How long should a 3.5 fl oz canister last?

[Jay H]

Either the jetboil brand or the larger SnowPeak brand isobutane canisters, how long perhaps in terms of breakfast and dinner should 1 canister last for 1 person? Basic stuff like boiling water for breakfast and dinner, obviously more for dinner? Looking to prepare to get an idea how many canisters I should bring on a 6 day backcountry trip to Alaska.

Thanks!

Jay

 

[MichaelJ]

Ah-hah! I used to have all kinds of nervous issues trying to think about this, then I went to Staples and picked up a little $30 digital scale and started weighing my canisters before and after each trip. It's helped immensely with my planning.

What I discovered was that the combination of a Jetboil fuel tank with an MSR Superfly stove would burn about 7-8g of fuel for just a cup of cocoa, 10-11g to cook noodles.

Of course, this varies depending on your brand of stove, outdoor temperature, wind, even elevation can be a factor. So while I'd like to say to expect an average of about 10g per use, that could be wildly inaccurate for you. My recommendation is to pick up a scale like this and see for yourself what kind of mileage you get out of your canisters.

 

[Jay H]

Michael, thanks...

As far as canister stoves go, I'm told one can guestimate how empty/full it is by floating a new canister in a bucket of water and marking the water line on the notion that a full canister will float lower than an empty one. If you get an emtpy, you can float it and mark it at empty and then you'll have a gauge to use.

Hey, been interested in a gram scale for some time, but many of them seemed a bit too much for my intended use but then again, I was looking at medical ones and not postal scales. The medical ones tend to be more pricey and perhaps more accurate. Thanks for the link..

Oh, BTW, this is for a JetBoil stove. I've used it a couple of times before but not enough for me to get an empty canister yet and probably wont before I leave. I have an MSR Whisperlite Int also that I used to use but that's a white gas stove so I'm new to the canisters for 3-season use.

Jay

 

[MichaelJ]

I've enjoyed having the 5lb scale, too. I've learned just how much my footwear weighs, and also exactly how much food I carry, and whether or not my tent manufacturer lied (Hennessey was 100% honest).

 

[Papa Bear]

To answer the original question, with my Pocket Rocket it takes on average 1/4 oz. of fuel to boil 2 cups of water (which for me was one meal, either breakfast or dinner). So that's 14 meals=7 days from the canister.

From what I understand, the Jetboil is more efficient, so plan accordingly.

 

[sli74]

I have had 1 of the smaller Primus canisters last me about 7 days for breakfast (boiling water for hot cocoa and oatmeal) and dinner (lipton pasta or rice). The Jetboil will be more efficient so 1 canister for 6 days should be fine. You could always carry a little alcohol and an alcohol stove as backup?
Have fun Jay, I will be thinking of you and being envious.

sli74

 

[KayakDan]

As for cannister use,I allow one cannister/day for 2 people in winter. Kayak camping I use one cannister for 2 days breakfast and dinner for 2 people. I carry partial cannisters for lantern use,and as a backup if we run low.

The problem you have,if you intend to fly to Alaska,is that you cannot transport the cannisters on commercial aircraft.If you are carrying or checking a backpack,they will ask you about fuel in your pack.
If you are flying into Anchorage,there's an REI there,and I'm sure there are other gear stores with fuel available. Do some research for Jetboil or Primus dealers in Alaska. Be prepared to pay $7-8 a cannister! Then be a nice guy and give your unused cannister to another hiker on your way out!

 

[Jay H]

Hey KayakDan.. Yes, I know about the canisters on airplanes. I've been to the REI in Anchorage. In fact, it's the only REI I've ever been to. I shop at REI online only as I live 14 miles from Campmor.

I am going to be buying the fuel canisters in Anchorage. I got screwed once buying fuel out of a hardware store once when a friend and I did the Chilkoot trail. Bought 'White Gas' from a hardware store in Skagway, tested the stove, the stove was good the first time we used it, but after that would do nothing but simmer and simmer badly. Not a problem on the Chilkoot as you camp at designated campsites and everybody is generally very friendly. I think we got kerosene or perhaps some other kind of gas and not white gas just by how bad it burned.

Wrangell Mtn Air has no problem with the canisters so once I get to Anchorage, I am fine to fly with them. But then, I don't think I can buy canisters in the middle of Wrangell anyway.. and WMA has to fly us in.

I will bring 3 canisters, 1 for me, one for a friend and one for backup. I am not sure if I'm going to bring a lantern, knowing that daylight WILL be much later up in latitude. Don't expect it to get dark til way after I'm beat and tired.

Jay

 

[imarchant]

Here is the information directly from Jetboil. It says 100gm fuel boils 12 L of water. This also equates to 1 hr of burntime. I assume your using the jetboil.

Not to highjaqck the thread, but dos anyone have information on the northern lights fuel canisters? I am intersested in the fuel mix. They claim it is good for low temps and high altitudes.

 

[Stan]

I use isobutane and always have as many as a half dozen canisters on hand. The number I'll bring on a backpack is one more than I think I'll need based upon estimated cooking/boiling times, depending on the size of our group and the duration of the trip. The way I keep track is that I number the canisters when I buy them and always use the lowest numbered can first. I may not even count the canister if I partially used it last time. The math gets more complicated with two stoves but typically for a two night backpack for two people we carry three canisters.

 

[rtrimarc]

Jetboil/MSR

Michealj(or others),

I have a MSR Pocket Rocket, and most often do 2 nite trips with others. They bring their own gear(which i think is a bit of a waste of weight/space, but i digress. Good to have back-ups i guess), so i am usually cooking for myself. The JetBoil tanks are smaller, so i was interested in using one of those rather than the MSR tank. How did your MSR stove work out with the smaller JetBoil stove? Any stability issues?

Thanks all.

 

[MichaelJ]

My MSR Superfly worked just fine with the JetBoil fuel tank, but I'm also using a small 0.9L titanium pot and I've had a platform (either a shelter or a tent platform) every time.

A larger pot on an uneven surface might well have an issue, but I can't testify to it.