Gadget review: Trekmates Flameless Camping Stove

Every now and then you come across a gadget so unique that it just catches your eye, and the flameless camping stove does just that.

No match, no lighter, no gas canister, no batteries, and no wood. Trekmates have produced a neat little piece of equipment that produces a hot meal in a hurry with a minimal of fuss.

Initially I found it strange to look at. Could this tidy little piece of apparatus really cook my dinner? Apparently so. But my scepticism remained. After all, gas stoves and campfires have always done the job, right?

With the odd appearance of a small tupperware box, the flameless stove takes up very little room in your rucksack and travels pretty well.

Removing the lid reveals a smaller stainless steel cooking tray inside, which once removed will be used to hold your dinner-to-be. Trekmates also have a range of dried meals which can come in handy here (I can recommend the pasta with cheese and ham) but almost any food can be heated up here.

The heat pack (which looks like a giant teabag) is placed into the outer container before pouring a dash of water over it. This is where I was amazed. The water causes a chemical reaction with the pad right before your eyes to give off an impressive heat, at which point you cover it with the steel tub full of food and click the lid into place. Let it heat through for ten minutes and you’ve got yourself a meal.

As someone who normally takes portable gas cookers camping, I find this to be a radical departure. The whole outer tub has a neoprene sleeve which allows you to pick up the hot box and start eating it right away. It continues to heat while you eat - the food never gets cold.

Once packed up, the flameless stove is fairly compact. Ideal for hiking and outdoor trips, one particular strength is that you can use it places where you wouldn’t be able to fire up a gas or wood-burning cooker. In more confined spaces, such as a small tent, where a flame would be dangerous, this little box could really come in handy. Even putting it outside in a blustery environment won’t impede the cooking process. As there’s no flame to blow out, Trekmates have developed a product here that still runs at an impressive efficiency even in poorer conditions.

The thing is, I’m also the lazy sort - if there’s a shortcut you can bet I’ll find it. That’s how I found that you can make cleaning the cooking tray even easier by just adding some water to it and sealing it up again. That way you can use the residual heat from the spent pack to help soak the inside and make doing the dishes even easier.

As for the heating element, the real test comes down to affordability of the heatpacks. With two types available (highpower or Superpower), both retail at around £10 for a pack of five. Not too bad at all.

However as an added bonus, Trekmates have developed a points and reward system, whereby each product or heat pack bought earns you a discount on your next purchase.

Also available is a flameless cook flask for liquids or soups.

To be honest, I liked this stove so much I’m actually suspicious of it. I find myself constantly looking for the downside, but as yet I just can’t find one. I suppose the mistrust is down to my inherent preference for campfires.

But either way I’ll just have to face up to the fact: whether you’re camping, hiking, or travelling in the outdoors, the Trekmates Flameless Camping Stove could be a handy addition to your rucksack.

• www.flamelesscook.com/

• www.trekmates.co.uk