How to determine how much fuel is left in your canister

[perdidochas]

The MSR brand has marks on the can so you can do a float test.

[Connie]

My SOTO OD-1R burns steadily to the last drop.

I am interested in refillable cannisters, as well.

[Kaptainkriz]

Generally (actually always), the canisters are not supposed to be refilled. That being said, I find this tool useful for refilling/transfering contents of canisters: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00U2EE6M2/
In the grand scheme of things the canisters are cheap compared to the potential bad outcomes of messing about refilling them.

My SOTO OD-1R burns steadily to the last drop.

I am interested in refillable cannisters, as well.

[Greenlight]

That is awesome for the engineers and geeks among us, but I'll tell ya, I'll just use my canister until it runs out, and then buy a new one. If it runs out on the trail, I'l just eat cold food for a couple of days, and strike deals for hot water for my morning joe. Ain't that big of a deal to me, who has eaten many many many a cold MRE under a poncho in the rain.

I just saw this on the BPL website. I doubt that the author would mind me sharing it on Whiteblaze.
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-...=884545#884545

[Hoofit]

Wonderful...thanx for that...I want to do it just because it is so simple yet accurate...could also use nail varnish, rustoleum paint or something similar if you didn't want to lightly score a pole.
great stuff!

[MuddyWaters]

I know how much fuel I use each time.......and how many boils get per cannister ....and.......l know how to count

[KCNC]

....and.......l know how to count

Therein lies the secret!

Carry two canisters, use one until empty, then move to the next one, replacing the empty when you can. The insurance will cost you about 8 ounces of pack weight, but you'll minimize the odds of "going cold" unexpectedly.

[Heliotrope]

How about a displacement test? Some cooking pots have markings stamped on them. Fill pot to a predetermined level and see how far the water level goes up with an empty tank vs a full one. I haven't tried this, but it might just work.

MSR fuel canisters have simple reference graphics to illustrate this way of determining fuel left.


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[Ethesis]

Cool.

I am new to canister stoves, and end up throwing out the partials.

Question: Does the last ounce of fuel in a canister boil water as fast as the first ounce of fuel?

i buy the cannesters with the float marks. Turn upside down in water. Floats to the line showing how much fuel is left.

Since they are all pretty much much the same size you can copy the list bed over but the ones with the measurements on them don't cost anymore.

[Luna Anderson]

Just shake and measure the fuel left in the canister. It's ez

[rocketsocks]

I know how much fuel I use each time.......and how many boils get per cannister ....and.......l know how to count

Pretty much this, give or take a boil.

[Starchild]

I have typed something but deleted it as I feel this can say it better.

Some people can tell pretty well how much fuel is left and required for their trip. Iso-stoves are dependable predictable and a person can know how many boils they can expect from it and keep track. Some people can get a very good estimate by the shake test. These people pick the right canister and come back with perhaps 10% remaining as they have a selection of partly used canisters to chose from to carry the lightest one needed and still have a safety factor.

Other people can't for whatever reason. They will carry extra weight. Some will learn the above. Some will partly learn. Others will just carry more, and also on the AT, hiker box many canisters still more the half full for the people who can.