Comparing Stoves and introduction to canister stoves

One of the things that I have realized as I have been writing about some of the stoves I have purchased and used of the the last few decades was that I needed to put all my information on one page. As a result I have built a spreadsheet comparing weight, fuel consumption, boil time, etc. I now need to build a page showing that information. I am in progress on that page, and it will show up here in the near future. I am still trying to design how to compare the different types of stoves, namely; Alcohol, liquid fuel, and canister.

I have never been a fan of canister stoves. My dislike of canister has it roots in two things. First, the inability to know how much fuel remains, and the associated need to either carry a spare canister, or a new canister. If you always carry a new canister, you end up with a shelf full of partially used canisters.

Second, canisters suffer in performance and/or failure in cold temperatures and with altitude. If I were only a fair weather backpacker and I did not regularly backpack in an area where getting above 11,000 ft. was difficult to avoid, then maybe I would not distrust canister stoves so much.

Do I own some canister stoves? Yes, I have several.
Will I be objective in discussing canister stoves? Yes, canister stoves have their place.

A major advantage of a canister stove is the "instant on". A canister stove is a "light, adjust flame, and use" stove. Setup time is minimal. Another advantage is that the stoves are generally lighter, and smaller than liquid fuel stoves. Canister can also be significantly cheaper in price than a liquid fuel stove. Note however that canister stove systems, such as; JetBoil, Reactor, or the WindBoiler are generally more expensive than most liquid fuel stoves.

My next few post will be around the few canister stoves that I own and have used.

Before I begin I want to say a few technical things about canisters.

1. Butane requires a temperature above 31º F to convert from liquid to gas
2. IsoButane requires a temperature above 11º F
3. Propane converts a -45º F
4. Canisters containing a mix of butane, isobutane, and propane generally contain 20% propane
1. MSR IsoButane is 80/20 mix of Isobutane and propane
2. JetBoil JetPower is 80/20 mix of Isobutane and propane
3. Primus Power Gas is 50/25/25 mix of Butane, Isobutane, and propane
5. Canisters are unsafe at temperatures above 120º F. Bulging and/or rupture and explosion are likely. The real warning here is that you should never use a windscreen that encloses both the stove and canister together!

For temperatures below freezing, using a butane/propane canister with an upright canister stove. Only the 20% propane fuel is available, and when that 20% propane is consumed, the stove will cease to function with 80% of the fuel still in the canister. Inverted canister stoves are designed to fix low temperature canister issues and for the most part are successful. You should note that the process of converting from a liquid to a gas causes cooling. This cooling occurs inside the canister. So while the butane will quit converting a 31º F, outside temperature may be will above 31º F. In fact, I was using a canister in 43º when the stove went out. The canister still had some fuel, but until I warmed the canister, (by placing the canister in a shallow bowl of tepid water), I was unable to relight the stove.