Camp Stove

[Waytec]

Good Day
In the spring I will be getting a new camp stove. I am still changing my gear from back packing/ canoeing to vehicle based. All I have right now is a MSR Dragon Fly and it is great and I will still use it but I want a larger Colman stove.

I was in CT in Red Deer today and saw they just got their spring camping shipment in. I was looking their the stoves and saw they have a large quantity of the white gas stoves. I asked they older guy about them and he was saying that Colman stopped making them and now are agene.

What I am wondering is white gas or propane what stove works better?

Acording to the box whight gas lasts longer and burns hotter and is more controllable. All I have ever used is white gas.

[bcghosttowns]

i find white gas to be messy setup and tear down. i never noticed if it was better or worse but perfer propane.

[stickerboy111]

I have a white gas Coleman 2 burner and it works great. I don't find it to be messy at all. I have also used the propane, I don't find either or to be better than the other. I only have the white gas one cause it was brand new in a box at a garage sale and I only paid 10 bucks for it.

[Lazerus]

I've been a scout leader for 20 some years and have used all stove fuels that I know to exist. White gas (can use unleaded in an emergency), butane (useful for high alt only) and propane. There are a few brand specific fuels but they're in the propane butane category.
My fave is white gas, but first the advantages of the others.

Propane, easy to use little mess. Comes in a convenient if expencive container that can be removed and replaced while it still contains fuel. Several of the brand specific ones over the years could not be. Once you pierced the seal you had to use it all or let it leak out. With expensive adapter hoses you can use a larger bottle (20lbs is the normal size) and run several appliances at the same time. The small bottles are a one time use item, the larger refillable bottles have a 5 year life span before they must be re certified. Last time I checked it's about the same as a new bottle to have an old one re-certified.
Check the date when buying a new bottle! I got screwed by crappy tire once years back, the "new" bottle only had one year left before it expired.

Butane, only real advantage I know of is that it will still boil water.. hell it's the only thing that will still burn at high altitude. I forget exactly how high white gas and propane quit but it's hike-able in BC. normal 4x4 use? not likely. (propane might be an exception, it quits the lowest and cold compounds this problem. Rough numbers propane will not work below -40.

Brand specific.... no known advantages... expensive, high waste, ok ok they are some of the lighter weight stoves... ie fit in your pocket, oh and some of them are as easy to use as turning the knob. Junk!

White gas. Disadvantages, messy, spills can be dangerous, some people say they smell when packed up, I find propane to smell more (personal opinion / taste?) containers are made to a lower standard (non pressure vessel) so they can be more prone to leaks.
All in all not really a problem if you take care of your stuff and use common sense.
Advantages, when the fuel is used the container is lighter and can be crushed, I re-use my cans for all sorts of things. (the small propane bottles weigh just about the same empty as full) The fuel can be used in a pinch for other things, cleaning, lighting a fire (yes safely if you know how), it easy to "share" one container between several appliences. You have the emergency use of regular unleaded gasoline ( I recommend only using it in a lantern... additives might end up in your food... base your decision on the level of emergency.) No propane taste in your food, The fuel container isn't a pressure vessel so you have no risk of exploding due to altitude or heat. (it is flammable so if you chuck it in the fire it's going BOOM!) Almost anything that will hold liquid can be used to hold the fuel. I was bad for using pop bottles on overnight hikes. Once it was empty, usually after dinner I'd just burn the pop bottle on the fire... nothing to carry home. COST! it's by far the cheapest fuel to use. Used stoves can be had for $5-15 at garage sales. And as with all coleman stuff parts are easy to come by. At one time when surrey and delta did there curbside recycle week I had picked up 16 stoves in various conditions. I prolly ended up with 12 in good working condition and a few spare parts for those. I think I still have 3 or 4 stoves lol.

I have propane in my camper and love the ease of use. 2 20lb bottles hooked up, fridge runs, furnace runs if I'm really cold, and stove works with the twist of a knob and then a match. I can get 2 weeks out of my bottles if I'm not running the furnace. But I'd never tent with propane again. Too much headache and cost.

[stickerboy111]

So I think what Lazerus is saying is he likes the White Gas Sorry had too I agree though. I like my white gas stove. But each has their place I suppose.

I like the fact that I always have fire starter with me when I am out Also there is a lot less waste I think with white gas. I can go 3-4 trips on 1 4L jug of white gas, where with propane that would be approx 3-4, maybe more? non refillable propane bottles for the landfill.

Anywho it boils down to personal preference.

[Lone Ranger]

I've been born and raised on white gas stoves and lanterns. I love them.

That being said, due to price and convenience I have switched my inventory over to propane because I find them to be a little more hearty (they take abuse and neglect a little better I find) than white gas, but for performance you can't beat naphtha gas. Whenever I finally win the damned lottery and have money again I want to switch back over to gas, and maybe I'll dig out all my dad's old stuff (some of our stoves and our lantern's at least 40 years old and still going strong) and clean it all up again. LR

[Cody1771]

i have the old school type colman white gas 2 burner stove. got a propane conversion kit ($20 at Canadian tire) and now i can use the white gas or the 1lb propane bottles. theres also another adaptor to allow the use of the large 20lb bottles. i LOVE it.

[Waytec]

As per the conversation before the upgrade.
I am going to go with a white gas stove. My Dragon Fly runs on it. I couple where saying that they have several Coleman white gas stoves, If anyone is interested in selling I am looking for one.

[qcdavid]

Coleman still do make camping gas stoves. I've got a propane one. Apart from propane being easier and gas being messier, the other difference to take into consideration is when you'll use them. Propane doesn't work well when it's below zero. That's why the small canister stoves (like the MSRs) use a mixture of butane and propane. The other aspect is what to do with those disposable propane canisters. Most campgrounds don't accept them in the garbage or recycling and you can't get them refilled.

David.