My family were not big campers, and by that I mean, I don’t think we went camping, like, ever. My dad went on a fishing trip with his work buddies one time when I was in sixth grade. I’m pretty sure we ate hot dogs and must have slept in a tent, but that’s about it. The only other time I remember sleeping in a tent as a kid was in our own backyard on my birthday, and I’m pretty sure we had to borrow the tent. The first time I set up a tent on my own, I was married — and by “I set up a tent” I mean my wife did.

My wife was a Girl Scout her entire life, and couldn’t wait to have a daughter someday so she could be a Girl Scout leader, which is exactly what happened. You could drop my wife off in the middle of any forest in America and she would have no problem surviving for weeks. I, on the other hand, sometimes struggle with twist-off lids and pray for death when the internet goes out for more than five minutes.

For the most part my wife stays out of my “vanlife” stuff and sees it for what it is (a kid’s fort on wheels), but after watching multiple videos in which I use only a microwave to prepare my meals, she took puty on me and decided to teach me how to cook using a Coleman Propane Bottle Top stove.

I do believe that I could now use this type of stove (it’s pretty simple), although I’d still need to know some simple recipes to go with it. I’m pretty good at making eggs, which is kind of like saying I’m pretty good at drawing stick people. And, full disclosure, I’ve made scrambled eggs many times in the microwave.

My wife says camping with a propane stove is a more authentic camping experience. My response was that neither Coleman stoves nor propane bottles are found in nature, so there’s no difference in cooking with those at a campsite vs. cooking in a microwave and a giant battery.

I recently purchased a different propane stove top which will be making an appearance in an upcoming video (I haven’t used it yet, but plan to). It never hurts to stuff more feathers in one’s hat, so maybe I’ll expand my skillset a bit further and learn a few go-to recipes for the next time I’m out camping in the woods.

One nice thing about this stove is that it uses the same canisters my Buddy Heater uses, so that’s convenient.

Coleman Bottletop Propane Camping Stove: https://amzn.to/3XcuP7l
Coleman Propane 16oz Bottles: https://amzn.to/4dQP7dO
20,000mAh Camping Fan: https://amzn.to/49KnVvn