Which fuel and how much?

[ndbwhunter]

My options to purchase fuel locally for my MSR reactor 1.0 are very limited, so I'll more than likely have to order it online. Are all fuels created equal, or have you found one that stands out above the rest?

I'm planning for a 10 day hunt and will be boiling for one. My "partner" can eat cold food if he doesn't plan for himself. I'll be boiling for dinners and the occasional hot chocolate. Will one 4oz can be enough, or should I take two just in case?

 

[COlineman78]

I usually use Snow Peak's small canisters (110g) and they usually last me 10-12 boiling cycles of 2 cups (2-3 days) at 12,000 feet, however I was recently in MT at a much lower altitude ~7,500 and an MSR large canister (8oz) lasted me the entire trip for 2 people (5 days, roughly 30 cycles) and I'm not sure how empty it is. I am interested to know if MSR is actually better than Snow Peak or if the difference was purely due to altitude. Jetboil is much more expensive, but MSR is only slightly more than SnowPeak.

 

[ndbwhunter]

I suppose I would be better off taking two 4oz canisters to make sure I don't run out.

 

[ndbwhunter]

Well, it seems the 4oz canisters are tough to come by online. Should I just bring an 1 - 8oz canister? Only problem there is that the 8oz won't fit inside the 1.0 reactor pot.

 

[sodaksooner]

my local walmart now has canisters. thought they were 4 ounce but really didn't pay that much attention.

 

[Rs3003]

check REI if you have on close.

 

[COlineman78]

Well, it seems the 4oz canisters are tough to come by online. Should I just bring an 1 - 8oz canister? Only problem there is that the 8oz won't fit inside the 1.0 reactor pot.

I used to worry about this, but I have plenty of other small stuff that I can fill my pot with. I'd go with the 8oz which should last you 20-30 2-cup boils depending on altitude/wind. You may consider a second one if you are going plenty high or doing all 3 meals every day.

 

[ndbwhunter]

I used to worry about this, but I have plenty of other small stuff that I can fill my pot with. I'd go with the 8oz which should last you 20-30 2-cup boils depending on altitude/wind. You may consider a second one if you are going plenty high or doing all 3 meals every day.

I suppose 1 - 8oz will get me a few test boils around the house and still get me through the hunt. Thanks for the advice!

 

[Poser]

I've done some some keeping track of various brands by marking the cannister with a knife for each cycle.
That doesn't take into consideration the fact that everytime you connect and disconnect the canister, you lose a bit of fuel. Anyway, I just checked my Jetboil and there is an empty cannister from the last time I used it which was bear hunting in East TN. A 3.53 oz (net) cannister of Jet Boil brand fuel ran out after 17 boils at a mere 2,500 feet or so. I have another used cannister of MSR brand fuel that has a net weight of 3.9 oz, has been used to 19 cycles and still has some fuel left in it. Until this moment, I had not noticed that the Jetboil can had .4oz less fuel. Both canisters are markets as "4oz", so keep that in mind. Point being, check and compare the net weight of the different brands.

 

[COlineman78]

Also, remember that weather and cookware can heavily impact usage. If you will be using cookware with a heat sync such as Optimus HE, Jetboil, or MSR Reactor/WindBurner it will get you an extra couple cycles over a titanium pot like a Snow Peak, esp since in wind the SP will also lose heat to cool air moving over the pot (which is mitigated by the neoprene sleeve on the MSR and Jetboils). If you have ultralight cooking gear that may be low efficiency you may need to add a little fuel into the equation. I'd add an extra 25-30% over home tests and use a low starting temp for home tests as the water out of the lake/stream is probably a lot lower than tap water. Weigh the full canister and subtract out the net weight and that will give you the canister weight, this should give you an idea of how many burns you will get. Also, some put the fuel in the fridge for 15 min before a test as Iso doesn't burn as well in low temps.

Full Weight - Net Weight = Canister Weight
(Full Weight after Test - Canister Weight) / Net Weight = % Fuel Used per Burn
1 / (% Fuel Used per Burn * 1.25) = Number of Burns with Margin

 

[Dos Perros]

As a basis of comparison, I used a BRS-3000T, Jetpower fuel, and a TOAKS 750ml titanium pot to boil 2 cups of cold refrigerator water in a no wind situation. Took three minutes for a good solid boil and 7 grams of fuel.

I think this light and lower efficiency setup is good for trips <5 days as you can use the 4oz fuel can and still have a little safety buffer.

For trips up to 8 days you could use the same lightweight stove but swap out to something like a Oilcamp XTS 1L pot. The added weight is offset by the increase in efficiency because of the better heat transfer of aluminum and the heat exchanger fins.

Anything longer than 7/8 days and you'll still need the 8oz fuel can, even with a Jetboil or similar high efficiency setup.

FYI: That's coffee for 1, ramen noodle lunch, MH 2.5 serving meal for dinner, and hot cocoa for 1, every day.

 

[COlineman78]

As a basis of comparison, I used a BRS-3000T, Jetpower fuel, and a TOAKS 750ml titanium pot to boil 2 cups of cold refrigerator water in a no wind situation. Took three minutes for a good solid boil and 7 grams of fuel.

I think this light and lower efficiency setup is good for trips <5 days as you can use the 4oz fuel can and still have a little safety buffer.

For trips up to 8 days you could use the same lightweight stove but swap out to something like a Oilcamp XTS 1L pot. The added weight is offset by the increase in efficiency because of the better heat transfer of aluminum and the heat exchanger fins.

Anything longer than 7/8 days and you'll still need the 8oz fuel can, even with a Jetboil or similar high efficiency setup.

FYI: That's coffee for 1, ramen noodle lunch, MH 2.5 serving meal for dinner, and hot cocoa for 1, every day.

Good advice here. Only thing I'll say is that the Optimus Weekender HE outperformed the Olicamp XTS in the tests that I've seen. Would be interested if anyone had different experiences, but tests with the MSR Pocket Rocket + Optimus HE were resulting in 1.5min home boiling tests.

 

[Jeff Martin]

The MSR is 110g and the jet power is 100g. Based on my experience, i can get a little more out of the MSR - about 13 boils at 1 liter. That is all you need for a 10 day hunt, but you are boarder line. I would go bigger.

 

[Dos Perros]

Good advice here. Only thing I'll say is that the Optimus Weekender HE outperformed the Olicamp XTS in the tests that I've seen. Would be interested if anyone had different experiences, but tests with the MSR Pocket Rocket + Optimus HE were resulting in 1.5min home boiling tests.

Good to know. I wish the Optimus was sold smaller, and with a lid like the Oilcamp. 600mL is plenty big.