When/if need to use Canister stove vs liquid fuel at Altitude and Cold for sheep hunt?

[TalusHunterCA]

I have a Soto Windmaster that easily works at 6500 ft and about 15 degrees.

Can I use it at 10-12000 feet and about same temp?

Else, at what temp/altitude am I better off switching to a fuel stove like a Whisperlight or other muiltifuel stove?

 

[Mosby]

I am not an expert on stoves but I think the issue is more about the fuel canister when it comes to temps and wind more than altitude, if they are pressure regulated. I have found that normal canister stoves struggle much below 15 degrees and it is normally the fuel freezing. The simple solution below 15 degrees was to keep the canister in my sleeping bag and try to keep it warm. My Soto worked fine up to around 10,500 ft and in freezing temps but I haven't used my stoves much above that hunting. I would expect them to work though.

Canister stoves that allow you to invert the canister are good to around 0 degrees. I switched from my Soto to a Kovea Spider this year for this specific reason. The Kovea allows me to invert the canister and gets me another 15 degrees to operate in, so I am told and I prefer to use canisters to liquid fuel when I am hunting, if possible. If temps are going to be consistently freezing and below 10 degrees, you probably can't go wrong with a liquid fuel stove. The higher the altitude the more fuel you will use, so you will need to calculate that.

 

[87TT]

From what I have been told and my experience is that the canisters are a mixture of propane and butane. I can't remember which but one burns better at lower temps and will run out sooner leaving a gas that won't burn by itself. Leaving a poor performing stove. I have done the prewarm in my bag thing and it helps some. I have only packed the canister stove up to about 10,000 ft. and no issues other than the cold. I have backpacked above 11,000 ft. in the fall with cold around low single digits with my old Coleman Peak 1 stove and zero issues. If I was to take a canister, I would take extra fuel canisters for sure. This to me would cancel out the weight savings by not taking the liquid fuel stove. Plus a little gas makes a good fire starter in a fix.

 

[*zap*]

You can get an adapter for a canister stove that allows you to use a small propane bottle....should be no cold issues with propane although you will need a stand for the propane cylinder if your stove use the fuel can as a base.
Pretty sure that you can buy multi fuel stoves that use both liquid and canister fuel.

 

[TJ]

If I was going on a sheep hunt I wouldn't leave anything to chance, I'd get the whisperlight. I don't know if your flying but that could make a difference as you may not be able to fly with iso-butane fuel.

 

[TheRambler]

The magic solution is to put your canister in a bowl of water. Start the stove and get a small amount of water warm then dump that into the water with the canister. Perfect no issue operation. Works for me down to -26F so far. Its all about keeping the canister as close to 40F or above as possible. OR but a 10 dollar adapter and just use a 1lbs propane tank down to -40F without issue.

 

[fatbacks]

I saw a group using a jet boil at high camp on Denali (~17,000 ft). They would just sleep with the canisters in their bag And it seemed to work the whole time for them. Temps were about -20° all day.

We used liquid fuel and the MSR XGK and it was 100% reliable up there.

 

[Poser]

I saw a group using a jet boil at high camp on Denali (~17,000 ft). They would just sleep with the canisters in their bag And it seemed to work the whole time for them. Temps were about -20° all day.

We used liquid fuel and the MSR XGK and it was 100% reliable up there.

Interesting. I used to do some alpine climbing back in the late 90s and we always used liquid fuel and carried a spare parts kit for the stove, with the idea of having a 100% serviceable and therefore 100% reliable stove. 20 years later, I’d be more prone to pushing the boundaries of a isobutane stove, though not sure I’d go so far as using one on Denali. Nobody is using one any higher and colder, say, the Himalayas, right?

 

[Beendare]

Fatbacks nailed it....we have used the MSR canisters at 11,000 and below freezing and they work good if you keep them in your bag.

This is the best series of articles on the subject I've seen regarding canister performance, mix ratio, fade, refilling etc.- a great resource from a fellow Backpacking Light member;
ALL ABOUT STOVES