View Full Version : *Really* stupid question about stove canisters
WritinginCT
03-05-2009, 21:53
This is probably a completely moronic question but here goes (in my own defense I've never looked at them in person since I'm planning on using an alchy stove) - but are the canisters interchangeable between brands? For example will a Snow Peak canister work on an MSR stove? An Optimus canister on a Brunton? Et cetera.
SGT Rock
03-05-2009, 21:55
Pretty much they will all use each others canisters. The only thing is JetBoil made their canisters so only a JB stove can use them, but a JB can use everyone elses. It shouldn't cause you to look at just JB though, there are plenty of non jet boil canisters out there and the other stoves work just fine with real pots.
saimyoji
03-05-2009, 21:59
i've been using coleman canisters with my GigaPower for years.
My Primus Micron works with Primus, MSR, Coleman and JetBoil. The Bluet cartridges are different.
WritinginCT
03-05-2009, 22:31
That makes me feel much better about a canister stove- it just didn't make any sense to me that the canisters would be proprietary (Jetboil excluded), it would just make it miserable for both retailers to try and stock as well as consumers actually using them.
(lol I'm still not 100% sold on them though, I sorta really like the simplicity of the alcohol stove)
SGT Rock
03-05-2009, 22:58
Me too.
canister stoves are simple too ya know. Pocket Rocket screws onto any canister stove. Turn gas on, Flick Lighter, Fire. No Measuring, No Priming.
frisbeefreek
03-05-2009, 23:12
Just a word of caution - If you travel to Europe, the most commonly available canister is different than the USA (MSR style canisters are available, but the blue butane canisters are sold everywhere).
The MSR Superfly is the only model I've seen sold in the USA (I didn't look very hard). The difference is in how the stove attaches - the Euro models require a clamp that graps the lip of the stove.
SGT Rock
03-05-2009, 23:13
I had a blue canister stove in Germany. I hated it. It is what got me off of canisters for years.
Powder River
03-05-2009, 23:55
Pretty much they will all use each others canisters. The only thing is JetBoil made their canisters so only a JB stove can use them, but a JB can use everyone elses. It shouldn't cause you to look at just JB though, there are plenty of non jet boil canisters out there and the other stoves work just fine with real pots.
My MSR pocket rocket works fine with jetboil canisters...
Blissful
03-06-2009, 00:27
But not all canisters work the same. I liked Snow Peak much better than MSR for longevity and function and in cold weather.
I used MSR, snow peak and jet boil with my pocket rocket.
The commonest canister to stove connection is the Lindal valve.
Any cartridge that has that valve will work with any stove that takes it, however the performance will vary.
There are 3 main types of gas used in those cartridges, propane,butane and Isobutane.
Most come with a mix of propane and butane. As a quick guide the higher the propane content the lower temperature the cartridge will work in.
Isobutane is in between propane (the best) and butane (the worst) for cold weather.
My impression is that the JetBoil cartridges are made in the same factory that makes the MSR and the Kovea (not Kovea ...)
So an MSR cartridge will work with the JetBoil and a Jetboil will work with an MSR stove.
The other connections such as the Camping Gaz (the European version) somewhat similar but has a smooth connection not a screw thread,and the Powermax canisters, the ones that look like a hair spray can.
A good explanation of the various fuels can be found here:
http://www.bushwalking.org.au/FAQ/FAQ_Mixtures.htm (http://www.bushwalking.org.au/FAQ/FAQ_Mixtures.htm)
Franco
Lindal valve
http://http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e389/Francophoto/odds/Lindalvalve.jpg
sheepdog
03-06-2009, 09:28
Wal Mart has started selling coleman iso-butane canisters. They work with all the stoves also. Don't confuse those with the big green propane canisters.
icemanat95
03-06-2009, 09:46
I had a blue canister stove in Germany. I hated it. It is what got me off of canisters for years.
I had one as well, an old Bluet. Sucked HARD. Once I installed the canister it could not be removed until empty. Not terribly quick, and very unstable.
I have a Jetboil now as well as a couple alcohol stoves and two white gas models. The Jetboiol serves my purposes admirably except when I plan on boiling snow for water.
I have a certain admiration for the Jetboil as an engineer, but still prefer my Kelly Kettle.
They are similar products in many ways, including their inability to melt snow, at least from scratch. If you have some water you can bring that to a boil and then melt snow with it. In theory it takes 1 litre of boiling water to get another 1.25 litres from snow or ice, but in practice you are doing well if you can end up with twice as much water as you started with, before having to heat it all up again of course. I like a 2 litre pot in winter. Anyhow, I used to worry about not being able to melt snow, but as long as you don't drink your last 500ml you are ok.
Pedaling Fool
03-06-2009, 10:25
But not all canisters work the same. I liked Snow Peak much better than MSR for longevity and function and in cold weather.
I used MSR, snow peak and jet boil with my pocket rocket.
I also like the Snow Peak canisters, they seem to work better than the Jetboil canister (I have a Jetboil stove) and they are cheaper.
(lol I'm still not 100% sold on them though, I sorta really like the simplicity of the alcohol stove)
Like anything else, there's pros & cons. I love my Primus Micron: screw it to the canister, open valve, flick the built-in lighter (I don't ever have to use the bics I carry) and instant fire. Want to re-heat coffee or dinner? Turn, flick, flame, turn off - tough to do that with an alcohol stove.
OTOH, I love my cat can stove - don't much care for the cat food though.:p
wrongway_08
03-06-2009, 18:20
I have a snow peak ti stove and the MSR canisters work the best for me.,
SGT Rock
03-06-2009, 18:25
I wonder if JetBoil changed their canisters. I based what I said off the comments from users a few years back that JetBoil canisters had a deeper well and wouldn't mate to other stoves. I also seem to remember a recall about something leaking. So MAYBE (and I could be wrong) they had to change something.
HikerRanky
03-06-2009, 18:38
I wonder if JetBoil changed their canisters. I based what I said off the comments from users a few years back that JetBoil canisters had a deeper well and wouldn't mate to other stoves. I also seem to remember a recall about something leaking. So MAYBE (and I could be wrong) they had to change something.
I believe that they did change the canisters..... I saw a guy put a Pocket Rocket on a JetBoil canister once, and it did fine.... However, you can't put a MSR canister on a JetBoil stove....
I wonder if JetBoil changed their canisters. I based what I said off the comments from users a few years back that JetBoil canisters had a deeper well and wouldn't mate to other stoves. I also seem to remember a recall about something leaking. So MAYBE (and I could be wrong) they had to change something.
Could be - I can't see any visual difference in the drawer full of various canisters that I have.
"However, you can't put a MSR canister on a JetBoil stove....
Really ? (wrong....)
Franco
HikerRanky
03-06-2009, 22:00
"However, you can't put a MSR canister on a JetBoil stove....
Really ? (wrong....)
Franco
Sounds like a man of experience.... I don't own a JetBoil, and was told this by someone that does own it..... The person said that the JetBoil canister was a bit deeper to handle the longer thread on the stove...
Randy
SGT Rock
03-06-2009, 22:05
That is what I was thinking. Seems the Jetboil could use them all except those crappy blue ones. And who would want to do that. Referring to Franco's post.
I have just given my original Jetboil canister to my wife to use with an old Kovea stove (after testing it...) for her trip back to Western Australia and to use for those occasions when the generator stops working (she lives with an Aboriginal community ). Extra cartiges are avaliable only 4 hours away if she likes the idea.
Because the Jetboil cartridges are more expensive and only use it for car camping, I have used Kovea, MSR and Sierra as well as another generic brand that I can't recall the name of with it. Apart for my initial tests, ( I was given an extra 100g canister with my promotional unit) I have no idea of how much better one mix is from another but they all do roughly the same job for my use.
The are several articles with test results down to 1g at BPL, but you need a subscription for that.
Franco