Canister Stoves.

First of all, make sure that the width of the burner flame makes sense for the diameter of your cook pot. A wider cook pot means that it can absorb more heat from the flame. A taller cook pot means that it can lose more heat to the surrounding air. Make sure that you cook out of the wind as much as possible, and even then you want a lightweight wind shield. A lightweight lid for the cook pot is necessary. All of these things will improve your stove efficiency. Study the burn times to get a boil, and know whether you need to crank it up hot or to run it mid-way.

With that amount of cooking, I think you will get well over 3 days worth, and possibly a week worth, but not necessarily. In summer, I've gone 6 or 7 days on one small canister. The canisters rarely leak. However, that does not mean zero failure.

–B.G.–

I rarely ever use a canister stove anymore but I can get 15-17 12oz boils out of a 110g canister. For a long trip it probably makes a lot of since weight wise, but not for short trips. I have used the caldera cone almost exclusively for the past two years and can get 12oz of water boiling with 15mL of fuel.

Fuel canisters can be purchased at Red's Meadow and at Muir Trail Ranch. You can also get them at Tuolumne Meadows and at Vermillion Valley Resort. They cost more there than they do at Walmart. All of the above also stock white gas and denatured ethanol.

Charles, any idea about the cost at MTR or VVR?

I went to purchase a small canister at a hard-to-get-to place last summer, and they charged the same price for a small one as what the big ones cost elsewhere.

I was at the Tuolumne Meadows Permit Station one time, and as I walked out of the place, some stranger in the parking lot asked me if I could use an almost-new butane canister. I said, "Sure." He handed it to me.

The canister was one of the huge ones, not the small one or the medium size one. He had carried that over some distance, but then he was flying out from Reno, so he had to dump it. That works dandy for the butane stove I keep in my car trunk.

–B.G.–

I have a SnowPeak TiMini Solo Cookset. It has a 4" diameter base. I made my alcohol stove out of two Red Bull sized cans (the smaller skinny ones), but the flame is still a bit too wide for what I'de like it to be. Any idea on what the LiteMax might do? Would it be a bit more fuel efficient?

Maybe somebody with the LiteMax can comment about flame size.

I have a couple of MSR Pocket Rockets, and I felt that they were fine. Then somebody commented about how it puts a narrow flame onto the cook pot and makes a hot spot. I just purchased a Monatauk Gnat for lower weight.

I have two alcohol burners. One is a top burner, so it works best in a narrow cook pot. One is a pressurized side burner, so it works best with a slightly wider cook pot. Neither will do a good job on a large pot, but you probably wouldn't carry that.

–B.G.–

I have a Litemax and a Snow Peak 600ml mug/pot(3-1/2" base) and they work very well together. The key is to not run the stove at max, it works best throttled down a bit. Boil tests have also shown that the stove is more efficient when throttled back. With the flame turned up high, a lot of the heat just goes up the sides of the pot.

I typically boil about 12 oz. of water for my supper and it required 6 to 7 grams of fuel for each boil.

Jerry

Litemax – OK flame, some CO, but otherwise good stove.
Pocket Rocket – very focused flame, burns food. Pot supports fragile/bendy. Stove too high and unstable.
Gnat – good stove, acceptable CO, low, strong enough.

A treasure trove of canister stove articles (some very technical) available for subscribers.

Cheers

"Pocket Rocket – very focused flame, burns food. Pot supports fragile/bendy. Stove too high and unstable."

Roger, we've heard that many times from you.

How is it that I've used my oldest Pocket Rocket for about ten years now, and the pot support arms are just fine? Mine doesn't seem to burn food, and it doesn't seem to tip over? What is it that I'm missing?

I admit, I always carry it in the red plastic box for protection.

–B.G.–

…

I believe I remember a test of the small 110 gram canisters boiling 12 to 14 pints (16 oz) per canister.

James,
That's a very interesting idea for a longevity test. Any chance you could find where you read that?

Canister stoves are convenient. Extra weight for the stove and the canisters. I have two Snow Peaks, a LiteMax and a manual GigaPower. They are awful in wind. You can get a wind screen for the GigaPower at a 2 oz weight penalty. Do a search on BPL for some DIY windscreens that attach to the burner. On a long trip, the 220g canisters would probably make to total weight of Giga Power stove/fuel lighter than a cone set-up, as the fuel is more efficient. Problem would be availability of the canisters, where alcohol is much easier to find.

To me it is really a flip of the coin, just a matter of personal preference.

I have the LiteMax and cook about the same amount or maybe a little more than you do as I sometimes have a hot lunch as well as an evening coco. One ounce of fuel per day has been my average usage which works out to a small canister 110 for a weekend trip or a medium 220 canister for a week-long trip.

On the JMT you'll have no problem picking up fresh canisters as needed, they sell them along the way: In the Valley, Tuolomne Meadows, Reds Meadow, VVR and at Muir Trail Ranch. Yes, they may charge a dollar or two extra per canister, but in planning for a JMT trip the extra five dollars probably shouldn't come into play.

When I stopped at Muir Trail Ranch they only have one size canister the Primus 450. It should last you all the way to Whitney.

I have found this site http://howardjohnson.name/Backpacking/Stove/Stoves.htm quite helpful when figuring out how much fuel is needed. It got me to switch over to Esbit a few years ago. In any case, there a bunch of variables you can adjust to calculate fuel requirements (while comparing fuel stove/options). I have found the default of 0.25 oz of fuel per pint of water boiled to be quite accurate for canister stoves. Of course, as others have mentioned, having the right pot size and keeping it out of the wind is extremely important to performance. One other suggestion worth mentioning is keeping the canister warm, especially if you plan on boiling water in the morning. It is a good idea to keep your canister inside you shelter, and better yet inside you bag, the previous night. Some people even put their canister on a small piece of foam to insulate from the ground. I never tried that but it's also worth considering. Have fun on your hike, it's a great trail.

One other note on that Fuel Calculator. Under section D – % overages, the default for canister fuel is 50%. If you adjust that to something more reasonable you get much lower weights.

It is not effecient, however, if you keep your canister warm or insulated while cooking. Keeping it warm only helps to get it going in the cold.

I used a gigapower on my JMT hike. I started with a large and small canister and had fuel left over at the end of my hike. For five days I was also cooking for two, but used it only for dinners. MTR used to have a note on their website about the only canister they sold.

If you fly into Reno, there is an REI within walking distance of the airport.

The Jetboil Sol due out this spring advertises its integrated efficiency at achieving 12 liters of boil per 110gm canister which should last you around 10 days I think. No doubt that is under ideal lab conditions but it does seem like several days longer than I have experienced with the Snowpeak Litemax. I have been wondering about this issue too so look forward to what you learn.

This article has all the info on fuel mileage, etc.

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

A canister comes out more efficient (over alcolhol) in a weeks time but not shorter intervals according to the article.

Hi Bob

> How is it that I've used my oldest Pocket Rocket for about ten years now,
You're careful. Comes with age and experience.

cheers

That article has basically the same findings as reported on thru-hiker.com: http://thru-hiker.com/articles/stoveweight_vs_time_14days.php

I've found that if I all I do is boil water once a day for tea and to reconstitute a home-dehydrated dinner, I'm definitely better off weight-wise with the alcohol stove, even for a trip as long as 10 days. If I'm going to do any actual cooking (i.e. the fish I'm after deign to be caught), the scenario changes considerably. In that case the canister stove, on which I can adjust the heat, uses less fuel as well as being easier to use. If I'm going to be fishing where/when a campfire is allowed, I can of course cook the fish (if any) on the coals and won't need the canister stove.

A small (4 oz. fuel) MSR canister will easily do 6 2-cup boils. If I take a cold (no-cook) meal or two, which I usually do, I can stretch it to 8 days.

Cooking for a group is much easier with a canister stove. Going out with my son and 2 older kids, boiling a quart of water three times per meal (once for reconstituting, once for cocoa and once for sanitizing the dishes), twice daily, the large (8 oz. fuel) MSR canister lasts 4 meals. That's 12 4-cup boils per 8 oz. of fuel. Doing three separate boils per meal, though, is not an efficient use of fuel, and I have gotten a 2-quart pot for next year. I'll be doing some fuel consumption tests on my back patio.

The main problem with the canister stove is inflexibility. Like other canister users, I have a quite a collection of partially full canisters. Next summer I'll be doing several trips in which I car-camp at or near the trailhead, which I hope will help use those up.

You are so right about the remainders in canisters. I'm thinking of buying a lantern which can use them up just for base camping. With Coleman white gas at near $10 a gallon even in my dinky Peak 1 lantern turned way down it is beginning to make sense to just use up the canisters without playing remote logistical canister roulette.

"With Coleman white gas at near $10 a gallon"

I bought one gallon last week for $12.95 plus tax at an outdoor goods store. Today, I bought one gallon for $8.88 at wally world. I know where to go next time.

–B.G.–

Hi Mary

> The main problem with the canister stove is inflexibility… I have a quite a collection of partially full canisters.

I don't understand. I weigh the canisters before and after so I have a very good idea of how many days are left in a canister. If I have a couple of half-full canisters and one of them is not enough for a particular multi-day trip, I have two options: take both, or earmark them for day walks. Both work. I have a lot of really empty canisters piled up for steel recycling.

My wife and I use one 230 g canister per week, or one 450 g canister per fortnight. Very reliable. All dinners cooked, morning tea and washing up included.

Cheers