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[pct-l] How much fuel left in a gas canister?



Hi,

I'm using gas cans as fuel for my old pocket rocket. I know that a Primus
cartridge holds 225g of fuel and I use about 10-14g of fuel per pot (0.7l
to 1l) of boiled water. On the other hand cosumption varies if baking
bread using the pot as a dutch oven (6..8g for 20 to 25 minutes on the
smallest flame) or if it is windy. There is always an uncertainty how much
fuel remains in a can. (My electronic scales are too heavy to carry on a
hike.)

I took an empty Primus can and set it in a pot filled with water. It
swimms fairly straight. (Make sure to shake it, otherwise bubbles stay
under the can and skew results.) I've made a mark on the can at water
level. Then I repeated the experiment with a full can.

As a result the water level of the empty can is 31mm from the bottom. The
water level of the full can is 60mm from the bottom.

This means a pot of boiled water corresponds (in my case) to 1.5...2mm
of water depth. [ (60mm-31mm)/(225g/10..14g) ]
Knowing this allows me to apply the two marks to fresh fuel cans and
estimate in the field how much is left.

I hope this helps other hikers to estimate their fuel reserves. The
numbers here apply only to my cooking style and Primus canisters. Other
canisters (Snow Peak) are heavier or might have a different diameter. Your
fuel consumption might vary.

Ilja.