Coleman Fyrestorm camping stove

Skip to product specifications

Coleman Fyrestorm camping stove review

RRP: £90

Images: BBC Countryfile Magazine / Tanya Jackson

Coleman Fyrestorm: basics

Coleman is an American brand that’s been around since the 1900s, when its founder invented the first portable gas lantern. Its camping stoves were used by the US paratroopers in WWII, and its camping equipment is usually robust and well designed.

The Fyrestorm is a personal camping stove, designed to rapidly boil water with in-built wind protection and an insulated carry handle in the same style as the Jetboil and OEX Heiro camping stoves. It’s perfect for solo travellers.

First impressions

The Fyrestorm is fatter than the other stoves of this all-in-one style on test, with its 1.3l pot. It comes in more dated packaging, but overall it competes well in terms of looks. The red neoprene-insulated cover and handle looks clean, and appears to be good quality.

Is it easy to set up?

Once you are familiar with how to put one of these stoves together, or have done it the first time, assembling it is as easy as clicking things into place. The gas cable is extra long, affording a bit of versatility in how you position it. The connector itself is threaded so needs twisting on to the cartridge, however the metal cap has, perplexingly, very sharp grooves that could cut careless fingers in the process! The metal legs unfold to stabilise the pot, and the piezo ignition button halfway along the gas cable takes the trickiness out of lighting in windy conditions.

What type of fuel does it use?

The Coleman Fyrestorm takes a standard 450g butane gas cartridge.

The pros of this fuel cartridge are that it’s instant, lightweight, compact and easily available – you’ll find them in any high street outdoors shop. The cons are that this will only give you around three hours of cooking time for a 450g cartridge, so for longer trips you’ll need more than one.

Is it easy to use?

This system is very user-friendly, designed to supply you with boiling water in almost any weather condition. The Fyrestorm boasts a trademark WindBlock and HyperFlame down-step burner, which really just means it’s easy to light and easy to adjust.

However, it’s not easy to tell when your water has boiled other than taking the lid off and risking a steam burn, and unfortunately it doesn’t come off easily. To play it safe, you just have to watch for the volume of steam coming out of the top and hope for the best.

How long does it take to boil water?

The Coleman Fyrestorm is not the fastest boil on the market, taking around 3 minutes to boil 500ml water in moderate wind. The packaging states it takes 8min 40 to boil a whole litre on a windy day.

Is it easy to clean?

The integrated cooking pot is non-stick, so as long as you don’t make peanut brittle in there, it’s pretty easy to look after.

Is it good value?

You get slightly more volume with the Coleman Fyrestorm than its rivals, and that’s its saving grace. But if you’re going to pay £90, there are quicker and more compact stoves out there for a just that little bit more.

What’s it best for?

Solo or couples backpacking.

Also consider

Jetboil Java Flash

Part-camping stove, part-cafetiere, the Jetboil Java Flash makes it easy to boil water and brew coffees quickly. In fact, it boils its contents in just 100 seconds, beating many competitor brands.

It's also lightweight, compact and easily available, as you can get them in most high street outdoor shops. Plus, you can buy it without the plunger if you want to forego the coffee and use it for dehydrated meals, soups and noodles.

You can find out more about this model in our full Jetboil Java Flash review.

For more alternatives, see our full camping stove round-up. We've tested 11 different models to find the best ones.