My buddy and I had a discussion today about our upcoming trip. I always buy a gallon of Coleman fuel when I arrive in MN. Never use it all, but schlep it along the way as we paddle and portage.

My buddy sez...lets figure a way to strap that tin can on our portage packs so we have another free hand when portaging. I say no way...it may compromise the can.

Solution.

I ordered two more MSR 30oz bottles today. We will enter BWCA with two 22oz and two 30oz MSR bottles of fuel. More than enough...even if we are stupid.

I considered buying an off brand bottle but decided against it.

Now we can pack the bottles in our portage packs and/or food pack and have a free hand for paddles or fishing poles!

you can NEVER have too many MSR fuel bottles :)

Holy cow yea that's enough for 2 for like....3 weeks. But, as said you can't have enough bottles. I just don't take them all along

Wow! That's a lot of fuel! Six and a half pounds. How much do you usually use?

Now we can pack the bottles in our portage packs”

If I was your prtner I’d say “Now YOU can pack the bottles in YOUR portage pack! Haha!

Wife and I just spent 4 days in. Used a total of 27 oz of fuel.

You’ll have plenty!

Guess I'm weird . I use a 4oz fuel canister for 5 days.

Blatz: "Guess I'm weird . I use a 4oz fuel canister for 5 days."

I'm weirder than you are - I use one for almost twice that long! :)

Love the MSR bottles, but that does seem like a lot of fuel. I typically use about 1.5 ounces per meal, including an occasional fish fry. Are you guys planning to roast a turkey?

boonie: "

Blatz: "Guess I'm weird . I use a 4oz fuel canister for 5 days."

I'm weirder than you are - I use one for almost twice that long! :)"

I'm in the same boat, 4 oz stretched over two weeks.

OK, I accept the kind "ribbing!" LOL

We will be out for 10 days. Two of us. Last year, I think we used half a gallon for 8 days.

We both drink coffee...prolly two cups each in the morning. We cook breakfast using fuel as well.

Sometimes a cup of coffee midday.

Cook dinner.

I generally boil water to clean dishes.

Maybe once during the trip, heat water for a whore bath.

But, all points well taken. It is overkill...that I know.

This year, I am going to accurately calculate how much fuel we use. I will report back in Sep.

My colorado 5-day backpacking trip two years ago consumed 4oz. But, we used simple MH meals and only two-three cups of coffee per day. No boiling for cleanup.

boonie: "

Blatz: "Guess I'm weird . I use a 4oz fuel canister for 5 days."

I'm weirder than you are - I use one for almost twice that long! :)"

My trips usually don't good past 5 days and I have gas left over. So I might be at the same level of weird.

TechnoScout: "OK, I accept the kind "ribbing!" LOL

Maybe once during the trip, heat water for a whore bath.


"

Mystery solved :)

Hey Techno hope your having a good summer. When and where are you guys entering this year? My daughter and I going in EP 50 Cross Bay lake on 9/20 so gunflint side. Mike

Techno-

I did the same thing, then after a few years I started keeping track of how much fuel I used and got a good average. I can calculate it out pretty close, but still leave about a 10-15% margin for error. I think my biggest variable in the use of fuel is how much damn coffee I drink . . . :).

Have a good trip!

Be sure to pack those bottle in two ice bags or something to catch any leaking before it gets into your food or gear

Minnesotian: "

boonie: "

Blatz: "Guess I'm weird . I use a 4oz fuel canister for 5 days."

I'm weirder than you are - I use one for almost twice that long! :)"

I'm in the same boat, 4 oz stretched over two weeks.


"

I get 7-8 days out of the 100g canisters... that's solo, of course.

TechnoScout, what kind of stove are you using with this and where do you refill the MSR bottles?

campnfish: "TechnoScout, what kind of stove are you using with this and where do you refill the MSR bottles?"

I take two stoves: Whisperlite International, and Simmerlite (for backup). So far, have not had to use the backup in years. (paranoia oozing from my words, n'cest pas?)

I fly to MSP, drive to Cloquet, MN. Eat lunch at Gordy's and go to the Walmart and buy a gallon of Coleman Fuel. Then on to Ely.

This year, I will fill up my bottles at the tow location, have the tow-boat Captain hold the leftover in the can. When I return. I will pour unused fuel back into the Coleman can and give it to the tow-boat Captain!!

Somewhat odd discussion! And shows personal use has much more to do with field fuel use than any other input.
TS used to take 128 ounces Coleman fuel, decided to reduce to 100 ounces approximately. Sates latter he normally brings back 1/2 a gallon or 64 ounces for 2 travelers 8 days out. To me the answer has been stated right there 64 ounces of fuel carried for the way they use it.

Does it matter if I think that is too much? No because that is what TecnoScout uses.
I think he figured out a very good way to deal with both air travel and fueling.

TechnoScout, do you know Coleman Fuel is available in quart bottles? At more expense yes due to sizing and the "Premium" branding. But is another option.

butthead

PS: And you are paranoid! You did say to call you that. bh

butthead: "Somewhat odd discussion! And shows personal use has much more to do with field fuel use than any other input.
TS used to take 128 ounces Coleman fuel, decided to reduce to 100 ounces approximately. Sates latter he normally brings back 1/2 a gallon or 64 ounces for 2 travelers 8 days out. To me the answer has been stated right there 64 ounces of fuel carried for the way they use it.


Does it matter if I think that is too much? No because that is what TecnoScout uses.
I think he figured out a very good way to deal with both air travel and fueling.


TechnoScout, do you know Coleman Fuel is available in quart bottles? At more expense yes due to sizing and the "Premium" branding. But is another option.


butthead

PS: And you are paranoid! You did say to call you that. bh"

LOL...maybe paranoid is the wrong word, but it is my word, so I will own it.
I spent 40 years designing integrated circuits that make phones work, disk drives save data, and a million other things my microcontrollers do (and are still doing). So I design for margin...and lots of it.

My over design drives my wife nuts (but she has stuck with me up to the 45 year mark...which was yesterday, incidentally).

Like I said, when I get back, I will have a definitive answer--for our use model.

Yeah, I see the quart cans available, but...

I got the new MSR bottles yesterday. What beautiful workmanship.

I appreciate all the comments...what makes this site fun!

p.s. my buddy is also a circuit designer (used to work for me) and he over designs more than I!! Oh my!

Oh, and by the way:
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that they aren't out to get you...

TechnoScout: "My buddy and I had a discussion today about our upcoming trip. I always buy a gallon of Coleman fuel when I arrive in MN. Never use it all, but schlep it along the way as we paddle and portage.

My buddy sez...lets figure a way to strap that tin can on our portage packs so we have another free hand when portaging. I say no way...it may compromise the can.

Solution.

I ordered two more MSR 30oz bottles today. We will enter BWCA with two 22oz and two 30oz MSR bottles of fuel. More than enough...even if we are stupid.

I considered buying an off brand bottle but decided against it.

Now we can pack the bottles in our portage packs and/or food pack and have a free hand for paddles or fishing poles!"

Returned last night. I will give a more detailed account later...here is the consumption for our trip: 64 ounces for a 10 day trip. We took 86 oz.

Yikes! That's a bunch of fuel! I'm sure you would say the same about my fishing gear,lol. I guess it is all about our priorities, and the things that bring us joy.

TechnoScout: "

TechnoScout: "My buddy and I had a discussion today about our upcoming trip. I always buy a gallon of Coleman fuel when I arrive in MN. Never use it all, but schlep it along the way as we paddle and portage.


My buddy sez...lets figure a way to strap that tin can on our portage packs so we have another free hand when portaging. I say no way...it may compromise the can.


Solution.


I ordered two more MSR 30oz bottles today. We will enter BWCA with two 22oz and two 30oz MSR bottles of fuel. More than enough...even if we are stupid.


I considered buying an off brand bottle but decided against it.


Now we can pack the bottles in our portage packs and/or food pack and have a free hand for paddles or fishing poles!"

Returned last night. I will give a more detailed account later...here is the consumption for our trip: 64 ounces for a 10 day trip. We took 86 oz."

Here is what we ate:
Coffee 22
Oatmeal 8
eggs 12
sausage 9
bacon 48
pancakes 8
Fish 7
Mac-cheese 2
Rice 1
Steaks 2lb

For the bacon, 40 slices were pre-cooked and just warmed in the skillet.
Add to this, some boiled water for cleaning.
One evening, we cooked over the fire and did not use the stove.

You can save a lot of weight some better planning. You can also save a lot of weight by bringing one pot dedicated for use on a fire for boiling water and lots of other things.

Jaywalker: "Love the MSR bottles, but that does seem like a lot of fuel. I typically use about 1.5 ounces per meal, including an occasional fish fry. Are you guys planning to roast a turkey? "

Maybe going to bring in a pig to butcher and roast! Haha! I use a little more then most myself. Although through winter months I tried to “practice” and play with meals to pare that down. Winter to me was a great time to plan and prepare food and things for the coming year. My problem was I couldn’t settle for less then 11 to 14 days... so fuel could be the burden. What I like about the good fuel bottles is the weight. They didn’t really add a lot besides the fuel itself.

ppine: "You can save a lot of weight some better planning. You can also save a lot of weight by bringing one pot dedicated for use on a fire for boiling water and lots of other things. "

Granted. However, it is more about choice than planning. We did cook one meal without the Whisperlite. Every night we had a fire so we could have done more.

Wow, that’s a lot of Boy Scout water. You will have no worries about running out of fuel.

Oh...I forgot...I made popcorn one night! :-)

TechnoScout: "Oh...I forgot...I made popcorn one night! :-)"

I'm sure it's that popcorn that tips your fuel usage over to lots and lots more than we ever used. Sorry, am not making fun. I've just needed some good chuckles lately and this thread provides some. I suggest skipping bathing others and even maybe just a dip in the lake for yourself or just use solar shower. Wondering if that whole pig you're roasting (or ntry suspects you are roasting) takes up a whole food pack. Kind of heavy food to carry but maybe it's a live pig and he helps portage some of the other packs. And no, I wouldn't call you paranoid.

Enjoy your trip,

I had the O-rings fail on my MSR fuel bottles. We use a blue barrel and it ruined our food. Never gave them a thought. Now I put new O-rings on every year AND bag the bottles. Yep, we carry to much fuel.

For those who are interested in the comparison, my usage on recent 14-day trip:

Starting weight of canister 370 grams, ending weight 267 grams, fuel used = 103 grams (about 3.66 ounces). Boiled water for 14 dinners and 28 coffees, approximately 3 cups of water per day.

boonie: "For those who are interested in the comparison, my usage on recent 14-day trip:


Starting weight of canister 370 grams, ending weight 267 grams, fuel used = 103 grams (about 3.66 ounces). Boiled water for 14 dinners and 28 coffees, approximately 3 cups of water per day. "

Approximate--
White gas: 44 BTU/gram
300 BTU to boil four cups of water
42 cups requires about 3000 BTU
3000 BTU is about 68 grams of white gas at 100% efficiency.
Your number is in the ball park.
But, you weren't eating this:
Steak

I am guessing :-)

Nope, no steak, but I did have some pretty tasty dinners :) Plenty of gas, too . . . ;)

boonie: "For those who are interested in the comparison, my usage on recent 14-day trip:


Starting weight of canister 370 grams, ending weight 267 grams, fuel used = 103 grams (about 3.66 ounces). Boiled water for 14 dinners and 28 coffees, approximately 3 cups of water per day. "

What kind of stove are you using?

Cashfan: "

boonie: "For those who are interested in the comparison, my usage on recent 14-day trip:



Starting weight of canister 370 grams, ending weight 267 grams, fuel used = 103 grams (about 3.66 ounces). Boiled water for 14 dinners and 28 coffees, approximately 3 cups of water per day. "

What kind of stove are you using?"

The kind of stove makes little differance except for bragging points. All petrol-chemical base fuels put out similar btu's. It's how the user cooks and uses the stove than makes the largest
efficiency improvement. Not sure what boonie uses but remember mention of JetBoil a canister fueled PCS. I get very close fuel management and cooking on MSR Windpro, and a Alocs Split Wing stove
Changing to a liquid fueled MSR Simerlite I get very close in results, need to pay attention to priming amounts. Matching pot size and using windscreens make the largest addition to efficiency, add techniques reducing burner use (efficient starting/shutting off) and your there.

butthead

Cashfan: "

boonie: "For those who are interested in the comparison, my usage on recent 14-day trip:



Starting weight of canister 370 grams, ending weight 267 grams, fuel used = 103 grams (about 3.66 ounces). Boiled water for 14 dinners and 28 coffees, approximately 3 cups of water per day. "

What kind of stove are you using?"

Hey, cashfan

I'm using an 8-10 year old JetBoil Sol. I only use it to heat the water for the coffee or meal, which rehydrates in a cozy. It takes about 60-90 seconds to do that. I use techniques like butthead mentioned - efficient starting/shutting off, using at about 1/3 maximum (said to be most efficient). I don't carry any windscreen besides what is inherent in the design, although I typically use it on the fire grate, which usually means it's behind some rocks for additional protection. If I were buying a new stove, I'd take a close look at the MSR Windburner with the radiant burner as well as the JetBoils.

boonie: "

Cashfan: "

boonie: "For those who are interested in the comparison, my usage on recent 14-day trip:

Starting weight of canister 370 grams, ending weight 267 grams, fuel used = 103 grams (about 3.66 ounces). Boiled water for 14 dinners and 28 coffees, approximately 3 cups of water per day. "

What kind of stove are you using?"

Hey, cashfan

I'm using an 8-10 year old JetBoil Sol. I only use it to heat the water for the coffee or meal, which rehydrates in a cozy. It takes about 60-90 seconds to do that. I use techniques like butthead mentioned - efficient starting/shutting off, using at about 1/3 maximum (said to be most efficient). I don't carry any windscreen besides what is inherent in the design, although I typically use it on the fire grate, which usually means it's behind some rocks for additional protection. If I were buying a new stove, I'd take a close look at the MSR Windburner with the radiant burner as well as the JetBoils. "

Thanks for the info! I was curious because that doesn't seem like a lot of fuel, but I don't use canister stoves very often. I have an unusual interest in all kinds of stoves, own way too many and also find Butthead's stove posts/threads fascinating.

My trips are short and I don't worry too much about fuel consumption, so I tend to be like the OP, bring a lot and burn a lot. The Fancee Feast alcohol stove is my go to for trips where I'm only rehydrating meals and having coffee. If cooking actual meals, the Dragonfly with a dragon tamer is tough to beat.

Talking efficency I'll add that med thick aluminum or anodized aluminum pots seem to work best, heat up fast and retain heat. Heat exchanging pots like those supplied with PCS's act as a windscreen and heat transfer agent.
I like my SS for cleaning and durability, Ti for weight and simplicity, but find the aluminum (thicker than Open Country cookware) will boil water faster. Top left to right, Aloc's anodized 1 L, Aloc's anodized heat exchange 1 L, Snowpeak Ti .9 L. The rest is an assortment of MSR pot sets and oddball SS solo kit carbon steel frypans.

If you look for heat excange pots, they need to work with the stove supports. I notched the Alocs HE pot to work with Simmerlite/Windpro and new Whisperlites with blade pot supports.

butthead

butthead--you are a wealth of knowledge. It would be fun to rummage through all your stuff.

Here is my cook system since about 2008. I added the Trilium base when I saw a butthead post with it--I was convinced I needed it. The frypan was added last year after reading a number of posts about it on this board. That is a Whisperlite International in the Ti pot.