Troop 60 > Resources > Gear and Equipment > Snowpacking Gear > Winter Cooking Gear > Winter Stove FuelTroop 60 > Resources > Gear and Equipment > Cooking Gear > Winter Cooking Gear > Winter Stove Fuel

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. 

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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. 

EN417 Lindal Valve Canister

Most camping stoves in the US use a canister with a universal EN417 Lindal Valve.  Any quality stove should thread onto any fuel canister of this design.  So you don't have a purchase brand specific fuel for your stove.  

The exception to the rule of universal treaded canisters is Orange Topped Coleman Canisters.  These canisters are made in France whereas most others are made in Korea.  Many stoves DON'T work with Orange Topped Coleman Canisters, to include the MSR Pocket Rocket and Pocket Rocket 2. 

EN417 Lindal Valve Canister generally contain a mix of isobutane and propane to help them work in subfreezing temperatures.  Some mixes are more desirable than others - see below. 

Butane Spray Cans

These look like spray cans.  These are used in portable tabletop stoves that are very popular in Asia and are becoming more popular in the US.  Stoves that use this fuel are generally more suited for car camping than backpacking or winter camping in remote areas. 

These cans are generally much more affordable than the EN417 Lindal Valve Canisters.  That said, they are not as practical to use and generally only contain butane, making it a poor fuel choice for winter camping. 

This is NOT the fuel you want for winter camping.

Remote Canister system using Propane

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. 

MSR IsoPro Fuel
(20% Propane / 75% Isobutane / ≤5% Butane )

Snow Peak Giga Power Canister Fuel
(15% Propane / 85% Isobutane / ?% Butane) 

Olicamp Rocketfuel Canister Fuel
(26% Propane / 28% Isobutane  / 45% Butane)

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.

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.  

Fuel Canisters come in 3 Basic Sizes (MSR Stats):

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 because of 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 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 you 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.  

Pro Trick - Weigh Canister:
Weigh your canister before use on a postal scale and write the full weight on the canister.  

After use, you can weigh it again to determine how much fuel was used and estimate how much fuel remains.

Some outdoorsman refill their canisters.  If this is done, it is vital that the canister is not overfilled and is filled with the same fuel blend.  Refilling a canister with larger proportions of propane will help this fuel work at lower temperatures AND risk a canister explosion!  This may be tempting for some, but this practice/experiment is ill advised.

Pro Trick - Canister Cap:
Don't throw out the cap over your canister and replace it whenever your canister is not connected to your stove.

The cap keeps dirt, water, snow and ice out of the canister valve.  A little water, snow or ice can block off the top of your canister and make it useless in subfreezing temperatures.  If water gets into some regulators, it will destroy the spring or freeze up and block the fuel line.

A little bit of dust, dirt, sand or lint in your fuel line can clog your valve or regulator.  A clogged stove is a major problem in the Winter. 

Maximizing Fuel Use

There are a number of ways to reduce fuel use: