Fuel for MSR WindPro

[stoogest]

Hi all,

I recently bought a WindPro and notice that it uses either 70/30 Butane/Propane mix, or 80/20 IsoButane/Propane mix.

However none of the gas bottles I've seen so far (in a few shops) have these ratios marked on them. All they say is butane/propane on their exterior. Is there a way of working this out?

Cheers!
Andrew.

[Orion]

Gas chromatography.

But you can get some idea by looking at the label. If they use the word "butane" anywhere that probably means it contains normal butane, instead of isobutane. As you get to the end of a canister the performance will depend on what the least volatile fuel is. Normal butane is less volatile than isobutane or propane.

Another way is to take a canister that is nearly empty (about 5% remaining) and measure the pressure at a known temperature.

For use in above freezing conditions it doesn't really matter. Buy the cheaper one.

[Maelgwn]

There is a bit of discussion of this of the backpackinglight forums. Not sure how relevant it is to australia tho.

[stoogest]

I guess I'm not actually want to work out the actual ratio, I just want some way of knowing if it's ok to use on the WIndPro. Can I just assume that any bottle containing both Propane and Butane is going to be fine?

[Mark F]

Any of them will work perfectly well on your stove in normal 3 seasons use in Australia. The difference is that the various blends either work, or not work so well, as temperatures fall below freezing.

[Orion]

That's right, it only matters if it's freezing cold.

The last couple of times I went to Tasmania the cheapest canister fuel I found (in Hobart) was "Elemental" brand. It worked just fine. The MSR and Snowpeak canisters, if you can find them, have better mixtures. I'm packing for a ski trip right now (California) and I'll be taking Snowpeak canisters.

[Pongo]

As above, anything you get here that will fit the windpro will work.

The MSR fuel you can buy which is listed as a 'premium fuel' is a good mix for alpine (so I'm told) but is priced accordingly, however I've used a range of them - Kovea, Optimus, Elemental etc... with my windpro II.

My advice, if you buy fuels for alpine and subalpine use, mark them accordingly with a permanent marker so when you drag them out of the cupboard to use, you know what they are straight off.

[stoogest]

Thanks for the advice folks! I wasn't sure whether there might have been other ratio's like 50/50 that could cause damage, be dangerous, or just not work at all. I'll pick one up from town later today. Looking forward to a long weekend on Maria Island!

[Orion]

I hope you enjoy Maria Island. It's a great place for seeing animals. Mt. Maria and Bishop & Clerk are good walks as well.

Also: the "Fish Van" in Triabunna makes wonderful fish & chips.

[stoogest]

Thanks for the tip! We were keen to get some fish and chips on the way home, so that will be perfect!

[hikin_jim]

I'm packing for a ski trip right now (California) and I'll be taking Snowpeak canisters.

California? Where abouts? (I'm in Los Angeles)

And yes to what's been said above. If the connector on the canister fits, then the gas is fine for your stove. The only time it really matters what gas you buy is when it's cold. When it's cold, avoid plain butane; get a brand that contains isobutane. And of course keep the canister warm by putting it inside your coat an hour or so before you intend to cook or with you in your sleeping bag at night.

HJ

[stoogest]

Well, I've already made one rookie error...

Bought a couple of gas bottles from Rays thinking that they'd be fine with the stove. Of course after popping the cap I found that they didn't have a thread to screw into. So ended up going to a proper camping store today and picked up two more and got a refund from Rays as well.