fuel bottle size [Archive]

squeezebox

11-15-2009, 21:14

What size fuel bottle should i bring. I thinking of a MSR whisperlite stove. I'll be solo. I like to cook and eat well. My son will join me for some of the summer.
What about a wind screen? i was thinking about making one out of a peice of aluminum ductwork.
I was thinking of the REI TI skillet and the 1.3 L TI pot
opinions appreciated on the above!!

bigcranky

11-15-2009, 22:44

The MSR wind screen that comes with the Whisperlight is fine. A small fuel bottle is plenty -- you can get fuel at almost every stop. (We took a small bottle and it lasted three hikers more than a week on one fill.) I love seeing solo hikers with the 33 ounce fuel bottle in the summer. :)

Realistically, for a solo hiker the Whisperlight is a lot of stove. It only has one speed -- full blast afterburner. No gentle simmering or frying. It's great for winter hiking when you need to melt snow for water, and cook multiple hot meals for a group. I wouldn't carry mine again except under those conditions.

We switched to a canister stove for family hikes, and I often take it on solo hikes, too. I also like an alcohol stove, and even a fuel tablet stove. If I wanted to actually cook, I'd take the canister stove. It has a wide control range, simmers well, and is much lighter than the Whisperlight. Get one with a reasonably wide flame, and it'll work well on both the pot and the frying pan that you mentioned.

Hikes with a stick

11-15-2009, 23:05

I'd take the 22 oz bottle if you have the space. It weighs slightly more than the 11 oz bottle, but you don't have to fill it full for every trip. If its a short trip, just fill it 1/4 full. Or you can add more gas and use it to start your campfire :-). If you do a section hike with a few resupplies, the extra capacity will come in handy if you have to hike a few extra days between resupplies.

ARambler

11-16-2009, 01:13

Take a small bottle. 11 oz is fine. If you have a long resupply or have someone else join you, pick up a water/soda bottle and use that for the extra. My group carried a couple 24 oz water bottles of fuel in AK. If you get a big bottle you will be over filling it a lot. It is hard to judge the level.

I have not used liquid whitegas in a few years.

Rambler

Spokes

11-16-2009, 07:38

Hi Bryce. Your post didn't specifically mention it but I assume you'll be thru-hiking? If so I concur with bigcranky (a big emphasis on the alcohol stove). Most people starting out with an MSR type stove switch over to alcohol pretty quickly. The reasons? Weight, simplicity, and readily available fuel.

Good luck!

The Solemates

11-16-2009, 10:26

we started in the winter, when you use more fuel, and we took the 22 oz bottle to share between THE TWO OF US. when it got warmer later on in the trip, it didnt take as much energy to use our stove, and we switched to the 11 oz. we have a simmerlite.

I'm going on a solo trip next week in PA, expecting cold temps, will be out for 5 days, and am only taking the 11 oz with my simmerlite.

I think you only need the 11 oz.

we like taking a white gas stove on long-distance hikes, but opt for the lighter gas canister stoves (we have the giga) on shorter hikes. everyone on here has a different opinion. a lot of people take alcohol.

squeezebox

11-16-2009, 12:04

Hooch

11-16-2009, 12:12

Section hiked Maryland a couple weeks ago with my girlfriend and another guy from over at HF. His whisperlite (ironically named, since it neither "whispers", nor is light) failed him and I let him use my alky stove. I think I made a convert of him. :D

The Solemates

11-16-2009, 12:38

I'll switch my thoughts to a simmerlite. and more so the canister stove.
canister stove $40 vs $100 simerlite
$60 will buy a lot of canisters.
what's the weight difference of a canister vs. a mostly full fuel bottle
i'll check out the OH stove at the local REI is it mainly a small can with a wick in it?
I do want to do some real cooking.
Thanks for you patience with a newbie
Bryce

what you have to think about is twofold:

1) you may want to carry at least 2 canisters on a thru-hike. given 2 canisters, the weight difference between the two is negligible.

and more importantly, 2) canister stoves do not as well in the cold, run through gas much quicker (thus increasing the number of canisters you need to cary), and are not as efficient in the cold. when do you plan to hike?

i own both canister stoves and liquid stoves, and love them both, but each has their own use. alcohol has its own uses as well, but I do a lot of cold weather hiking and have not gotten alcohol to work well for me in these instances.

bigcranky

11-16-2009, 14:10

I'll switch my thoughts to a simmerlite. and more so the canister stove.
canister stove $40 vs $100 simerlite
$60 will buy a lot of canisters.
Bryce

Well, not really. One major downside of canisters is that the fuel cost is higher than white gas. Also higher than alcohol. Another downside (mentioned above) is that canisters don't work as well in cold weather. In my experience they stop working below 20-F, though I have been able to make breakfast on very cold mornings by leaving the canister in my sleeping bag overnight, then warming it with my hands while it boils water.

If you don't have any stove at all right now, the cheapest route is an alcohol stove. You have all winter to practice cooking on it. If you end up wanting a different stove, you can buy a new one either before you leave, or on the trail.

I like my canister stoves (er, all four of them), but I already own them. I also like my alcohol stoves (3 or 4), my white gas stoves (3), and my Esbit stoves (2.) I can quit any time I want....

stranger

11-19-2009, 21:26

I only use an 8 ounce bottle of fuel, and I rarely fill it up, but I also don't cook everyday and I use an alcohol stove

Doctari

11-19-2009, 21:51

I often fix a hot breakfast; grits & hot Carnation instant breakfast, I almost always fix a hot dinner.
My stove takes 1/2 Oz per meal, I allow for 3/4 Oz per meal "just in case", then, as my longest hike between re-supply has been 6 days: I allow 8 days of fuel*. So: 0.75oz per meal x 2 meals / day x 8 days = 12 Oz, which oddly enough is the size of my fuel bottle. Every time I get the chance, I will heat my water over a camp fire. This allows me to save fuel & thereby money per trip. I still have to carry the fuel, but I save money. I have had to abandon a trip due to running out of fuel, but I had chosen to use solid fuel & not test / practice & there was no way to re-supply what I was burning. AS a result, I am a bit paranoid about my fuel supply.

* 2 days spare fuel "just in case"