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This is a complicated subject, affected by a variety of factors, but complex or no, I give the question my best shot on my blog: Gas Stoves: How Cold Can I Go?
I give both a simple answer for easy planning purposes and a more complex answer for those who really want to get into the details.
Have a look if you like,
i've ran my jetboil at 10 degrees I held the canister in my hands to keep it chugging worked pretty well out of curiosity i set it down and the flame died rapidly
Fascinating way to keep a stove going! And interesting just how rapidly the flame died.
it works really well but your hands sure get frigid
lol. Yeah, I bet.
I was thinking about this about a month ago. Given that the boiling points of the gases are below freezing, you should be able to drop the canister into a bucket of water to keep them working (even ice cold water). What do you think? Jon
Exactly!
Water, so long as it remains liquid will keep the canister warm enough for vaporization to occur, and your stove will burn merrily along.
The only problem is n-butane. N-butane vaporizes at 31F/-0.5C. You generally need your fuel temp to be about 10F/5C above the vaporization point. Ice water can be nearing 32F/0C, which is only 1F/0.5C above the vaporization point — not enough. So, don’t use n-butane. :)
Seriously. Stick to isobutane/propane blends, and water is all you need to keep your stove happily working. A little tough if it’s below 0F/-18C, but if you can keep it liquid, the water will keep your stove running.
Interesting subject.
During our recent winter I was camped between Australias two highest peaks, unfortunately I did not have a thermometer with me, in the morning I hooked up a new large Coleman Max canister to my Coleman Extreme stove and the stove was struggling to work, I placed my bare hands around the canister and the flame increased a fair bit, when I removed my hands the flame died again.
The next morning I placed the canister inside my sleeping bag for a while before I got up and the stove worked very well.
Tony
Tony:
Did you have any sense of how cold it was? And at what elevation were you?
Hi HJ,
We where camped at 1960 meters (6430 feet) and I estimate it was around -15C (5F)
Tony
That's about 2,000 m in Wilkinson Creek – a very nice spot too.
For the canister to have that problem, it must have been 'a bit cold'.
I usually let the radiation from the flames hit the canister so it 'warms up' to around 0 C. Works well for me.
Cheers
The generally accepted number is 20F/-7C is when they die. Though a full canister may get a bit more life depending on the blend of fuel. Running at 32F is OK but the heat production will be down to about half. 40F is fine, and generally considered the lowest temp to use a top mounted stove. The ones with a regulator *might* get a bit more, but not much.
All sorts of tricks to keep them going and extend the range…insulation below, water baths, feedback loops in the flame on remote stoves, wind screens, largish cone heat reflectors, inverted cans (on some remotes,)etc.
Be aware that during use, the fuel will suck heat, mostly to keep up pressure. This usually means the stove will get colder in operation and loose heat/flame.
Of the two types, remotes and toppers, the remotes are better, often having a preheat tube. Even for the extra weight, they perform consistantly better.
tbeasley wrote: > We where camped at 1960 meters (6430 feet) and I estimate it was around -15C (5F)
That’s odd. At 1960m, I would not have expected it to struggle until maybe -20C, especially with the nice 60/40 blend available in Australia (to the best of what I’ve been able to put together). Maybe it was a bit colder?
James Marco wrote: > 40F is fine, and generally considered the lowest temp to use a top mounted stove.
James, if you’re running on 100% butane, then yes, you need to keep the fuel temperature at or above 40F/5C, but if you’ve got an isobutane blend, you’ll have plenty of power down to 20F/-7C (fuel temperature NOT air temperature). 20F/-7C is not where it dies. 20F/-7C is the lowest fuel temperature where it will work well. The “die” point is a bit lower than that.
Yeah, it really depends on the fuel. A few will run down to 20F, not to many, though. I think the SOTO and JetBoil Ti is the only ones I am familiar with. Anyway, having neither, I really cannot say that much about them. I think the SOTO people say 20F is their lower limit….hmmm….yes. As you say, you can probably burn off the propane a bit lower than that…another 10F or so. The old jet boil died at 20 and refused to fire up except for briefly at 20F, though. It had about half power by about 28-30F.
Hi, James,
YES. It absolutely depends on the fuel and the fuel temperature.
First, avoid “regular” butane and only use isobutane/propane blends. In the US, Snow Peak, MSR, Brunton, and I believe JetBoil should be fine. Don’t get Coleman, Optimus, Glowmaster, or Primus for cold weather use.
Second, start with a warm canister. Keep the canister in you bag/quilt at night or in you jacket pocket or something before dinner.
Third, keep the canister warm by keeping the canister in liquid water. Liquid water will always be above 32F/0C. If your fuel vaporizes at 11F/-12C, then you’re about 20 degrees Fahrenheit/10 degrees Celcius above the vaporization point of the fuel. You’ll have plenty of power. As long as that water stays liquid, you’ll have good canister pressure, even if the air temperature drops below the vaporization point of your fuel. Like I say, it’s the fuel temperature that matters, not the air temperature.
the nice thing about a jetboil is that you can cook with it and hold the canister in yr mitts …
ive know people who brewed with their jetboil basically in their sleeping bags …. i however have not tried this as a spill would be nasty
yeah, especially in bear country.
Judging by the comments I’ve gotten, I think I may have lost a few people with my “long” explanation.
So, here’s something really short and sweet: Practical Cold Weather Gas Tips. Have a look.
I put a canister in the freezer for a few hours, then wrapped it in bubble wrap with a thermometer probe and hooked it up to my remote canister Gnat. It happily burned with a full flame. The gas is 35% propane / 65% butane and the canister was -15C / 5F. I'm pretty sure it would go another 5 degrees colder.
stuart …
was the canister inverted?
i believes jim's point was for up right canisters ..
Stuart Robb wrote: > I put a canister in the freezer for a few hours, then wrapped it in bubble wrap with a thermometer probe and hooked it up to my remote canister Gnat. It happily burned with a full flame. The gas is 35% propane / 65% butane and the canister was -15C / 5F. I’m pretty sure it would go another 5 degrees colder.
Nice MYOG inverted canister stove! I assume by the look of it that you’re going with liquid feed, yes?
Yes, the canister is inverted for liquid feed. You can just make out the vapouriser tube behind the burner.
I know the OP was about canister top stoves so apologies for thread drift, but Tony did mention his experience with a Coleman Extreme…
No worries. The thread was getting pretty played out already.
Pretty nice MYOG inverted canister stove. Brunton stand? Maybe I should have bought one of those when they were still available. Unfortunately, I’m not quite as handy as guys like you and Tony with homemade vaporizer tubes and such. What’s the total weight if I may ask? And you use those lighter weight (165g?) cylindrical canisters that you keep showing me to make me envious, yes? :)
Not Brunton, a MYOG stand here The stand is 60g and yes to the cylindrical blowtorch canisters.
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