Looking for a stove with great simmering powers that’s also slim, durable, and packable? The GSI Pinnacle Pro Stove hits high in all of those areas.
As soon as it hit shelves in 2021, this revelatory stove from GSI Outdoors became one of the most compact and capable camp stoves on market. The GSI Pinnacle Pro 2-Burner has powerful yet easy-to-adjust burners as well as an extra-slim design, folding legs, and a windscreen for use in variable circumstances.
One of the most highly awaited stoves for the industry, the Pinnacle took us close to a year to get our hands on for testing. And we’ve been using it often ever since.
In short: For us, the Pinnacle ($250) lived up to its innovation award at 2019’s Outdoor Retailer trade show — winning our 2020 Best in Show award and the praises of several of our staff.
GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Pro Stove Review
The beauty of this sleek, stainless steel (and may I say, slightly sexy) stove is the design. Everything is slimmed down but still performs and functions great. It isn’t clunky. The burners are strong, and the dials offer great simmer powers to cook a variety of foods and meals. I personally boiled water and cooked everything from breakfast scrambles and sausages to stir frys, pastas, and sauces.
“When I’m car camping, I tend to try and get a little indulgent with my cooking. And a stove that gently simmers and quickly boils like the Pinnacle Pro brought with it cooking confidence I’ve never before felt at the campsite,” said staff tester Chris Potter after testing.
Slim Profile, Setup, and Storage
At 1.4-inches thin, this stove is the portable future of car camping stoves. Everything on this stove is incorporated into the other parts. Everything is slim but functional — and zero space is wasted.
Currently, I’m storing my Pinnacle Pro stove in a gap between gear bins in my closet — a gap less than 2 inches wide. Naturally, the Pinnacle Pro Stove fits with no problem.
GSI Pinnacle Pro 2-Burner Stove Specs
- Type: 2-burner
- Materials: Stainless steel, steel, brass
- BTUs: 11,000
- Boil time: 3 minutes 56 seconds per 1 L
- Folded dimensions: 20″ x 12″ x 1.4″
- Features: Folding legs, windscreen, piezo ignition, carry handle
- Verified weight: 10 lbs. 12 oz.
- Price: $250
GSI Pinnacle 2-Burner Stove: Pros and Cons
We found the stove’s windscreen and burners to be slightly better incorporated (and flatter) than other compact two-burners. And the incorporated piezo igniter (one for each burner) worked well, even in colder conditions.
One of our editors experienced an issue in cold temperatures and wind. With gusts around 15 mph and temps in the 40s, he was unable to get 2 quarts of water to a boil. In this scenario, even the windscreens failed to allow the water to boil. A backup stove, however, did so in short order. Our editor noted a larger than usual gap between the burner and grate may be the culprit.
Also, because the grate above the burners is collapsible and not removable, it’s slightly hard to clean around the burners (drips, crumbs, etc.) once the cooking is done. But with a small kitchen cloth and some fancy fingerwork, it’s definitely doable. And while I didn’t use the folding legs very often as I was cooking outside (if you plan to use this stove on a surface like in an RV be sure to use the legs for safety), they are fairly sturdy.
Overall in testing, the Pinnacle Pro really won out over other very good camp stoves because of its packed size and cooking performance.
