The Camp Chef - Expedition 3X - Triple Burner Stove

How many of you have a kitchen stove that can generate up to 90,000 BTU’s of heat - or to be more precise - 30,000 BTU’s per burner?

My guess is - not many.

30,000 BTU’s is serious heat – professional grade - and if you are really into cooking, you know that it’s all about the heat, and your ability to control it. A great stove should not just have enough power to sear your food, but must also be capable of simmering it, low and slow.

So who would have thought that this kind of power and finesse is available on of all things, a portable camp stove that you can purchase for under $300?

Definitely not me, until I happened across the Camp Chef - Expedition Series Camp Stove that is. 

This solid, well-made portable powerhouse comes with many impressive standard features including:  

• Paper towel holder
• Utensil holder
• Removable 3-sided windscreen
• Regulator hose
• Removable legs, and a
• Matchless ignition system that actually works.

Each heavy - duty burner is fully adjustable, and you can purchase any number of useful accessories, including a seasoned steel fry griddle, BBQ grill box, stone pizza oven and a carry bag, with or without built in rollers, to name just a few.

When set up it stands 31 inches high, which should be a comfortable cooking height for most people, and with over 600 square inches of nickel plated cooking surface, you will have no difficulty preparing a meal for just about any size group.

Not surprisingly, prices are all over the map, so it will pay to shop before you buy.

For example, the stove lists on the Camp Chef website for $393.35 (USD), and includes the otherwise optional 18”x24” steel fry griddle.

This price is rather high, because COSTCO Canada offers it on line for $194(CND), and while their offering does not include the griddle, you do get a carrying case.

The griddle itself lists for $114(USD) on the Camp Chef website: therefor if you were to buy the griddle separately, you could get the stove, carrying case and griddle, for considerably less money than if you were to buy the stove/griddle combo directly from Camp Chef.

As for portability, I would not recommend attempting to physically carry it over any great distances, because at better than 50 pounds, it is something of a load – especially if you plan on bringing along the steel griddle.

That said, it breaks down easily, fits snuggly into the carrying case, and is relatively easy to move around, particularly if you opt for the case with the built in rollers. 

I have to say that I’m impressed with its fuel efficiency, because having used the stove every day for two straight weeks, there was plenty of fuel remaining in my 20 - pound propane tank when it came time to head home.

As mentioned, the burners are fully adjustable making it easy to maintain a consistent temperature on my Coleman, Portable Camp Oven, something that was always a challenge when using other camp stoves.

Given the overall size and design of the cooking surface, if you remove the windscreen, it will handle pretty much any size pot or pan. I have used 2 – 17” cast iron frying pans side by side, without any difficulty.

There is a 2-burner model available, but if you don’t mind hauling around an extra10 pounds or so, and spending a few more dollars, my recommendation is to go with the 3-burner model.

The extra burner really comes in handy, particularly when making breakfast, because I can perk coffee, and by using the 18”x24” fry griddle, cook eggs, pancakes, bacon or whatever else comes to mind, all at the same time. 

In conclusion, if you would like to take your camp, or backyard kitchen up to the next level - for value, reliability, power and finesse – the Camp Chef Expedition 3X - is in my opinion, about as good as it gets.