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

Boil Time

The Selkirk had an average boil time between our windy and wind-less tests of 7 minutes and 14 seconds. To evaluate each stove for its boil time, we timed how long it takes them to boil 1 liter of 58°F water in our windless garage “laboratory” at 5,000 feet. For the windy test, we use a box fan set to “low” to generate 2-4 mph of wind, as tested by a pocket anemometer. In the windy test, this stove took 13 minutes 49 seconds to boil 1 liter of water, one of the longer windy boil times in our review. For the wind-less test, it took 4 minutes and 7 seconds, which was among the better times in our review. This proves 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. While it didn't boil fast in our lab tests, 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. 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.

Fuel Efficiency

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-pound propane canister. Then we proceed to the wind test, weigh the canister again, do the windless test, and weigh the canister a final time. To determine how each stove ranks, we take the average over both tests. The Selkirk 540 consumed an average of 1.25 ounces or 8% of the fuel canister per test. In the wind test, it burned 1.9 ounces of fuel, or 12.11% of the fuel in the canister. And in the wind-less test, it burned 0.6 ounces 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 Use

Like other table-top propane stoves, the Selkirk 540 is among the easiest stoves to use. To set it up, simply flip open the stove, slot in the windscreens, attach the fuel adapter, 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 as it is with other stoves. Given that these igniters have a limited life span, we recommend always carrying a lighter or matches when you're car camping.

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.

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.

Should You Buy the GSI Outdoors Selkirk 540?

While value is highly subjective, it is interesting to compare the price and performance of different models. In the case of the Selkirk 540, we think it maintains an ok value for being a compact stove with an above-average boil time at a reasonable price. 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, other stoves could better meet your needs if you have a little extra space or are on a tight budget.

What Other Camping Stoves Should You Consider?

If you are hoping for a less expensive option, the Coleman Cascade Classic might have slower boil times, but it is more fuel efficient and less expensive — a trade-off you might be willing to make. Alternatively, for a little more, we can easily recommend the Camp Chef Everest 2x; it delivers top-shelf performance across nearly all metrics.