GSI Outdoors Selkirk 540 Review

The Selkirk 540 struggled in our wind test and had lower fuel efficiency than other stoves in our review. It also cooks a little too hot to simmer well. It did much better across our remaining metrics, proving to be a reasonable option for someone seeking a compact stove. In our windless boil test, it boiled fast, despite sluggish performance in our box fan test. It is easy to clean, stows away effortlessly, and looks good — all for a reasonable price.

Performance Comparison

Time to Boil

The Selkirk boiled 1 liter of 58°F water in our windless garage "laboratory" in 4 minutes and 7 seconds. This is among the better times in our review, proving that despite only having 10,000 BTUs per burner, it can still crank out enough power to make a meal in a reasonable time frame. It gets the job done well because the burners are situated close to the cooking grate. For most campers, 10,000 BTUs will provide sufficient heat to boil water quickly for all your camp cooking needs. You may want to seek out a stove with higher BTUs if you plan to cook large camp meals for 4+ people consistently. For the rest of us, this is an ok model to consider.

Wind Resistance

We were disappointed with how the Selkirk 540 performed in the wind. To measure wind resistance, we return to our garage "lab." We use a box fan on the lowest setting to generate 2-4 mph of "wind," as measured by a pocket anemometer. We then time how long it takes for each stove to boil 1 liter of 58°F water. The Selkirk took 13 minutes and 49 seconds, one of the longer windy boil times in our review. That said, when used in the field in a real-world scenario, the compact and sleek design meant that it performed reasonably well in the wind, shielding smaller gusts adequately.

In addition to evaluating each stove in terms of wind resistance and boiling time, we measure the fuel efficiency across these tests. To do so, we begin by weighing a full 1 lb propane canister. Then we proceed to the wind test, weigh the canister again, do the windless test, and weigh the canister a final time. In the wind test, the Selkirk 540 burned 54 g (1.9 oz) of fuel or 12.11% of the fuel in the canister. In the windless test, it burned 17 g (0.6 oz) of fuel or 3.81% of the remaining fuel. Compared to other stoves, the Selkirk was one of the less fuel-efficient stoves in our review.

Simmering Ability

The Selkirk 540 burns hot, so it doesn't simmer well compared to other stoves. Given the compact design, the burners sit close to your cookware, making the stove cook pretty hot. This is great for boiling water quickly but could spell disaster for meals that require low heat. Our reviewers were able to sufficiently dial down the cooking temps for scrambles, quinoa, soups, and taco fixings, especially when cooking in low wind. However, if your camp cooking plans involve perfectly cooked rice, you may want to check out another stove in our review or consider an inexpensive heat diffuser. For most camp chefs and meals, the Selkirk will meet your needs, as long as you keep a watchful eye when cooking items that require low heat.

Ease of Set Up

To set up the Selkirk 540, simply flip open the stove, slot in the windscreens, attach the fuel adaptor, screw on your propane tank, turn on the burners, hit the auto-ignition button, and you're ready to make a tasty camp meal.

The Piezo igniter is not as consistent or user-friendly with the Selkirk as it is with other stoves. However, we were unbothered by this problem as it is fairly common for these igniters to wear out over time, so we always head out camping with a lighter just in case. Given that these igniters have a limited life span, we recommend always carrying a lighter or matches when you're car camping.

Ease of Care

Our reviewers found the Selkirk to be especially easy to clean, owing to the removable grate, the flat cooking surface, and the lack of holes (aside from the burners) on the cooking surface. When a cooking surface has holes in it, water and food particulates can fall into the stove shell, making it challenging to be thorough in your cleaning. In the field, it is easy enough to wipe down with a small scrubby. Then when you have access to a sink, you can do a more thorough cleaning with soap after removing the grate.

Portability

The Selkirk weighs in at 9.77 pounds and measures 21.4 x 12.9 x 3.8 inches when all packed up. While this stove is not the lightest model in our review, it scores fairly high in terms of its compact dimensions.

Value

While value is highly subjective, it is interesting to compare the price and performance of different models. In the case of the Selkirk, we think it maintains an ok value for being a compact stove with an above-average boil time at a reasonable price. Other stoves at a similar price point surpass this stove's performance, but none are as compact. If space is at a premium and you aren't too concerned about wind resistance or fuel-efficiency, this could be a reasonable option. However, if you have a little extra space or are on a tight budget, other stoves could better meet your needs.

Conclusion

The GSI Selkirk 540 is a decent compact stove that is easy to carry and boils quickly despite lower BTUs. The windscreens function well enough in the field but provided insufficient protection to ensure a great performance in our controlled wind test. This stove was also among the least fuel-efficient stoves in our review. Given that the Selkirk runs hot, it is not our top choice for delicate culinary masterpieces (such as low-heat sauces or rice); however, the burners get low enough for most camp meals.