there are many ways to get a canister stove to work in the cold – mulder strip, inverted stove, dish of water,…
A while ago I showed a heat reflector which someone tried and failed to get to work so that must be a bad idea
Here’s another version:
My butane has a boiling point of about 22F – that is, when it’s that temperature and you turn it on, no fuel comes out
When I warmed it up a little with a lighter, I could get a little fuel to flow. Then I put it in the windscreen and turned it on. It started feebly, but then gradually increased until it was going strong by the time my water boiled
heat from the burner is reflected onto the bottom of the canister which warms up
aluminum flashing – 1.3 ounces
a small piece of aluminum foil underneath – 0.01 ounce
compared to dish of water – that will work at any temperature if you have a little liquid water. Add a little of your heated water to the dish as you go to keep it warm. This method will work at the coldest temps.
all the other methods are pretty similar – you have to externally warm the canister to a few degree F above it’s boiling temperature
with an unmodified canister stove, it will cool down as much as 10F while it’s burning, from evaporative cooling, so the air temperature must be at least 10F above it’s boiling temperature
isobutane boiling temperature – 11F
cheap butane boiling temperature – about 22F
