When choosing the size of the fuel canister to bring on a backpacking trip, you must consider both the problems caused by having insufficient fuels as well as the impact of the fuels weight on your pack. The chart in the provided information will help you to choose the right size of fuel canister for your trip by showing the fuel need of groups of different sizes. The chart will help you to avoid guesswork in your planning by giving you specific data points to consider.
Fuel weight and total canister weight is two different measurements of the same thing. Total canister weight include the fuel and the metal shell in which the fuel is contained. However, the metal shell remains even after the stove has burned all of the fuel.
How to Choose the Right Fuel Canister for a Backpacking Trip
Small fuel canisters contain alot of metal shell relative to the amount of fuels that they contain; thus, each gram of fuel in a small canister has a higher weight than the same amount of fuel in a large fuel canister. This additional weight of the metal shell can be important information to know for those on a multi day backpacking trip, but is less important information for those on a one-night trip. Because of the fear of running out of fuel on the backcountry trek, many individual tend to overpack fuel canisters.
Instead, calculating the amount of fuel that is necessary to cook the meals that you will cook on the trip will allow individuals to pack in only the amount of fuel necessary, plus a small buffer amount of fuel. The amount of fuel that will be used depend upon the type of meals that will be prepared. Boil-only meals will require less fuel than meals that also require simmering or fry.
Thus, individuals who plan on preparing meals that require little boiling will require less fuel weight than individuals who plan on preparing full dinner meals every night of the trip. Beyond the meals that will be prepared, the amount of fuel that is burned also depends upon the altitude of the location that is being trekked to and the temperature of the area. At higher altitudes, the air contains less oxygen than at sea level.
This lack of oxygen in turn allow water within the fuel canister to boil at a lower temperature, requiring the fuel to be burned at a higher rate to maintain the water at boiling temperature. Furthermore, cold weather also reduces the pressure within the fuel canister. This reduced pressure also makes it more difficult to boil the water to cooking temperature.
Thus, fuel canister should be kept warm within sleeping bags or jackets to prevent these issue from occurring. There are two main ways to determine how much fuel remains in a fuel canister: the float test and the scale test. Because liquid fuel is heavier than the empty fuel canisters metal shell, the fuel will sink within a container of water.
By measuring the depth to which the fuel canister sinks in water, individuals can determine how much fuel is within the canister. Additionally, placing the fuel canister on a scale will allow individuals to determine the weight of the fuel remaining in the canister. This is best used if individuals know the weight of the empty fuel canister.
Both of these method are better than guesswork. Fuel canisters must be disposed of in a specific way because the pressurized canister can cause injury within a campfire or within a trash compactor. You must puncture the empty metal shell of the fuel canister so that the canister is no longer pressurized.
Many recycling program will accept the metal shell of the fuel canister once you have drained the fuel from the canister. Additionally, most outdoor retailer will also accept the empty fuel canister. Regardless of where fuel canisters are taken for recycling, every fuel canister should be packed out of the wilderness area in which it was used.
When choosing a fuel canister, consider the fuel needs of the trip. A canister of one large size will weigh less than two small canister of the same fuel amount. Additionally, each group can save fuel by using only one stove and one pot to cook meals for the group as opposed to each individual having there own stove.
Planning a backpacking trip requires planning the meals first. Based off those meals, you can calculate the amount of fuel. A buffer of fuel can be added to ensure that there is enough fuel for the individual to cook meals.
Finally, the backpacker should choose the fuel canister of the necessary fuel weight to minimize the total weight of the fuel canister. This plan will ensure that the backpack is as light as possible while also preventing the backpackers from running out of fuel during their trip.
