stoves: which fuel to use?
Sep 05 '00
Unless you like cold food and iced coffee on your trips, you will have to have a source of heat. Campfires are ok but are prohibited in certain areas, require wood and hard to set when wet. Barring solar heaters, microwaves with really long extension cords or handy lava floes, portable stoves are the way to go.
Portable stoves come in two main categories: those you drive into camp and those you pack. Fuel options include solid fuels (which are ok in a pinch, but most people don't like them for the long haul), kerosene, other liquid fuels (white gas/coleman fuel/regular/unleaded) and compressed gas (propane or butane).
Kerosene requires specially designed stoves (or at least a multi-fuel stove) and makes food taste kind of oily at times. Regular/unleaded gasoline are extremely dangerous to work with and not what I'd want hanging off my pack. They aren't that commonly used in camping situations and I mention them only because some people do use them.
By far the most popular options are white gas/coleman fuel or propane or butane.
For convenience, safety and cooking large quantities, propane wins hands down. Precompressed into cylinders which (unless damaged) won't leak, setting up a stove is a simple screw/snap in and go. No priming required, the fuel is cheap and widely available and goes a long way. Propane ranges are available in sizes far larger than the others, and propane ovens are also available. The gas can also be used to power lanterns and refrigerators (propane refrigerators tend to be somewhat large and are more appropriate to, say, a cabin).
The downsides: propane cylinders are heavy and have to be packed out when empty. Some cannisters may be returned for a deposit, but smaller ones are generally thrown away - a waste of money. Propane cylinders lose pressure in cold weather (the gas inside contracts) and determining quantity remaining requires you to shake the tank and guess. If you're driving into camp and want simplicity and efficiency, a good propane range is a safe bet.
Butane is as also-ran when it comes to cartridge fuels. Usually packaged into blue containers, butane is the same stuff that powers your cigarette lighter. The cartridges are a one shot deal: when you pop one into your stove/lantern you punch a hole in the canister which can't be closed again - and one tends to get smelly, freezing cold gas sprayed over everything in the process. Once a canister has been loaded, that's it - and more than one person has had their stove valve accidentally twist open while in a pack or a car.
As with propane, butane does not require a priming mechanism, which means that in cold weather you're probably out of luck. They make lanterns and stoves that use the stuff, but you can't switch your fuel back and forth. It is also not as commonly carried as propane or white gas/coleman so there is an off chance that you won't have any when you need it.
White gas/coleman fuel has it beat when it comes to weight. One litre of white gas lasts me for about 2-3 weeks (depending on use, of course) and weighs very little. If the weather is cold, I just have to prime it up a bit more. White gas/coleman fuel is available just about everywhere and can be used in lanterns as well as stoves (usually single burner models). My particular stove is an MSR WhisperLite which has the handy feature of no fuel tank - when I'm ready to cook, I hook the hose directly to the fuel bottle which saves a bit of space/weight. (Some white gas stoves require you to pour the fuel from your bottle into an attached tank. Then, when you try to light your stove right there and then you invariably ignite the spilled fuel and burn down the forest.) White gas stoves are simple to use, maintain and repair, are quick to heat up and quick to cook. Smaller than their propane cousins, they are weak when attempting to cook large quantities of food, and generally don't have all of the options (ovens, griddles, etc) available as does the propane line.
In summary:
butane - forget it entirely.
white gas - best option when you have to actually carry your gear or if in small groups.
propane - prohibitively heavy to pack in/out. Good for established campgrounds.
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