Every camp stove fuel makes a trade-off between convenience, weight, cold-weather performance and cost, and the best choice changes with the season and the length of your trip.

Canister stoves screw onto a sealed gas cartridge and light instantly, which makes them the easiest option for weekend campers and beginners.

Liquid-fuel stoves burn white gas or petrol, keep working well below freezing, and let you carry exactly the fuel you need, but they need priming and occasional maintenance.

Alcohol stoves weigh almost nothing and are silent, while wood stoves need no carried fuel at all, yet both are slow, weather-sensitive and banned in many fire-prone areas.