[pct-l] Propane/butane canister availability

[fdumville at earthlink.net]

Travis,

Here's my experience from Aug-Sep 2004 and June -July 2006 looking for canisters in some of the towns you asked about. 

Lone Pine: I saw them in one of the outfitter shops, not in the climbing shop.
Independence: None. There is bus service to Lone Pine or Bishop but it's an all day trip.
Bishop: Wilson's Eastside Sports
Muir Trail Ranch: When we stopped to pick up our resupply package they didn't have any new cans in stock for sale so they let us take some of their partially used cans.
VVR: I saw some in the store.
Red's Meadow / Mammoth Lakes : None at Red's Meadow. The outfitter near the Motel 6 in Mammoth had them.
Tuolumne Meadows: Yes, if not in the store check the climbing shop next to the gas station. They are also stocked in stores in the Valley.
Sonora Pass / N. Kennedy Meadows / Bridgeport: I stopped at Kennedy Meadows which has now burned, they didn't have any.
Echo Lake / South Lake Tahoe : The outfitter in the K-Mart shopping center had them in 2004, but not in 2006. In 2006 they where hard to find. I think I got one at K-Mart. Didn't look at Echo lake. 

K-mart and other larger stores may have a camping section that has Coleman brand iso-butane canisters.

I have often found partially used canisters in hiker boxes.

If you call ahead to ask about availability don't refer to them as propane canisters. They may carry the large heavy steel green propane cannisters used for the large 2 burner car camping type stoves but not the small iso-butane cannisters used by backpacking stoves. 

Snap