The Campingaz Twister Plus PZ Gas Stove has nice touches including a metal heat shield between the burner control, a hard plastic case and of course the price.
Campingaz is a familiar brand and is probably more associated with the leisure market than the dedicated outdoor enthusiasts, but I’ve had many Campingaz stoves over the years. A twin burner model was a favourite for many years, so I was very curious to see how their current dedicated mountain style stove compared. The Campingaz Twister Plus PZ Gas Stove is used with Campingaz’s own widely available gas canisters of various sizes.
Peter Macfarlane’s Best Value
It might be a little heavy and bulky but is an accessible starter stove that you really can really cook on.- simple and easy to use
- cheap
- heavy
- limited to CG gas without adaptor
| Quick Specs |
|---|
| Price: no US shipping | £24.99 (available from Go Outdoors) Weight: 210g (burner only) Fuels: bespoke gas canister Dimensions assembled 110mm h x 120mm w Burner Diameter: 54mm Power: 2900W Boil time: 2m40s x 500ml Fuel used: butane/propane canister www.campingaz.co.uk |
It ends up quite tall, but still stable enough even without a dedicated pot stand, partly because canister and burner together are weightier. 3rd party plastic canister feet will fit. The stove design is chunky with the metal burner parts encased in a plastic surround incorporating both piezo and control dial. The shape means a good grip for attaching the canister – a push-on and quarter turn with a click and the reverse action for removal. It’s a good system, with a definite click that reduces the likelihood of over overtightening. There are adapters to bridge the gap between Campingaz connections and other canisters, but these do add weight, faff and height.
The control can be hard to use with gloves, but the fine-tuning heat is positive and smooth. The folding pot stands are textured, and I have used from my smallest titanium mug to a frying pan with varying degrees of success. The burner is the widest here so better suits wider pots and pans – with narrower pots, heat output does need to be reduced, and that is reflected in the boil time shown above.
Nice touches are a metal heat shield between the burner control, a hard plastic case and of course the price. It might be a little heavy and bulky but is an accessible starter stove that you really can really cook on.
How we tested
Weights and boiling times were recorded by Peter in various conditions outside and at home to achieve a benchmark time. The stacking systems height includes the plastic feet and a 230g gas canister, the others from canister base to potstand top. The stoves have been used across all seasons, most often on hill days with a wind shield as well as at camp and on bothy trips.
