Winter Stove Fuel

Stove fuel matters in the winter since butane will fail to work in subfreezing temperatures.  You will want to ensure that you are using the correct canister, select the proper fuel blend and bring enough fuel for your winter outing. 

Recommendation:

• MSR IsoPro 8oz canister per person for Weekend Winter Outings

• Best fuel mix for winter camping

• Find at REI 

Want to know more?  Keep reading...

Butane and Isobutane Canisters

Several different butane canister designs have been used over the year, but there are 2 main types used for camping equipment in the US. 

Fuel Mixes

Fuel canisters can contain a mix of gasses, with different boiling points and vaporization pressures.  Since butane fails to vaporize at subfreezing temperatures, having a mix of other fuel gasses can enable you to cook in really cold temperatures. 

Butane

The boiling point of butane is 31°F (-0.5°C).  Fuel will not vaporize well below its boiling point.  As gas is used up in the canister, the fuel will also further cool down.  This results in low to no gas pressures right around the freezing point of water.  It is less expensive to fill a fuel canister with regular butane than isobutane and is the default fuel for butane powered stoves.   Regular butane is good to around 40°F before you have problems or need to get creative. 

Isobutane

Isobutane is an isomer of butane which means it has the same number and type of atoms, but they are arranged differently.  It has a boiling point of 11°F (-11.7°C) and higher vaporization pressures than regular butane.  If your canister has some isobutane in it, it will work much better at subfreezing temperatures, but will still eventually fail at very low temps or when the isobutane is used up.   Isobutane is good to about 20°F.

Propane

Propane has a boiling point of -43°F (-42.1°C).   Propane also has extremely high vapor pressures in warmer temperatures.  Note that propane canisters are built MUCH stouter than isobutane canisters.  Several isobutane and butane canisters contain a fuel blend with a limited amount of propane.  If a higher ratio of propane was used, it would require a heavier duty canister designed to handle the higher vaporization pressures associated with propane.  Propane should be good to subzero temperatures, and far below what we would except on a Scout outing in our part of the world.  Note that at very cold temperatures, propane systems can still have problems with freezing of fuel lines and regulators. 

Mixed Fuel Blends Designed for Winter Use

Some companies make a summer blend and a winter blend of fuel.  Stay away from the summer blends when camping in near or subfreezing trips.  

Butane will fail to vaporize in subfreezing temperatures so the more regular butane you have in your canister, the more unusable fuel you'll have trapped in your canister in cold conditions.  The more isobutane and propane your canister has, the better it will do in the cold.  Do note that anytime you have isobutane, you will also have regular butane mixed in with it.  That said, be weary of canisters labeled "Isobutane", which could contain only a small amount of isobutane and mostly regular butane. 

Which fuel canister to go with?  First understand that the majority of canisters production is in South Korea and mostly by the same company.  Because of this, canisters can be identical between various brands, but have very different contents.   To compare fuel blends, we can start by comparing the advertised ratio of fuels for a given fuel blend.  That said, it is important to note that the advertised ratio and actual ratio of contents can be very different.  A few companies publish what is used in their canisters.  Other's don't.  Based on brand reputation, we can hope that reputable brands may more accurately publish and advertise correctly what their fuel blends are composed of and that they may incorporate better quality control measures.  If a company doesn't even publish the ratio of their fuel blends, it could be anything. 

Avoid blends with butane, those that don't list the composition of their blends and brands with poor reputations. 

Reputable Cold Weather Blends

If you are using a stove that is fueled by an inverted canister, then the amount of propane matters more and the amount of butane vs isobutane matters less.  The reason for this is that propane will vaporize first in the canister and push the mixed liquid fuel to your stove.  Instead of unused butane being left in your canister, it is mostly burned up as liquid fuel.  An inverted canister also cools down less as less liquid fuel is vaporizing in the canister.  Some will argue that Olicamp's Rocketfuel is better suited than MRS' IsoPro for inverted-canister systems in subfreezing temperatures. 

Where to Find Winter Blended Canister Fuel

Fred Myers and Walmart sell canister fuel, but this may not be the fuel you are looking for.  REI and some other specialty stores will have better options for the winter. 

Where to Find Affordable Canister Fuel Locally

Affordable isn't the same as the "best" fuel, but you can use just about any fuel when temperatures are above 40°F.

• Sportco Warehouse Sporting Goods
  4602 20th St E,
  Fife, WA 98424
  Kovea Isobutane 

• Big 5
  Kovea Isobutane
  Ask for Military or Scout Discount

• Fred Myers
  Sterno Isobutane Propane
  Purchase during outdoor or camping sale - look for freeze dried food too

• Sportsman's Warehouse
  Sterno Isobutane Propane
  Coleman Propane
  MSR IsoPro
  Ask for Military or Scout Discount

• REI
  Fuel Canisters
  Most expensive place to get  Propane Bottles
  10% rebate if member - +5% if REI credit card 

• Cabela's
  Coleman 1lb Propane
  Coleman 1lb Propane 4 Pack
  Optimus 8oz Fuel Canister
  Jetboil Jetpower
  Primus SIP Power Gas Fuel Canister 
  Ask for military discount
  10 percent in-store discount when you present a troop checkbook

• Dick's Sporting Goods
  Jetboil Jetpower
  GSI Outdoors Isobutane
  Coleman 1lb Propane 2 Pack
  10 percent in-store discount when you present a BSA membership card - depends on who you ask
  Ask for military discount

• Target
  Coleman 1lb Propane 2 Pack
  Coleman 1lb Propane 3 Pack 

• Walmart
  Look for sales
  Coleman 1lb Propane
  Coleman 1lb Propane 2 Pack
  Coleman 1lb Propane 4 Pack
  Coleman Butane-Propane-Mix 

• It is also possible to run straight butane from Spray Bottle Canisters if you use an adapter or are refilling canisters

How Much Fuel Do I Need?

The amount of fuel you need depends on many factors, to include how you use your stove.  Using a stove to boil water for dehydrated meals in the summer takes a lot less fuel than cooking gourmet meals and melting snow in the winter.

An MSR Pocket Rocket needs about 1oz (28g) of fuel to boil 2 liters of water in optimal lab conditions.  The $300 MSR Reactor 1.7L system can boil about 40% more (2.8L) water with the same amount of fuel.   At room temperature, you get about 3 boils of .05L of water per oz of isobutane.  The need to melt snow, low temperatures and wind can result in needing 3-4 times as much fuel.  

The rule of thumb is to bring 1 oz (28g) of fuel per person per day in the summer and 4oz (110g) of fuel per person per day in the winter.  It is important to note that fuel usages is effected by SO MANY factors.  An experienced explorer can get away with half this amount of fuel while a novice camper can burn through twice as much due to poor technique and waste. 

A small fuel canister is good for about one day for one person in the winter.  The cost of a small canister is close to that of a medium canister, so hikers may choose a carry a little extra fuel or split a medium canister between 2 hikers.  For an overnight winter trip, a medium canister is just about right, but many will pack a spare canister in case the first one leaks.  On larger trips, the large canister starts to make more sense since you get a lot more fuel for your money and you shed about 3oz of weight.  That said, the large canisters can make a stove a bit tipsy.  There is also an argument for equipping Scouts with smaller canisters to help them realize how easy it is to burn through fuel if they aren't paying attention.  It is better to waste a smaller canister and learn an easy lesson than to burn through all of your fuel early in a trip and learn a more painful lesson.  

Canister Rules of Thumb:

• 2 small canisters weigh more than 1 larger canister

• 2 canisters is safer than one canister for Scouts

• Summer Weekend Trip: 4oz Canister

• Summer Weeklong Trip: 8oz Canister

• Winter Weekend Trip: 8oz Canister

• Winter 4-day Trip: 16oz Canister or 2 8oz Canisters

• Longer Winter Trips: 

  • 4oz per day 

  • Consider using Propane with a remote stove system and a tight windscreen

Maximizing Fuel Use

There are a number of ways to reduce fuel use:

• Use a pot lid to trap heated water vapors

  • This has a significant impact on boil times and fuel use

  • Check water frequently to avoid burning fuel past your boil time

  • A lid has a larger impact on wider pots and in colder temperatures

• Have food prepped and ready for boiling water

  • Open up meals and remove desiccant pouch

  • If you are using a cozy, place meal in cozy

• Use a Tight Windscreen for stoves with a Remote-Canister

  • Have only about 1/2" of space between pot and windscreen

  • This protects flames from wind and keeps heat around your pot

  • Do NOT do this with a stove-over-canister system as this can result in an explosion

• Use an Inverted-Canister Stove System

  • These are less problematic in cold weather and allows you to safely use a tight windscreen

• Use a wind block for Stove-over-Canister systems

  • Put up a wind block to protect flames in your stove

  • Just avoid making it too tight

  • There is a way to build a tight windscreen for just the pot with a reflector between the stove and canister

    • Optimus Clip-On Windshield - can be replicated with Ti pot

    • GigaPower Windscreen - can be replicated with Ti plate or bowl

  • A snow block/wall can work well as a wind block

• Insulated platform for stove

  • Place stove on platform to insulate it from snow

  • This should also make your stove more stable

  • Thin plywood works great

• Place fuel canister in dish or bowl of warm water to help canister vaporize liquid fuel

• Consider using a pot with a heat exchanger (heat fins), such as the JetBoil or MSR Reactor

  • These pots have a weight penalty but theoretically make up for their increased weight with reduced fuel needed on extended trips

• Melt some Snow without Stove

  • Place snow on black garbage bag or black pulk

  • The more snow you melt this way, the less you have to melt with your stove

  • If you intend to use your pulk, consider 

    • Bleaching pulk before outing to sanitize it (especially if stored in place with rodents)

    • You can also place snow in freezer bags

    • Bring water to complete boil to sanitize it before consumption