You’re standing in the middle of a windy campsite, four hungry kids are vibrating with energy, and the "compact" stove you bought online is struggling to boil a single pot of water. It’s frustrating. Honestly, it's enough to make you want to pack up and hit a drive-thru. But then you look over at the next site and see someone effortlessly churning out pancakes, bacon, and coffee all at once on a massive beast of a rig. That rig is almost certainly a Camp Chef three burner stove.
Size matters.
People often think they can get by with a standard two-burner tabletop unit, but those are basically the studio apartments of the cooking world. They’re cramped. If you put a 12-inch skillet on one burner, the second burner becomes practically useless for anything larger than a tin cup. The Camp Chef three burner stove—specifically the Pro 90X or the classic Big Combo—changes the math entirely. It’s not just about having an extra burner; it's about the square inches of "real estate" that allow you to cook like a human being rather than a Tetris player.
The Raw Power Nobody Tells You About
Most indoor kitchen ranges put out maybe 7,000 to 12,000 BTUs per burner. That’s fine for a simmer. But the Camp Chef three burner stove usually pumps out 30,000 BTUs per burner. That is an insane amount of heat. You can literally boil a massive pot of corn or pasta in minutes, even when the wind is whipping off the lake.
Heat is everything.
When you have 90,000 total BTUs at your disposal, you aren't just "camping." You're running a commercial-grade outdoor kitchen. I’ve seen people try to use these stoves for the first time and they almost always burn the bacon because they treat it like their electric stove at home. You have to learn to respect the dial. Most of your cooking will happen at "low" or "medium-low." That overhead—that extra power—is there for when the ambient temperature drops to 40 degrees and you need to get coffee into your system before you lose your mind.
The Modular Ecosystem Advantage
One thing that makes this specific stove stand out from competitors like Coleman or Blackstone is the modularity. Camp Chef designed a 16-inch system. This means their accessories—like the professional grill box or the massive cast-iron griddles—fit perfectly over one, two, or even all three burners.
Imagine this.
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You have a flat-top griddle covering two burners for a mountain of hash browns. On the third burner, you have a percolator going. You don't have to swap things out. You don't have to wait. This versatility is why these stoves are the gold standard for Dutch Oven Gatherings (DOGs) and Boy Scout troops. They’re built to be beat up. The legs fold under, the side shelves fold out, and the whole thing feels like it was forged in a tank factory.
What Most People Get Wrong About Portability
Let's be real: this thing is heavy.
If you’re looking for something to throw in the back of a Prius for a quick solo overnight, this isn't it. The Pro 90X weighs nearly 60 pounds. It’s a commitment. I’ve talked to many campers who bought the triple burner thinking they’d use it for every trip, only to realize it takes up a significant chunk of their trunk space.
But here’s the trade-off.
You gain a level of stability that tabletop stoves can't touch. Because it stands on its own four legs, you aren't fighting for space on a communal picnic table that might be covered in sap or bird droppings. You have your own dedicated cooking station. Most models now include leveling legs, which is a godsend because, as anyone who has ever cooked outside knows, the ground is never actually flat. Trying to fry an egg on a tilted surface is a recipe for a bad morning.
Durability and the "Forever" Gear Mindset
We live in an era of disposable gear. You buy a cheap stove, the regulator leaks after two seasons, and you toss it. The Camp Chef three burner stove is built differently. The manifold is sturdy. The brass valves don't seize up after a little rain.
I’ve seen 15-year-old Camp Chef stoves that look like they’ve been through a war zone—covered in grease, soot, and scratches—that still roar to life on the first click of the igniter. Speaking of igniters, the built-in matchless ignition on the newer "X" series models is actually reliable. Usually, piezo igniters are the first thing to break on a stove, but Camp Chef seems to have cracked the code on making them last longer than a single summer.
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Windy Conditions: The Silent Killer
Wind is the enemy of outdoor cooking. It sucks the heat away from the bottom of your pans and can even blow out a flame entirely. The Camp Chef three burner stove handles this better than most because of the recessed burner design and the three-sided windscreen.
But it’s not perfect.
If you’re in a true gale, you’ll still see a drop in efficiency. Expert users often buy the additional "wind guards" or position their vehicle as a block. However, compared to a standard open-burner stove, the Camp Chef stays lit when others quit. It’s that brute force 30,000 BTU output again; it simply pushes through the breeze.
Real World Performance: Not Just for Pancakes
While everyone talks about breakfast, the true power of the triple burner shines during dinner. You can have a heavy 14-inch cast iron skillet searing steaks on one side, a pot of boiling potatoes in the middle, and a vegetable sauté on the right.
Try doing that on a two-burner. It’s impossible.
The spacing between burners is generous. You aren't knocking handles together or worrying about a pot sliding off the edge. This is especially vital if you’re cooking for a group of six or more. If you’re the designated camp chef (pun intended), the extra burner is the difference between eating with your friends and eating 30 minutes after everyone else is finished.
Maintenance Is Non-Negotiable
If you want this stove to last twenty years, you have to treat it right.
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- Check your hoses: Propane hoses can dry rot. Check them every spring.
- Clean the venturis: Spiders love to crawl into the burner tubes and spin webs. This blocks gas flow and causes "yellow flame," which soots up your pots. A quick pipe cleaner through the air shutter fixes it.
- Oil the griddles: If you use the steel griddle attachment, treat it like cast iron. Clean it while it's warm, oil it, and never store it damp.
Is the Three Burner Overkill for You?
Honestly? Maybe.
If you mostly camp as a couple, a two-burner Explorer model is probably plenty. You save weight and about 12 inches of horizontal space. But if you ever host "base camp" for a larger group, or if you take your outdoor cooking seriously enough to want a pizza oven or a large-scale BBQ box, you will regret not having that third burner.
It’s about the "extra gear" potential.
The Camp Chef ecosystem is addictive. You start with the stove. Then you buy the griddle. Then you see the artisan pizza oven attachment. Then you realize you need the third burner just to keep your water boiling while the pizza cooks. It’s a slippery slope toward becoming the best cook in the woods.
Actionable Steps for New Owners
If you just picked up a Camp Chef three burner stove, or you're about to, do these things first:
- Perform a leak test: Get a spray bottle with soapy water. Spray every connection point from the tank to the stove. If you see bubbles, tighten it. Don't skip this.
- Burn it off: Fire up all three burners on high for about 10 minutes at home before your trip. This burns off the factory oils and coatings so your first meal doesn't taste like a machine shop.
- Invest in the carry bags: Don't try to lug this thing around loose. The official bags are heavy-duty and keep the grease from your stove from ruining the carpet in your SUV.
- Get a 20lb tank: Forget the little green 1lb bottles. They can't provide the pressure needed to run three 30k BTU burners simultaneously for very long. Use a standard BBQ tank with a proper hose.
- Check the flame color: You want a crisp blue flame. If it’s mostly orange, adjust the air shutters (the little sliding metal discs near the valves) until the air-to-fuel ratio is correct.
Having a stove this powerful changes how you plan your trips. You stop thinking about "camping food" like hot dogs and start thinking about stir-fry, deep-dish pizza, and full-scale taco bars. It turns the chore of cooking into the highlight of the trip. Just make sure you have someone else on cleanup duty—you did the hard work of providing the 90,000 BTUs of glory.