Kovea Titanium $99.90
Weight: 88g
Used by: Features and trips writer Hazel ‘Masterchef’ Phillips
Used for: Eight years

Eight years ago, I shopped around for a lightweight stove and found the Camp 3 Kovea Titanium at an outdoor shop in Te Anau. My criteria were: small, light, but able to chuck out the grunt when necessary for cooking bigger meals. Ultimately, what I really wanted was a stove I could take on solo trips but would still hold up for group cooking.

Weighing in at just 88g, this ticks all the boxes. It expands to fit a pot but packs down neatly, and the adjustable valve allows precise control over the firepower. It’s still going strong after many trips, including several nine-day solos. In fact, mine is the Mark II version – the piezo broke about a year after I got it, and recently my significant other ordered a replacement and repaired it as a somewhat unique Christmas present (I was a bit confused when I unwrapped my own stove on Christmas day).

My latest test has it boiling a cup of water in 2min15sec on full power.

Verdict: Good things come in small packages.