Here we review the Karrimor Alpine Stove to find out how it fared in terms of boil time, temperature control and value for money overall…
www.sportsdirect.com | £49.99
Boil time:4 minutes
Best in test
Over the years we’ve become quite fond of Karrimor kit. The brand makes excellent rucksacks, boots and jackets, and even in recent years (after being bought by Sports Direct) when all production was moved to the Far East, the kit is still mostly up-to-scratch, although for a lower level of outdoor activity. Its entry for this review is the Alpine Stove, a free-standing gas stove with Piezo ignition and a useful storage sack.
While the registered retail price of the stove is £44.99, you can pick it up for about £17 online. At this price the Alpine Stove is a perfect example of value for money and if you’re an occasional camper then you’re unlikely to need anything more than this. In our tests the Alpine Stove brought half a litre of water to the boil in four minutes – not the fastest time but certainly not bad. There’s a nice amount of heat control and it’s also great to see a pre-heat tube that heats the gas up before it’s released, to allow more efficient and smooth use in colder temperatures.
What I really like about the Alpine Stove is how stable it is. This is the advantage of most free-standing (rather than on-canister) stoves, but this one felt positively solid, and the centre of gravity is low enough to not cause any toppling issues, while the wide pot supports mean you don’t need to worry about the pot being unstable.
The Alpine Stove weighs in at 169g and, while it’s not the lightest stove on test, it’s a decent figure for those counting the grammes, especially when you consider its free standing design. The Piezo lighter works well on most occasions, lighting on near enough the first click, and is a welcome addition.
All in all the Alpine Stove is a very nice stove indeed. We love how solid and stable it feels, but most of all we love that price tag. If you shop around and pick it up for £17 it’s well worth a buy.
Karrimor Alpine Stove Verdict
Superb value for money.
Boil time: 8/10
Weight: 8/10
Stability: 9/10
Value for money: 9/10
Overall: 9/10