New Toy: 40 Year-Old Coleman Stove

This is what camping geeks look for on the Internet: vintage stoves! Call it a sickness, call it a midlife crisis, but when I saw this early 60’s Coleman® 425C for sale I just couldn’t pass it up. The “C” model of the 425 series was made in 1961, 1963 and 1964. I do not think there is any way to tell exactly when this particular one was originally sold, but it’s fun to have a forty-something year-old camping stove.

1960s Coleman 425C stove

Coleman 425 Camp Stove History

Model 425: 1948 to 1953
Model 425B: 1954 to 1960 & 1962
Model 425C: 1961 & 1963 to 1964
Model 425D: 1965 to 1966
Model 425E: 1967 & 1970 to present
Model 425G: 1968 to 1969

Coleman 425C stove model number

I’m looking forward to getting my “new” stove out and putting it through its paces. Will this replace my propane stove? I think it will, owing to the nostalgia factor and the fact that it should make for a nice campground conversation piece.

MSR Fuel BottleOne of the reasons these liquid fuel stoves are not as popular as their propane brethren is that transporting the fuel can be a pain. It leaks, it smells and it’s just a big hassle compared to the disposable propane canisters. I plan to carry the fuel in a MSR® bottle, which will be a lot less prone to leaks than the 1-gallon can that the Coleman fuel comes in. The fuel tank on the Coleman stove is 40-ounces and the largest MSR bottle is 30-ounces, so two of the bottles should be sufficient for even weeklong camping trips.

See also…

119 thoughts on “New Toy: 40 Year-Old Coleman Stove”

  1. I have a question. Can anyone give me an approximate year the Coleman Stove 526B was made? I have one in the original box that belonged to my grandfather and has never been removed from the box. My grandfather has been gone for nearly 42 years. I found the stove in his storage area in a basement.

  2. I have a model 425 that has never been used, still in the box. In fact, it was wrapped at the factory with newspaper from the Spokane Daily Chronicle, dated March 20, 1956. The tank is painted copper colored. My neighbor gave it to me years ago because he knew we loved to go camping as a family. He said he bought it and never used it. It sat in his garage for about 40 years. It’s literally brand new. Just wondering if anybody knows if there is any value in vintage stoves in mint condition.

    • e-bay it and see if u like the bid but the way things are going u might want to save it in case we all have to head for the hill’s ,so to speak

      • I agree steve, I have two propane,three gas stoves & 3 gas lanterns. None of which are for sale now or later. Also 10 oil lamps & gallons of oil so far. I’d rather have and not need than need and not have.

        • Ive been going through alot of my grandparents old things and i have 2 model 2 gas stoves a lantern, and juse found a model 4250 camping stove just like the one in the picture…cant wait to try it out. Just goes to show you that they dont make things like they used to!

  3. Hi all,
    ran across this forum and love it. I used to have a 425e stove and two 220 lanterns years ago and let them go in a garage sale. Now with renewed interest I have re accumulated 3 425e’s,& 3 propane stoves ,2 220 E&F lanterns and a newer Coleman gas lantern still in box new.

  4. Hi all,
    ran across this forum and love it. I used to have a 425e stove and two 220 lanterns years ago and let them go in a garage sale. Now with renewed interest I have re accumulated 3 425e’s,& 3 propane stoves ,2 220 E&F lanterns and a newer Coleman gas lantern still in box new. One of the stove tanks will not pump up and could not get one of the lanterns to light. I will be taking these apart to clean & repair as needed

  5. I have a 425 stove and would like to know the fastest way to put fuel in to it! the only way i found was to pull the plunger out and pour the gas in there! But it wont go down! the only way that it would go down is if i put the plunger back in and pushed it down! I pulled the little rod out befor all of this! the tank is a gold color! im going canping this weekend and I was going to take it! so I need HELP PLEASE

  6. I have a coleman 425e stove, and my old red fuel tank keep going up and down when it was lit, so I converted it over to propane. I Googled propane regulator and bought it from dicks sporting goods. It’s cheaper to go propane because the white gas that is recommended for it is around 10 bucks a can at walmart, and that’s to expensive.

  7. I found a 425 coleman stove at Salvation Army, It has a round seamed fuel tank. But the legs that normaly fold under the stove has locking device ear on the stove front making the legs stand up vertically instead of folding them under the stove, Does any one have a stove like this?? No date on the stove or fuel tank??

  8. I found another coleman metal table with 3 stools red cloth coverings, Mdl 640 manufactured sometime in the 1950’s, I haven’t seen to many of these in the last 50 years Norm

    • I have a coleman camping table #640 in pristine condition. I’ve had it 30 years and used it one time. I bought it at a garage sale and the seller told me he used it once. Shiny hardware and great fabric & paint, still in the original box. Anyone know the value or interested in it?

      • I have an old coleman table, that opens like a suitcase, 4 legs inside that slide in each corner when assembled, anyone know of parts for this?? esp. the clamp that holds the 4 legs inside when unassembled???

  9. I just bought a 413E coleman at a goodwill store for $10. The fuel tank is gold in color, would the manufacturing date be early 60’s? I tried starting it up and it just spit and sputtered, the tank still had fuel in the tank. Would this be a good guess that the fuel is generic or just old fuel? Or would it need a good cleaning and how would I go about doing that? Thanks for your time and support.

    James

    • It could just need a new generator. However, did you follow the lighting procedure? Put at least 20 pumps of pressure in the tank. Turn the lighting lever to the up position. Open the valve full left. after ignition pump additional air into tank every few seconds for one minute before turning lighting lever to the down position. Then adjusting the flame down to desired level with the valve. Make sure the Auxiliary burner is shut off during lighting. If the tank doesn’t hold pressure the cap may need a new gasket. The pump works by turning the pump knob 2 turns to the left (C.C.) and then pumping with your thumb covering the hole. After pumping close the pump valve by turning the knob back 2 turns to the right. If the pump does not work, which you test by attempting to pump with the valve closed, the leather pump cup may need to be replaced or soaked in Neatsfoot Oil with te cup inverted.

      • How long did you let it burn for? Sometimes they “sputter” until the feed tube gets hot and then they run smoothly. If you did that, then I agree with the others, that you may need a new generator and you can get that from Coleman’s web site.

    • Check out this video I found on youtube. It has helped me a lot. I have a 413e but it is from the late 50’s and has a red tank. I got mine running by simply adding some 3-and-one oil to the gasket in the plunger. It has a little leather boot which was totally dried out. It does not sound like the same problem as you have but this video can help with a lot I think. Good luck!
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwO38fX_lT4

  10. I have a Coleman 2 burner 425F I picked up at a yard sale for 10.00 bucks.
    Can anyone tell me how old it is?

  11. Hey guys! Hope all is well in this crazy weather/expensive gas new year. I found a propane conversion that fits Coleman gas stoves. I think it’s made by Academy. Anyhow has anyone used one? I thought it would make a great “duel fuel” stove out of my old 425. It looks like it will fit in the stove so its available if needed. I’m looking at all my camping and fishing gear waiting for this Loooooong winter to end. Thanks.

  12. Is anyone familiar with the Coleman 415D gas two-burner stove. I was given one a few years ago in college. My boss at the ourdoor center in the student union was going to pitch it, said it was old and didn’t work well, and that modern kids couldn’t work it. I took it apart and totally cleaned everything. It looks very old, like it may have been used by grampa when he was fighting germans in Bastone The tank is a cylinder with the pump on one end and the cap on the other. The tank is painted an Army brown color and the stove is Khaki green. The legs are wire and fold up to lock the lid down like those portable hibachis you get at Wal-Mart. Pat No is 1718473. It works just fine and I use more than anyother camp stove I have.

  13. Update on my 425E. It turns out the pump wasn’t holding any pressure, so I picked up a replacement kit at Walmart. It worked like a champ and put out plenty of heat for cooking breakfast. Bacon in a cast iron skillet and some scrambled eggs. Didn’t try cooking on the second burner, but it lit right up as well.

    • Your 425 probably just needed a new pump cup. Was the old one Leather? If so it is probably still good. it just needs to be turned inside out and soaked in Neatsfoot oil for a few minutes. Wipe off excess oil and return to original orientation. and reinstall. The old leather pump cups are superior to the newer Neoprene pump cups. The newer cups don’t work well in cold weather. The pump cup is also not responsible for hold the pressure in the tank. There is a check valve with a valve/air-stem that slides inside the pump shaft. Sometimes that check valve gets something in it and leaks when the air-stem is not closed. Depending on the age of the stove sometimes one has to replace the gasket in the fuel cap (especially the older three-piece caps).

  14. I have a pretty old coleman…and the number on the box is 413G499. Any idea of its age and worth??

    • Are you sure that is the number? usually the last 3 digits are the production month/year. In this case, it is April 1999.

    • That’s a no on that date. You will find the date on the tabs of the Tank. and sometimes on the bottom of the stove it’s self. The 413G was manufactured during the late ’60’s and early to mid ’70’s. My Grandfather’s 413G is dated to 1974 and it complete model number is 413G499. I have another one that dates to 196?. can’t remember at the moment.

  15. Coleman products are what camping is all about. The older products that they made are of the best quality ever produced. The newer ones, not so much. I am hoping that they take this to heart and start building things like they used to, even if the prices have to increase a little. People will gladly pay the price for better quality. Bring back the “old Coleman”

  16. Just found this site very informative .
    I knew it was a 425_ had to go look.
    Its a B so my old.reliable stove is as old as I am.
    I know that I have put a pump rebuild in it and just recently modded the cap because it was leaking other than that works likea charm

  17. I recently received a 425E from my dad. The date stamp on the tank tabs is 6-6-9, which I assume means June, 1969.

    Anyway, I tried to test it out and the tank did not seem to hold any air. There was still fuel in the tank that was about 5 years old (my dad last used it during the power outages post-Katrina).

    Do I need to rebuild the pump/valve assembly? Did having the fuel in it so long ruin the valve gaskets?

    • I picked up a new pump valve kit at Wally World this morning, as well as a fresh can of camp fuel. I am going to see if I can get it going before we leave for the campsite this afternoon.

      • It’s more likely that the gasket in the fuel cap has gone bad and will need to be replaced. the way to check the pump is to close the check valve and try to pump it. if the pump moves freely the leather cup needs to be carefully turned inside out and placed in a small container with (100%) Neatsfoot Oil you can find it at TSC. After soaking for several minutes return the pump cup to its original orientation and wipe off the excess oil before placing back in the pump cylinder. It is also possible that there some kind of obstruction in the check valve preventing it from closing while you are pumping. This is a bad thing because you may be able to do an initial pump up, but you risk spraying fuel every where if you try to pump it up again. If there is something wrong with the check valve it will need to be replaced which requires a special tool. As for the cap gasket you can temporarily get by with a Buna-N nitrile O-ring of the appropriate size. A place like Napa is liable to have what you need.

        • Thanks for the tips Phil. I was not getting any pressure buildup when pumping last night, although it did release a small amount of pressure when I first opened the pump valve.

          I will check out the fuel cap gasket when I get to the house and see what it looks like too.

          We are only going out for the night, and my buddy has a single-burner propane cooker, so its not critical that I get it running for this trip.

          Thanks!

  18. I read where Ace Hardware Forest Green is pretty close, I purchased a can of Garden Green and Hunter green, Enamel, I haven’t tried it but the can top of garden green is very close

  20. does anybody know if the pain on my 425 can still be bought? it’s lighter green than the newer stoves

    • Rustoleum Hunter Green is very close maybe a shade darker. And if you need to touch up the burners use Flat Aluminum VHT Flame Proof ceramic paint good to 2000 degrees

  21. The 425 Stove that I found had Los Angeles Times Calssified section in it to cover the grate, Dated September 1, 1960, I have never seen a round tank ,Fuel tank Before only in photographs.I looded under the Fuel tank Tabs no date or any place ealse, No instructins on the stove cover for operation Just Coleman.

  22. Today I found a 425 Coleman stove 2 burner , with a round seamed tank, Fuel fill on 1 end and the pump on the other. No date, Tank was painted gold or copper, Had fuel in it I pumped it up and the stove fired right up. Also I found a Table Coleman model MetaL # 640 1955 with stools red cloth and either a stove stand or Ice box stand out of Metal. I have a aluminum one for either stove or ice box. Could someone tell me what year the stove was made? No Letter after the 425 the side wind devices have the pins inside the stove case and not attached to the screens

  23. Cool thread. Found it by looking for model history. I found a in the box hardly used 425c just like yours in the pic at the flea market yesterday. Got it for 10 bucks. Like I need another camping stove but it was a neat find. It needs a new o-ring in the tank cap. I’ll probably replace it and try it today if it stops raining.

    • Scott, To replace the nitrile gasket you must disassemble the three piece cap and burn out the old gasket (it’s easier to remove as charcoal) You can get by with a nitrile o-ring, but I buy my replacement gaskets from Fred Kuntz they are model 200 gaskets. they’re 25 to 50 cents apiece. They also fit most Lantern fuel caps.

    • Phil – great info, mine is leaking some pressure and I should replace it, too.

      Scott – I guess you can never have too many camping stoves 🙂 I kind of feel like I am cheating now, if I use my propane stove. I also miss the hissing sound and the smell of kerosene.

      • Don’t you mean the smell of White Gas? To disassemble the three piece cap tighten it down as hard as you can and attempt to unscrew the screw (you may need to use scrap leather to protect the cap and use channel locks to tighten the cap sufficiently to unscrew the screw).

        • Just what I needed to know Phil. The cap screw doesn’t want to budge. Its original, no paint scraped. I want to keep it. I’ll try the ‘leather” method this weekend. Exspecting 5+ inches of rain in CNY tomorrow.

          Roy, I Know what you mean. As much as I love the new, modern stuff there’s definitely a warm satisfaction of using vintage equipment. I did get a shock as to the price of Coleman fuel. 8 bucks a gal at Wmart and 12 bucks at the local hardwear store. I’m use to refilling my 1pd cylinders off a 10 buck refilled 20pd tank.

          • refilling those 1lb cylinders is not recommended you can only do it a few times before the valve doesn’t seal properly any more. However you can refill a lantern or stove several times on that gallon of fuel versus multiple 1lb cylinders of propane. Now if you use a tree… A modern Dual-Fuel running on C-Fuel will run approx. 7 hours on high on a full tank and approx. 14 hours on low. the two-mantles propane will run approx. the same times for a single 1lb cylinder. So the C-fuel is worth it especially if you don’t refill your 1lb cylinders… Now if you can find a source of White Gas at a pump, more common in Amish country, then You can use that at a much reduced price per gallon and buy it in bulk.

  24. For those who may not know the 426 D is a three-burner camp stove, with the middle burner being the main burner.

  25. I picked up a 425 C Coleman from Goodwill for $10.00 several months ago, After washing out the fuel tank with fresh Fuel and lubricating the pump, It fired right up this stove was made in 1963,, I have since found a 426 D and a propane 5435 stove firing them up was no problem the 426 D was made in 1973,

  26. The “oil” next to the little hole in the pump housing is lubricating the leather pump cup. a drop of mineral oil occasionally. but if it has been sitting unused for a while. Take out the clip that holds/ or unscrew (depending on model) the cap that holds the pump plunger in and pull out the pump shaft. at the end you will see a leather pump cup. If it has sat unused fir sime time the pump cup may be conformed to the inside of the pump housing. Invert the pump cup much like you would those old rubber ‘poppers’ (turn it inside out) and place it in a vessel containing Neatsfoot Oil and let it soak for an hour or so and then remove and wipe off the excess oil. Now flip the pump cup back to it original orientation (inside in, outside out) and put it back in the pump housing. There is a an ‘Air Stem in side that stays there (it is the shut off for the check valve – make sure that this also does not leak) the shaft of the pump acts as a wrench for turning this air stem to open and shut the check valve. once the pump is reassembled secure the pump housing cap by either screwing it back on or putting the clip back in. It may also be secured via 2 small screws. but It’s probably a clip.. if the pump cup is rotted do not replace with the new style neoprene replacement you can buy at Wal-Mart Coleman still makes the Leather pump cup and you can also buy it from OldColemanParts.com If you want to know more information about your particular stove check out the bulletin borad/ Coleman Collectors Forum that is attached to it (follow “Bulletin Board” link).

  27. Hi,
    All this information is really great. I haven’t confirmed which model I have exactly, I just inherited my grandfather’s, which is in great condition, and I’m guessing is from the late 40’s/early 50’s, since my Dad has memories of using it as a child. Prior to reading these posts, I had questions about type of gas and oil. The gold fuel canister on my stove has two openings that clearly say gas and oil, and many people have mentioned to use Coleman brand white gas. As for the oil, what type should I use? And any ideas about how much? Thanks for the help!

  28. Phil thank you soooooo much, it turns out my neighbor fixed it already, he said it had a spider nest in the tube as well as a clog but nothing broken, I looked around the outside but didn’t take it apart enough to find the culprit.
    Also thank you Roy for the site.

  29. I was looking to get some info on how to fix my campstove, it has a leak just before it reaches the burner, I’m not sure how to go about that? any ideas?
    When I did a search I came across this link
    http://www.spiritburner.com/fusion/index.php
    It appears to be about Classic Camp Stoves. Just thought I would pass it on. So does anyone know what or where I would take my very loved campstove? or can I do it myself?

    Thanks Ruth
    California

    • Oh you can do it yourself, is it Propane or White gas as in like the above picture? If it is like the above picture. take the tank and drain it of all fuel, pump it up with just air and if you can hold under water with the valve closed if you see no leaks great! now open the valve you should see air coming out of the end of the Generator orifice, now put you finger over that hole, if air is also coming out around the valve post tighten the packing nut a little and see if it stops. If it does not you need new packing and get it from oldcolemanparts.com and go to their web store. If the air comes out any where along the generator you have a cracked generator and need to replace it. There is a forum attached to oldcolemanparts.com called the Coleman Collectors Forum the link on the page is called Bulletin Board. Hope this helps. The only options basically are DIY or find someone near by who can do the work for you if you aren’t comfortable doing it yourself. Do the dunk test after replacing the valve packing also. Good Luck.

      • Phil – just wanted to say thanks for all the great info you’ve shared here! I’m looking forward to rebuilding my stove, as soon as I get a little free time.

  30. Sorry, the electrolisys is really only needed if there is alot of rust on the burners. The rust removal utilizes a Battery charger with the positve attached to a piece of sacrificial Iron such as rebar with e negative attached to the peice being de-rusted. The solution used is boiling water mixed with washing soda usually found in the landry isle. Now as far as getting the Aux burner to work. if you can unscrew the tube that connects the main burner and the aux. burner you may notice cobwebs or dead bugs inside. the vale for the aux. burner would best be cleaned by soaking it in some boilng vinegar. for few minutes and then using a used tooth brush follwed by a good rinse in straight water followed by a thorough and speedy drying. then spritz it with a little bit of WD40 to prevent flash rusting.

    • Thanks for the recommendations on cleaning the stove. After cleaning it up and using Coleman’s fuel, it works like a charm. But, I have one concern, is that when the main burner is lit, It stays lit but you can hear and see it go up and down on the flame and hear the gas go up and down also. Is that normal? This is my first camping fuel stove, so not sure if it is normal for it to do that or not?

      Thanks, James

      Thanks, James

      • James – when a Coleman stove surges like this, it is usually because you did not preheat the burner long enough. After you light it it, let it run a good, full minute before you turn the lighting knob. Another potential cause is a dried-out gasket in the filler cap, which is allowing the air to leak. Glad you got it running and good luck!

  31. The Coleman 425E uses Coleman Fuel. There are a couple other brands that are simlar like MSRs camping fuel. Coleman fuel is a higles refined form of gasoline with out the additions that Unleaded has in in it which in dual fuel models causes the generator to become cloged three times faster. I’ve also heard of Coleman Fuel being successfully replaced with naptha. Coleman Fuel comes in a metal gallon can and runs from $8 to $18 or less depending where you get it.

    • What kinda paint do you recommend to paint the stove? Want to keep it red and green, also I can only get the main burner lit the other 2nd burner, only smoke comes out of that one and I try to lite it but nothing! 🙁

    • Addendum: Try Rustoleum Hunter Green, Dark hunter Green may be to dark. 2000 degree Silver VHT for the burners after deep cleaning by electrolisys using sacrificial iron connected to the positve terminal of a 10 Amp car battery charger via a sacrificial copper wire (the negative terminal to attached to the piece being cleaned) using a solution of boiling water and washing soda; use a plastic tub. This will remove rust and won’t harm existing steel it will turn the steel black temporarily however use VHT primer before applying the VHT over coat curing for both coats to be done subsequently in a oven for approx. 30 minutes at 120 degree F.

      • Fireengine red I think the Aux burner won’t light because of some thing obstructing the tube between the main burner and the Aux. burner you will have to disassemble it and clean out the tube. probably spider webs

      • Can you repost on the cleaning procedure for the coleman 425e?? I read it but confused on the car battery part? By cleaning it, would that fix the 2nd burner? I did take the burners apart and they seemed pretty clean, no rust. Would a wire brush be good to clean the inside of the valves?

        Thanks, james

  32. I have the Coleman 425E camping stove, and was wondering what kind of liquid fuel does it use? Also, I would love to repaint it, since it looks kinda worn, anyone recommened any type of paint? thanks

    • James – just to mirror what Phil says, the Coleman Fuel is recommended over other brands because it is cleaner. That being said, I have heard from others who have used the generic Walmart brand, too. Here is a link to some information on electrolysis: http://tinyurl.com/2apw8kn

  33. I just purchased a coleman two burner stove model canadian 4m,does anyone have an idea on the age.the fuel tank is gold color,and round shaped.the stove is painted green.
    thanks

  34. I have at least 5 Coleman products; a beat up 425C that I’d like to restore (paint-wise, otherwise fine) of unknown manufacture date; a 425E in better shape whose date I can’t remember, a 413G (manufactured 3/74) in near pristine condition from my grandfather, a 220E lantern from 2/56 that I had to tighten up the valve coupling on, and a 220H lantern from 9/73. What I would like to know is what type of paint I should use on 425C that’s closest to the paint Coleman was using at that time.

    • What a great collection! I don’t know about the paint – the collectors really try to dissuade people from repainting the stoves, since it makes them non-original. I’ve seen references to ‘forest green’ – I’d probably try a few different shades on some test metal, first.

  35. Very Cool. I found a 413G at the local Goodwill a few weeks ago for $5. I don’t think that it had ever been used, and when I added fuel, it lit right up. I am thinking based on the box and book that it is early 1970’s. I can relate to your excitement. My boys thought that I was crazy getting that thrilled over a old stove.

    • Dustin – that’s awesome to find one unused like that. I saw a few when I was looking around, but most of them were newer ones from the 80’s. Still hard to believe how many of these old stoves are still around, out there.

  36. This is inspiring me to fire up the stove/grill that my Grandpa constructed from scratch in the 60’s. It may not be a Coleman, but my hero constructed it, cooked on it, and passed it down for us to enjoy years later!

  37. I am a tottal GEEK for vintage almost everything. I love this article it remindes me I’m not the only one with the itch for vintage.

  39. I think your sending a great message by reusing a great stove rather than having it be thrown away. I think more of this kind of “recycling” would be great for our world and our country. Thanks for being a good example.

  41. Ok, you’ve got me motivated now. Gonna do an equipment check today, then check the calendar. It’s gonna be a weekend trip either next weekend or the following weekend.

  42. I loved those white gas stoves, with the priming and everything. I got rid of my Coleman when I started taking my kids camping. It was not too safe to use around them.

    • I paid $40 for this one, but I saw pricing all over the map, when I was looking. The older ones that were cheaper than this one had a lot of rust, though.

  44. Love the Coelam liquid fueled appliances. I collect them. I sometimes take several of my old lanterns on a camping trip. Camping just wouldn’t be the same without the sound of a Coleman lantern at night.

  45. Congratulations on your find. Coleman stoves and lanterns are great. I’ve got a Coleman stove that I have had for close to 15 years. It still works extremely well.

  46. I think I own a 425E. It works great, except at dusk in Colorado. On a camping trip my family discovered the wind which comes up near dusk in Colorado, which really rules out using a stove. It was just too wild and too hard to keep the stove controlled and lit if we didn’t cook early enough, or wait until dark.

  47. I have a 425E that I bought in about 1977. I haven’t used it for a few years, but I’m sure it would fire up. Its just heavier then I want to carry, even for car camping, for my camping needs. I have been using a single burner Coleman unit that attaches to a green propane bottle and it meets my needs. I just bought a little Coleman pocket rocket that I am thinking could replace the other two for my needs. However, I love my 425E and would never get rid of it.

    Roy, if you would do a rebuild article I would appreciate that. Most of the tubes and burner parts are rusted and cruddy. It would be nice to know how to replace or clean or update those parts so I knew I was using a safe unit.
    Thanks!

  48. I picked up a 425E at a garage sale 20 years ago for $10. It was in bad shape, so I stripped off the paint with some Easy Off oven cleaner and repainted it with high temp paint. I use it regularly and haven’t bought another camp stove since.

    • I almost bought one like that, Rick. I was going to do a rebuild article (probably still will) on one, but when I found this one I just couldn’t pass it up.

  49. I say, cook away my friend! Some pieces of equipment, even if old, are just meant to be used. In my opinion, it would be a shame to store it away somewhere. These things are a feat of straightforward, simple engineering and, if treated with even a slight bit of care, will last forever. I’ve seen them take a beating and keep working.

    I have the modern version and I actually prefer it for car camping. It works better at altitude and in the cold than the propane, and you don’t have to worry about how to dispose of a used propane canister. I have a Coleman backpacking stove that also works on white gas and its been a reliable work horse (although I did discover I needed to replace a rubber gasket after watching fire bombs drop down from the stove!). I have since replaced it with a Snow Speak Giga Power stove for backpacking, due primarily to size and weight, but I use the two Coleman stoves when we are car camping. On the other hand, one of our other guys has a single burner Coleman stove that runs on propane, and this is definitely our go to stove for our group trips. Its fast to setup, stable, and makes our coffee quickly in the morning. Perhaps the bottom line here is that you just can’t go wrong with a Coleman stove! Great purchase Roy!

    • Marc – we got a break in the rain yesterday and it fired-up on the first try! It’s undoubtedly had the generator replaced at some point over the years, but it’s still a testament to the reliability of these stoves.