Major outlets keep ranking the Camp Chef Everest 2X first. OutdoorGearLab scored it 80 of 100 and made it their top pick; CleverHiker called it the best cooker they tested after boiling water in under four minutes. Dual 20,000-BTU burners bring raw power alongside genuinely good simmer control, and the windscreen works. It is heavy and pricey. For car camping it is still the do-everything benchmark.
Full review
Fastest boil in a twelve-stove field
OutdoorGearLab clocked the Everest 2X at roughly 3 minutes 21 seconds per liter averaged across calm and windy conditions, the fastest of the twelve stoves it ranked, and CleverHiker independently called it the fastest thing they tested, boiling water in under four minutes. Each burner puts out 20,000 BTU for 40,000 total, roughly double a conventional two-burner. OutdoorGearLab scored it 80 out of 100 and placed it first in the field.
It simmers as well as it roars
Raw output is common; output plus control is not. CleverHiker reported fluffy rice, golden-brown pancakes and evenly melted quesadilla cheese from the Everest, results that require steady low heat rather than a hard flame, and Switchback Travel singled out simmer control alongside the burner power. The matchless ignition lights both burners reliably and the valves have enough resolution to hold a genuine low setting. Wind is the third leg: CleverHiker's blustery Red Rock trip left the Everest still cooking, thanks to the nearly seamless three-sided screen and the folding lid.
Fourteen pounds and a 21-inch cooking surface
Switchback Travel called this the burliest version of the stove yet, and the mass is the trade. The cooking surface is 21 by 9.5 inches, enough for two full-size pans side by side, over a stainless drip tray and sturdy grates, and the whole thing latches shut like a suitcase with a carry handle. At roughly 14 pounds with that footprint it is a car-camping and basecamp stove only, and it wants a real table rather than a small folding one.
No griddle, and a premium price for two burners
The weaknesses are all logistics. It is heavy, it is large, and it does not convert into a grill or griddle the way some rival three-in-one stoves do, so if you want one appliance that sears burgers and cooks pancakes this is not it. The price is also premium for a two-burner propane stove, which only makes sense if you actually cook at camp rather than boil water for freeze-dried meals. Anyone counting ounces should ignore it entirely and look at an integrated single-burner system.
Runs on one-pound canisters or a bulk tank
Fuel logistics favor long trips. The Everest takes standard one-pound propane canisters, or a bulk tank through an adapter hose, which makes extended basecamp cooking cheap and easy to resupply anywhere propane is sold. Combined with the wind screening and the simmer range, that is what makes it a camp kitchen rather than a water boiler - and it is why OutdoorGearLab, CleverHiker and Switchback Travel all place it at or near the top of their respective fields.
Strengths
- +Dual 20,000-BTU burners boiled a liter in about 3 minutes 21 seconds, the fastest in OutdoorGearLab's testing
- +Best cooking ability of any stove CleverHiker tested, from fluffy rice to golden pancakes
- +Nearly seamless three-sided windscreen held a flame in blustery Red Rock conditions
- +Excellent simmer control despite the high output, so it handles delicate cooking too
- +Latches shut like a suitcase with a carry handle for easy transport
Watch-outs
- −Heavy at roughly 14 lb, so it is strictly a car-camping stove
- −Large 21 by 9.5 inch footprint needs real table space
- −No three-in-one grill versatility like the Coleman Cascade line
- −Premium price for a two-burner propane stove
How it compares
More powerful and a better cooker than the Coleman Cascade Classic, and far easier to use than the integrated Jetboil Flash or MSR WindBurner for actual two-pan camp cooking; the Jetboil Genesis Basecamp matches its versatility but costs much more and packs smaller.
Rating sources
“A wind-resistant stove that features powerful output but also impressive simmering abilities.”
“Each of its burners kick out 20,000 BTUs, allowing it to boil water in less than 4 minutes, the fastest stove we tested.”
“The burliest version yet of this classic camp stove offers powerful burners, great wind resistance, and excellent simmer control.”
Our 4.7 score is the average of these published ratings. Ratings marked * were derived from the reviewer’s written analysis or video transcript — the publisher didn’t print an explicit numeric score, so we inferred one from their own words. Click through to verify. More about methodology.
