• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Outdoors Habit.com

Your Source for Top of the Line Backpacking Gear

  • Outdoors Habit.com
  • Reviews
  • Daypack
  • Backpacking Stove
  • Guides

Coleman Butane Instastart Backpacking Stove Review

March 4, 2021 By Outdoors Habit

OutdoorsHabit.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com<

Coleman Butane Instastart Backpacking Stove Review

As you can tell, Coleman is one of our favorite brands, for all the right reasons. They’re widely known in the hiking, climbing, and camping community, for their reasonably priced, durable camping equipment.

Their latest stove, the Instastart can be the perfect addition to your trip. It’s definitely a stove you can rely on, just keep in mind that this lower priced model doesn’t quite pack the type of powerful punch that higher priced backpacking stoves do.

The Instastart by Coleman is a small, simple, one burner backpacking stove that’s very budget-friendly. While it isn’t exactly a powerhouse, if your goal is to keep your pack as light as possible, then this small compact stove can be just the model you need out on the trail. This is probably the best backpacking stove for the infrequent or new hiker who doesn’t need a complex setup. It’s also a great stove if you enjoy simple one pot meals.

Overview and Features

This is another Coleman stove that caught our eye, and while it may not be the best backpacking stove around, for the price, you’ll find that this small, compact stove will really come in handy on your next outdoor adventure.

Love waking up to a hot pot of coffee? Do you mainly backpack with freeze-dried dishes or canned goods? Then this little stove by Coleman is really all you need.

Additionally, despite its smaller size it can also be a great stove to use as a backup stove or if you need an extra burner one night for a larger meal.

This budget-friendly buy is a good performer, and the compact design allows you to easily haul it along in your pack.

But despite its size and lower BTUs, this model can provide a great cooking experience.

Boil Time

If a fast boiling time isn’t a big deal to you, then this little stove can be a great addition to your backpacking setup. It doesn’t fare well in this category and requires about six minutes for a full boil. But considering the single burner only provides 7,650 BTUs, that’s not too bad.

Power

Check on Amazon

This stove runs on butane, which is considered very efficient. Butane is also priced lower than propane, but it also doesn’t perform well in colder temperatures. If you’re backpacking during the winter months, you’ll have to warm up the canister before you can use it.

Simmering

This little stove is able to easily handle simmering duties. The knob for the burner is large and easy to adjust. Unlike other models in this price range, the flame size is very accurate based on where the knob is pointing.

Cooking for a Group

It doesn’t come as much of a surprise that this stove scores really low in terms of cooking power, especially when it comes to cooking for a large group of people. This model is designed to cook for up to two people only. If you enjoy one pot meals, this stove will be the perfect fit. And despite the fact that it’s only equipped with a single burner it can actually handle larger cookware rather well.

Setup and Maintenance

This stove is a cinch to set up. In fact, the directions are clearly printed on the side of the stove. In order to get started cooking, all you have to do is align the canister, lock it in place and ignite the burner by turning the knob. Once you’re through with cooking, just unlock the canister, remove the grate for cleaning, empty the drip tray and you’re done.

As you can see, cleaning this stove is pretty easy, considering there’s very little cooking surface to deal with.

Cooking on Windy Days

Unfortunately, this model doesn’t have any protection against the wind and only operates on 7,650 BTUs. Because of this, the stove will definitely struggle in windy weather. You can easily solve this problem by purchasing a portable aluminum windscreen, which will do a great job of providing the right amount of shelter from the wind, allowing the stove to cook more efficiently.

A Compact Package

When you’re spending several days in the backcountry, hiking, climbing, and camping out, the last thing you want to do is lug around a heavy stove and one that will take up too much room in your pack. But this stove’s compact design is another area that it excels in. It comes with its own small plastic carrying case for easy transport and measures in at just fourteen inches by twelve inches by five inches.

It Also weighs only four pounds.

This stove is a great choice for a variety of applications ranging from budget camping to mountain climbing. It’s priced very low, and it’s also geared toward simple meals such as chili, soups, oatmeal, and pasta, which also tend to cost less. Lightweight and small, this stove is a great option when your priority is a lower pack weight.

Pros

  • Lightweight
  • Low maintenance
  • Very fuel efficient
  • Cooks food evenly
  • Easy to adjust temperatures for slow-cooked meals
  • Highly portable

Cons

  • Slow boil time
  • Low BTUs
  • Only designed to cook for two
  • Doesn’t hold up well in windy conditions
  • If you’re looking for a backpacking stove that has a little more cooking power and one that can handle windy conditions like a champ, then take a closer look at the One GS-1000 Portable Gas Stove.
Coleman InstaStart Conclusion and Rating

Outdoors Habit.com Product Rating: (4/5)

This stove is designed for the seasoned hiker, or climber who enjoys simple meals on a campout under the stars.

This butane Instastart stove by Coleman is offered at a great price. While it doesn’t come loaded with any fancy feature it has the basics covered. It’s not super-fast at boiling water and it can struggle in windy conditions, but it’s easy to care for, simmers well, can cook your food evenly and performs reasonably well. This is a great, tough little low maintenance backpacking stove that doesn’t need much. We gave this model a rating of four out of five stars.

Check Price
Summary
Reviewer
Outdoors Habit
Review Date
2021-03-04
Reviewed Item
Coleman InstaStart
Author Rating
41star1star1star1stargray

Filed Under: Backpacking Stove, Reviews

Primary Sidebar

Email Newsletter

Subscribe for the latest tips & reviews!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
How to wash backpacking pack?

How to wash backpacking pack?

November 23, 2022 By Outdoors Habit

How to pack food for backpacking?

How to pack food for backpacking?

November 5, 2022 By Outdoors Habit

How to dehydrate food for backpacking

How to dehydrate food for backpacking?

November 5, 2022 By Outdoors Habit

How to get in shape for backpacking?

How to get in shape for backpacking?

October 28, 2022 By Outdoors Habit

two backpacks

How heavy should backpacking pack be?

October 18, 2022 By Outdoors Habit

what to wear backpacking

What to wear backpacking?

June 18, 2022 By Outdoors Habit

How to start backpacking?

How to start backpacking?

June 8, 2022 By OutdoorsHabit

Best Budget air mattress

Intex Comfort Plush Elevated Dura-Beam Review

February 15, 2022 By Outdoors Habit

Intex Pillow Rest Classic Airbed Review

Intex Pillow Rest Classic Airbed Review

February 15, 2022 By Outdoors Habit

SoundAsleep Dream Series Air Mattress Review

SoundAsleep Dream Series Air Mattress Review

February 15, 2022 By Outdoors Habit

Lightspeed Outdoors 2-person Air Bed Review

Lightspeed Outdoors 2-person Air Bed Review

February 15, 2022 By Outdoors Habit

SoundAsleep Camping Review

SoundAsleep Camping Review

February 15, 2022 By Outdoors Habit

Best air mattress for camping

The In-Depth Guide to the Best Air Mattress for Camping

February 15, 2022 By Outdoors Habit

Coleman Triton 2 Burner Propane Stove Review

Coleman Triton 2 Burner Propane Stove Review

February 15, 2022 By Outdoors Habit

Best Backpacking Stoves

The Absolute Best Backpacking Stoves You Can Buy in 2022: Reviews and Comparisons

February 15, 2022 By Outdoors Habit

Best Travel Daypack

The Best Travel Daypack for Your Trip Reviewed and Compared: Ultimate Guide 2022 Edition

January 1, 2022 By Outdoors Habit

Coleman Butane Instastart Backpacking Stove Review

Coleman Butane Instastart Backpacking Stove Review

March 4, 2021 By Outdoors Habit

Camp Chef Pro 90x Camping Stove Review

Camp Chef Pro 90x Camping Stove Review

March 4, 2021 By Outdoors Habit

Stansport 2 Burner Propane Camp Stove Review

Stansport 2 Burner Propane Camp Stove Review

January 10, 2020 By Outdoors Habit

Sierra Designs Discovery 30 Daypack Review

Sierra Designs Discovery 30 Daypack Review 

January 10, 2020 By Outdoors Habit

Petzl Bug Climbing Daypack Review

Petzl Bug Climbing Daypack Review

January 10, 2020 By Outdoors Habit

Patagonia Black Hole Daypack Review

Patagonia Black Hole Daypack Review

January 10, 2020 By Outdoors Habit

Osprey Xenith 75 Daypack Review

Osprey Xenith 75 Daypack Review

January 10, 2020 By Outdoors Habit

Osprey Packs Daylite Plus Daypack Review

Osprey Packs Daylite Plus Daypack Review

January 10, 2020 By Outdoors Habit

Gas One GS-1000 Portable Gas Stove Review

Gas One GS-1000 Portable Gas Stove Review

January 10, 2020 By Outdoors Habit

Best Backpacking Stoves
Gas One GS-1000 Portable Gas Stove Review
Coleman Triton 2 Burner Propane Stove Review
Sierra Designs Discovery 30 Daypack Review
Patagonia Black Hole Daypack Review
Osprey Xenith 75 Daypack Review

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure
  • Contact
  • About
© 2020 Outdoors Habit.com