BRS-3000T Stove Review (5 Years Tested)

The BRS-3000T is the smallest, and probably the cheapest camping stove you can buy. 

I’ve had one since June 2018, and have carried it on the John Muir Trail, the Camino de St Jacques, the Pacific Crest Trail and a little bit of the Continental Divide Trail – and this miraculous piece of equipment is still going.

But how does it stack up against those products written into backpacking stove folklore – the Jetboils, Soto Windmasters and Pocket Rockets of the world?

Keep reading our BRS-3000T stove review to find out…

Our Verdict on the BRS-3000T

The BRS-3000T is (probably) my favourite camping stove. There, I said it.

Sure, it’s not the most windproof stove in the world, it’s not the most powerful, and it’s probably not the most efficient.

But the (relative) power, dependability, and unbelievable packability you get from the BRS-3000T is, for me, completely unmatched by any other purportedly “ultralight” stove on the market.

Let me put it this way. I’ve taken my BRS-3000T stove on nearly every one of my backpacking and cycle touring trips over the last 5 years and it’s still going. In fact, only in the last couple of months has its flame started to flicker. That’s not bad for a product that, on average, costs about 4-5 less than the MSR Pocket Rocket.

Pros

• Unbeatable small size and weight
• Boil time is pretty good for its tiny footprint
• Reliable and semi-durable
• Extremely inexpensive

Cons

• Not the fastest boiling time
• Legs feel a little shaky, so you’ll need a relatively flat surface to set it up on
• Not easy to use in high winds
• Small size means you’ll need a small pot – so it’s not great for cooking meals for more than one person at a time

Who/what is the BRS-3000T for?

✅ Solo campers
✅ Those interested in trying more minimal equipment on a tight budget
✅ Three-season camping
✅ Thru-hikers
❌ Families/those needing to cook outside for more than one person at a time
❌ Winter camping

Our BRS-3000t stove review criteria

• Portability – 10/10
• Boil time/efficiency – 6/10
• Wind protection – 5/10
• Reliability – 8/10
• Durability – 7/10

Portability – 10/10

The main selling point of the BRS-3000T is, arguably, its size. Weighing all of 26 grams (just under 1oz) its legs fold completely inward toward the main stem, rendering it small enough to fit in pretty much any of your backpack’s many compartments. 

While other stoves struggle to fit inside my MSR Titan cooking pot, for example, I can actually fit BRS’s offering inside it along with a 4 oz gas canister.

Furthermore, I’m not usually one to advocate for carrying multiple different kinds of the same equipment on a hike or camping trip; but the BRS-3000T is small (and lightweight) enough that if you’re concerned about your primary stove giving out on you during a trip, you could actually take this as an emergency extra stove.

Boil time/efficiency – 6/10

Honestly, though, I’ve never found this to be a problem. Other reviews of this stove seem to go into great detail about how many ounces of fuel the BRS goes through in comparison to other stoves, but my experience of using the BRS as a daily driver for months on end (on long-distance trails) has led me to the following conclusion: waiting 45 seconds more for your water to boil isn’t that much of a big deal.

Let me explain. I started the Continental Divide Trail in 2022 with an MSR Pocket Rocket II, and got along great with it. After two weeks, though, some moisture had worked its way into the heating part and it started sputtering flames all over the place – so away it went, and I returned to the BRS (and used it for the remaining two months of my adventure). 

Sometimes, I had to carry food for more than six nights out on the trail at the same time, and would cook twice a day – and I never ran out of fuel. Sure, it may have taken a bit longer to boil than a Pocket Rocket might have done, but at least my trusty BRS didn’t start shooting flames everywhere after two weeks of use.

One thing I would say, however, is that the BRS-3000T is not very good at simmering food at a low heat. Thanks to the very small surface area of the stove itself, you’ll need to keep the power on a little bit more than you would do with stoves with a larger surface area – otherwise you’ll just be heating one very small circle right in the middle of your pot. 

Wind protection – 5/10

The BRS-3000T is not a good stove to use in windy conditions. 

To achieve its small size, the manufacturers have clearly had to jettison some of the features that you might find on other small-ish camping stoves that you only realise the usefulness of when you’re actually using the product. One of those features, clearly, is wind protection.

Unlike the Soto Windmaster, there’s an almost cavernous gap between the stove and the plinths upon which your pot would go on the BRS-3000T. With nothing to stop an incoming breeze, this can result in a rather jittery flow of heat toward the bottom of the pot. 

If this gap were reduced by BRS in a future version, the time it takes for the stove to boil water might also be reduced, with the heat spending more time going directly upwards rather than fluttering about just somewhere in the pot’s general vicinity.

Reliability – 8/10

As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, I’ve had my BRS-3000T for five years and have never experienced any issues with it (aside from the moments of frustration when attempting to use it in strong winds).

I’ve used it at elevations anywhere between sea level and 14,000 ft, and though it struggled more at elevation, you’ll encounter variations of this problem with any stove. 

And though I’m incredibly pleased as to how long my particular BRS-3000T has survived, I can’t help but say I’m somewhat surprised by it – as it’s not the highest quality piece of outdoor equipment you’ll come across. I’ve also seen numerous other long-distance hikers using the BRS-3000T in recent years, and I don’t recall any of them having any major problems with it either.

That said, referring back to the wind protection issue, I wouldn’t use this as my main stove if I was about to head out onto a long trip where I might encounter sustained inclement weather. 

Though it would more than likely hold up just fine, I’d prefer to take something like the Soto Windmaster or a Jetboil Flash in those circumstances. 

Durability – 7/10

The BRS-3000T is an inexpensive and cheaply-made piece of equipment, and I can’t lie – it feels like it. 

Its legs, as well as being very thin, feel a little bit wobbly when they’re folded up and the whole unit itself is very light. This, I suppose, is great for ultralight hiking but not such a great indicator of a high-quality piece of kit.

A tiny metal notch on the legs, however, does ensure that the legs are held firmly in place once they’re folded out, reducing any wobble to absolute zero and ensuring that your pot has a sturdy base upon which to sit.

Value for Money

The BRS-3000T is one of those special pieces of gear that’s equally at home in the hands of both novice campers or seasoned thru-hikers. 

At such a crazy price, the BRS-3000T is absolutely worth a try. 

And though it’s not the highest-quality piece of outdoor equipment out there, it works well – and mine has held up surprisingly well for something that costs less than the price of one night in your average pay-to-stay campsite.

Just like any other small foldable stove (like the MSR Pocket Rocket II, the Soto Windmaster or the Vango Compact Gas Stove), the BRS-3000T does not come with a pot in which to actually cook your food.

I’ve used an MSR Titan in which to cook my food for a number of years. And despite it being slightly wider than I’d necessarily recommend using on a BRS-3000T, I’ve never had any issues. 

BRS-3000T price comparison

Final thoughts

The BRS-3000T is not perfect. It doesn’t have the fastest boiling time, it’s not very good at simmering food, and it doesn’t have a great working relationship with wind. Also, if you’re planning on regularly cooking for two, go for something more substantial – the Jetboil Flash is a great option.

But as a solo hiker who predominantly favours taking less on camping trips, I get along really well with the BRS-3000T. It does what I need it to do: it weighs very little, it cooks food at a speed I’m happy with, and packs away very small. 

And for a product that, on average, costs less than for a one night stay at a campsite, I’d absolutely recommend that you give the BRS-3000T a go.

Happy cooking!

Other products mentioned in this review