Coleman Fold N Go Review

We had high hopes for the Fold N Go, but it simply didn't stack up when put through our rigorous testing process. It can get most jobs done decently, and the price point is alright, but when compared to other options available, this one isn't anywhere near our first choice.

Performance Comparison

Cute and compact for sure, but this stove just wasn't able to hack it in our head-to-head tests overall.

Time to Boil

This stove had the slowest time for boiling water of all the models in our review. On a sunny day with zero wind, the Fold N Go took a full seven minutes to boil a quart of water. Even stoves with fewer BTUs boiled faster than that. We think the issue lies in the fact that the cooking grates sit too high above the flames. Combine that with only having 10,000 BTUs per burner, and you just don't get a stellar performance.

Here you can see how much empty space there is between the burner and the cooktop on the Fold N Go. This causes it to have trouble boiling quickly even when no wind is present.

Wind Resistance

This is where the Fold N Go struggles the most. With no windscreen and the cooking grate sitting too far above the burners, wind transforms what could be an adequate stove into a barely-functioning one. In our box fan test where we boiled water with a fan pointed at the burners, we gave up after 25 minutes because the water wasn't even pre-boiling. And out in the field on a breezy morning, we had to switch stoves while cooking breakfast in order to finish. Our food was barely getting hot even after cooking for more than 10 minutes.

Even covering all our pans on a breezy morning wasn't enough to get this stove to be able to put up a fight against the breeze.

Simmering Ability

On our first dinner field testing session, we were impressed by this stove's simmering ability — we perfectly caramelized onions, made rice, and prepared a big pot of slow-cooked curry without a hitch. On an essentially windless night, simmering was great. Come the next morning, though, there was a steady breeze in the air, and we couldn't get a proper simmer at all. Even with the burners turned up high, our sweet potatoes stayed lukewarm and raw until we switched to another stove. Bottom line: if you are cooking with zero movement in the air, the Fold N Go can simmer well, but if wind crops up, so will problems.

A tiny amount of breeze actually aided this stove with simmering, keeping it from getting too hot!

Ease of Set Up

Set up is relatively simple with this model, though it does require an extra step from the other folding model in our review, the Genesis Basecamp. For the Fold N Go to be packed away, one of the cooking grates must be removed and flipped upside down (and you don't want to do this if it's still hot). To set up, you flip it back over, squeeze the edges, and attach it to the stove body. Not a big deal, but an extra step nonetheless. We do like the fuel adaptor — it's easy to connect because the threads are fully exposed instead of recessed and hidden inside the stove body, as on most traditional models.

Both setting up and breaking down this stove requires removing the cooking grate and flipping it over. This means that if the stove is hot, you have to wait to touch it.

Ease of Care

This is about as easy a stove to clean as any. Just remove the grates to get to the stove body and scrub away. We do, however, feel that packing this up is a bit tedious. Besides having to flip a grate over, you need to make sure that the two sides are perfectly in line before folding them up — otherwise, it hinges improperly, and you can't close the latch on the handles. Furthermore, the latch is flimsy and, if you squeeze the handles together too tightly, it just pops open during transport. The fuel regulator can nest inside with the burners, but you have to search around for just the right spot, or it won't all Tetris together. All minor inconveniences to be sure, but it adds up to a less streamlined experience than other, better-conceived models.

If you don't pay attention when folding this stove up, it gets stuck in a wonky way that doesn't allow you to close it.

Portability

The Fold N Go is more portable than a traditionally shaped two-burner. It only weighs 8 pounds and packs down to 13.75 x 12.25 x 5.25 inches. However, it's a bit of an awkward shape and doesn't stack into a kitchen box or crate very easily.

The Fold N Go, packed up and ready to go. While it's decently lightweight and compact, the way the hinges and handles stick out creates a rather awkward, not-easily-packed-into-a-kitchen-box shape.

Value

The Fold N Go retails at a decent price, but it's still a bit steep when you consider its significant performance issues. We can't recommend this stove whole-heartedly when there are other options at comparable prices that perform far better.

The Fold N Go with our other foldable model, the Genesis Basecamp. The Basecamp performs better in every category, though it is also more than twice the price.

Conclusion

While the overall concept of the Fold N Go is fun and it's sufficient for uncomplicated weather, overall, this stove has enough quirks that we think your money is better spent elsewhere.

For fair-weather campers that just need a sometimes-stove, this model is fine -- but we think you can do better.