View Full Version : Canister Resupply
Aquaman12
10-13-2011, 17:57
My wife and I plan on leaving GA sometime in the middle of april. We plan to do no mail drops and only a bounce box. I would like to carry our canister stove because i think that its lighter and easier than our alcohol stove for two. I just think we would have to carry more fuel for the alcohol stove and it would out weigh the savings on the stove. The canister stove we have weighs 1.9 ozs. so its not much heavier than an alcohol stove. Are the canisters readily available to where we could just pick them up at resupplys instead of having them mailed to us? That is the only thing i can think of that would have to be mailed to us and i would really like to avoid that.
My buddy carried a JetBoil in 2009 and only bought like 2 canisters the entire way. He raided hiker boxes and lived on "empties" the rest of the time. Your luck may be different.
I NEVER had any problems finding denatured alcohol along the way.
ironman y2k
10-13-2011, 20:13
Be aware that the U.S. Mail will allow only 2 of the small canisters to be shipped at one time and the box must be shipped ground only and labelled as ORM (other restricted material). Make sure you go to the post office you will have these shipped from before you leave for the trail to make sure the post office is aware of "their own rule" on shipping these canisters. Some may not have experience shipping canisters, but if they look at their restricted materials book they will see it's ok and the requirements I stated above.
Calculator
10-16-2011, 19:39
I carried a canister stove the whole way this year and never had to mail any fuel. Only carried more than one canister at a time if I was using partially full ones from hiker boxes, and usually not even then.
CrumbSnatcher
10-16-2011, 20:49
2 thruhikes on my pocket rocket,only paid for my first canister, then i would trade out for ones in hiker boxes that had more in them. seldomed cooked breakfest or lunch though.
Blissful
10-17-2011, 19:14
I mailed a few canisters to me on the trail. Maildrops are no big deal. Not sure why people avoid them like the plague. I mailed one to me in Duncannon. The PO is right there down from the Doyle. No brainer.
What are you doing about maps then?
Blissful
10-17-2011, 19:19
2 thruhikes on my pocket rocket,only paid for my first canister, then i would trade out for ones in hiker boxes that had more in them. seldomed cooked breakfest or lunch though.
The only partial canisters I ever found north or south was at Shaws in Monson and at Bob People's. The others had nothing and were garbage that hikers should have disposed of properly rather than leaving them.
I would not rely on that personally just to avoid maildrops, which I think is silly (avoiding maildrops that is).
mateozzz
10-17-2011, 20:09
I have been doing 7-10 day section hikes the last few years and always leave my old canister in a shelter. Typically they are 1/2 full...so you're welcome! I also take out any empties on my last day, so you're welcome again!
mountain squid
10-17-2011, 20:37
and always leave my old canister in a shelter. Typically they are 1/2 full...so you're welcome!Well, I'm not sure that is such a great idea. Whoever maintains the shelter is probably packing it out with all the other accumulated stuff/trash that has been left behind.
See you on the trail,
mt squid
how to hike (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?73587-how-to-hike)
CrumbSnatcher
10-17-2011, 20:46
yeah i wouldn't rely on finding what you need in hikerboxes,that was a few years ago anyway, and i'm sure it didn't take long to catch onto that. ;)
best to not rely on anyone else to get you where your going. i always had the money for new canisters, but what the hell, when you can help recycle.:D never said anything about being afraid of maildrops. didn't use them much. did do a bounce box once in awhile
Aquaman12
10-18-2011, 08:32
I mailed a few canisters to me on the trail. Maildrops are no big deal. Not sure why people avoid them like the plague. I mailed one to me in Duncannon. The PO is right there down from the Doyle. No brainer.
What are you doing about maps then?
I was planning on throwing all the maps in the bounce box and switching them out when i pick it up. We plan on using only the AT Guide. It would be nice to find half full canisters, but i definately dont want to rely on them. I guess it wouldnt be a big deal to buy a canister or 2 and mail them ahead to places that look to be scarce. I guess the reason for avioding mail drops is that i feel it would be more stuff to worry about. That being said(I just started doing some planning) I did plan on sending a mail drop to fonatna lodge in fontana and to the ATC headquarters in harpers ferry. I was planning on sending the drops to those places from a resupply point a week or so earlier in the trail.
flemdawg1
10-21-2011, 14:30
Now that the camping sections of most Walmarts have canister fuel, plus an outfitter in many towns its likely you should have no trouble getting fuel.
What to do with nearly empty cannisters has always been an issue too. For 5 bucks Jetboil sells a tool that empties & punctures it so you can toss the cannister in a recycle bin. Last summer I did that to over 50 nearly empties left in our hiker box.
Aquaman12
10-23-2011, 23:00
Well this is good to hear! Thanks.
The Cleaner
10-24-2011, 08:14
Seems like every shelter I've been to has at least 1 or 2 empty canisters left behind,usually thrown under the bunk.I'm sure people throw them in the privy too.Depending on others is no way to hike and leaving ANYTHING at a shelter is just lazy&littering.Since I started hiking in 1979 I've probably packed out about 100 canisters with all kinds of other stuff.Leave NO Trace is the only way to hike.....
The Cleaner
10-24-2011, 08:20
I have been doing 7-10 day section hikes the last few years and always leave my old canister in a shelter. Typically they are 1/2 full...so you're welcome! I also take out any empties on my last day, so you're welcome again! Wonder what else you leave behind.Leaving stuff behind thinking others need it is how shelters turn in to drop boxes for all kinds of stuff that has to be packed out by trail maintainers....PACK IT IN, YOU PACK IT OUT...the only way to travel...
RITBlake
10-24-2011, 09:04
2 thruhikes on my pocket rocket,only paid for my first canister, then i would trade out for ones in hiker boxes that had more in them. seldomed cooked breakfest or lunch though.
That is cool
Very easy to not bounce any canisters to yourself and go the whole way just winging it. I personally had one drop at Fontana Dam with a canister. Everything else was purchased along the way. If you use them sparingly and only have the stove on when you need it they will last a looong time. I had one of the larger MSR canisters go for 4 weeks, only cooking dinners though.
CrumbSnatcher
10-25-2011, 20:23
Seems like every shelter I've been to has at least 1 or 2 empty canisters left behind,usually thrown under the bunk.I'm sure people throw them in the privy too.Depending on others is no way to hike and leaving ANYTHING at a shelter is just lazy&littering.Since I started hiking in 1979 I've probably packed out about 100 canisters with all kinds of other stuff.Leave NO Trace is the only way to hike.....CLEANER, thanks for picking up trash and packing all that stuff out. really cool thing to do:cool::sun