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Bucking conventional wisdom and a few myths, the Backpacking Light Cooking Systems Editor, Roger Caffin, provides an informative analysis of canister stove types and fuels suitable for cold weather backpacking. His recommendations will surprise you - and may convert you into a cold weather canister user.
ARTICLE OUTLINE
- Introduction
- Power and Weight Considerations
- A Technical Analysis of Propane and Butane as Fuels
- The Canisters
- The Gas Stove Burner Head Size
- The Fuels
- N-butane
- Iso-butane
- Propane
- Why Gas Stoves Have a Reputation for Poor Cold Weather Performance
- Difference Between Petrol and Gas
- TABLE: Fuel Boiling Points
- Basic Flame Chemistry
- SIDEBAR: Petrol and Diesel Engines
- TABLE: Energy Released During Burning of Different Fuels
- TABLE: Boil Times and Power Output of Various Gas (Canister) and White Gas Stoves
- TABLE: Weight of Fuel Used for 1 Day in Moderate Weather
- SIDEBAR: Gas Stove Operation in Extreme Cold
- TABLE: Energy Required to Warm Water as a Solid, Liquid and Gas
- Summary
# PHOTOS: 2
# FIGURES: 1
# TABLES: 5
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Discussion
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Call me crazy but for winter my stoves of choice are:
1. MSR Dragonfly multi (liquid) fuel
2. SVEA 123 petrol fuel
3. Trail Designs/Caldera Cone Sidewinder/Inferno ti woodburner
I'll never carry a canister stove for winter regardless of the canister position or contents. Winter is no time to take chances.
Hi Eric
> Winter is no time to take chances.
I have to agree, but that means I take an inverted canister stove.
I guess it all depends on one's experiences. YMMV.
I am going to expand a little on this, as it is very relevant to a lot of winter travellers. For a start, read the article at the start of this forum thread. Next, consider carefully what is going to happen in real life. And for this exercise, let's imagine the ambient in the evening is below -30 C. That's very cold, and getting anything to work under those conditions is going to be hard.
But let us also imagine that you have been = travelling with a pack on your back, and your stove and gas canister are inside your pack. That is very reasonable. So what temperature will your stove and canister be at when you stop? I suggest they are likely to be above 0 C. Very seldom do you hear of a water bottle inside a pack close to someone's back being frozen. Body warmth is significant, and it keeps a lot of your gear 'warm' – so to speak. So even at -30 C ambient, it is likely that the canister of gas in your pack will be at a very operational temperature. You can get that stove lit.
Now, once the stove is lit and running, the canister could cool down due to the ambient. Yes, true, but any one who has travelled under those conditions knows to let a bit of heat from the stove shine on the canister. Or to sit the canister in a bowl of liquid water – although such water does turn to ice rather quickly sometimes. Just make sure the canister stays touchable: below 40 C.
I have a fine photo of some people cooking dinner with a gas stove, and I regret to say they have the canister sitting on top of the lid on the pot! I do not recommend that by any means, but the party was experienced on cold weather travel. I suspect the canister was put up there briefly, to warm it up (or for the photo).
OK, moving along to breakfast. May I suggest that anyone with an ounce of brains would store their gas canister inside the foot of their sleeping bag or quilt, along with their water bottle? (I keep my contact lenses there overnight too.)
Survival in extreme cold means you have to use your brains. And cheat!
Cheers
It's not crazy, it just depends on the conditions you experience in winter. "Winter" means different things in different parts of the world.
So, if "winter" means temperatures less than -15C (5F) then you will need a liquid fuel (white gas or kero) stove.
Or, if "winter" means no access to running water, a white gas stove will be more economical for melting large quantities of snow.
But if "winter" is generally 'warmer' than -10C (15F) then an inverted canister stove is perfectly suitable.
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