its heat in a strong breeze. That’s why we always keep a portable windshield with us. This one is a plain, unbranded folding windscreen made of ten aluminium plates, and it cost us $15.
What’s in the box
Ten thin aluminium plates with a matt finish, linked by wire hinges so they fold like a fan, and a drawstring bag to keep them in. The two end plates have wire pegs to push into the ground, and there are vents along the bottom to let air in for the flame. Unfolded, it makes a screen about 82 cm long and 24 cm high, and the plates can be taken off to make it shorter.
What we like
- Keeps the wind off the burner
- 10 plates fold to fit any stove
- Pegs hold it in the ground
- Folds flat into a small bag
- Light: 200 g in its bag
- Cheap at $15
What we don’t
- Pegs don’t help on a table
- Unbranded, basic aluminium build
Quick Specs
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Material | Aluminium |
| Weight | 200 g |
| Size | 82 × 24 cm |
| Packed size | 26 × 10 × 2 cm |
| Included | Drawstring bag |
| Features | 10 removable platesGround pegsBottom vents |
Setting it up
Pull the plates out of the bag, unfold them and bend the screen around the stove at whatever angle you need: the wire hinges let each plate sit at its own angle, so it fits around a small single burner as easily as a bigger stove. On soft ground, push the end pegs in to hold it steady.
On a camp table the pegs can’t go in, so the screen stands on its own folds, bent around the back and sides of the stove.
Using it with a butane stove
With a butane stove, don’t close the windshield all the way around. Leave the side with the gas canister open, so the canister can’t heat up behind the screen, and put the plates around the back and sides of the burner instead. That keeps the wind off the flame where it matters.
How we use it
It came with us on our big December trip, a three-week lap from Sydney, and we were stoked to have it, especially in the windy, exposed spots, where it helps to keep the flame going. It always comes with us now, and it goes up when the wind picks up. Behind it, the Dune cooks a stir-fry in the evening wind in our Sea to Summit Detour Pan, and it works the same way around our Gasmate Travelmate II when we cook at night.
Size, weight and packing
Folded, the plates stack into a flat block about 26 × 10 × 2 cm, and with the bag it weighs 200 g on our scale. It slides into the back of the car next to the rest of the camp kitchen and takes up almost no room.
Conclusion: Folding Camping Stove Windshield (10 Plates)Conclusion
This folding camping stove windshield is ten thin aluminium plates on wire hinges that bend around a butane stove and peg into the ground, so the wind stays off the flame. Even with a built-in shield, a small stove loses heat in a strong breeze, so we always take it. It weighs 200 g in its bag and folds flat. It’s basic and unbranded, the pegs don’t help on a table, and you should leave the canister side of a butane stove open. At $15 it’s a cheap, easy upgrade for car campers and 4WD tourers who cook on a small stove.
Ten folding aluminium plates that wrap around a small stove and keep the wind off the flame.
Basic, but light, flat-packing and only $15.
- Car campers
- 4WD tourers
- Hikers
Yes. At $15 it’s one of the cheapest upgrades for a camp kitchen, and on a windy evening it keeps the heat on the pan instead of blowing it away.
