Camp Chef Kodiak Stove Review
For the last decade we have been using the Camp Chef Explorer Stove for our overlanding adventures. This stove has been great, it is powerful, cooks beautifully and does not break. I’m pretty sure this stove will be handed down to our children one day it is so indestructible. That being said, we have found ourselves in a place where we need to downsize some of our gear because we one, wanted our set up to be more light weight and two we are going to be adventuring with two children and we need more space for tiny humans. Big Greasy as we so affectionally call our Camp Chef, takes up quite a bit of room and as a result was one of the first things we looked at swapping out.
When we started looking at stoves that would work for our set up we had the following four primary requirements:
Light weight and compact
Not fragile
Able to use an adaptor or connect to a large propane tank (we aren’t fans of the small green propane tanks)
Powerful burners that don’t easily blow out in the wind
Given that we have greatly enjoyed our Camp Chef Explorer, we decided that we wanted to stick with the brand. They have been reputable, produced proven products and had recently come out with several options that looked like they would fit all of our criteria. After some research we settled on the Camp Chef Kodiak.
First Impressions of the CAmp Chef Kodiak
Upon receiving the Camp Chef Kodiak the first thing that we noticed is that it constructed beautifully. The exterior on all sides is made of quality materials that will stand up to being transported in the back of your truck with ease. Basically, it can get bumped around a bit and we aren’t worried about it breaking.
Setting the Camp Chef Kodiak up was fairly simple, it features clip ins for side panels to attach to the stove to prevent most wind from impacting the burners and the propane attachment has a handy storage compartment alongside the burners. The side panels and lid are not flimsy and once attached to the base virtually do not move. The knobs for adjusting the burner heat level are tactile and easy to use. It is a little difficult to tell what is considered low, medium and high heat while using these knobs but they work very efficiently.
The Camp Chef Kodiak retails for $129.99 which is pretty competitive for other stoves of this size and caliber.
Using the Camp Chef Kodiak
The Camp Chef Kodiak is pretty simple to use. We purchased an adaptor for the propane attachment as we wanted to use our big propane tank instead of the small green ones. You can find these types of adaptors at Ace, Home Depot or Lowes pretty readily. The adaptor easily screws onto the propane attachment mechanism that comes with the stove and then the stove is ready for use. So far the only thing we do not love about the stove is that the ignition button can be a little faulty. It can take multiple presses to get the burners to light, but once lit we have not had a situation where they go out. We have also found that if you have the propane coming out closer to high on a burner then they light up on the first push of the button instead of the fourth or fifth. Basically, when it doubt, use more power.
The burners cook evenly and very efficiently. Compared to our Camp Chef Kodiak we have not noticed a difference in the time it takes to cook our food. Overall we have been very happy with its ability to cook any meal easily. We have made everything from pancakes to burgers to soup on this stove and it has performed just as well as our larger Camper Chef. The only place we have noticed a difference is in overall boiling time. It takes a little longer to boil a large pot of water (think making coffee for 4+ people quantities of water). I would not view this as a deal breaker by any means, we have simply resorted to boiling water in smaller batches, but that way everyone gets their coffee a little faster.
Overall this stove has allowed us to downsize our stove without compromising on the quality and efficiency in our cooktop. We would 100% recommend this product for anyone who is looking for a compact, sturdy, easy to use and affordable camping stove. If you’d like to watch this stove in action check out our video review here.
If you decide to purchase this stove please consider using our affiliate link below. Using our link helps us to bring you more reviews like this one. Stay Wild.
