The Primus Essential Trail Stove won’t win any awards for looks, but that doesn’t matter when all you want is a hot coffee before a long day outdoors. The Primus has a remarkably fast boil time, a well-designed wind-protection system (that doubles as the pot support), and only has one moving piece. Simplicity is the name of the game with the Primus, and it does simple well. Our one problem is that the large and awkward shape will be a nuisance to carry in a backpack, and the sharp edges could cause some issues. For a car-camping stove, it is perfect.

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As the company that created the first soot-free camping stoves in 1892, Primus knows a thing or two about cooking in the outdoors. Roald Amundsen had a Primus stove when he reached the South Pole in 1911, and they helped Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary cook while conquering the world’s tallest peak. I’ll stop there, but you get the point. Primus has been in the outdoor cooking game for a while, and they continue that legacy today with products like the Essential Trail Stove.

The Stove

The Primus Essential Trail Stove is perfect for novice campers just starting their camping endeavors, but it is equally appreciated by expert outdoors people. With a weight of 3.9oz (109g), it is one of the heavier standalone canister stoves we reviewed, but not by a huge margin. It has no moving parts other than the fuel regulator and has a large burner. In terms of energy output, the Essential Trail Stove has 8,600 BTU, which falls right in the middle of the pack compared to the other stoves.

The pot stands on the Essential Trail Stove also act as wind blockers, similar to the technology used by the MSR PocketRocket 2, just on a larger scale. The three-pronged pot support and wind block help to keep at least one section of the burner ignited in a gust of wind, which will then reignite the other areas as the wind dies down. It has a very stable platform for a variety of pot sizes and styles. The burner head is also large enough that you do not need to worry too much about spot burning your morning oatmeal.

Ease of Use

Operation is about as easy as it gets with the Primus Essential Trail Stove; the fuel regulator is the only moving part of the whole package. We wished the dial for the regulator was slightly larger or easier to access, as it forces your hand to get close to the burner that may be obstructed beneath a larger pot or pan. The overall size of the stove is cumbersome when you want to put it away. If you buy the Primus 1L Trek Pot, the whole system—the stove still attached to a 227g canister—will stow away in the pot for more efficient storage.

Simmering

The simmer control on the Primus Essential Trail Stove is just dandy. With two-and-one-quarter turns on the regulator, there is plenty of wiggle room to find the perfect heat when cooking a backcountry masterpiece. The wind blocks help to ensure that the flame is protected throughout its simmering, keeping the flame lit in light winds. Again, we wish the regulator was larger so you didn’t need to get your hand so close to the pot and stove when adjusting the flame. This was our main concern with the simmer control.

Boil Time

Comparing it to its competition, the Primus Essential Trail Stove was a real underdog in the boil test, but it yielded the most surprising results. With a 1 liter boil time of 3 minutes and 30 seconds, it beat the next fastest stove, the Jetboil MightMo, by 45 seconds. The Primus stove is the simplest to use and has the largest burner head, which helped generate a large area of heat.

Fuel Use

During the boil test, the Primus Essential Trail Stove used 19g of fuel in 3 minutes and 30 seconds of boil time. The Primus website states that you could get 16 boils out of a 227g canister—or a 1 hour burn time. That is the same as the MSR PocketRocket 2, so it makes sense that many of these stoves have similar fuel usages and claimed number of boils.

The Bottom Line

While it may not pack down as small or have as many fancy parts as other stoves on our list, the Primus Essential Trail Stove would still be an excellent choice for anyone cooking in the great outdoors. We would recommend this stove as a car-camping stove or for brewing trailhead coffee before heading into the backcountry. The packability is the main drawback, but for only $24.95, it is hard to get too picky. We were blown away during the boil test and impressed with the simmer control.

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