[pct-l] petrolem fuel availability for multi-fuel stove

[CHUCK CHELIN]

Good evening, Dan,



I’ve used unleaded motor fuel in stoves in lieu of white gas, and the
results have been satisfactory.  While motor fuel has several chemical
constituents that are not necessary for a stove, I believe the traditional
problem was from the tetraethyl lead that used to be added as an
octane-improver.  When the fuel was burned the lead formed solid deposits on
the stove’s parts, and caused mischief.  That shouldn’t be a problem today.



Kerosene has more energy per volume than others, but it also weighs
proportionately more for that volume.  The important consideration is the
energy per ounce, i.e. ounce of weight, not fluid-ounce of volume.


Kerosene is the least volatile of the common fuels, and the most difficult
to get lit.  In the process of getting it hot enough to generate heat it
really skinks; and if it’s spilled on gear it stinks longer than the others.
If you’re a “wing-nut” who likes to hang around airports just to smell the
exhaust from Jet-A and JP-5 maybe you’ll also like it in your stove.  Alcohol
is probably the best in that regard, but has the least energy per volume.



Kerosene is likely the most difficult to find, and will also probably be the
most expensive.  It’s often sold in small containers in which the fuel is
colored and scented for Aunt Tilley’s parlor lamp.



Steel-Eye

Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965

http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye

http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09


On Sun, Apr 11, 2010 at 8:29 PM, Dan Africk <danstheman at gmail.com> wrote:

> Unlike most thru-hikers, I will be bringing an old school style, multi-fuel
> liquid fuel stove(Optimus nova+ to be specific). This stove runs on
> everthing from gasoline to kerosene to diesel, but I've only ever used
> white
> gas, aka coleman fuel aka "chemically pure gasoline". White gas is the
> cleanest and probably best fuel to use, but I realize that will be very
> hard
> to find on the trail. Kerosene is probably the second best fuel(and is
> highly recommended by the manufacturer, in part because it has more energy
> per weight of fuel), but I imagine it would smell stronger than white gas.
> I
> imagine I'll probably have to burn auto gasoline at some point, but the
> problem with that is that auto gas contains dangerous additives that
> probably aren't good to have around food, and the manufacturer even uses
> the
> phrase "contaminate the stove", which is kinda scary.
>
> My questions are:
> 1- how often if at all will white gas aka coleman fuel be available?
> 2 - how often might kerosene be available?
> 3 - does anyone on this list have experience thru-hiking with this kind of
> stove?
> 4 - Has anyone ever used auto gasoline in their camping stove, and what did
> you think?
> 5 - Are there gas stations at most resupply spots, or should I put a siphon
> in my bounce bucket, so that I can by gas from anyone with a car if I have
> to?
>
> 6 - At this point I'm pretty sure that there is no legal way to mail white
> gas. Hypothetically, if someone where to mail white gas, separately from
> other resupply items, how likely do you think that would be to cause
> problems? If someone knew for sure that it was being shipped by ground,
> then
> a liter of gasoline, well packaged, would be no more dangerous than the 20
> gallons or so in the gas tank of the delivery truck. Please don't answer
> this question if you're just going to scold me about not following the
> rules, I just want the practical implications of doing this. Hypothetically
> of course.
>
> Any info would be appreciated, especially from those with personal
> experience. The stove is pretty efficient, and some of my meals only
> require
> a few minutes of cooking or just boiling water, so I could easily carry 2
> or
> 3 weeks worth of fuel without it getting ridiculous. Thanks in advance for
> your help.
>
>
> --
> www.hikefor.com/haiti-2010-Dan
>
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