Reviews You Can Rely On

Camp Chef Explorer 2-Burner Review

With high BTUs, a large cooking area, and removable legs, this freestanding stove offers a lot of options for big groups and chef-minded camp cooks
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camp chef explorer 2-burner camping stove review
Camp Chef Explorer 2 Burner
Credit: Camp Chef
Price:  $160 List
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Manufacturer:   Camp Chef
By Mary Witlacil and Penney Garrett  ⋅  May 10, 2021
65
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Time to Boil - 20% 8.0
  • Wind Resistance - 20% 5.0
  • Simmering Ability - 20% 8.0
  • Ease of Set Up - 15% 4.0
  • Ease of Care - 15% 9.0
  • Portability - 10% 3.0

Our Verdict

The Camp Chef Explorer 2-Burner is an excellent choice for group car camping. It is sturdy, offers a sizeable cook-top space, and can be used with or without its legs for unique versatility. The two 30,000 BTU burners deliver a ton of power but also finesse down for excellent simmering control when you need it. There are some issues with the burners getting blown out on windy days, and with no auto-ignition system, that means you have to move your meal aside to relight. For solo campers or small groups, this is overkill, but if you have the car to accommodate it, want a lot of versatility, and like to feed a big crew, this is an excellent option at an accessible price.
REASONS TO BUY
Great simmering ability
Freestanding
Legs are removable
Powerful burners
Tons of cooking space
REASONS TO AVOID
No auto ignition system
Does not operate on 16oz propane canisters
Wind puts out burner easily

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Explorer 2-Burner is a durable, freestanding stove with excellent flame power and simmering capabilities. It is best for medium-to-large-sized groups and can be used on either a table or tailgate. Retailing for a very approachable price (and often available for substantially less), this is a fantastic option for all manner of rugged foodies.

Performance Comparison


camp chef explorer 2-burner camping stove review - whether you have a table, a tailgate, or just a wide expanse of...
Whether you have a table, a tailgate, or just a wide expanse of nature, this large and versatile stove will help you prepare meals with ease.
Credit: Penney Garrett

Time to Boil


With 30,000 BTUs of power per burner, it's no wonder this stove boils efficiently. A quart of cold tap water took just 3.75 minutes to boil, an admirable time indeed.

With so much power per burner, the real testing issue for large freestanding models isn't if they can rage, but whether or not they can block the wind effectively. Because of the open, airy design of stoves like this one, compact models are often able to boil just as well, if not better. If you're cooking for large groups, it's never a bad idea to have a quick-boiler like a Jetboil on hand as well.

Be aware of the fact that on large propane tanks, there is a regulator with a safety mechanism that will engage if you turn on the gas too fast. If you find that your burner output seems low, read the warning label on the regulator to learn how to keep the BTUs high. If your stove output is sluggish, you may need to reset the regulator. Turn all knobs to off and close the propane tank all the way. Unscrew the hose from the tank, let it rest for about 10-15 seconds, then screw it back to the tank. Open the tank REALLY slowly, only ½-1 turn, no need to open it any more than that. Turn your knob(s) to medium and relight your burners.

camp chef explorer 2-burner camping stove review - while higher btus certainly help with boiling time, they aren't the...
While higher BTUs certainly help with boiling time, they aren't the only factor. Some of our largest and most powerful stoves had slower times because of less wind resistance and more space between the burner and cookware.
Credit: Penney Garrett

Wind Resistance


All of our big freestanding models struggled with wind resistance to some degree. These stoves are designed so your burner sits much farther away from your cookware than on a smaller, more compact model. There are a lot of nooks and crannies for wind to circulate and extinguish your flame, high BTUs notwithstanding.

The Explorer performed OK with our box fan test, where we set up a fan 24 inches to the side of the stove while boiling a kettle of water. It clocked in at 5 minutes, just 75 seconds longer than without the fan. However, when cooking outside in a natural breeze (i.e., variable and unpredictable), the story changed. While this stove does have a windscreen, it only protects the top of the stove, not the area below where the burner is housed. Therefore, when the wind starts creeping in, low flames are prone to being snuffed out. Because the Explorer does not have an auto-ignition system, you will have to move your cookware out of the way each time this happens to relight the burner.

camp chef explorer 2-burner camping stove review - the open, airy design of the explorer shows why it's easy to keep...
The open, airy design of the Explorer shows why it's easy to keep clean, but also why it was easily affected by the wind.
Credit: Penney Garrett

Simmering Ability


The Explorer simmers almost like a professional gas range — at least on calm, windless days. It is on par with some of the best stoves in our review.

From delicately fried eggs and veggies to perfectly cooked pancakes and bacon, we have no complaints when simmering on this model except for the fact that, when turned down low, the flame is more prone to blowing out on breezy days. Get your fine cooking hat on when cheffing with the Explorer.

camp chef explorer 2-burner camping stove review - despite the large size and power of the burners on the explorer, we...
Despite the large size and power of the burners on the Explorer, we had no trouble finessing the flame down low enough to cook perfect over-easy eggs. Gusts of wind were sometimes problematic though, so we had to keep a watchful eye.
Credit: Penney Garrett

Ease of Set Up


Setting this stove up is a snap, aside from the fact that it weighs almost 31 pounds (19 pounds without the legs).

Once you've transported and carried the Explorer to where you want, attach the legs (if you're using them), slot the windscreen around the edges, and connect your propane tank. It's more involved than a compact two-burner, but it's not a huge pain. Note that putting the legs on does require flipping the stove upside down or having someone hold it up for you.

camp chef explorer 2-burner camping stove review - attaching the legs is as easy as slipping them onto the stove body...
Attaching the legs is as easy as slipping them onto the stove body and tightening a screw.
Credit: Penney Garrett

Ease of Care


In most respects, this is an extremely simple stove to care for. It's painted black, and its design is open and airy with no drip tray, so you don't have to worry about pesky spaces accumulating food bits. However, that means tha you have to be mindful to pick up any food scraps that jump out of your pan, as these can attract critters, bugs, or bears. The windscreen can be awkward to carry around and store, but the legs come with a storage bag, a nice perk.

Despite the coating of thick paint on this model, rust started to appear after just a couple of weeks living on an outdoor patio in sunny and dry Colorado. Some people choose these kinds of stoves as additional burners for their decks or yards for canning, homebrewing, deep-frying, and plenty more. If you plan to have your Explorer live outside, we strongly recommended getting a cover for it or storing it in a shed or garage.

camp chef explorer 2-burner camping stove review - while the explorer looks bombproof, just a few weeks of sitting...
While the Explorer looks bombproof, just a few weeks of sitting outside in the elements (even in dry Colorado) caused some rust to start appearing.
Credit: Penney Garrett

This stove off-gases fumes from its black paint job when new. We recommend turning the burners on full blast without food and letting them blaze for a bit to get rid of that smell before cooking your first meal.

Portability


While this certainly isn't a compact stove, it's still quite manageable, and you can leave the legs behind if you will be setting up on a table or tailgate.

The Explorer is large and heavy at just under 31 pounds. However, if you ditch the legs, you'll also shed 11.5 pounds. Just make sure the back of your vehicle can handle the 32.75 x 14 x 7.75-inch dimensions, plus a large propane tank.

camp chef explorer 2-burner camping stove review - the bigger your stove, the more space you need in the back of your...
The bigger your stove, the more space you need in the back of your car. But if you're planning to cook for a lot of people on the regular, this is may be a perfectly fair tradeoff.
Credit: Penney Garrett

Value


The value is high on this stove — especially considering that it is often found considerably under list price at major retailers. Our other freestanding models are considerably more expensive but scored lower overall. While the Explorer lacks some features and struggles a bit with the wind, it simmers like a pro, boils quickly, and can be used with or without its legs. All in all, we think this is a great bargain and worth the price for the right individual.

camp chef explorer 2-burner camping stove review - this stove wasn't phased a bit by giant pots and pans. and while...
This stove wasn't phased a bit by giant pots and pans. And while cooking for a large group is obvious, we also enjoyed preparing small meals for just 1-2.
Credit: Penney Garrett

Conclusion


The Camp Chef Explorer is a great fit for anyone cooking for larger groups on a regular basis, be it car camping, fieldwork, tailgating, or messy cooking situations that you want out of your house (frying, canning, etc.). It has a sturdy build and is easy to clean — just make sure you store it under a cover or shelter, as we did have some minor rust issues after leaving it outside. It is one of the most powerful stoves we tested, boasting two 30,000 BTU burners, and it accommodates pots and pans of almost any size, from 4 to 14 inches. Its freestanding construction is ideal for events or groups where table space is limited — and if prep space isn't an issue, you have the option of setting up directly on a table. Unfortunately, there is no auto-ignition option, and a long lighter is strongly recommended to keep from sacrificing some arm hair — particularly because the one issue we had was the flame getting blown out on windy days. Bottom line, this stove is meant for heavy-duty use and large hungry groups.

camp chef explorer 2-burner camping stove review - we were happy with the performance of the explorer in almost every...
We were happy with the performance of the Explorer in almost every respect. For the right camp chef, this model is sure to please.
Credit: Penney Garrett

Mary Witlacil and Penney Garrett