fuel cannister availability

[johnny quest]

im throwing this on the straight forward section because....well, lets say some folks tend to get off subject.

here is the scenario: 08 thruhike with snopeak giga stove. dont want to do maildrops.

here is the question: how possible will it be to resupply with fuel cannisters on the trail alone?

thank you in advance/

[rafe]

Here's the WhiteBlaze FAQ (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?p=97824&postcount=1) on the matter.

[warraghiyagey]

im throwing this on the straight forward section because....well, lets say some folks tend to get off subject.

here is the scenario: 08 thruhike with snopeak giga stove. dont want to do maildrops.

here is the question: how possible will it be to resupply with fuel cannisters on the trail alone?

thank you in advance/

Try pepsi can stove and Heet. Heet can be found at any re-supply town, even in central Maine, burns clean and this cooking package is MUCH lighter and more convenient than ANY of the camp stove combinations out there. And the cost. $1.50 for two cans of soda and about $1.75 for a bottle of Heet which will last at least 15 meals, maybe 20 to 25 if you get you fuel amounts right.:)

[johnny quest]

thanks but that is why i put this in straight forward. ive read alot about the different types of stoves and im sold on the giga. im not interested in revisiting my stove decision. if anything is on the table it is the need of maildrops.

[rafe]

thanks but that is why i put this in straight forward. ive read alot about the different types of stoves and im sold on the giga. im not interested in revisiting my stove decision. if anything is on the table it is the need of maildrops.


I think that's what it might come down to. That, or a bounce box. I asked a similar question within the last week in this (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=20157) thread....

[warraghiyagey]

Oh, Sorry.

[SalParadise]

I thru'd with a cannister stove and also without any maildrops. Most of the way the cannisters were available almost everywhere, and I never felt the need to carry a spare one.

Once I passed Manchester Center, Vermont, though, they became pretty hard to find, and a lot of other hikers who were also using cannisters switched to alcohol stoves. I would strongly recommend going with maildrops or switching to alcohol past that point. I was able to use my stove the whole way, but it came mostly through finding cannisters in hiker boxes.

[SalParadise]

......I'm also assuming those Giga cannisters are interchangeable with the MSR ones.

[hopefulhiker]

The cannisters are available, just not the little ones...

[Lone Wolf]

......I'm also assuming those Giga cannisters are interchangeable with the MSR ones.

yes they are. WalMart sells cannisters too. half the price of outfitters.

[johnny quest]

dont apologize warrr... warragggg...hiy....
dont apologize buddy. i appreciate you responding.

thanks for the link terrapin. again i see people getting off subject on what you were asking. looks like we want to know the same thing (sorry i didnt look better before starting my own thread) which is...have 2005/2006 thru hikers had problem resuppying with cannisters without using mail drops? and i think we still dont know the answer.

[johnny quest]

yes they are. WalMart sells cannisters too. half the price of outfitters.

they do????? didnt know that.

[johnny quest]

they do????? didnt know that.

oh, you mean those bigass ones.

[Lone Wolf]

oh, you mean those bigass ones.

no. the 8oz. size.

[mountain squid]

It is possible, just a little bit more difficult than white gas/denatured alcohol. Most hostels along the trail will have white gas/denatured alcohol. For a canister stove, you will need to get to an outfitter/sporting goods/hardware store (maybe). As Sal mentioned, the further North you get the harder it is to find a store. Not impossible, just logistically more challenging...

Identify ahead of time your possible resupply points and plan accordingly based off of how much fuel you use and how often you need a new canister.

See you on the trail,
mt squid

[johnny quest]

i will have to look into that. dont hit fallapart much but i will check on it.

[Peaks]

thanks but that is why i put this in straight forward. ive read alot about the different types of stoves and im sold on the giga. im not interested in revisiting my stove decision. if anything is on the table it is the need of maildrops.

Aren't there restrictions on shipping fuel canisters?

[Jack Tarlin]

JQ:

Here's what I hope is a straight-forward answer:

I've hiked something like 5,000 miles with a Giga; it's a great stove and I think you've made a wise decision.

You'll have no problem whatsoever finding fuel. As others have pointed out, there's extensive info on this subject on Whiteblaze, including fairly comprehensive lists of places where cannister fuel is available.

The only places where you'll want to be a little careful (i.e. you may want to consider carrying a back-up small cannister) is in the mid-Atlantic states; there aren't a while lot of places in PA, NY, or NJ to get fuel. You might also want to consider getting fuel shipped to you in these parts, tho this won't be necessary if you're willing to pack an extra can for a short while.

Lastly, check out hiker boxes at Trail hostels and elsewhere. One very frequently finds partially full, or even mostly full cannisters in the hiker boxes, which can be carried if you think you might need a few extra day's "insurance" fuel.

Your Giga will accept pretty much any screw-top cannister; on the Trail, MSR cannisters are the ones most frequently seen, and the ones most often found in stores, tho some places will have Sno-Peak fuel as well. The MSR cans wil work just fine.

[johnny quest]

thanks jack. its exactly what i wanted to know. if i had done a little more research before starting this thread i probably would have found it. thanks for your time.

[partinj]

Hey Johnny i got the snow Peak too did you get the wind screen for it R.E.I has it on their web site think i paid 8.95 for the wind screen.

GOOD LUCK:welcome

[mweinstone]

just got off the phone with jonny quest. he changed his mind. hes useing a beercan and heet, he admitted that trashing the place with emptys is wrong and they do present an explotion hazard. good work jonny quest for swithing to alcohol!

[johnny quest]

i got it but i dont know if i will use it. kinda heavy. i will research to see how effective people have found it to be. if only it had another use....

[cls]

Carried a pocket rocket nobo in 2006. A couple of times I carried an extra canister but there were no real problems with availability. I had less trouble finding them than the guys looking for alcohol. Check the guide books for outfitter or Walmart locations and plan accordingly.

[Jim Adams]

i used a pocket rocket (same canister) in 2002 and only bought 3 cannisters the whole way. i found all that i needed 1/2 full and discarded in hiker boxes but you could buy it everywhere in 2002 except Carratunk. had to go to Dover-Foxcroft.
geek

[Jim Adams]

just got off the phone with jonny quest. he changed his mind. hes useing a beercan and heet, he admitted that trashing the place with emptys is wrong and they do present an explotion hazard. good work jonny quest for swithing to alcohol!:confused:
1. alcohol stoves are so inefficient and you really don't save any weight.
2. no explosion hazzard at all unless you throw it in a fire.
3. one cannister will last 10 days to two weeks. if you can't find somewhere to properly dispose of it in that much time, you are walking too slow.
this switch reeks of the old hammock myth of being more comfortable.:-?
geek

[the_iceman]

I have pm'd a few people who thru'd with a jetboil (same canisters) because I found the information here and on other sites to not be definitive. They all have a lot of shoulds and maybes and I think people are looking for, or hoping to find, a table or chart that says:

Location - Outfitter - Fuel Types

Everyone I talked to said they had no problem with the exception of SNP where the stores only carried fuel for Coleman stoves and the outfitter in Delaware Water Gap who did not carry much of anything. Most people did not mail fuel.

Even the new Thru-Hikers Handbook does not really address canisters that I can find. It mentions alcohol and Coleman fuel by the ounce. With canisters making such a strong showing maybe the information and supply will get better.

I am starting in March so I will try to keep accurate notes and report back how I faired.

The Iceman

[rafe]

i used a pocket rocket (same canister) in 2002 and only bought 3 cannisters the whole way. i found all that i needed 1/2 full and discarded in hiker boxes but you could buy it everywhere in 2002 except Carratunk. had to go to Dover-Foxcroft.
geek


You say "3 canisters the whole way." Wow. I heard the same sort of remarks from the owners of the very first JetBoil stoves I ever saw (at Glen Brook lean-to in CT.)

It still sounds incredible. Even with the most optiimistic reports I've seen (eg. from data on MSR website) the Pocket Rocket will boil 16 liters from an 8-ounce canister (I'm assuming that's the "large" MSR canister w/8 oz net fuel content.) That's consistent with at least one other "study (http://www.thru-hiker.com/articles.asp?subcat=2&cid=42)" that boiled 28 cups from a 3.5 oz canister on a Pocket Rocket.

I figure I'll be boiling 3 cups of water a day. 16 liters is 68 cups = just under 23 days on the trail. Not bad at all, but three such for 2175 miles ?? :-? I'm guessing you got a lot of mileage out of those hiker-box canisters...

[1Pint]

never mind... I deleted my post...sitting at work with too little sleep and too distracted by SoRuck... not thinking clearly... I'll return you to your regularly scheduled program now...

[johnny quest]

just got off the phone with jonny quest. he changed his mind. hes useing a beercan and heet, he admitted that trashing the place with emptys is wrong and they do present an explotion hazard. good work jonny quest for swithing to alcohol!

im sure that if i ever spoke to you on the phone i would remember it. and while im mildly amused by your claim of converting me, (very mildly) i take offense, in the name of all cannister stove users everywhere, that you would suggest that i throw my spent cannister out on the trail. now if i can just get you to start picking up your rubbing alchohol bottles.

so the forum title "straight forward".... it really means nothing does it?

[Lone Wolf]

so the forum title "straight forward".... it really means nothing does it?

depends on who you are and how much you brown-nose.:cool:

[fonsie]

Well im taking my vargo titanium alchohul stove(1/2 ounce) and a canaster stove(2 ounces). Canaster stove is a back up for if someone needs a stove. The vargo also uses tablets so I will have fuel opptions.

[Jim Adams]

Terrapin Too,
I only BOUGHT 3 cannisters the whole way. They were available for sale everywhere and I would not have had a problem re-suppying them. I did not keep track of how many cannisteres that I used throughout the entire hike. What I said was that people were so affraid of running out of fuel and not being able to find it, that they would throw them into hiker boxes once they were 1/2 empty. I got all that I needed from the hiker boxes.
Typically I only "cook" at supper time and a normal size cannister would last me for 10---14 days. Hence if I resupplied every 3--4--5 days and found a cannister in the hiker box, I would never run out and only carry an empty 1--2 days until I could discard it correctly.
geek