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why do canister stoves fail in the cold winter?

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    • Good information explained in simple terms. Comes at the right time for winter season hiking. Unless, like me, you happen to be going to FL to hike. I may not even carry a stove this season.
      Changes Daily→ ♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫ ♪♫♪♫♪♫ ← Don't blame me. It's That Lonesome Guitar.

    • First thing I thought of was what my dad told me about Everest and their mixed liquid gases Clearly if you know its going to fail - you don't want to carry it. This is used at Everest and the mix may be different , so here in America - the lay out is for 6000 feet and cold temps and liquid fuel although harder to use is still the go to fuel.

      "high altitude fuel is of two types. Above 7000 metres/23,000 feet we use
      imported propane/butane 250 gramme canisters. Below 7000 metres/23,000
      feet we refill the canisters with propane gas. Liquid fuel does not work
      above 6000 metres/19,700 feet so we don't use liquid fuel above
      basecamp or advanced basecamp."
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:

      The post was edited 2 times, last by Wise Old Owl ().

    • Liquid Gas Stoves

      are the proven workhorses of backcountry cooking and will perform
      equally well in every season of the year. The set-up is generally
      characterized by a fuel bottle
      with an integrated pump that connects remotely to a freestanding stove
      body via a fuel line. Unlike canister stove systems, this set-up
      requires some experience and a little practice to properly operate, and
      it requires occasional maintenance to ensure maximum performance.
      Although not as user-friendly or lightweight as a canister system,
      liquid gas stoves provide certain advantages to the backcountry traveler
      where other systems fall short.

      Liquid gas stoves typically run on white gas, also known as camp fuel
      or naphtha. White gas burns exceptionally hot and generally cranks out
      more BTUs than a canister stove, which ultimately gives you a greater
      range of culinary ability in the backcountry. Before loading a fuel
      bottle in your pack, it’s important to make sure that the cap on the
      bottle is closed tightly. Not only will spilled liquid fuel create a
      fire hazard, it will leave your pack and gear smelling like a truck
      stop. Also, be sure to leave an air space when you refill the fuel
      bottle, as gas will expand as the temperature rises, and the excess
      pressure could potentially create a hazard. Because the gas is in a
      liquid state, you have to manually pump the plunger in the fuel bottle
      to create the pressure that will supply the burner. While this may seem
      like an inconvenience, a manual pump is among the versatile benefits
      afforded by a liquid fuel system. Unlike canister stoves which can be
      rendered useless by freezing temperatures, liquid gas systems are
      unaffected by winter weather, mainly because the pump allows you to
      create your own pressure and compensate for lower temperatures. The
      performance of a canister stove will also decrease as the amount of the
      gas in the canister drops. Once again, because you create your own
      pressure with a liquid fuel stove, you can maintain consistent
      performance throughout the entire fuel bottle.

      - See more at: backcountry.com/explore/canist…-gas#sthash.PV0GcSiq.dpuf
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:

    • Ditto here, I have a 25+ year old Whisperlite and a 10 year old Simmerlite. I know the latter works, the former mostly just needs some TLC. Whisperlite accompanied me from Springer to Pearisburg in 1990, worked flawlessly. Simmerlite has only ever been on one or two short sections, probably been lit less than 20 times.

      I carried a Sierra Zip stove for a couple hundred AT miles, and then around 2006 switched to canisters. Never did get comfy with alky stoves.

      PS, if anyone would like to purchase/bid one of these, let me know. No reasonable offer refused... :)
      - Whisperlite ~1989
      - Simmerlite ~2005
      - fuel canisters for above
      - Sierra Zip stove (have spare fan motor somewhere if I can find it) ~ 2002
      - Jetboil (igniter doesn't work, no biggie) ~2005

      The post was edited 1 time, last by rafe ().

    • feral bill wrote:

      LDog wrote:

      I still have my brass Svea I bought from REI in 1972 ...


      Mine goes back to 1968 or 9. I've used it from -20 F to 90+ F, and from Alabama to Arizona to Nova Scotia to Alaska. Always works with no fuss. I got each of my kids one when they grew up.
      Air travel is the only downside. :(

      At -20F my preferred stove is the one out back at Applebees.
      :)
      Resident Australian, proving being a grumpy old man is not just an American trait.

    • OzJacko wrote:

      Pour it into mouse holes and light it.... :)


      alas no we owls prefer shelter mice lightly breaded and toasted, not flame broiled. I need a delicate smoky flavor.

      The gallons of white gas was part of a prepper storage unit to supply 6 months of food survival for three people in house. There are two white gas Colman stoves that are dual burner. One that can run on pure gasoline and a back up separate wood burner. I also have a complete antique iron cook system in case of full wood cooking. I am sitting on some $1000 dollars of backed up food, bread making, beans, and rice. Rotating storage and adding to it. Much of this is cans and tins for dry storage, I have shared a few systems on the survival blogs to help others avoid power outages, in fact when the power goes out for days, I don't need a generator, you can guess the rest.
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:

    • OzJacko wrote:

      Pour it into mouse holes and light it.... :)


      Why did I just picture Mrs. Brisby and Auntie Shrew racing around with their fur on fire yelling for help from the rats?

      (On the other hand, setting gas in a pan next to fire-ant mounds and letting the vapors settle before igniting them usually had a nice 'fwump' sound followed by around 30-40 smoking spots in the yard... and a lot less ants...)
      _________________________________________________
      The trouble with reality stems from a lack of background music!

    • socks wrote:

      My 25 year old coleman peak 1 is still goin strong.


      Just saw this. You've still got a peak on that works!?!

      I had one for years, it's still around but the seals are all shot. Damage done after I made the mistake of letting my patrol leader borrow it on a campout when I was about 15.
      Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.

    • AdventureMyk wrote:

      OzJacko wrote:

      Pour it into mouse holes and light it.... :)


      Why did I just picture Mrs. Brisby and Auntie Shrew racing around with their fur on fire yelling for help from the rats?

      (On the other hand, setting gas in a pan next to fire-ant mounds and letting the vapors settle before igniting them usually had a nice 'fwump' sound followed by around 30-40 smoking spots in the yard... and a lot less ants...)


      Ever try scooping up one fire ant mound with a shove, running across the yard and then dumping it on another fire ant mound? It results in a near instant epic ant battle as each nest tries to fight off the sudden "invaders".
      Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.

    • SarcasmTheElf wrote:

      socks wrote:

      My 25 year old coleman peak 1 is still goin strong.


      Just saw this. You've still got a peak on that works!?!

      I had one for years, it's still around but the seals are all shot. Damage done after I made the mistake of letting my patrol leader borrow it on a campout when I was about 15.
      yep, poured some gas in it and fired it this past summer for some garage coffee, lousy coffee, but the stove was fine. I'm sure the seals could use replacing, prolly been about 10 years since the last time they were.

    • SarcasmTheElf wrote:


      Ever try scooping up one fire ant mound with a shove, running across the yard and then dumping it on another fire ant mound? It results in a near instant epic ant battle as each nest tries to fight off the sudden "invaders".


      No, I missed that one but when I lived in Gainesville, Fla I had the misfortune of trying to teach myself to wheelie a YZ-250 motocross bike through the gears and ended up clutching a bit too rough. Result? Slid into a rather nasty cactus. So I'm sitting there pulling out these 1-2" long cactus needles from just about every part of my body including those I don't want to mention when I realized I was feeling a heck of a lot more stings than the cactus could account for. It turns out the cactus I landed on happened to be the main entrance to a HUGE fire ant nest. As in trying to get up my feet sank drawing more of the irate little multi-leggers out.

      Now comes the fun part: With my normally white and red race bike a seething mass of orange and grey I beat feet a few hundred yards to the nearest house while stripping myself of ant-covered clothes. All of them... I found a hose with a sprayer attached (thankfully) and was power-washing the little beasties when the cops arrived. Apparently the elderly lady at the house thought I was some sort of an insane teenager who was on drugs but once she found out what had happened she was the first to find me a set of sweat pants while calling all of her friends over to hear the story... I've never been so embarrassed, especially as a few of the officers that responded were my neighbors. Did I mention they were female officers? <sigh>

      I hate ants...
      _________________________________________________
      The trouble with reality stems from a lack of background music!