Camp Chef Pro 60X Review

We loved testing the Camp Chef Pro 60x as long as we didn't have to carry it too far. This powerful freestanding stove has premium features like 30,000 BTU burners and fold-out side tables. Sadly, these great features come at a cost. This stove is expensive, heavy, and awkward to carry around. Once it was in position, though, we loved using it.

Performance Comparison

Boil Time

This metric involved two tests. We boiled water on each stove in a windless garage and then we simulated wind with a box fan and boiled again before ranking the stoves based on an average between the two. The Pro 60x had an average boil time of 4 minutes 46 seconds, which was among the best times in our review. In the windy test, it boiled 1 liter of water in the presence of 2-4 mph wind (measured by a pocket anemometer) in 5 minutes and 40 seconds. This was a slightly above-average score, though we would have expected better for the price and power. Then in the wind-less test, it had a boil time of 3 minutes and 53 seconds, which was one of the faster boil times in our review.

With two 30,000 BTU burners — the second most powerful burners in our review fleet — we would have expected this stove to also have the second-fastest boil time. Especially in the wind-less test. This just wasn't the case. We think the slower relative boil time is due to the space between the burner and the cooking grate, as well as the minimal windscreen. This stove has a detachable and foldable windscreen that provides some resistance from a cross-wind, and it also has a sizable drip pan that protects the flame from any wind that might circulate under the stove, but it does not provide enough protection to ace our windy boil test. While boil times do tell us something meaningful about overall performance, it should not be a deterrent if you think this stove is right for you. The Pro 60X has powerful burners with excellent flame control, and the burners produce enough heat to keep up with whatever feast you can concoct.

Fuel Efficiency

Beyond evaluating each stove for how quickly it boiled water in windless and windy conditions, we also measured how fuel-efficient each was compared to one another. The Pro 60x is very fuel-efficient, similar to other stoves that are only compatible with a large propane canister. Over the two tests, this stove used an average of 1.12 ounces or 0.28% of the fuel in our 11-pound propane tank. In our wind test, it used 2.24 ounces of fuel, and in the windless test, our scale did not discern a change in the weight of the propane canister at all.

Simmering Ability

With 30,000 BTUs per burner, dialing in the appropriate heat settings with the Pro 60Xcan take some patience and finesse. It has a nice low setting, but the medium setting is quite high, and the flame jumps up pretty quickly. As you get used to fine-tuning the knob, finding the delicate in-between temperature settings becomes easier. The flame does go very low and cooks beautifully with nearly the same feel as cooking on an indoor stove. When cooking a full-size meal, this stove shines, and it's clear it was designed to accommodate backcountry feasts. That said, the design is such that the flame is several inches away from your cookware, which means a breeze can flow between the flame and your pot, causing the flame to whip around. Typically when this happened to us, the flame would stay lit, but there were a few times when it went out, and we had to re-light the burner. This happened with all our freestanding models due to their open and airy designs.

Ease of Use

The Pro 60x is one of the more challenging stoves to use. The legs fold under the table and lock into place when not in use. To unfold the legs, you press a quick-release button to swing them into position. Out of the box, most of the legs swing out with ease, but our reviewers suspect the buttons will become dirty and less easy to release over time.

One of the key features that distinguish this stove from others on the market is its two foldable wings that function as side tables. These fold out easily to rest on the stove's side handles and are a great space-saving feature. Though, you could probably afford two tables and two tabletop stoves for the price of this one.

The windscreen is detachable and folds up when not in use. To install the windscreen, you simply attach it to the lip of the stove with the four tabs on the screen. While no aspect of the setup is particularly difficult, it is more labor-intensive than setting up other stoves in our review.

Cleaning and maintaining this stove requires more attention and care than other smaller models. To clean the drip pan, you have to unscrew a wingnut before lifting out the cooking grate. Then you can scrub down the drip pan, which is under the burners. The drip pan can be removed to clean it more thoroughly and more easily maneuver your scrubby around the burners, but this would require wrenches, time, and dedication. While not an insurmountable obstacle, cleaning this drip pan is undoubtedly more laborious than wiping down other stoves.

Portability

If you've read this far in the review, it should come as no surprise that the Pro 60x scored low in terms of portability. Weighing in at 44.7 pounds, it is by far the heaviest stove in our review. With packed dimensions of 35" x 14.5" x 9.25" excluding the legs, it proves unwieldy in addition to its heft. While it does have two folding side handles and a fixed handle on the back, the folding handles can be challenging to secure into position.

If you want to carry the stove a longer distance, you will want to use the fixed side handle. Easier said than done because the folding side-tables that double as a lid for transport don't have a latch to hold them in place. This means you either need to carry the stove with the lids pointed toward your body or risk having them swing open while you transport the stove sideways. Either way, it makes for an awkward carry that could be rectified with a simple design solution. We hope that future iterations of the stove address this problem.

Should You Buy the Camp Chef Pro 60X?

The Pro 60x is a high-end stove, and the price tag reflects this reality. If you are looking for a heavy-duty stove with premium features to cook lavish backcountry feasts, and you want a stove that is compatible with tons of extra accessories (like a pizza oven, barbeque grill, or a griddle), then the price and weight are unlikely to be a deterrent. This stove has powerful burners with excellent low-end control, so it can cook as well as some home kitchens (if not better). For many outdoor chefs, these extra features will prove unnecessary and are unlikely to make up for the steep price tag.

What Other Camping Stoves Should You Consider?

If you arrived at this review because you are looking for the perfect luxury camping stove but crave something more portable, we love the Camp Chef Mountaineer. It is well-designed, durable, and earns top marks in nearly all of our review metrics. The JetBoil Genesis Basecamp is another excellent option for a design-conscious gear nerd looking for a feature-rich stove that pairs with a lot of accessories.