Liquid fuel camping stoves are available in small, single burner backpacking configurations and large two and three burner tabletop models that are suitable for family camping. Coleman is currently the only manufacturer of liquid fuel, multi-burner, camping stoves for family camping. The advent of disposable propane canister stoves has greatly reduced the interest in these liquid fuel versions, but Coleman continues to support four models.
The venerable Coleman Model 425 stove dates from the late 1940s and remains largely unchanged, today. Its simplicity and durability are proven by the fact that many twenty, and even thirty, year old Model 425s are still in use. They may not be as easy to start as their propane-fueled counterparts are, and they require periodic cleaning and maintenance, but white gas stoves burn hot and are not affected by altitude, like propane camping stoves.
Coleman updated their original design to support unleaded gasoline, as well as traditional white gas, creating the Model 424 stove. Unleaded gasoline does not burn nearly as clean as white gas, and is only recommended for world travelers that find themselves in locations where white gas is not available. Diesel fuel cannot be used in these stoves and Coleman does not recommend unleaded gasoline that contains more than 10% ethanol. The instruction manual for the Coleman dual fuel stoves also clearly states that, unleaded fuels may vary in quality and can affect generator life.
The generator that the instructions are referring to is the gas tube that connects the fuel tank to the main burner assembly.
At 32-inches wide, the three-burner Model 428 adds a second auxiliary burner and the larger, 3.5-pint, fuel tank from the Powerhouse Model 424. The other models use a 2.5-pint fuel tank. Because of the larger fuel tank, the total operating times of all the Coleman stoves is a similar two hours, with all of the burners on their highest settings.
How durable and reliable are these Coleman camping stoves? I recently purchased a 1964 model 425 stove for another project on CampingBlogger. Have a look, while I attempt to fire up the stove for the first time…
See also…
- Propane Camping Stoves for Family Camping
- 10 Outside-the-Box Camping Stoves
- Now You’re Cooking With(out) Gas
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My coleman stove is 40 years old. The cooler is about 20 years old. Really wish they still made the same cooler.
Coleman has been an amazing brand for may years. They continue to produce excellent equipment.
sanmccarron – I’m visiting my parents next month and hope to find their old Coleman 425. I have not looked at the “new” metal coolers to see if they are like the old ones. They look the same, but that isn’t always the best indicator.
Justin – It is a great brand, everybody knows Coleman!
I still have a couple of 40+ year old single burner stoves from them. They work great. I have a double burner one too and it works great but isn’t nearly that old. I also got my Dad one of the new metal coolers because his old original metal one finally died. He really likes the new metal one. He tried plastic coolers for awhile but wasn’t happy with them.
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I was wondering how good the new metal ones are – I grew up with one of the old green ones.
Have an old colman double burner model #425F does anyone have a direction booklet I can copy?
Robert – you can print a copy of the manual here:
***oldtownyucca.com/coleman/scans/426d_1.htm11/8/2009 Update – this link is now being reported as a security risk, so I’ve crossed it out. The following link is for current Coleman product manuals:
http://www.coleman.com/coleman/manuals/manuals_resp.asp?category_id=1100
We recently purchased a colemen liquid white fuel Model 425 campstove. The only thing this stove did was leak fuel and cause a rather sizeable fire in our back yard. The stove was brand new. We would be open to any suggestions to getting this stove to work. Thanks
Hey, I have taken trips to Greenland and they use the old liquid fuel camping stoves there too. I always thought they ran on diesel, because that is what they heat their homes with, heating oil. Are there any cook stoves that run off of heating oil? Thanks for this great blog.
Try the DragonFly from MSR they can run on Multi-Fuel: Burns white gas, kerosene, unleaded auto fuel, diesel, and jet fuel.
I have an older 3 burner Coleman liquid fuel stove. I can’t seem to keep it lit. Fuel seems to be collecting where the fuel line connects to the stove. Any suggestions? There is no model number on it. Can I assume the model number would be the same as the current one they make now? It has to be at least 40 years old. Thanks.
Jim and Kathy – check this page out on how to look for leaks and rebuild your stove:
***.lns.cornell.edu/~seb/philmont-coleman.html11/29/09 Update: This page has been taken down, so I’m posting a link to an archive of it: http://web.archive.org/web/20080803055916/http://www.lns.cornell.edu/~seb/philmont-coleman.html
arctikbound – you bet, all the major backpack stove makers, like Optimus and MSR, have multi-fuel models that support diesel.
I have a old coleman insta gas stove and oven that i pick up at a yard sale and was trying to find somethings about it maybe where i could get parts and such
I was just given a Coleman 425 c that belonged to my great-grandfather. According to my mother, this stove is at least 50 yrs old, possibly older. It still works great and i know how to operate it, but i was wondering if there was an online resource for an instruction manual as well as replacement parts for that particular model. Thanks.
Stayce – I’ll bet the current Coleman 424 manual will work just fine, as these stoves have not changed a great deal:
http://www.coleman.com/coleman/manuals/manuals_resp.asp?category_id=1100