It's a good idea to set off on a camping excursion with a couple of camp stoves. While you might have a large, propane-powered stove with multiple burners to do the bulk of your cooking, a small, collapsible camp stove can also be a good product to carry. These stoves use twigs as fuel, rather than propane. The small size of this device means that you won't likely plan to do the bulk of your cooking with it, but it can certainly come in handy when the need arises. Here are three situations that may compel you to use your collapsible camp stove.

Problems With Your Main Stove

A large camping stove can suffer from a variety of issues that prevent you from using it. For example, one of the burners could burn out partway through your camping trip, or you could have less propane than expected — and not be close enough to a place where you can fill your tank. In these scenarios, you'll appreciate being able to rely on your small, collapsible camp stove. Even if it takes longer to cook your food, this device can make a major difference in the ease of cooking for you and your camping companions.

Requiring Heat On A Hike

A small, collapsible camp stove is compact enough that you can carry it in your hiking backpack whenever you leave your campsite. Conversely, your main camping stove and propane tank are large enough that they're not overly portable. Carrying your small stove on a long hike is always a good idea. For example, if you were to become cold because of either getting wet or encountering chilly weather, you might want to warm up before you return to your campsite. Being able to feed some twigs into your small camp stove and get a fire burning can dramatically improve your comfort level.

Cooking For A Larger-Than-Expected Group

Sometimes, your camping group will meet with new friends and decide to get together for a meal. It's possible that the other group doesn't have a proper camping stove to contribute to the effort — and you may be concerned about your ability to cook enough food. While your main camping stove may provide the bulk of the fare, it's a good idea to use your collapsible stove alongside it. The latter stove can hold one pan of food, and this may be the difference in keeping the larger-than-expected group well fed. Shop for a collapsible camp stove at a camping accessories store.