UKC

I have a jetboil flash and used it last week in the peaks. Temp was about +1C. The canister was less than half full. It took a while to boil enough water for a cup of tea. I know the gas canisters become less efficient in the cold. I currently use a coleman canister but i have seen Primus canisters that state '4 season'.

Are these canisters any better?

Which stove would people recommend for using in a British winter?

In reply to TrevorWells: I'm a big fan of liquid fuels and have a primus omnifuel. Any of teh primus/msr liquid fuel stoves would be more than good enough for a uk winter and should also run on gas if you like for the summer.

I have never had success with gas in cold conditions.

In reply to TrevorWells:

If you're happy with the Jetboil there's another one - I forget the name - which runs off an inverted canister. Means the temperature doesn't affect it.

In reply to TrevorWells: 4 season mix gas is much better. I use the Primus ones all year round - as it is often cold first thing, most times I camp. Also remember that canisters are much less efficient as they empty, so if you are planning to use one where cold - a full one is better.

The new Soto burner has a system which helps reduce this fall off in performance. I have my eye on one.

In reply to TrevorWells: Cheers gents. Think i will be investing in Primus 4 season from now on for the jetboil.

Just after some thoughts ref: liquid stoves with xmas coming etc, just in case i get some vouchers and i need to buy something i really need!!

I have had a look at the MSR and Primus websites. A lot of choice but the Omnifuel looks a complete package. May visit a shop and take a look.

In reply to TrevorWells:

welcome to my world.

winter andexped canisters have butane and propane mixes, some iso-butane but not sure what difference that makes.

i use a jetboil all winter as its easily hangable - something im a huge fan off. i use the sumo as its more efficient to heat a larger amount of water each time and a decent size for melting snow.

a good system of warming the canisters is all thats needed. i use a jetboil down to about -15 with minimal problems. earier this week at about -8.
keep it in your jacket or sleeping bag for a while before using gets it going, then i cover it in 2 bits of insulating foam, and when not actually cooking with it unscrew it and sit on top of the pot if theres warm water still in it.

if you sit in on the ground/table etc put a bit of foam under it.

ideally have 2 canisters to swap for when the gas is getting low, its very cold and/or they are cooling fast.

liquid stoves are the ultimate performers but i only use one if im out for longer than a week or its stupid cold.
i like cooking in the tent from the comfort of my sleeping bag, so liquid fuel stoves are less good for that with the priming flare up and inability to hang.

id say for britain a jetboil would do you 90% of the time with good management.

In reply to ice.solo: I also use insulating foam, I make a sleeve to fit the canister. Mark Twight had a good idea in Extreme Aplinism, using a piece of malleable copper one end of which goes round the canister, the other end of which goes into the flame - heat direct to canister to keep it safely volatile.

In reply to ice.solo:

Boiling points, is the reason to use isobutane over butane:

Butane BP = -1C
Isobutane BP = -12C
Propane = -42C

I have a suspicion, that in the 20% propane 80% isobutane canisters that I've used from MSR, in cold weather the propane evaporates first and you end up with a half empty canister that doesn't do so well when it's really cold.

Just a theory, would be good if someone could confirm!

In reply to needvert: Cheers Gents for all the info. As expected i got a large anount of vouchers for snow and rock!! Julbo sunglasses or a new stove!!

Merry Christmas

In reply to needvert: yeah, that's correct unless you use one of those stoves with a remote cannister and a preheatingpipe. If you turn the cannister upside down you will burn both the propane and isobutane so they'll last you longer. They are also easier to heat with your hands

In reply to ice.solo: Insulating the cannisters isn't always such a good idea since the evaporation process is endotermic, meaning it absorbs energy meaning the cannisters will get really cold quite fast. So after a shortwhile the cannisters will actually be colder than the surrounding temperature, and then yo udefinately don't want any insulation around them.

In reply to ice.solo: oh, and by the way, if you only going to use the stove while it's hanging, you can get 100% propane cannisters with the same thread as the "normal" camping ones. Go to a hardwear store and look for long and thin cannisters for blowtorches. Not sure if you can get them in the UK or Japan but here in Sweden they are easy to find.

In reply to TrevorWells: all good info on here as i lurk , on a side note and slight thread hijack how long for a canister to last if you are just melting snow for brews and to rehydrate food iam assuming the 220grm canister and brewing a L in the morning and 3 or 4 L in the evening
all this at 5500m ish

In reply to TrevorWells:

On your second brew with the jetboil leave a small amount of hot water in the plastic cup which fits on the bottom. A small cannister of gas then fits straight inside the cup while your brewing the next cup-this actively warms the gas as your brewing and makes it more efficient.

hope that helps

Jon

In reply to TrevorWells: Soto Micro regulator, won one in the UKC competition and it functions very well in the cold, more so than any other stove I've tried, but they aren't cheap!

In reply to TrevorWells:

Here's my favourite link on gas canister fuels.
http://www.bushwalking.org.au/FAQ/FAQ_Mixtures.htm