Canister Refiller -- WARNING

[Orion]

Propane is going to have significant vapor pressure down to at least -35C. Well, if you're chilling things to below -40C, then fill in any order you like, but above that I think you'd still want to put the propane in last.

At -35°C propane has a lower vapor pressure than butane does at room temperature.
Make it a warm water bath on the top end and dry ice on the bottom and I'm guessing you'll get some flow.

I'm not interested in refilling canisters. And I'm fairly certain others have already pushed the limits.
That guy on ebay, how much propane do you suppose he's loaded his with?

But if I were going to refill canisters it wouldn't be to save money. The cost of running my stove is so tiny in relation to just driving to the start of the walk. The only reason I'd bother is if it improved function... or if I was just having fun fooling around with it, like a hobby. Like you, you're a stove hobbyist.

[hikin_jim]

I don't do this thing for my gear list because the cost is not the most important factor - function and weight are far more important to me. I did it because I consider the Solohike74's statement "shellite/white gas stoves are far more economical to operate

Fair call, but as you say cost is not the only factor to consider with gear selection and use and I share this view. To some extent with gear you get what you pay for up to a point.

I must admit I had never noticed claims that gas was cheaper to operate that shellite. Your figures actually say the difference is not a lot (in my view) and I could add the costs get closer when you consider the wastage factor. Consider our last 11 night trip, we took 1 litre of shellite with us and had less than 50ml to throw away prior to getting on the flight home. The group next to us at the trail head gave away 6 full and 3 1/2 full canisters of gas at the end of their trip. I'm thinking that we were starting get ahead financially at that rate of fuel purchasing. And what is the issue if the payback on the stove is 5 plus years? I have had 3 shellite stoves over 20 years and onsold the 2 previous anyhow. I'm not trying to have a go at you Mark F, just pondering alternative calculations or viewpoints on the cost question.

As a separate note we started to boil up a cuppa at the trail head after the adjacent group got their stoves out but we were drinking our tea before they'd got theirs to boil. Not point having a stove that will boil a litre 2 minute faster than your mate (in lab tests or whatever) if you are disorganised. All modern gas and liquid stoves boil water in a near enough to similar time in the field to not be a real difference when making a stove choice.

Speaking just for myself, I find myself using gas on more serious trips where I'm going to use a petroleum based stove (a lot of solo fair weather trips I just use a metho stove).

Gas is quicker to set up (no pumping, no priming), easy to simmer with, and easy on and off. It's also more mechanically reliable -- there are no pump failures and jet clogs are less common with gas.

That said, on more casual trips I'll sometimes still use Shellite. They're generally very solid, stable stoves that are easily protected from wind, I can use a larger pot, and I can carry loads of fuel (when I'm melting snow) fairly easily.

HJ

[north-north-west]

I'm not allowed to order a spare parts Helios canister stand in Australia because I have been told the whole Jetboil Helios system is banned in Australia, as is the MSR Universal system.

That must be recent. I bought a Helios system for a mate last Spring. No problems anywhere along the line.