Best known for its portable cookers, lanterns, heaters, grills and barbecues – all of which are common sights on campsites across Britain and Europe – Campingaz is a brand much loved by family campers and vanlifers.
It’s less popular amongst backpackers, mostly because the product focus isn’t generally on the lightest or most compact cooking gear. There are a couple of exceptions though, and Campingaz does make a few simple canister top stoves. This includes the affordable Twister Plus PZ, which runs off the brand’s own ‘Easy Clic’ CV canisters, available in 300g or larger 470g sizes.
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Pros
- Easy to use
- Affordable
- In-built piezo ignition
Cons
- Not the lightest or most packable
- Requires Campingaz CV canisters
| Weight | 216g or 269g packed in storage bag |
| Size (packed) | 12 x 10 x 6.5 cm |
| Boil time* | 3 minutes 28 seconds |
| Power output | 2,900W (9,895 BTU/hr) |
This is a user-friendly stove that is well suited to beginner backpackers. It’s very affordably priced, with a robust build and a simple, easy to use design. It is solidly made, with chunky components and a built-in, fully enclosed piezo ignition system that is very straightforward – just press the big red button. There are no small parts to lose or break either. To set it up, you just fold out the triple pot supports, attach it to a gas canister, and you’re ready to go.
It's worth noting that unlike a lot of other stoves, this one doesn’t use threaded, screw-in gas canisters. Instead, it requires Campingaz blue-coloured CV canisters, which use the brand’s ‘Easy-Clic’ system. It’s well named – there’s no need to worry about cross-threading the canister or over-tightening it. With this system, you just push the stove down onto the top of the gas canister and twist it clockwise until it clicks. The canisters are self-sealing, so you can easily remove the stove and pack everything away when you’ve finished cooking.
The Twister Plus PZ is supplied with a hard storage case, which is made from sturdy plastic and slips easily into a rucksack pocket. It offers more protection from bumps than a storage bag, though this obviously comes with a slight weight penalty too.
Performance
The stove roars into life and has a punchy rated output of 2,900W. It delivers reasonably consistent heat with decent simmer control, and it has a heatshield above the plastic control knob to guard against burnt fingers. It lacks a regulator for controlling the flow of gas as the canister empties or in cold conditions though. But the piezo ignition proved one of the most reliable we tested – a single push and it sparked the stove into life, every time, which is more than can be said for many rivals.
The burner head and pot supports are chunkier and wider than most backpacking-style stoves, which aids stability. Of course, this also means it is bulkier and heavier as a result. The total height of the stove from the top of the canister to the base of the pot is 10cm, which is fairly tall. At least the burner head sits close to the base of the pot, which helps with heat transfer, fuel efficiency and wind-resistance. But we found that while a stiff breeze won’t blow out the stove, it will move the flame around, so it’s still worth finding a sheltered spot before you brew up or start cooking.
In our boil test, the stove boiled half a litre of water in 3 minutes and 28 seconds – that was in real world conditions, with a 6mph breeze. That was about a minute slower than the SOTO Windmaster and MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe, and 40 seconds or so slower than the Jetboil MightyMo, but quicker than the other ultralight micro stoves we tested, like the Robens Fire Midge and the Vango Atom. It was also faster than remote canister stoves like the Optimus Vega and the Highlander Triplex.
Weight and packed size
The Campingaz Twister Plus PZ weighs 216g, or 269g when packed in its plastic storage case. That is double the packed weight of the MSR and SOTO backpacking stoves we tested, and three times as heavy as the superlight Vango Atom (70g packed). So, this isn’t the best option if you’re really counting grams when packing for the trail.
Though it folds up and stashes neatly inside its storage case, it isn’t the most compact stove either, measuring about 12 x 10.5cm. Still, we don’t think this stove is too bulky to be practicable for wild camping trips or even most backpacking adventures – it slips easily into the side pocket of a rucksack.
Ease of use
The stove itself is extremely easy to set up and use. The only factor that really affects ease of use is the need to use Campingaz’s own blue-coloured CV gas canisters, not other screw-in types. These CV gas canisters are self-sealing and widely available in the UK and across most of Europe. When we checked, they had them in our local Go Outdoors shop. But you might struggle to find them in more out-of-the-way places, which could be an issue if you haven’t packed enough fuel for your trip.
It's also worth noting that there are two different types of gas available. Both will work with the Twister Plus stove but are designed for different temperatures. The standard blue CV canisters are filled with a butane-propane mix that works best in warmer weather, while the ‘all-season’ mix is filled with an isobutane-propane mix that is designed to function even in temperatures as low as -10°C. The all-season CV canisters are also blue coloured but have an additional red band around the top. However, they’re only currently available in the larger 470g size.
Price and competition
With a UK RRP of £27.99, the Campingaz Twister Plus PZ is one of the most affordable gas stoves on the market. A good target price is about £20, which is almost unbeatable value. The only stoves we’ve tested and would recommend as true rivals on this front are the Alpkit Kraku (£25) and the BRS-3000t (£18.95). Those are both tiny, ultralight backpacking stoves that knock the Twister Plus PZ out of the park when it comes to packed size and weight. But in terms of cooking performance, they’re nowhere near as versatile or stable, with limited simmer control and tiny burner heads that often cause hotspots – not a problem if you’re just boiling water, but not ideal for actually cooking anything.
There’s also something to be said for Campingaz’s longevity and reliability as a manufacturer compared to these challenger brands – after all, they’ve been making stoves since 1949 and give you a 1-year warranty as standard.
In summary, the Twister Plus PZ does a decent job whether you’re brewing up in the hills or cooking breakfast on a campsite. It’s also robust, reliable and user-friendly. And unless you’re a gram-counting ultralighter, the added bulk and weight is unlikely to be a deal-breaker, since it still packs away into a fairly convenient fist-sized package.
Having said all that, for only a few quid more, you could look at our ‘Best Value’ pick for 2024, the Vango Atom. This is a lighter and more packable option that still offers more stability than the ultralight micro rivals listed above – though again, like those it’s very much a no-frills stove. For example, it lacks the simmer control and the in-built piezo ignition of the Twister Plus PZ. The choice really depends on whether you value convenience and versatility over minimal weight and packed size, and whether you’ll be cooking over your stove or simply boiling water for rehydrating pouch meals.
Verdict
A cheap and cheerful stove that does the job on a campsite or in the hills. Although it isn’t the lightest or most compact, it packs away neatly and feels fairly robust.
How we tested the Campingaz Twister Plus PZ
Our tester for the Campingaz Twister Plus PZ was Matt Jones. As the former editor of Walk magazine and Scouting magazine, Matt is one of the most respected names in the UK outdoor industry. He currently lives in Snowdonia with his partner Ellie.