GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Pro Stove | Hit or Miss?

After a long roll out, the long anticipated low-profile stove from GSI Outdoors finally hit the market in late 2021. I originally laid eyes on the Pinnacle Pro stove while at Outdoor Retailer in 2019. Manufacturing and various other delays pushed the availability of their premier 2 burner stove back and back. To say I was excited when I finally received mine in late 2021 would be an understatement. Now, after several months with the stove, I’ve come up with a few pros and cons everyone should know about prior to purchasing one of these stoves.

“The Pinnacle Pro Stove is the culmination of 4+ years of research and design to produce the thinnest, high-performance dual-burner stove on the market.” ~gsioutdoors.com

The clear intent for this stove was to create a super thin 2 burner stove and still deliver high end cooking performance. Priced at $250, my expectations are kinda high. With a pair of low profile 11,000 BTU burners, I was excited about its potential. The fact that it packs down to a mere 1.4″ in depth is a huge win over our 3.5″ Cook Partner stove. We use a purpose built FJ Cruiser for our Overland travels. And any item that saves space in our custom drawer box helps out. Although it’s surprisingly heavy at 11 pounds, it’s so much thinner even with the optional padded case.

Pinnacle Pro Video Review:

Pinnacle Pro Specs & Features:

• WEIGHT: 11 LBS
• MATERIAL: Stainless Steel
• MAJOR DIMENSION: 20 in x 12.4 in x 1.4 in
• INCLUDES: Regulator, 2 Burner Heads, Pot Support, Upper Windscreen, Side Windscreens, Igniter, Handle, 2 Flame Adjusters
• FUEL: Propane
• FUEL TYPE: Canister
• BEST USE: overland, car, and base camping
• Packs down to 1.4”
• Dual 11k BTU compact regulated propane burners
• Dual piezo ignition
• Includes unique non-stick coated drip pan for easy, low-water clean-up
• Suitable for all propane 1lb fuel canisters or LPG tanks with appropriate adaptor
• Folding locking legs for full height tabletop cooking and efficient storage
• Integrated carry handle for ease of transport
• Durable storage sleeve for additional protection

Pro’s & Cons of the Pinnacle Pro Stove

Once out in the field with the Pinnacle Pro stove, my excitement was put into question. Although the Pinnacle Pro stove did not fail to cook some delicious meals while camping. There were a few minor nuances that left me less than impressed. First, the top doesn’t latch shut. I wish there was a simple mechanism to prevent the stainless steel lid from flopping around. Another annoyance is when opening the stove, the grill surface is supposed to rotate up into place. Mine falls flat 75% of the time. The port for the gas line is in the center of the back and covered with a clumsy metal cover. The edges around the gas port are sharp so be careful. I would have preferred a side mounted connection for the gas line.

The Pinnacle Pro is designed to be fueled with disposable green propane cylinders. We’re not a big fan of disposable so we use a refillable Ignik propane cylinder mounted to the rear of the vehicle. Used for both cooking and our Joolca Hottap, this cylinder has served us well. So we purchased the $30 adapter hose from GSI Outdoors to connect the stove to the Ignik tank. I was hoping for a hose that directly connected the stove and tank. However, the new hose connects the tank to the end of the existing hose used for the green bottles. Adding an unnecessary gas connection rather than just replacing one hose for another. So we’re stuck packing both hoses with an awkward connection rather than just one.

“The patent-pending ultra-thin high output 11,000 BTU burners are the key to the compactness of this stove.” ~gsioutdoors.com

The side wind deflectors are uniquely designed to not interfere with pot, pan or skillet handles. Which I love. Our Cook Partner stove is a bit awkward in this department. However, this design compromises their ability to block wind. So where you set-up the stove needs to factor in wind direction. The height between the low profile burners and the cooking surface is 1 5/8″. Versus less than 3/4″ for our Cook Partner. This is most likely a contributing factor to our noticeably slower boil times with the Pinnacle Pro. But also a positive factor in its superior simmering skills.

The non stick surface around the burners is a nice touch. Especially when you spill spaghetti sauce on it. This, along with a grill that can be easily rotated out of the way, make it the easiest stove to clean in my experience. An optional $30 carry bag is a must in my opinion. Despite GSI’s website stating that the Pinnacle Pro stove has an “Integrated carry handle for ease of transport”, it does not. And with a top that doesn’t latch shut, containing and transporting the stove is much easier with the padded case.

Final thoughts:

I want to be clear that this article is not designed to put down the Pinnacle Pro Stove. There are things I really like about the stove. I feel if you’re about to invest $250 for a camp stove, there are a few items a potential buyer needs to know. The performance of the Pinnacle Pro falls a little short of my expectations considering it has 1000 more BTU’s than our Cook Partner stove. Although it’s not always a race to boil water, it is a measurable that everyone uses. Stoves keep getting better and better from all manufacturers and we have a unit from Camp Chef yet to review. Although GSI hit home runs on some features, they missed the ball on a few as well. For me, the packable size of the Pinnacle Pro stove may outweigh where it falls short. Time will tell.