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 We have just purchased a new Vango tent and are looking into the equipment that we need to go with camping !

Can anyone advise us on a cooker / stove for a family of 4 and to how these operate ?

Gas cylinders etc ? Sorry for sounding so stupid but i am baffled by all the camping gear you actually need .

hope someone can enlighten me

Go to a camping shop & have a look.  It depends on how much space you have to store/transport your gear & how much you want to spend.  There are losts of good ones out there.  As John says, the gas ones either run off a disposable canister or a bottle that is exchanged for a full one when you run out.  Disposable ones are cheap to buy, but it is expensive fuel in the long run.  Re-fillable bottles.  are available from lots of companies.  The big ones are Calor & Camping Gaz.  Both are widely available when you need to exchange your cylinder when it runs out, but Calor are only in the UK, Camping Gaz are all over Europe if you plan to go abroad.  Calor is cheaper.  Butane (blue Calor bottles) are the most economical, but the gas stops flowing when the temprature goes near freezing.  If you want to camp early/late in the year then Propane is needed (calor red cylinders).  Most people use Butane.  You "buy" your first cylinder full then exchange for another when empty.  Lots of people have got their first from their council tip by asking nicely.  Some even get them this way with gas left in.  Whichever you choose you need the appropriate regualtor to connect the bottle to your stove.  Most stoves that use re-fillable bottles will burn whatever gas you buy.  Petrol stoves are brilliant.  The big maker of these is Coleman.  The stoves are really compact & give out an amazing amount of heat.  However, you need to carry petrol & some don't like doing this for safety reasons.  The stoves are perfectly safe if used correctly, but can flare up if not.  I use a 2 burner gas stove with a  (pretty useless) grill from a 4.5Kg Calor Butane cylinder.  We easily feed a family of 3 with that.  we also have a small Cadac Safari Chef  BBQ which we cook outdoors on.  Good for the full English.

Steve.

If you are starting out a fresh and don't have kitchen stand etc - why not have a look at the Campingaz Kitchen Extra. It is based on a product that has been around for years and is well tried and tested! There is a full griddle tray with water tray underneath for easy cleaning which is removeable and two traditional burners underneath that are very controllable. The stove (which can be bought separately) in this set up comes with removable, adjustable height legs and shelf, a wind shield back and sides (which can be laid flat as small tables alongside as in the picture) and a storage bag that turns inside out to create the cupboard in the picture. It is a very flexible set up that avoids you needing an extra camping table/ kitchen and windshield for the stove. As the legs are integral and adjustable it is also incredibly sturdy and flat (unlike stoves laid loose on a camping kitchen). You can use only what you needs for any trip - just the stove for low level camping, or add the legs for normal height camping and the storage cupboard for longer trips. Shop around - you can sometimes get one for less than £50 complete.

Note - you cannot buy the windshields or legs separately, so you have to buy the set as one if you think you may want them later. We combined ours with the Gelert single slice toaster which does lovely toast in seconds and takes up no room (don't go for the multi-slice versions - they don't work! - Oh yes, some swear on this forum that the grill versions of the campingaz stove also aren't very efficient and therefore not worth bothering with).

http://www.outdooraction.co.uk/acatalog/Camping_Gaz_Camping_Kitchen_Extra__2009_.html

The stove comes with a gas pipe but not the regulator or gas bottle. The regulator is about £10 if I remember correctly and the bottle you can either buy from a shop, ebay, car boot sale, and occasionally pick up from a dump (not all dumps allow this though). You exchange the bottle for a full one each time you need more and just pay for the gas inside. The bottle is quite bulky, but fits nicely inside a fire bucket (which is another essential bit of camping kit).

Helen

Hi,

Some useful advice already posted, maybe taking a moment thinking about these items, will allow you to narrow the choice down.

How are you getting to Site ? How long are you staying for ? Is keeping costs down a factor ? Are your kids under 15 ?

Lets assume you are travelling in family car, without a trailor & for a Weekend.

Your boot is now already full !

Your Tent, camping Chairs, Sleeping Bags & KarryMatts will have taken care of that, With luck you maybe able to squeeze in 2 small bags for clothes one for the adults & one for the kids. Your wet weather gear will be seperating the kids in the back seat.

The stove therefore needs to be a Campingaz 2 ring burner (toaster underneath) with a 7kg Butane gas bottle.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=campingaz+camping+chef&tag=yahhyd-21&index=aps&hvadid=36751195031&ref=pd_sl_41xwi6bne0_b

You need a 2 Ltr Teflon coated stock pot, a smaller stainless steel two tier vegetable steamer, & a Teflon coated wok type frying pan, plus spatchelors, tongs, 2 x melamine chopping boards & a couple of kitchen knifes. A camping table would be nice ! Bowls rather than plates to eat off by the way !

Cook your first nights 'stew' at home a couple of days before you go, freeze it & transport it down to site in a coolbag. Ideally you should look to own a hard electric coolbox, (12v & Mains ) that can keep your bacon, butter, milk & sausages cool, so look for Camping Sites with an electric hook up. You will need this device at this URL  http://www.outdoorworlddirect.co.uk/blog/camping-equipment/sunncamp-mains-hookup-230-v

Get a 'One Pot cook book' if you do not own one, & shop locally each day for meat & veg, the Camp Site should have the basics like Heinz Beans & Bread ! 

Take a good book & enjoy !

Good Luck !

We use a coleman petrol stove (you can use coleman's own fuel - but that's stupidly expensive.  A cheaper alternative is Aspen fuel, if you can find a supplier... Aspen is a lot cheaper than coleman fuel but more expensive than petrol, but apparently it burns cleaner than petrol).

I have only good things to say about the coleman - VERY compact VERY efficient - room for two pans - what more could you want?

I am considering a gas stove, as we have room in the car, but I can never bring myself to move away from the petrol stove.

Having said that, most people use gas - but don't write off the petrol stove - for thier size, they're absolutely bloomin' brilliant!

Gas.

Most stoves will run on either propane or butane gas. You do have to buy the appropriate regulator for the gas you choose.

Propane refills work out cheaper than butane. Propane works at lower temperatures than butane. Propane bottles are generally bigger than butane ones.

Are you intending to go to France or the continent at any time? If so you should know you can't get propane refills in France, but butane (CampingGaz) is easy to get.

Cookers.

The most common type is the two-burner version, with or without grill.

The grill on these type of cookers is minute and almost always useless. If packing space and budget are tight, forget the version with grill.

The most important accessory to a camp cooker is a three sided windshield. Cooking outside in the breeze makes your cooker much slower and it will gobble gas. Either get a cooker with integral windshield or a camp kitchen stand with windshield.

A two burner cooker will be fine for a family of four for simple camp meals. If you're going for long trips though or expect a lot of guests, a three burner might be a better buy. Or a small barbecue to go with your two burner.

As a final comment, cooking inside the tent is a fire hazard. Synthetic tents are highly flammable and best practice is not to cook inside one. A lot of folk do but you'll usually discover that they don't also have kids in the tent. There's also a danger from scalds and burns...a tent is a confined space, camp kitchens don't tend to be that stable and lightweight pots can slide around. And let's not get on to gas leaks and flares. Best to cook outside under the canopy.

Sorry to jump in...I have a CampinGaz Chef and have only ever used Butane, I am camping at Easter which may be quite cold, so will I be better off switching to Propane?  I've read that some folks use Propane all year round but is this as efficient as Butane in the summer months  

Thanks

Update: Just read the thread on which gas to use so I will copy my answer there too...sorry

You'll be fine at Easter with Butane.  I've never had the gas freeze up.  Keep the bottle & regulator in the tent with you if it gets frosty - but cook outdoors.

Steve.