Gasmate Travelmate II Butane Stove with Hotplate Review

What You’re Getting

A single-burner butane stove with a high-temperature powder-coated body, a stainless steel top and spill tray, brass valve fittings and a rotary piezo ignition. The burner puts out 8,500 BTU (9 MJ/h), and a two-stage overpressure safety shut-off is built in. It comes with a reversible, non-stick, cast aluminium hotplate and a carry case. Butane canisters are sold separately. We paid $60 at BCF.

Quick Specs

Controls

The flame is set with the control knob on the front, and the stove lights with a rotary piezo ignition. Beside the knob, a lever loads the butane canister and locks it in.

The burner

As a stove, it does what a good butane stove should. The lever next to the control knob locks the gas canister in (Load) or releases it (Unload). Turn the knob and the rotary piezo lights it, then dial the flame between Low and High. It takes a pot or a frying pan on the pot supports, and on cool evenings we use it behind a folding windshield. It runs on standard butane canisters, at 180 g an hour on full.

The hotplate

This is the reason we love this stove. We use the hotplate all the time for grilling meat, like burger patties. It’s just as good for warming hamburger buns or burrito wraps: they come out so much better this way. The plate is non-stick cast aluminium and reversible, and it sits right over the burner.

The carry case

The stove packs into a carry case that keeps it clean between trips. The case itself is fine, but it’s a bit low quality: the two little locks fall off far too easily. Keep an eye on them when you pack up.

Packed in its case, the stove is a flat, compact box. It fits easily in one of the Titan drawers in the back of our Prado, and there’s still room to store a few things on top of it.

Which single burner?

We’ve also reviewed two other single-burner butane stoves of a similar size: the Companion Single Butane Stove and the Dune 4WD Single Burner Butane Stove. Both are lighter, use less gas and cost $40; the Gasmate puts out the most heat and is the only one with a hotplate.

	This reviewGasmate	Companion→	Dune 4WD→
Hotplate	Yes, reversible	No	No
Output	8,500 BTU	7,500 BTU	7,100 BTU
Gas use	180 g/h	152 g/h	152 g/h
Weight in case	2.65 kg	2.1 kg	2 kg
Price paid	$60	$40	$40
Our score	9.3	9.0	9.1

Conclusion: Gasmate Travelmate II Butane Stove with Hotplate

The Gasmate Travelmate II is a normal-sized butane stove with one big difference: the hotplate. We use it all the time for grilling meat, and hamburger buns and burrito wraps come out so much better on it. After months of use it’s still the stove we reach for, and we’re not planning to replace it. The only letdown is the carry case, whose two little locks fall off far too easily. For $60 it’s a keeper for car campers, 4WD tourers and couples. See how it compares in our best camping stoves guide.