Cold Weather Tips for Gas Stoves

“Some of my recent posts have been a little heavy on the theory end of things. This post is nearly purely practical. Have a look at: Cold Weather Tips for Gas Stoves

HJ
Adventures in Stoving”

“Yeah, like bring a white gas stove instead :-)”

“lol. Yeah, I hear you. And you're right. At a certain point why continue to hassle with a gas stove? Gas stoves just plain like warm weather.

There are some good reasons though including mechanical reliability and not having to prime if weather confines you to your shelter.

HJ
Adventures in Stoving”

“FYI, When Jim says "gas stoves" he means canister stoves...if you're confused.”

“Yeah I do wish he would realize that canister is the norm even on TT. Back in the OLD days gaz was the term used but it is canister or (white)gas now a days. On his blog he even uses the term canister...BTW HJ the threaded connection is called a lindal valve...just FYI”

“Only in America can you go to a gas station whose primary purpose is to sell you a liquid. :)

Yes, when I say gas I mean a substance in a gaseous state (e.g. propane, butane, or isobutane). I do not mean gasoline, white or otherwise.

HJ
Adventures in Stoving
last edited: 12/08/11 10:54:05 AM”

“Sticks,

Don't confuse the connector with the valve. A whole lot of canisters, backpacking or otherwise, have Lindal valves made by Lindal AG in Germany. Some of the connectors on those canisters are threaded, some are not, but all are Lindal valves.

It's a common mistake to see a backpacking canister with threaded connector and to call the connector a Lindal valve. The true, correct answer though is that what you're seeing is a threaded connector with a Lindal valve.

Camping Gaz canisters are not threaded, but they do have Lindal valves.

Powermax canisters are not threaded, but they do have Lindal valves.

The valve is a valve, and the connector is a connector. "Threaded" does not determine whether or not something is a Lindal valve.

HJ
Adventures in Stoving”

“Hey Jim, in America "gas" is short for gasoline. ;)

You're not from Britan by any chance?”

“lol. If I were from the UK, I'd call it petrol.


HJ
Adventures in Stoving”

“Whew!”

“Okay, I realise and admit that I'm a Canuck, eh? I've been avoiding these threads, but now that the obvious cold weather choice of naphtha stoves has come up, I have a question. What kind of weather can possibly happen to make priming outside of the tent a problem?

In the winter, unless I'm in a lean-to such as at FYAO I usually use a bivy sack. The stove is always outside and I just stick out my arms, prime the stove, then enjoy dinner or breakfast in bed.

When using a tent at any time, it does not seem difficult or dangerous to open the vestibule and prime the stove outside - actually I never use the stove in a tent. If you find yourself in a rare winter rain storm it can be rough, but that's why we have Gore-Tex, et c. When tenting I usually have a syltarp set up and that solves the problem.

Canister stoves just don't do it in the winter.”

“Yep.

I did see someone prime a whisperlite in a tent once. I was staying in Custer State park during bike week. The guy seemed a little intoxicated maybe. It was dark, I was in the adjacent spot when I saw the fireball. By the time I got over there with my fire extinguisher he had beat it out with his sleeping bag. Only funny now because he didn't get hurt.”

“Actually you can get pretty good at priming a Whisperlite. I once did it on a kitchen table (after dinner) to show the son of a friend's girlfriend how.

Of course, I wouldn't try that sober.”

“Fotunately it didn't take much time to laugh at this one. I was surprised he didn't burn a hole in the tent by the size of that fireball. I was pretty scary. Bikers! Lol.”

“Hi, Gremlin,

> "Canister stoves just don't do it in the winter.”
Well, yes and no. There are canister stoves and there are canister stoves. If you have a typical canister stove, then I pretty much agree with you. But if you have one that can handle running with the canister upside down, that's a very different matter. An inverted remote canister stove can run pretty well (if you have a good brand of gas) down to -18C. If you use techniques to warm the canister, it can go even colder than that. That's not too shabby.

As for priming, if you've got something that's working for you, go for it. A lot of people live in fear of priming (particularly in or near a tent) and will do anything they can to use gas.

HJ
Adventures in Stoving”

“Pretty simple for me.

Breakfast time temps above freezing (Canister stove)

Breakfast time temps below freezing (White gas Stove)

Alcohol since I actually cook, not just boil water is for drinking.

The ease of use makes the canister wonderful in warm weather. They suck in cold weather. I sleep with the canister in my sleeping bag to warm it. Even that wont get the last of the butane out sometimes once the propane runs out. The upside down canisters mitigate this problem I guess.

My Optimus Nova works all the time in any condition with white gas. It doesn't flame up like a wisperlite either. Will simmer perfectly.”

“Gotta love people that think they ARE the one...”

“Hi, Jim, 'There are canister stoves and there are canister stoves.'

True.

And there are winters and there are winters. Why waste time jiggling with a canister when in less time my whisperlite is going strong and melting snow?

Just sayin', eh?

That being said, if you prefer canister stoves, go for it. We are all here for the fun of it.”

“lol. Yeah, there are winters and then there are winters. :)

What I meant though is that there is a real difference in cold weather performance between a regular canister stove (that just screws into the top of a canister) and an inverted canister stove where you can run with the canister upside down. Inverted canister stoves allow you to operate down near 0F/-18C pretty darned well on gas. You generally can't do that with a regular canister stove.

In extreme cold weather (below 0F/-18C), I'm generally going to go with a kerosene stove, but that's me. If you're going with a group, there are some good reasons to take along both, including the priming issue and the greater mechanical reliability of gas stoves. If you're interested, I discuss this a little bit in another blog post: Gas in Extreme Cold: Yes or No?

HJ
Adventures in Stoving”