Campingaz Party Grill 400 review: an ultra-versatile camping stove that'll let you BBQ, boil, griddle or fry

Why lump along a stove and a separate BBQ when the nifty Campingaz Party Grill 400 CV gas stove can do both? The Party Grill is compact and portable, but its interchangeable cooking surfaces mean you can boil, grill, griddle and fry up exciting suppers wherever you set up your tent. This impressive versatility means it's a strong entry in our best camping stove ranking. Read on for our full Campingaz Party Grill 400 review.

• Prefer a dedicated grill? Here are the best small, portable BBQs
• Keep things compact with one of the best camping cookware sets
• Sit around in style: here are the best camping chairs

Campingaz Party Grill 400 review: design and features 

At first glance, the Campingaz Party Grill look surprisingly small – but don't be fooled by its compact appearance. This nifty design is more than just a stove: lift the lid (which doubles up as a wok) and inside there are separate, interchangeable grills, griddles and stove tops to cook on. 

Unpack all the different surfaces from the included carry bag, pop the sturdy, removable legs onto the bottom of the stove, clip a Campingaz gas canister to the bottom and you're ready to go. Note: there are two versions of this grill – the 'CV' collection only runs on Campingaz's own-brand Campingaz CV Plus valve cartridges. The others run on butane or propane gas via a hose.

We always recommend picking a camping stove with an integrated lighter – the Party Grill has a Piezo button lighter that means it's not a problem if you forget to pack matches, and makes lighting the grill the work of seconds. 

Despite having the capacity to work as a full-blown BBQ grill, the Party Grill is designed to be transportable and is light enough to carry easily, at 4.9kg. All those different surfaces, plus the stove's legs, pack down easily inside the stove, and the wok pops on top and clips into place as a lid.

Campingaz Party Grill 400 review: performance 

We found the Party Grill simple to put together, and had the stove set up and lit in just a minute or two. The wok lid is great for frying, and the stove top works well for holding a pot for boiling up water, but our stand-out favourite surfaces were the griddle and grill. The Party Grill is ideal for an informal evening BBQ – we cooked sausages and burgers for five people on the griddle and were impressed with how quickly they were done. 

Like with most camping stoves, it's hard to get the Party Grill to cook well at a very low temperature for cooking low and slow, but for easy pot meals, BBQs or cooking up veggies in the wok, the Party Grill proved very effective. While its compact size means there isn't space to make huge grilled meals at once, the Party Grill 400 is ideal for feeding four or five people. If you do want something a bit roomier, a larger 600 version of the Party Grill is available and has taller legs, but is still pleasingly portable. 

Using and storing the Party Grill over a weekend of camping proved easy – it's perfect for smaller tents, campervans or for weekend camps where you're packing light. The handles on the lid plus that light weight mean you can lug the stove around at camp, and keeping the stove clean is straightforward, although if you use the grill or griddle you'll need to clean out the main compartment as well as washing the cooking surface. 

Campingaz Party Grill 400 review: verdict 

If you've got family or friends camping together (or you're just doing an impromptu BBQ in the back garden), the surprisingly compact Campingaz Party Grill 400 will live up to its name and make whipping dinner up great fun, allowing you to grill, griddle or pop a pot on top to cook up a stew or boil water. This really is a quiver-of-one small stove, and it's pleasingly easy to clean, set up and store away. One clever little camping package that we'd recommend for festivals and camping and campervan weekenders.