[pct-l] Isobutane Canister performance

[Mary Kwart]

I have been asked by several people what my experience with isobutane
canisters have been on this list serve. I can give anecdotal results.
I am a fan of anecdotal results because it reflects real experience
and not merely "data". I have 30 years of experience using "data" in
the outdoors through my job and have often found it takes a back door
to so-called anecdotal experience. My experience with isobutane
canisters has been in a wide range of multiple elevations and
temperatures. Hiking on the Colorado Trail, the Grand Enchantment
trail through New Mexico and Arizona and on the Arizona Trail. I have
noticed the longevity of using isobutane for several years, but
decided to quantify it more for my own use and for the use of others.
I believe the factors you consider stumbling blocks to good advice are
minimal. We do not need to have every factor quantified down to the
gnat's ass in order to give or get good advice from valid and far
reaching outdoor experience.
--Fireweed

----- Original Message -----
From: "Matt Signore" 
To:"Mary Kwart" 
Cc:
Sent:Wed, 11 Sep 2013 08:29:20 -0500
Subject:Re: [pct-l] Isobutane Canister performance

I will bite.  Why then did you omit the 5 weeks data collection in
Colorado from your original post?  Is it because a huge hole was
poked in your unverified theory?  You seem to throw in the extra five
weeks of data you gathered as an after thought.  To steal from reddit
"pics or it didn't happen".  

You do realize there is a different 3 season mix and winter mix by
most isobutane canister manufacturers.  Hmmm I wonder why?  Is it
because cold temperatures effect the burn rate of canister fuels?  

You say it was colder in Colorado.  Well how cold?  Gathering half
the data and omitting half of that data makes you about a quarter of
the way to a failing grade for 8th grade science class.  

Also cook pot dimensions will provide different results on boil times.
You didn't even mention what you were boiling the water in.  Did you
use the same cook pot for both trips?  Was it a rolling boil or you
just saw a few bubbles start to form?  You provide very little hard
data other than weights.  Basically your original post was half
thought out and scientifically invalid. 

I know this may come off as harsh, but coming to the public with a
half thought out study is just more list fodder.  Fireweed, this is
the part where you get to respond back pedaling with no hard data.

Note I kept this off the list to be nice.  If you wish to bring it
public again.  There are more than a few SERIOUS studies that you can
easily find with a Google search that are done by scientists and
engineers in the field on burn rates.  You didn't discover anything.
 You just puked a half thought out idea on the list. 

On Tue, Sep 10, 2013 at 10:54 PM, Mary Kwart  wrote:
  Hi:

I had the same results using the same size and type isobutane canister
on 5 weeks on the Colorado Trail at an average elevation of 12,000
feet and at colder temps.
 --Fireweed

----- Original Message -----
From: "Matt Signore"  
To:"Mary Kwart" 
Cc:"pct-l" 
Sent:Tue, 10 Sep 2013 08:02:37 -0500
Subject:Re: [pct-l] Isobutane Canister performance

I hope the outside temperature stays the same for all your hikes. Same
with the water temperature before being put on the stove.  Make sure
to stay at the same elevation for every meal.  Otherwise you will
find all your calculations are unreliable in other conditions.  Just
a few considerations. 
Matt Signore
pcthandbook.com [5]
On Tue, Sep 10, 2013 at 12:15 AM, Mary Kwart  wrote:

 Hi, all:

 I just finished hiking the Oregon section of the PCT and finally got
 to definitively figure out how much fuel I use. I packed an MSR
 isobutane cartridge that had an 8 oz net weight. I boiled 1 3/4 cup
of
 water daily and put the boiling water in a freezer ziplock with the
 food in a cozy to cook. I used a snow peak canister stove attachment
 and a titanium pot. It took 6.1 grams of fuel to boil 1 3/4 cup
water.
 I still had about a quarter of the fuel canister left after I reached
 the Washington border. Now I know how to gage what's left in all my
 partially used canisters at home. I can get about 37 days of 1 boil a
 day from a larger MSR canister.
 --Fireweed

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-- 
Matt Signorepcthandbook.com [11]
  

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