[pct-l] Will I die using Fuel canisters?

[ietura at viajarapie.info]

we all tend to think our gear options are the best. Some may forget they're
the best for them but maybe not for everybody. Some may despise other
options for lack of willingness to try new things or even to avoid
questioning their present choice. We all do that to some degree.

With alcohol stoves there's the freak factor of using something home made
out of you know what.

I use and like (and dislike) both alcohol and gas canisters. For the long
distance I usually take canisters and the deciding factor here for me is
fuel efficiency and the resulting autonomy in adition to the usual canister
advantages: less fiddle factor (easier to use), cleaner.

So what seems like the big dissadvantage of gas canisters (ressuply) may be
seen as their big advantage: due to the fuel efficiency, you don't have to
ressuply so often. Alcohol's higher weight/energy ratio makes you ressuply
as often as possible to make it weight efficient overall. It's true alcohol
is easy to find but it's always yet another thing to think about when you
hit town. With gas canisters, you can forget about it for a good while.

I tried to make the most out of this autonomy thing during my thru-hike. I
estimated I could hike the PCT with just three 8oz (medium size) canisters
so I planned for two ressuplies. Having to ressuply only twice on the whole
trail virtually means you can forget about fuel ressuply. That's something.
I made this at the expense of carrying two canisters for some time, waiting
for the old one to be done but that was actually part of the test (I never
finish my canisters on my trips and I can't take them back with me if I'm
flying so I wanted to actually finish one! to see how far it could go in
practise). With what I know now, I'd probably avoid that.

The key thing here is knowing your fuel needs. Weight your canister before
and after use and the difference is the gas you spent. You can do a pretty
accurate estimation of how far you will go with each canister but take into
account factors as wind or cold that may mean more fuel expense.

As fuel efficiency was key for my estrategy, I focused on that. The key
factors here are: a good windscreen, a wide enough pot, using medium-low
fire and just heating water. The windscreen was almost weightless (made out
of a pie pan) and would only cover the flame, not the canister, leaving
free the breathing holes in the burner base so oxygen is correctly drawn
in. The pot should be wide enough for the flames to keep under it and not
spill around (this is a common happening in some alcohol burners at some
point of the process before they calm down) and a lid is mandatory.
Medium-low fire is more efficient at the expense of a few more minutes
wait. Finally, I wouldn't boil the water, no need for that (before boiling
is hot enough to cook) and I'd only heat the water, then pour it on the
food bag to let it sit for a while (regular supermarket food, pasta and the
like, works fine like this). With all this, I could cook (heating the
typical 2 cups of water) with only 5 grams of gas. I'd only cook dinner.

Average weight wise, gas canisters may come out similar to alcohol stoves
in a trail like the PCT but it depends a lot on how often you visit town
and many other factors. I made the math and with the stoves I have, my fuel
expenses and considering 8oz canisters, gas was lighter (dayly average)
after 10 days without ressuply. This is certainly not needed anywhere on
the PCT at thru-hiker pace but the fact that you don't have to ressuply at
every town stop is not without value.

The list of possible ressuply places for canisters is quite as has been
stated but it's variable. Some off-town places (KM, VVR, Echo Lake) may
have them but they may not and I wouldn't rely on them unless previously
confirmed. Some little town stores (Sierra City comes to mind) have shown
interest in stocking them in the past but it usually depends on the present
owners and on the hikers contacting them and asking for it. Small town
outfitters come and go. So the list is open and it probably changes every
year.
rainskirt


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