Camp Chef Mountaineer 2 burner stove

[slowtwitch]

The windscreens are way better on partner. I suspect geometry is better on the partner for using two good size pots/pans. Individual use will dictate which is better. What's the criteria? How fast will it boil a pot of water? How well you can get a meal out for a group of people? How does it stand up? Using it twice a year lightly? Using it 90 days a year hard?

Stove geometry and design matters. I would rather have a lower BTU stove that put the heat where it's needed, and have my gas last longer. More BTU is not necessary better. Most home gas stoves are 10k BTU and under fwiw.

Here's a snippet from a review:

"As with the Snow Peak above, you do pay a premium for high-end materials with the Camp Chef Mountaineer. The aluminum construction and substantial build add a little weight (16 pounds), and the 20,000 BTU output is good but not a standout on this list. For most camping trips we prefer the Everest above, which matches the performance although it does lack the metal latches and bombproof feel of the Mountaineer. That strong, long-lasting construction is the big selling point of the Mountaineer and what earns it a spot on our list for 2017." See more at: http://www.switchbacktravel.com/best-camping-stoves#sthash.Yj1gUOoW.dpuf

 

[NPA]

I was between the Mountaineer and the Partner. There's a group buy going on with the 4runner guys, but after some gift cards, the REI sale & dividend, I just picked up the camp chef for $30. Looking forward to using it and seeing how it holds up. I have a feeling they both will perform pretty similar.

 

[slowtwitch]

This place : http://ok4wd.com/shop-by-category/lifestyle/stoves-1

Has Partner stuff for good prices, free shipping, and 5% off if you sign up for emails. Puts an 18" two burner WITH windscreen at $243 to your door. Cheaper than the groups buys some forums are doing.

Fwiw, they have other pretty ripping deals on awnings, ARB, etc.

No affiliation.

 

[slowtwitch]

I just picked up the camp chef for $30

Should read, an additional $30 lol. The REI mind tricks are powerful... I know. I popped a partner and am asking for my dividend back in cash. The Mountaineer looked too vented along sides and back.. that with a small wind screen. Doesn't matter if your cooking inside, but if you're out and the wind kicks up. I would also like any crap that gets spilled into stove to stay there until I clean it, not come raining out when I pick it up. Partner is also more compact by quite a bit for any given burner spacing.

I'd like to do a test of the two for kicks. Academic.. both look like lifetime stoves.

 

[goleee33]

Any updates on these stoves? Pictures of build quality?

 

[Redman333]

I have the Everest and absolutely love mine. We live on the coat so it sees a lot of wet salty air and sand and has always worked fantastic for us. Great great little grill.


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[Sikocycles]

Updates please?

 

[harv3589]

I just ordered the Camp Cheif Everest 2...would have liked to try the Partner stove but with the exchange I'd be paying an extra 35% on top of the listed price so that's getting up there.

 

[another_mike]

How does the propane hose connect to the mountaineer 2 burner stove? is it a quick disconnect?

 

[diggerline59]

The propane hose is a thread on attachment on the front of the stove. I'll try to get some pictures of my mountaineer if I have time today. I originally had a partner steel stove, but sold it to a friend due to power output. I like to cook on cast iron and it wasn't getting hot enough for my liking. Initial thoughts on the mountaineer are that the power is fantastic on it, Construction might be ~80% of the partner steel that I had, but still very nice compared to any other camp stove I've owned. The stove is larger in person than I expected, but that actually serves as a plus for me. I wish it had a handle like a partner stove instead of the stamped out piece that it has to grab on, but that's a small inconvenience. I do like the way the wind screens lock down on the side of the camp chef mountaineer. My biggest complaint was that the welds are not nearly as nice as the partner steel, and had a little bit of discoloration, but nothing that a little buffing couldn't take care of if I really wanted to make the effort.

I've been through a lot of stoves in the past 5-6 years looking for one that has a good balance of power, weight, and size. This is absolutely my favorite one to use so far! (been through a camp chef everest, partner steel, and a free standing 3 burner camp chef "professional" stove). I used the 20% off coupon at REI when I bought it and feel it was well worth the money!

 

[pwm]

Just got my mountaineer 2 and DAMN does it look hokey. Honestly, I can weld aluminum better than this, and I'm awful at it. No, scratch that I HAVE welded right angle aluminum and had better results than this. That said, while the welds are ugly as can be, they're solid, there's no gaps, and the 45 degree threads seem to be consistently placed. I'll have more about that once my legs come in and I can make sure everything comes together properly.

I didn't buy this stove for the welds. I bought it because it is the best priced for the cooktop size and the 20k BTU burners. I hooked it up and cooked dinner on the porch a couple nights ago and everything went really well. I didn't do a ton of simmering, but I did screw around a bit to get a feel for things. Don't expect the burners to be linear through the adjustment range, BUT, there is good control in the medium - low - simmer range as long as you pay some attention.

The case isn't as nice as Partner products, but the burners are double the strength. The fit/finish clips are a shade out of square, but there's scores along the side that I can hook on to for tie-down options. and ALL the moving parts that aren't clips or hinge are recessed into the aluminum frame. Honestly, it seems like all purchases in this arena require some compromises, so I'm happy with paying less and exploring how much the seemingly poor build quality actually matters. Worse case scenario, I've got a nice-ish Coleman stove for backup.

Then again, I bought it from REI, so if it falls apart I won't have any problem returning it.

-bill

 

[slowtwitch]

The typical HOME stovetop burner is +/- 7k btu.. on the high end they get to around 12k (rare).
Kinda reminds me of any number of any other hot button marketing metrics.. horse power for one. 500 HP does you no good if it's tied to a mediocre drive train.
The geometry of the stove as far as burner placement, cookware placement, and wind control counts for a lot. Put another way, a stove can cook better, boil faster, and use less fuel with lower btu burners if it's designed correctly.

 

[Steve_P]

I had a CC Weekender for about 8 years, it was the first gen with the cast iron burners. I rate it above any other propane stove I'd previously used. I bought it because it was an easy hookup to the low pressure propane system on my pop up camper, but it had 3 cons that just seemed bug me more over time, pack size, weight, and a weak flame at low burn with very little wind resistance, essentially no simmer capability. About 2 years ago I gave it to a family member and replaced it with an Everest, I'd say 1/4 of the weight, 1/4 of the pack size and a very wind resistant flame at low burn. I turned one burner all the way up once, just for s&g, and it made me want to back away from the stove. Never used it over 1/2 burn since, even to boil water for spaghetti. I run it with either a Marshall Extend-a-flow adaptor off of my main tank or a distribution tree on an independent 5 pound tank. It has an extremely long burn time using the 1 pound cans, with one can lasting up to 3 days of use if you only use one burner at a time.

CC now has a new gen with a different model name and a few additional features worth considering. The Weekender was the first Camp Chef product I ever bought, but if they continue to build the same quality products they are now I'll be a customer for life.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

Just got my mountaineer 2 and DAMN does it look hokey. Honestly, I can weld aluminum better than this, and I'm awful at it. No, scratch that I HAVE welded right angle aluminum and had better results than this. That said, while the welds are ugly as can be, they're solid, there's no gaps, and the 45 degree threads seem to be consistently placed. I'll have more about that once my legs come in and I can make sure everything comes together properly.

I didn't buy this stove for the welds. I bought it because it is the best priced for the cooktop size and the 20k BTU burners. I hooked it up and cooked dinner on the porch a couple nights ago and everything went really well. I didn't do a ton of simmering, but I did screw around a bit to get a feel for things. Don't expect the burners to be linear through the adjustment range, BUT, there is good control in the medium - low - simmer range as long as you pay some attention.

The case isn't as nice as Partner products, but the burners are double the strength. The fit/finish clips are a shade out of square, but there's scores along the side that I can hook on to for tie-down options. and ALL the moving parts that aren't clips or hinge are recessed into the aluminum frame. Honestly, it seems like all purchases in this arena require some compromises, so I'm happy with paying less and exploring how much the seemingly poor build quality actually matters. Worse case scenario, I've got a nice-ish Coleman stove for backup.

Then again, I bought it from REI, so if it falls apart I won't have any problem returning it.

-bill

Care to post pictures of your aluminum welding skills? When you make such a claim you have to own up to it.

 

[pwm]

Care to post pictures of your aluminum welding skills? When you make such a claim you have to own up to it.

Way to call out the n00b, lol. To be fair, I did say I'm awful at it.

I wish I had pics, but it was years ago. I'll see if I can't dig up some pics from the friends who were around while we were working on that project. The vehicle has since been sold, but maybe I can find something.