Kerosene is generally more expensive here in urban Los Angeles than Coleman fuel. In a rural area, I suspect the reverse to be true. Alcohol for a stove is also more expensive than Coleman fuel here.

I don't normally use automotive gasoline in any of my stoves, although I might in an emergency. Good point about ethanol though. The seals and such in a stove could definitely be eaten alive by the gasoline-ethanol combo commonly sold here in the US. Coleman fuel, in the amounts I burn it, is very affordable. Yes, it's at least double the price of automotive gasoline per gallon, but one gallon of Coleman fuel will generally last me a year. I'm not going to go risking a $75 to $150 stove to try to save less than $9/annum.

HJ

Paul,

I haven't used Naptha myself, but in the UK, people I have talked to commonly use "panel wipe" (naptha) as a stove fuel. It's reputed to have a little less power than Coleman fuel but is supposed to work well.

I've also talked to people who have used "environmental" gasoline (gasoline without anti-knock additives). The brand name I've heard is Aspen 4T. I'm not aware of Aspen being available in the US. Supposedly "environmental" works even better than panel wipe. "Environmental" gasoline is targeted toward being used in things like lawnmowers and such.

From Optimusstoves.com:


HJ

Ah, I get it. Nice. With your technique, you can make much better estimate of how much fuel you have left.

When you get home, do you weigh the canister again? Are your water based estimates pretty close to your scale-based weights? I imagine they'd be pretty close.

The one advantage of my technique is that you can get a rough estimate at a glance, much like the fuel gauge on a car, without having to do any calculations, but your technique is quite a bit more precise.

HJ

Sounds like I need to move to where you live.

Methanol runs about $12/gallon, coleman fuel $19/gallon, kerosene $14. I wonder if it's because I live in an urban area, they figure they can charge whatever they want and the clueless/choiceless urbanites will pay for it.

Yipes! Are those US or Imperial gallons? If those are US gallons, you're paying at least twice as much as I do for Coleman fuel.

Shoot, about an hour away from you, there's a Walmart Super Center in Plattsburgh, NY. You ought to call them and see what they sell Coleman fuel for. Then all you need is an excuse to head south to make the drive worthwhile.

HJ

Those prices are about the going rate here also. In a few weeks though, stores start putting kerosene and Coleman fuel on sale to get rid of summer stock and usually there is substantial price drop, especially for the Coleman fuel.

I'll have to keep an eye out, but I don't ever recall seeing them on sale.



Those are US gallons, heh, maybe I'll have to stop by plattsburgh someday, though I don't know what the customs guys will say when I head back with trunk full of liquid fuel lol.

Just don't stick a lot of wiring and timers back there too.

Of course if you had a bunch of camping gear in your trunk and that nice shiny can of brand new Coleman fuel just happened to have been decanted into old beat up fuel bottles stored next to your battered, well-used camp stove, why no one would be the wiser, now would they?

HJ

Thanks for the brilliant tip about floating canisters to gauge the amount of gas left with precision. So far, I've only done the hand shaking test (subjectively judging the weight of a partly filled canister versus a full one, and getting a feel of how much liquid gas there is sloshing around in there). Looking forward to trying out your method.

I have the same objections to gas canisters as I have to primary batteries: They seem to be either full (in which case I am reluctant to break the seal and use them), or almost all empty (leaving me in the dark/cold after 5 minutes or so).

If I carry a full canister I can resort to only carry one. If I insist on using up my half-filled canister I have to bring two, because I can't really trust the half empty to work. As a result, there is a collection of half-filled canisters in my shed...

This is a common problem (half filled canisters laying about).

Several uses for half filled canisters:
1. Take 'em day hiking where you don't need a full canister and make tea or soup for lunch.
2. Use 'em with a micro lantern. Lanterns typically burn gas at a much lower rate than a stove, so that half full canister may last a good long time.
3. Take 'em car camping where weight isn't so critical. You can throw a hole bunch of half full canisters into your kitchen duffel (or box or whatever) and burn 'em until all used up.
4. Invest in a refiller (at your own risk, not a standard or approved practice) so you can top off your canisters.

HJ