How long does a gas bottle last

[jay clock]

I have a natty little gas stove I got in NZ that screws on to a bottle like this (or one half that size) http://www.kathmandu.co.nz//85012/Gasmate-Butane-B-Can5.html

I have the possible chance of a 4 week trip round France and Spain in Sept and know how hard it is to find the right bottles out there. Anyone got any advice as to how long each bottle lasts in real life camping situations?

 

[Ticktockmy]

Very hard to give a time-scale for how long the gas will last, factors to consider are, what sort of food are you going to cook, and how often, what temperature you are cooking at and what altitude, is it Butane or butane/propane mix. A Colemans 250 cylinder normally lasts me about 4 days Backpacking

 

[tadpole]

Depends on what you use if for, in what kind of conditions and how warm the weather is. I'd say 4 days would be reasonable. you can improve cooking times with a wind break, and planning your meals (like cooking boil in the bag food in the water you are going to use for a Brew)

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

how long is a piece of string?

1-2 weeks on the 500ml size. cooked breakfast, couple of brews, fill 1L flask, evening meal couple more brews... for 2 people.

We carried an adaptor with us with was exceptionally useful on our 12 month tour below. It depends on the type of scew in gas cartridge you need as to which adaptor you need, my luck was I needed the more expensive type... (aka the 2nd link)

http://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/edelrid_valve_cartridge_adaptor.html
http://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/edelrid_puncture_cartridge_adaptor.html

we used this repeatedly and it never leaked and was carried in the pannier without issues. Great for places that do not have readily available gas screw in cartrigdes but do have plenty of single/pierce gas cannister like France...
From the link - it looks like you would need the adaptor we had - the 2nd one.

 

[rich p]

I used 2 of these...
... http://www.tooled-up.com/Product.as...oductlisting&gclid=CNTlhYm0-7ECFcEOfAodqQQABA

450g canisters on a 3 week tour this summer. Tea and coffee twice a day and cooking pasta, chicken etc 2 nights out of 3. That was for 2 people which will add on a bit too.

p.s. JayC, I gave you a mention in my CGOAB too!

 

[jay clock]

Excellent! That adapter looks very interesting. I carried my Coleman stove for a week in France a couple of years back unused due to lack of gas, so that could be very helpful.

And thanks Rich, will spend some time now enjoying your report!

The plan is, if I can wangle it, to cycle to southern Spain in 4 weeks. Vague chance of wangling 4 weeks off work is what will swing it. If I can do it I may go for a few hundred km more and make it to Casablanca or Marrakech

 

[rich p]

I hope work works out for you. 4 weeks is a good length for atrip.

 

[jay clock]

Just a quick update. The adapter recommended by SatNav above is fantastic. I am half way across Spain and yet to see anythin but Camping Gaz on sale,. and the puncturable ones are everywhere and the cheapest

 

[Blue Hills]

I too can vouch for the adaptor recommended by SatNav. I bought one on SNav's recommendation (thanks again - one of the best cyclecamping tips I've ever had) and used it on a couple of trips. It seems very reliable and safe to me - I had no worries about packing the bottle with adaptor still attached back into my pannier, and I'm very safety conscious**. A great improvement on a previous one-site trip where at the end I had to sit there for ages tring to burn all of the puncture cannister away. Apart from the sheer waste of time, also a waste of a probably only half-used cannister.

And as jayclock says, puncture cannisters are considerably cheaper, so the thing will pay for itself fairly soon.

I think I'd take a single screw-on cannister for back up (replacing it when/if it gets used up) but use puncture cannisters with this adaptor for the bulk of the fuel.

If you do get one, would be interested in your views on it.

I got mine from Amazon.

** I never, for instance, despite many folks' encouragement, cook inside the tent.

 

[jay clock]

well re the burning off gas that is what I am doing right now. In my hotel bathroom! I am sending my camping kit home as camping is much less easy here than in France, and I am having to burn half a can of the puncture gas bottle so I can remove the adapter!