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Dec
This means that in conditions below 31F butane canisters or cylinders dont reach the boiling point. This gas is 75 butane and that one is 65 isobutane and this one over here is three gasses.
This means that in conditions below 31F butane canisters or cylinders dont reach the boiling point.
Butane stove cold weather. Here in Florida this is not a real issue but a few weeks ago out while camping and hunting in Wyoming I learned that cold weather just sucks the life out of a Butane gas stove. I just ordered a duel fuel single burner. I like Butane but this one came with a hose and regulator so I can use one pound Propane canisters if needed.
Butane is the primary component in fuel canisters typically accounting for 70 to 80 percent of the fuel mixture. Propane makes up the remainder. Unlike butane however propane continues vaporizing even in very cold temps down to minus-43 degrees Fahrenheit.
This has some interesting implications for cold-weather performance. The common challenge in cold weather with iso-butane stoves is getting the stove to burn hot enough to boil watercook food because the cold tempertures reduce the pressure of the fuel inside the canister so the stove does not burn as hot. Although butane wont freeze from the weather it is sensitive to cold conditions.
Locations that commonly experience sub-freezing winter temperatures may be dangerous to butane. The cold causes the gas to become ineffective due to lowered vaporization levels. This means a can of butane will be useless in the winter even when its new.
Most agree that an 8020 blend of isobutane and propane will burn the best in the winter. This burns cleaner and provides higher pressures at lower temperatures. MSR and Jetboil both produce fuel canisters filled with this optimum pressure.
Other brands may use blends that are less optimal so always check before you purchase. Isobutane is a type of butane with a specific atomic arrangement allowing this fuel to burn at colder temperatures. Even still isobutane has a vaporization point of only 11F -12C which is 54 degrees warmer than propane.
Other Helpful Tips for Bikepacking in Cold Weather. Moving Camp to Cottonwood AZ. OK I need some gas for some cold weather trips.
So I bopped into REI. Hey wait a minute. This gas is 75 butane and that one is 65 isobutane and this one over here is three gasses.
How is anybody supposed to know which one is gonna work for cold weather. A propane camp stove should also be your choice if you will go to a place with cold weather since butane is not reliable to work in extreme weather conditions. A butane camp stove however is lightweight and more convenient to carry which are also important factors to.
While propane boils at a whooping cold temperature of -44 degrees Fahrenheit butane has a boiling point of a nice warm 33 degrees Fahrenheit. If your idea of cold weather use for a stove is temperatures just below freezing down to about 20F -7C then alcohol stoves and upright canister mounted stoves will fit the role. While alcohol stoves will work at those temperatures they will struggle to heat up large quantities of water or melt snow.
First in a series of camp stove tests in cold weather. The propanebutane canister stove testSubscribe. First in a series of camp stove tests in cold weather.
Propane is better cold weather fuel than butane. Propane and butane turn from liquid to gas when they boil. Propanes boiling point is -42C or -44F while the boiling point of butane is 31F.
This means that in conditions below 31F butane canisters or cylinders dont reach the boiling point. MSR Windburner Stove boil test using straight butane. While Butane is preferred during summers due to its lower vapor pressure Propane is a better choice for colder climates.
Butane does not vaporize below 04C making it unable to be used as a fuel. As Propane vaporizes slowly when suppressed to low temperatures it is a better option to be stored in a container for a longer duration than Butane. At even colder temperatures stoves that run on these fuels can fail to even turn on.
Thats because isobutane and butane both have relatively high boiling points of 11ºF to 30ºF -12ºC to -1ºC at sea level. Therefore they become liquid at cold temperatures which depressurizes their container. Will a propane stove work in cold weather.
Unlike butane however propane continues vaporizing even in very cold temps down to minus-43 degrees Fahrenheit. In cold temperatures this effect can drive the canister temperature down and stop the burner coldeven if the ambient temperature is above the fuels boiling point.