Stove/fuel canister compatibility question

hikin_jim

New member
I was under the impression that these canisters had a bit of propane in them as well. And that's why inverted canister stoves like the MSR windpro work so well with an inverted can.
Yes they do have some propane in them, typically 15% to 30%. You can't get anything more than 30% in the US anymore unless you find some old (discontinued) Coleman Powermax or Bernzomatic PC8 canisters. The presence of propane increases pressure inside the canister particularly in cold weather. The problem with propane is that the higher vapor pressure that it has causes it to burn off faster than butane or isobutane. When all the propane is burned off, you canister may fade out. Running with the canister inverted avoids the issue of preferential burn off, but only run with the canister inverted on a stove designed to do so.

I've also heard of people recharging the canisters, but don't really have any experience with that at all.
You can refill. Not sure if it's worth the hassle or not. But I've refilled with butane which is a perfectly good fuel for use over 50F/10C. I can get 227g of butane for $1.00 whereas a 110g backpacking type canister costs $4.00 to $5.00 depending on the brand. So, refilling gives me a 75 to 80 percent discount. And of course I can top off partial canisters or custom fill a canister for a trip of a given length.

HJ
 

Christophe Noel

Expedition Leader
Well, not quite. Some companies market a propane/isobutane blend.

Uh, no. The canisters are all steel. Put a magnet next to one. They can be recycled, but as steel.
Whoops, I meant to say steel. They can be recycled, with tin cans and other such metals. I also goofed and said butane/isobutane. As you corrected, it's propane/isobutane. Jet Boil makes a nifty little tool called a "Crunch It" to purge the remaining fuel from a canister prior to recycling. I'm happy to report the store I work for sells tons of those. Good to see people recycling these cans.

However, It is very accurate to say that MSR, Jetboil, Snowpeak, Primus, Optimus and most standard thread canisters are an isobutane/propane mix and work perfectly well with most of the "canister" stoves on the market. Butane cartridges are most popular for portable cook platforms used in the culinary industry. Go to a kitchen supply store and many of their burners will use the butane cartridges in the tall cylindrical can as pictured above.

We could spin our wheels complicating this all day long, but the short answer is: MSR, Jet Boil, Optimus, Primus, Snow Peak and all other threaded isobutane/propane cans of all sizes will work with the vast majority of stoves made from those same companies - interchangeably.
 

86tuning

Adventurer
I've always just punctured my empty canisters with a can opener (Swiss army knife or flat folding p50 style).

Just don't point it at the campfire while you're doing that.

Then smash flat with rocks. Or just carry it home since it doesn't take any more space than it did on the way in.
 

hikin_jim

New member
However, It is very accurate to say that MSR, Jetboil, Snowpeak, Primus, Optimus and most standard thread canisters are an isobutane/propane mix and work perfectly well with most of the "canister" stoves on the market.
Generally, yes, but be careful with the word "most". A lot of backpacking type canisters use regular butane (not isobutane). For example, Optimus is regular butane not isobutane.
DSC00523.JPG


And I'm not trying to be rude or nit-picky. I'm just trying to bring out something that even people that are generally well informed (such as yourself) might not be aware of.

OK, so sometimes it's plain butane and sometimes it's isobutane. Who cares?

Well in warm weather, it won't matter at all, but in cold weather, it matters very much. Isobutane vaporizes down to 11F/-12C whereas butane vaporizes only down to 31F/-0.5C. Using isobutane in cold weather gives one about a 20 Fahrenheit degree cold weather advantage (about 10 Celcius degrees).

If anyone is interested, I've listed which brands are which on my blog: What's the Best Brand of Gas for Cold Weather?

Again, though, in warm weather (above, say, 50F/10C), just get whatever is cheapest (with a connector that is appropriate to your stove of course).

Butane cartridges are most popular for portable cook platforms used in the culinary industry. Go to a kitchen supply store and many of their burners will use the butane cartridges in the tall cylindrical can as pictured above.
Yes, absolutely.

We could spin our wheels complicating this all day long, but the short answer is: MSR, Jet Boil, Optimus, Primus, Snow Peak and all other threaded... cans of all sizes will work with the vast majority of stoves made from those same companies - interchangeably.
Yes, absolutely.

HJ
 

Christophe Noel

Expedition Leader
Holy smokes. It's a wonder many of us haven't died in the backcountry trying to boil water with the wrong fuel. :)
 
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