Fuel Consumption Calc. Spreadsheet

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If you google there are some calculators on the web you might like. Might save you some time, or give you some ideas.

Here's one:

http://howardjohnson.name/Backpacking/Stove/Stoves.htm

Also this:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/comparative_fuel_efficiency_and_weight_of_stoves_pt2.html

Best,
James

Thanks guys I've actually seen both the links James posted for me.
The problem is I don't know how to do the math myself on my own spreadsheet.
Like Mike hinted at, I'm trying to create one based on my own stoves and variables to combine with a cooking list I've already started working on.

Wish I could figure out what's going on in that one calculator.

Colin,

I guess it depends on how fancy you want to get. A starting point, using a good scale, is to get accurate predictions of your average cooking needs (i.e. amount of water boiled), your stove's fuel consumption to meet those needs, and the base weight of your stove system itself (if alcohol, everything other than the fuel, if canister, everything along with weight of empty canister). With this information, you can create a model for your trip. You start out with full fuel and stove weights, and every cooked meal your fuel weight decreases until (in theory) you have used all your fuel, leaving only stove weight.

The trick, of course, is to know how to apply this model in real world application, and this takes practice and a familiarity with how your stove handles different conditions. If fires are not an option, and my stove is my only cooking option, I take more extra fuel. If I anticipate very cold or windy conditions, ditto. If I can make a fire, then I cut things a little closer.

This thread discusses some strategies for efficient fuel usage.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=3507&skip_to_post=152696#152696

Re-reading your post, you may be looking for something more elaborate, and I'm not sure I can help you there! My cooking on trail is limited to boiling water, and I tend to use the same amount of water for each meal- so not too fancy at all.

Some of these spreadsheets from a BPL contest a while back have programs for food prep. Maybe there's something in them for you?

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/backpacking_light_gear_list_spreadsheets_2005.html

James

I originally started with the winners spreadsheet
I've been working on it for about 6 months now on a regular basis giving it a full makeover including creating many new worksheets on it. I have taken bits and pieces from the spreadsheets of the other people who entered aswell, but when it comes to math I'm a tad useless.

I'll tinker around with it and do my best based on the articles you all have supplied me.
Thx for the tips guys =]

I've got an Excel spreadsheet that I've put together. Pop in the numbers and it will tell you how much fuel you need for a given trip based on an estimate of how many grams of fuel it will take to boil a liter. It's based on a Jetboil which is the stove I have, but it can be adapted if you have a good estimate of the grams needed per cup to boil water. Note that if you're doing more than boiling water, the calculator would be less useful.

On a second tab within the spreadsheet, I have a fuel gage. Pop in the weight of a partially used canister, and it will tell you how many grams of fuel you have left and approximately how many cups of water you can boil with that amount of fuel.

Example of use: I have a partially used Snow Peak 110g size canister that currently weighs 112g. The calculator then pops out that I have 24g worth of fuel which translates into ~10 cups of boiled water. I then go to the fuel calculator. I plug in the number of hot meals I intend to cook based on the next trip I intend to take, a simple 2 day weekend trip. The calculator then determines that I need 22g of fuel. So, I now know I can set out on my weekend trip with the canister I've got. I don't have to carry a backup canister or go and buy a full canister.

Hope that explanation makes sense. Basically you get two things:
1. A way to estimate how much fuel you need for a given trip.
2. A way to estimate how much fuel/boiled cups of water you have left in a partially used canister.

Drop me a note at hikin daht jim aht gmail daht com if you'd like a copy.

Two methods you might find helpful:

1.) (cooking days) x (pints of water to boil/day) x (.22) = Ounces of Fuel needed

2.) Below are TWO tables you might find helpful. Calculates Cooking Days/Container

Those tables are great. Thanks for posting them.

Me = confused!

I have a MSR Dragonfly stove (using white gas) and am going on a 6 day backpacking trip in the Sierra's. There will be 4 of us & we will be above 9000' pretty much the whole time. I am expecting to boil 2.5 pints of pre-filtered water per person per day. That would = 60 pints of boiled water a day.

MSR's website is showing 1 fluid oz of fuel per 1.6 liters of water boiled while the tables above show significantly more fuel used. I want to take enough but don't want to take more than is needed. This is especially true since I must buy fuel bottles there and leave them behind when we leave…someone will get lucky! :(

Can someone please set me straight?

According to your numbers, 60 pints of boiled water per day means that you have 24 people in the group. Perhaps you dropped some digits. Thirty quarts of water per day to be boiled on one stove is an awful lot.

Also, don't you think it is possible that MSR's numbers are slightly optimistic? Don't you think their data was taken by a stove expert with optimal conditions? I would expect my own consumption data to be a little higher.

Why would it be necessary to leave behind your fuel bottles after the trip? If you are flying, you can stick empties in checked baggage, but they must be completely empty of any fuel, completely rinsed out, and left uncapped.

–B.G.–

Love the yearly hits on this thread. Did the OP ever figure it out for himself?

This will seem radical, but I used to plan fuel usage completely differently for group trips. I used to use MSR white gas stoves, and I used quart-size Sigg bottles. A lot of that is for economy.

I found that I could get about four hours of full flame on one quart of fuel. So, I figured how many breakfast hours and dinner hours and tea time and all that. The time would vary depending on the complexity of the meals that I was providing and the number of stoves involved, but I knew all of that before we left home. I knew that low heat would use about a third of the full flame fuel, etc. Of course, I always packed an additional 25% or so to account for unusually cold weather or some other unexpected usage factor.

I think at one point in time I owned six MSR stoves and about a dozen Sigg bottles.

–B.G.–

those tables jive very closely w/ my experience w/ remote canister, I weigh my canister pre/post trip and 3.5 days on a 4oz canister for my wife and I is awfully darn close to our average (2.0 liters boiled/day)

also the fuel tab (assuming Esbit) consumption is very close to my findings as well

Oops…I meant I'll need to boil 60 pints for the 6 days we are out. (insert blushing face here). I'm going to take both a 30 oz & 20 oz bottle which should be more than enough. As far as shipping the bottles, I called United Airlines and they said under no circumstances could I put fuel containers (even if new and empty) into my carry-on or checked baggage, but the stove was ok as long as there is no odor or residue detected. Since I have to ship my bottles anyways I was going to ship the stove with them to avoid any potential issues. The other option on the bottles is to buy new ones there and then leave them behind with some lucky person….about the same cost, but less hassle.

There is a Lot of confusion at the post office and the airlines regarding what can be mailed or flown. I was anticipating a trip and had bookmarked a few relevant posts, but never followed through. For, flying read Here about filling with vinegar to eliminate “residues and vapors”.

Note that post above is from 2005.

From the TSA Site, as of 3/20/11

“Camp Stoves – These can travel as carry-on or checked luggage only if they are empty of all fuel and cleaned so that there are no vapors or residue left. Simply emptying the fuel container will leave flammable vapors. We recommend that you ship the fuel containers to your destination ahead of time – passengers frequently have to leave them at the checkpoint because of fuel vapors.”

It would “seem” that fuel bottles would be the same.

If you call, let us know.

I am doing test today on my msr windpro canister stove. I am using a 2 litre pot and want to see how much fuel it takes to boil 6 cups at a time.

I am taking a group of 3 on the jmt later this year so thats what I think we need to boil for our fbc dinner meal.

Also going to test about half that for coffee in the morning.

its cold and snow here, so my test will be kinda worse case.

I know it doesnt compare to a white gas stove, but if you go this way, at least you dont have to worry about shipping the fuel canisters you have now…these are easy to find in most store around the trail here.

"As far as shipping the bottles, I called United Airlines and they said under no circumstances could I put fuel containers (even if new and empty) into my carry-on or checked baggage, but the stove was ok as long as there is no odor or residue detected."

You didn't ask the right question.

If you ask them if you can put fuel containers in checked baggage, of course they are going to deny you. The word "fuel" is a trigger.

If you ask them if you can put empty aluminum water bottles in checked baggage, they cannot deny you. In fact, don't even ask. I've flown on United with empty Sigg bottles.

For the return flight, the empty bottles will have fuel odor, and that is a problem. However, they can be washed out and aired out and left uncapped. Then, there is no problem or danger, because those are simply empty water bottles.

–B.G.–

Mark,

An MSR Windpro should put out every bit as much heat as a comparable white gas stove (e.g. a Simmerlite).

HJ

I like the way you think Bob….Thanks!

John, you know fundamentally that your aluminum bottles have no risk. Either they are new, or else they've been used and thoroughly cleaned out and aired out. Sure, they may look a little suspicious if somebody looks at them through a scanner, but there is no risk at all. The TSA inspectors just want to make sure that they eliminate any risk.

Checked baggage often has to meet some weight allowance, but the space allowance may be easier. Aluminum bottles don't weigh much, but they do take up a lot of space.

Now, a stove is much tougher to clean out.

–B.G.–