canister stove in the cold - 03/25/20
it can be done
typically canister stoves start showing diminished output around freezing, the colder it is the more output is diminished
old tricks I've used- keep the canister in the foot of my sleeping bag; warm a little water and put it in a bowl- add canister- voila
but the best "trick" is one I just recently tried- a thin copper strap that is heated by the flame and transfers enough heat to the canister to keep things firing nicely; not an original idea- lots written about it and lots of experimentation (some down to negative double digits). from my reading a 1" strip and roughly 20 gauge thickness
I also found that my new stove-a MSR PocketRocket "Deluxe", has made a big difference in performance in colder weather as it's regulated (vs most canister stoves that are not)
looks like this
and in use
typically canister stoves start showing diminished output around freezing, the colder it is the more output is diminished
old tricks I've used- keep the canister in the foot of my sleeping bag; warm a little water and put it in a bowl- add canister- voila
but the best "trick" is one I just recently tried- a thin copper strap that is heated by the flame and transfers enough heat to the canister to keep things firing nicely; not an original idea- lots written about it and lots of experimentation (some down to negative double digits). from my reading a 1" strip and roughly 20 gauge thickness
I also found that my new stove-a MSR PocketRocket "Deluxe", has made a big difference in performance in colder weather as it's regulated (vs most canister stoves that are not)
looks like this
and in use