[pct-l] Isobutane Canister performance

Wed Sep 11 11:46:10 CDT 2013

I use a Jet Boil stove.  I always use the small fuel canister.  I put a little piece of masking tape on the canister and put a mark on it for each boil so that I know how much fuel remains.  I almost always boil two cups of water, once in the am and once in the pm.  In the 7 or 8 years that I have had this stove, I always get at least 20 boils out of the small canister (never less), no matter the elevation, the outside temperature, or the temperature of the water.  I plan my resupply around this information.  If there is any fuel remaining, I use it for car camping.  

Fireweed is right, you don't need to need to make this rocket science.  Just figure out what your usage rate is and go with it.

I-Beam

-----Original Message-----
From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net] On Behalf Of Mary Kwart
Sent: Wednesday, September 11, 2013 9:25 AM
To: Matt Signore; pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Isobutane Canister performance

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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