Hope you can help. I bought a two burner Coleman stove that runs off small cans of propane. Does anyone have any advice as to how many of these small propane canisters I should stockpile and any idea on the hours of usage per canister? Any help is greatly appreciated. Mary

-- Mary Howe (toga@madbbs.com), September 30, 1998

Answers

How long a canister will last will depend on how you use it; if you boil a lot of water, for example, you will need more than if you just warm things up.

I would suggest (based on experience camping) that 1 canister for every three days would be a generous allowance. However, when I camp, I tend not to boil the aforementioned water very much. If and when I do boil water, it's with the intention of using it for more than one purpose, as in some for tea, some for oatmeal, and the remainder for rinsing dishes.

Anybody else ever measured the actual burn time of one of those canisters?

-- Karen Cook (browsercat@hotmail.com), September 30, 1998.

While camping, I've found that wood fires (fireplace, outdoors, or stove) is much better for uncontrolled heat and non-cooking things like boiling water in an open area. A fireplace, for example, is very hard to use for cooking, a fireplace insert is only slightly better. Both boil water just fine.

Keep the propane for cooking over in a smaller working area, where you want a small, evenly dense flame in a small area (under 1 pot, for example) rather than lots of flames spread haphardly round with lots of too hot and "too cool" areas. Propane is much cleaner too - less cleanup after.

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), September 30, 1998.

Mary, you might want to consider getting a couple of the 20 pound containers that are used with propane charcoal grills. They cost about $35, filled (Wal-Mart, this summer).

Pick up the hoses you need to attach the large containers to the small stove, and you have re-fillable, long lasting containers. I once did a calculation based on rated BTU output of my grill, and decided I could get about a month out of each large container. [The grill uses more propane than the small stove.] Haven't checked this number.

rocky

-- rocky knolls (rknolls@hotmail.com), September 30, 1998.

Mary, I have a two burner Coleman stove also. One small can of propane will burn up to 18 hours. Several variables have already been mentioned. Depends on if you are just using 1 burner or 2, if you have a low flame or a high one, etc. The large propane cannisters for bar-b-que grills can be purchased at Sam's (in Texas anyway) for $22.

-- Gayla Dunbar (privacy@please.com), September 30, 1998.

go to Northern Hydraulics, they have a 20LB propane tank (for the gas grill) to coleman small propane tank adapter to refill the little propane tanks for lanterns and gas stoves.. about 16.95

-- (joe@ezweb.net), September 30, 1998.

1) ANY GOOD camping equipment store has the following equipment you should seriously consider::

a) 20# propane tank (2 or 4) b) a "distribution tree" c) attachment hoses d) a 2 mantle lantern to go on the top of the tree.

2) Refilling tanks is NOT a really good idea, particularly for the small or medium size tanks. They were built and soi dissant hydrostatted for one use. ONLY refill them if you are going to be VERY careful about the temperature rise of the tank (which can be IMPRESSIVE!!) and if you are fully confident in your ability to know when you have filled it as many times as it should be refilled, as well as filled it as full as it should be.

(Having refilled O2 bottles for the rescue squads I have been involved with I can tell you the tanks can get G**D**N HOT ) 3) Be extremely careful about refill leakage of the propane, where you are doing the refilling and where there might be sparks or flames in the vicinity, particularly down hill or down wind. fire will travel up a stream of propae as well as it wil travel over the top of a pool of gasoline!

-- Chuck a Night Driver (rienzoo@en.com), October 01, 1998.

Good point Chuck, thank you.

I am so used to the big propane tanks (backyard grille size) that I forgot about the "little" ones:

The big tanks are best/easiest refilled at Home Depot, Lowes, many gas stations, Walmarts, etc. They will be outside the store (hint, hint) and locked up in a open steel case. Generally, you buy a big canister once for $30.00-35.00, then exchange the empty one for a filled one for $13.00 - $15.00 dollars.

MANY RV and campsite/trailer parks let you bring in an empty and refill it on site from their very large tank. I don't do it that way, so I have no experience doing that.

Definitely get 2-3-4 big tanks for the 00/01 events, don't count on being able to refill them readily. I have the hose and tree connections to string together several propapne appliances and heaters and lights. Check before you buy what type of connection is at each end of each hose and each appliance: thread size, hose length, male/female nozzles, all differ between gadgets. Adapters are also available - so take along what you want to hook up. If the sales people give you a hassle or don't understand what you are doing, go elsewhere. (Sports Authority also has outdoor/camping stuff.)

The little propane canisters are good only for attaching to the bottle of a portable lantern or for the little "backpacker" stoves. They aren't good for long term use, cause those little stoves are more like toys than appliances.

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), October 01, 1998.

I took that propane thing one step farther. I found a local dealer with used 100# tanks and he filled two of them for me for my Coleman stove. That should last awhile. By the way, Coleman make a dandy three burner camp stove that is fitted for propane tanks. Also bought an oven from Coleman. My dealer didn't stock them, but he called the factory and was able to order one for me. Now I'm all set.

Hull

-- hull stetson (stetson.hull @usa.net), October 01, 1998.

Thanks for all the responses. I do think I will stay away from trying to refill those little canisters. Thanks for the caution on that one. I have another question for Hull. Where will you store your 100# propane tanks? Will you get a special attachment for your coleman cookstove? Just wondering. I keep buying those little canisters everytime I'm in Walmart (which is alot lately!), but I'm not sure they make sense dollar wise. Thanks again to all Mary

-- Mary Howe (toga@madbbs.com), October 02, 1998.

I have a Coleman propane stove but did not know about the Oven. I found it at www.campmor.com. It Is $39.00. It fits on top of your Coleman stove. It is less than 12 x 12. Now I can bake bread if I ever get my wheat from Walton. Walmart has the adapter for the bigger tanks.

-- Patti Mead (MinkMead@Compuserve.com), October 03, 1998.

Oh heck, they're off talking about cooking bread again. Like chickens, I guess that subject won't sit there and lie still. It keeps raising its seeded head.

I mean lay still.

I mean lie eggs.

Help, I knead an English teacher. Shoot, now bread is rising again....8<)

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), October 03, 1998.