View Full Version : availability of MSR IsoPro fuel canisters
Are the MSR IsoPro fuel cannisters (they are red colored) available all along the trail towns ?
I have read on whiteblaze in the past that there may be some spotty areas for obtaining fuel....
Does anyone who uses MSR know if there is a section that does not have these specific isopro cannisters for sale anywhere ?
Thanks
Puppy
I don't know about MSR brand in particular, but any store worthy of being called an "outfitter" will have compatible canisters. They're a bit hard to find along the trail in PA though (S and W of Palmerton, at least.) Maybe Cabelas, I s'pose.
take-a-knee
02-04-2008, 17:11
I don't know about MSR brand in particular, but any store worthy of being called an "outfitter" will have compatible canisters. They're a bit hard to find along the trail in PA though (S and W of Palmerton, at least.) Maybe Cabelas, I s'pose.
Cabelas in Hamburg will have some brand of cannister fuel.
peakbagger
02-04-2008, 17:27
Several years ago, the stretch from Erwin to Daleville VA (Pearisburg is in the middle of this stretch) didnt have a place to buy cannisters of any kind. May have changed since then but worth planning a bit.
Phlashlite
02-04-2008, 18:27
We used them the entire trail had no problems obtaining fuel, many small stores and hostels carry them. We did carry a spare, I was nervous without having one. Even if you do run out you can just add water to the food without it being hot. the canisters varied in price but averaged about 5 per canister for the larger ones. We like the larger size verse the small one because out pot sat better on the larger one. There may be three sizes in that case I mean the middle size.
bulldog49
02-04-2008, 20:15
Several years ago, the stretch from Erwin to Daleville VA (Pearisburg is in the middle of this stretch) didnt have a place to buy cannisters of any kind. May have changed since then but worth planning a bit.
You can purchase cannister fuel in Damascus at MRO.
I found canisters last summer at: the outfitter in Harpers Ferry, the one on US 250 near Waynesboro, and the one on US 220 in Daleville at the Botetourt Commons mall.
Jack Tarlin
02-04-2008, 20:27
Cannisters are more available on the Trail than you might think.
There's a good piece in the "Artcicles" section of Whiteblaze on this subject.
Also, be aware that your stove will function just fine on other cannisters than "MSR" ones, so in a pinch, you could use some other brand if you had to.
(And make a habit of checking the "hiker boxes" in hostels and motels. One very frequently finds discarded cannisters in them that contain several days
worth of fuel or more).
Hi Jack
The MSR reps told me that for my stove (the pocket rocket), that only the MSR iospro canister will work.....here is an excerpt from their e-mail to me.
"Thanks for contacting Cascade Designs, Inc. The Pocket Rocket is
designed and tested specifically for use with MSR IsoPro only. Using
the Pocket Rocket with other types of canisters may potentially strip
the threads."
Do folks do it anyway with the pocket rocket ?
Puppy
Do folks do it anyway with the pocket rocket ?
Absolutely. The canisters are all interchangeable these days. (Except Gaz, which isn't common on the AT these days anyway.)
Jack Tarlin
02-04-2008, 20:43
In my experience, the Rocket will work fine with any threaded cannister.
While certain fuels may (repeat MAY) work best with specific stoves, in all honesty, I think that some companies use scare tactics in order to make you buy their products and their products only. "Using another company's cannister will strip your threads!!" sounds pretty lame-ass to me. I see people using MSR cans with other brands of stoves all the time with no ill effects, and I can't imagine there's any harm in doing the reverse.
thanks for the info..... I am glad I asked you guys !
Puppy
Don't worry, you can use Snow Peak fuel, Coleman brand, etc on a Rocket. All the stove companies tell you to use their fuel - and for good reason - they want you to buy it :D The only issue you might have is that sometimes other brands of fuel, when you take the canister off the stove may not reseal right. This can cause a fuel leak. So, just leave the canister attached to the stove. That is what I do.
Oh yeah, and DO NOT ever use the cheap Glo Master or whatever it is called fuel. That stuff is BAD and will clog your stove right up. Comes in a black canister with red writing. Bad, bad, bad!
Wise Old Owl
02-04-2008, 23:57
Appalachian Outfitters (http://javascript<b></b>:openWin('Member.asp?Member=263','','scrollbars=ye s,resizable=no,left=10,top=10,width=417,height=310 '))
9 Penn Street
Port Clinton, PA 19549 610 562-9343
Please support the folks that are right against the trail before reaching out to tax subsidized 4 million or better Cabellas. I like Cabellas, but I am for all for the people that really care about the customer that support the AT