My question on stoves and weights was poorly worded on my part, I'll try again.

How much fuel and what type do you take? The number of days tripping will it cover?

For me 10 fluid ounces Coleman Camp Fuel. 7 days tripping, if good weather expected that can stretch to 14 days as I'll cook over a fire.

If I use canister fuel I'll take 2 8 ounce canisters to cover the same period, but never use more than 1/2 of the second canister, yes I know 4oz canisters are available just hard to justify the cost (locally $4.95 4oz, $5.95 8oz, $9.95 16oz).

butthead

This will be just my second year using a Trangia alcohol stove on solos, so I'm still learning what it can do. Was very pleased with it last year on 2 five day trips.

Here is a profile of what happened as well as can be remembered:

Started trip with the stove full and hauled 1 quart in an old, 1970s era aluminum Sigg bottle. Sigg bottle full of fuel weighs 30.5 oz.

Both trips were base camp format which lended well to cooking every day. There was some variation due to weather but typical use of stove each day was:

1. A couple cups of water to boiling for coffee / cocoa / tea in morning. Big breakfast - pancakes, eggs, hashbrowns. Heat about 1 quart water quite hot and then dilute to proper temp for dishes. Couldn't do all this on one fill of the stove - added fuel before heating dishwater.
2. Heat water for coffee/ tea lunch time.
3. Boil 1 cup water for supper - 1/2 of a Mountain House dinner. More water for coffee / tea. Two nights made a bannock. Another very hot quart for dishes.

Breakfast and the bannocks required use of the simmer ring which worked well. You do wind up putting fuel in the stove rather frequently, but its easy to do. Came home with about 1/4 quart of the original supply of fuel.

Thanks, that is the info I am interested in.

I like to cook, and try many things, even if I do not eat much! Also can go thru a full quart of coffee by myself at a sitting. Have relied solely on campfire cooking and still incorporate it in my trips. Just information farming!

butthead

just to toss in my Gaz use.i seem to use 4 8oz cartages on a 11 day,10 night trip no matter what sort of burner head I use.
a cheap one from China that has a wide flame ring for pancake cooking and a blow torch style for water boiling,coffee and freeze dry meals.
I might be part way into a 5th cart that was left in the cook kit and there is a spare in the bag someplace.
I have use the butane bottles and a hose attachment to a burner head and I know that lasted 4 dinners but once again it was just water boiling and pancakes,eggs or bannock.
I use a fire and a 3 quart billy for wash water.
I have a couple of Youtubes where i'm unpacking the food bag and i'm tossing empty carts on the ground so i'm sure 4 should be right.
I have not used Coleman fuel and a Peak stove in years but I was a gas hog on those Quetico trips and took and used 3 MSR bottles and a pint sized one as a back up,which I may have used once because of nasty weather.i would let the Peak run for a while after cooking dinner to warm up my Baker shelter on cold evenings!

OK, Ken, I'm going to get a little "geekier" here ;)

How long does the 10 oz. of Coleman Fuel burn? Yeah, I know it depends on whether it's full blast or simmer, but assuming it's full blast to boil . . .?

I looked back in my notes from my 2014 trip and found out that I used a small JetBoil canister of fuel for 1 day in 2012, a 7-day trip in 2013, and the first day of my 2014 trip, 9 days total.

A small JetBoil canister with 100 grams or 3.527392 oz. of fuel weighs 200 grams or 7.054784 oz. total.

Last year in 2015, a small canister lasted me 9 days.

I just boil water with it for coffee and dinner, so it's somewhat dependent on how many cups of coffee I make. Last year it made 9 dinners and 18 cups of coffee. I heat/boil 8-12 ounces of water for coffee/meal.

It's probably also worth noting that a large JetBoil canister with 230 grams or 8.1130016 ounces of fuel - 230% more fuel than a small canister - has a total weight of 382 grams or 13.47463744 oz., which is only a 191% increase in total weight.

So a single large one would last more than twice as long while weighing less than twice as much. I could take a 14-day trip with a large canister and have some leftover.

Some additional information:

My JetBoil (aluminum pot, not titanium) weighs 12 1/4 oz. which includes the burner w/ piezo ignition, pot w/ neoprene cozy, a plastic lid, a plastic cup, and a stabilizing stand for the canister. The burner also has a ring which secures the pot, enhancing stability. The burner itself (w/piezo ignition) weighs 3 5/8 oz. The pot holds the stand, burner and a small canister with the lid on top and the cup on the bottom.

So all that with a small canister is 20 1/8 ounces. Plus a spoon at 3/4 ounces and a cozy at 1 1/2 ounces, is 22 1/4 ounces with fuel for more than a week. I also take an insulated mug which weighs 4 7/8 ounces, although technically I could drink out of the pot with the lid.

By adding another 6 3/8 ounces (13 1/2 - 7 1/8) I could go 20 days.

Alcohol stoves vary so much in efficiency in various conditions and fuel usage that it's hard to come up with generalizations about how much alcohol to take. When I try to get information on it, the estimates from vary quite a bit.

Thanks Dave!
I have found an oz for oz fuel usage between various gaoline and canister stoves. Tiny burners to large, waffle plate, ported, roarer. Had a Brunton AF multi fuel with a roarer burner, canister gas Coleman Camp Fuel, same amounts consumed for cooking.

butthead

boonie, gotta watch those gram to oz conversions between manufacturers. 100g is 3.5oz, 230g is 8.1oz in weight not volume. Another frequent mixup is changing between volume units and weight units, most hydrocarbon fuels weigh .7oz per volume 1.0oz (is the 100g representing 4oz volume?).
From my playing with alcohol burners it seems to take double the weight to boil the same amount of water (best comparison I can come up with).
So far you are on the opposite range of fuel use from Dave, obviously different cooking methods! I'm up in your range Dave.

boonie, I swim in an ocean of geek!

butthead

Butthead-

The JetBoil fuel (isobutane/propane mix) net weight numbers (100 grams and 3.53 oz. and 230 grams or 8.11 oz.) are the ones listed on the canisters. The total weights are from my scale.

Thanks, and understood boonie. Just highlighting a potential confusion point.

butthead

I take 3 8 oz canisters for a week trip as I like to have a hot breakafast and coffee. Then a hot dinner and then some tea at night. Plus washing cookware.

From memory, last trip I took a Pocket Rocket and two 8oz cans. Theory was, water for coffee and potential backup stove. Also took the Dragonfly with one 20 oz bottle. We were fortunate enough to cook breakfast all week on the fire, I didn't tap the 2nd can and had a usable amount of fuel left for the DF. Boiled water for supper 5 nights.

Just a note about Trangia stoves: they are so small, light, and cheap that it is no problem taking 2 or 3. I find that helpful, even for a crew of 2 people. For example, I can use one to simmer rice while I use the other for something else. Saves a lot of time.

Just got back, 3 nights, used gsi dualist pot on optimus crux, jet boil 230 can, ~8 boils, a few reheats, typically water for 2 (so ~32oz). Mainly propane left in bottom from cold mornings, last boil ended in a simmer, brought a 100 can as spare and did not use it.

Just back, 12 days/11 nights, almost all of 3 - 22 ounce tanks for Dragonfly, lots of cooking and baking.

Butthead -

are you using solely for cooking food, or do you ever heat up water with the stove for a hobo bath?

Since my wife portages the gear, she doesn't mind having to carry a few more ounces of fuel in the interest of having warm water to sponge off with a couple times over the course of a trip. We both find that the increased feeling of well being makes up for the energy expended carrying the incremental load.

if there's extra fuel the last couple days, we just take more baths and drink more coffee/tea.

quote BobDobbs: "Butthead - are you using solely for cooking food, or do you ever heat up water with the stove for a hobo bath?"

I travel solo mostly, like to cook and bake on trips. Have a larger selection than shown of stoves (took up the hobby of remote tank backpacking stoves a few years ago). I also will wash clothes and bathe with warm/hot water in the course of a trip. Cook over fires often. I can do a normal shoulder season, 7 day trip on one 11oz tank of liquid fuel (Coleman Camp Fuel), but always get into a second 8oz tank of iso-butane mix. If I go with liquid I normally take an extra 11oz bottle in case of poor weather/fire restriction (only got into second bottle on a 10 day LISn trip during a fire ban). Using canisters will normally exceed 12oz of consumption. Favorite stoves, WinPro, Simmerlite, Dragonfly.

butthead

Just got back, Optimus Nova stove, oatmeal/coffee daily am, 4 lunch cooks, dinner 3 fish frys plus regular dinner cooking, 6 days full cooking, brought one 16 ounce filled 3/4ths and one additional liter of white gas, had fair amount left over. Group size 3, so not small quantiities cooked. I am so impressed with that stoves fuel usage, what a miser.

4 tall cans of powermax on a exponent expedition for 4 guy for six notes. With fire grate used at dinner usually. Perked coffee every morning and some notes and griddle at least 2 mornings. We took 5 one year during a fire ban and came back with a full on or near it.
3 guys 4 cans taken. 2 guys 3 tall cans. Usually bring out a good partial.

I calculate my planned usage.

JetBoil system/isobutane canisters:

100 mg fuel burns 60 minutes with average boil time of 4.5 mins per litre. This means I should get 13 one-litre boils out of 100 mg. Since I usually cook with 1/2 liter, this means about 20-25 uses per 100 mg. However, simmering items like Patagonia soups for 10 mins would halve that.

Trip fuel consumption plan for 10 days 9 nights in BWCAW:

Estimating 5 paddle days and 5 rest days

Morning @10
Boil coffee — 1
Boil breakfast @ 6 —1
Reheat breakfast @ 4 — 3
Boil dishwater — 1

Morning uses are 10 + 6 + 12 + 10 = 38

Rest days @ 5
Make hot chocolate — 1
Make tea — 1

Lunch uses are 5 + 5 = 10

Evening @ 9
Boil dinner @ 5— 1
Cook dinner @ 4 — 3
Boil dessert — 1
Boil dishwater — 1

Dinner uses are 5 + 12 + 9 + 9 = 35

Total uses of the stove for cooking is estimated at 35+ 10 + 38 = 83

83/? = 25/100

83(100) = 25(?)

8300/35 = ?

? = 332 mg of fuel

So one big canister should do it. Can just eat my extra lunches/snacks if I run dry.

In October, I would double the fuel for safety. I carry a spare stove. And bring an extra bottle for drying wet clothes.

I calculate my planned usage.

JetBoil system/isobutane canisters:

100 mg fuel burns 60 minutes with average boil time of 4.5 mins per litre. This means I should get 13 one-litre boils out of 100 mg. Since I usually cook with 1/2 liter, this means about 20-25 uses per 100 mg. However, simmering items like Patagonia soups for 10 mins would halve that.

Trip fuel consumption plan for 10 days 9 nights in BWCAW:

Estimating 5 paddle days and 5 rest days

Morning @10
Boil coffee — 1
Boil breakfast @ 6 —1
Reheat breakfast @ 4 — 3
Boil dishwater — 1

Morning uses are 10 + 6 + 12 + 10 = 38

Rest days @ 5
Make hot chocolate — 1
Make tea — 1

Lunch uses are 5 + 5 = 10

Evening @ 9
Boil dinner @ 5— 1
Cook dinner @ 4 — 3
Boil dessert — 1
Boil dishwater — 1

Dinner uses are 5 + 12 + 9 + 9 = 35

Total uses of the stove for cooking is estimated at 35+ 10 + 38 = 83

83/? = 25/100

83(100) = 25(?)

8300/35 = ?

? = 332 mg of fuel

So one big canister should do it. Can just eat my extra lunches/snacks if I run dry.

In October, I would double the fuel for safety. I carry a spare stove. And bring an extra bottle for drying wet clothes.

To update, I found an online calculator on a stove blog and use that format now. It has me plug in a number for grams of fuel used per "boil". I use 3.5 grams for that. The calculation for my trip is 3.5 x 57 + a 15% margin = 230 grams. So one medium size canister will do it.

butthead: "

quote BobDobbs: "Butthead - are you using solely for cooking food, or do you ever heat up water with the stove for a hobo bath?"

I travel solo mostly, like to cook and bake on trips. Have a larger selection than shown of stoves (took up the hobby of remote tank backpacking stoves a few years ago). I also will wash clothes and bathe with warm/hot water in the course of a trip. Cook over fires often. I can do a normal shoulder season, 7 day trip on one 11oz tank of liquid fuel (Coleman Camp Fuel), but always get into a second 8oz tank of iso-butane mix. If I go with liquid I normally take an extra 11oz bottle in case of poor weather/fire restriction (only got into second bottle on a 10 day LISn trip during a fire ban). Using canisters will normally exceed 12oz of consumption. Favorite stoves, WinPro, Simmerlite, Dragonfly.



butthead
"

That's an impressive fuel consumption, BH!

Thanks for this! Above, my calculation is in grams not milligrams! Sorry. Also not sure why my reply got posted twice. New here! Thanks for your patience! Have a good week everyone.

I have always gone on the premise that an 8 ounce canister of fuel can burn on high for about three hours continuously. So, one 8 oz canister will last me for an entire week. That said, I always bring a 4 oz as a back up and always bring the 4 oz back full. I use fresh food for the first couple of days (cook steaks on the grate the first night). But after that, it is Mountain House meals for dinner, sandwiches for lunch, and oatmeal/cliff bars and precooked bacon for breakfast; so it is mostly boiling water. With my jetboil, I can bring a qt of water to boil in just a few minutes. I use about 10 minutes of "burn time" each day. One can is plenty.

LaVirginienne: "Thanks for this! Above, my calculation is in grams not milligrams! Sorry. Also not sure why my reply got posted twice. New here! Thanks for your patience! Have a good week everyone."

I was pretty sure it was grams ;) If you would like a copy of the interactive canister gas estimator to play around with just email me (the envelope icon).

gotwins: "That's an impressive fuel consumption, BH!"

Thanks but maybe no so much, consider,
I use windscreens almost religiously.
Use separate supply of alcohol for priming.
Shut down the burner early and let food coast till done, usually in an insulated container.
Like my campfires and will cook on them as I can, that includes the "hobo bathing".

butthead

I have been carrying way too much fuel on my trips. This thread has encouraged me to sit down and analyze my fuel usage. Hopefully it will result in carrying less weight on the portages and still not running out of fuel.

Here are the results. At the moment, I have four empty 8 oz. isobutane/propane canisters (3 MSR and 1 JetBoil). I used them with a PocketRocket 2 stove without a wind screen. To the best of my recollection, I cooked for 24 days for two people using this fuel. My "cooking" is pretty simple. Typically it would be something like this:
breakfasts - oatmeal and hot chocolate (cooked) and dried fruit (uncooked)
lunches - no cooking (jerky, nuts/trail mix, dried fruit, protein bars)
suppers - Mountain House meals, occasionally some soup, maybe some hot chocolate (cooked) and maybe some tuna or salmon packets (uncooked).

So, the bottom line: In my hand, one 8 oz. canister of isobutane/propane fuel lasts about 6 days cooking for two people when basically only having to boil water.

butthead: "

gotwins: "That's an impressive fuel consumption, BH!"

Thanks but maybe no so much, consider,
I use windscreens almost religiously.
Use separate supply of alcohol for priming.
Shut down the burner early and let food coast till done, usually in an insulated container.
Like my campfires and will cook on them as I can, that includes the "hobo bathing".


butthead"

I'm with you on the windscreens with my MSRs, they are worth their weight in gold. Also, they don't weigh very much ;)

The separate alcohol priming bottle has really improved my trips since I started using that about 15 years ago. Now my stoves are not caked in black soot. It's well worth the 2-3 oz that it takes up, and it fits just fine in the MSR bag with the stove.

LarryS48: "one 8 oz. canister of isobutane/propane fuel lasts about 6 days cooking for two people when basically only having to boil water. "

This is in-line with my empirical experience...might even get 7 or 8 days if you are really careful.

And a 110g (small) canister on a solo covers me for a week with similar usage.

Just returned from ten day trip and my calculations above held true. I took one large canister and used it whenever I needed to for cooking, doing the washing up, and washing myself. (I did laundry in cold clean water using a Scrubba.) Returned with a small amount of fuel swishing around in the canister—probably enough for an extra day of hot meals/drinks in an emergency.