Which stove canisters work best in cold

[Wes Walker]

I have heard that the Snow Peak canisters work in colder weather than the others. Can anyone verify this? If it is true, how much colder? Rethinking the whole mountain hunting stove debate- White gas works better if it gets cold, but is heavy and quirky to use sometimes. Canister systems are pretty light and very easy to use, but give out in the cold. Anyone use Snow Peak and other brands enough to give a report? Thanks-WW

 

[ducbykes]

White gas

White gas

White gas is definitely worth the weight. I don't know how cold you are going, but being without gas is miserable. I have tried the canister thing and had to come back early. I will never go without the white gas again. It works so much better.

 

[WinMag]

propane & iso-butane

propane & iso-butane

I think they are all about the same... I was told Brunton but in researching them I could not find any "additives" or "ingrediants" that were different.

Most are a mix of propane and iso-butane.

If you are only needing to boil water for a Mt. House I've learned that you can pre-heat the cannister for 30-45min by putting close to your body (inside your clothing). Another option is to carry a spare cannister... Warm both and while cooking with one if the performance drops too much swap'em out...

I've also thought that a chemical hand warmer placed under the cannister might work... Kind of hard to imagine breaking out an 8 hour hand warmer for a 3 minute cook time though...

Here are a few quotes from Jet boil's web site...

All canister stoves suffer a performance drop in cold weather. The colder the fuel, the lower the vapor pressure, and the lower the burner output. The result can be noticeably longer boil times and difficulty lighting the burner with the built-in piezoelectric ignitor. Jetpower’s lower firing rate reduces canister cooling and increases performance. Jetpower fuel, with propane, helps mitigate cold weather problems. We suggest that you keep the canister in a warm pocket between uses and remove it immediately prior to heating your food. Carry an extra canister and keep it warm to swap out with a cold one when necessary, and always carry matches or a lighter as backup.

hope this helps.