How many fuel canisters

For example, the MSR Reactor boils about 22 liters of water per full 8 oz. IsoPro canister, so a half-full canister will give you about 11 more boiled liters. The canisters will float upright when placed in water, and the water line will vary depending on how much fuel is remaining in the canister.

If you float a full canister and then float an empty canister, you can measure those water lines and mark them on your new canisters, then re-measure after the canister has been partially used. The latest gear, trips, stories, and more, beamed to your inbox every week. Photo: Kyle Peyton. Become a member to unlock this story and receive other great perks.

Secondly, the lifespan of a canister is very tentative on the user. Some folks like to make a hot breakfast with a cup of coffee every morning and then cook a hot dinner with a cup of tea at night. If this is you, you may be purchasing a new 8oz. Someone like me, who is unimaginative and lazy, may only cook one meal a day.

I found that I could stretch out a 4oz. It took me a while to form my habits and learn how much fuel I needed, but it is a skill you will surely pick up on your thru hike. Isobutane fuel canisters come in 3 sizes: 4oz. You will likely never purchase a 16oz. I started out my thru hike buying 8oz. Once I had my cooking patterns down, I began to buy the 4oz. Despite their outward appearance, any brand of fuel canister will work with any stove. If you know you are going to be in cold weather, a stove system or a liquid fuel stove is a better choice than a canister stove.

Water boils faster at a higher elevation. On the flip side raw food cooks much slower the higher you go. For every 18 degrees Fahrenheit the boiling point of water drops, cook time will double.

Wind is a major factor in fuel consumption. Even a 5 MPH wind can cause as much as three times more fuel use for an open flame burner stove. If you have your tent set up you can somewhat combat this by cooking in a vestibule.

Melting snow for water greatly increases boiling time and therefore fuel consumption, as will using water from glacial streams and ponds. The colder the water the longer it will take to boil. One problem with using fuel canisters is not knowing how much fuel is left in them after a trip.

One solution to this is to weigh the canisters. A completely empty 8 oz. So you add that to the 8 oz. When you first start out backpacking, stay safe and start out with an 8 ounce canister, then gauge your fuel consumption over the course of a few backpacking trips.

According to Eastern Slopes , an 8 ounce canister of fuel can burn for about three hours, when using a variety of heat settings. If you always plan cranking the burner on high to boil water, the fuel canister will NOT last nearly as long. That can give you, as the camp cook, a general idea of how long your canister fuel can last—depending on how long you plan to cook each day per meal. Our Power Gas is the most versatile for almost all backpacking and camping.

Check out our list of advantages and disadvantages of various fuel types so you know what to bring for your next expedition.