Make sure you have a few beers first. I believe that is customary in such cases.

Actually, in practice, I find it no more dangerous than hooking up a stove. Certainly this is less dangerous than using white gas which many people do without giving it a second thought.

HJ

I am reminded of a saying from my esteemed brother, who retired to Bemidji, MN, to escape the innervating heat of Houston, TX - "There is no such thing as bad weather - only bad clothes."

He definitely has a point; forty below is just fine, as long as you are suitably dressed, aware and thinking straight.

As for a fuel in those conditions, what's the issue? Go with white gas or kerosene.....Not as superbly convenient as a canister stove, but it will get the job done. Again, you must know what you are doing, but that is true in most of life's situations.

Well I've got to agree with that. I remember back decades ago I would be holding my little SVEA 123R stove in my hands trying to warm up the fuel inside enough so it sprayed out the top so I could light the stove. In retrospect, lighting a white gas stove with (occassionally) fuel spilled on my hands was not the brightest move I ever made. Someone up there must have been looking after me!

So we'll just call me "fire-hands Dave" and we can call you "BLEVE Jim"!

This is becoming an interesting demonstration of perception of risks. What is actually more hazardous - white gas or refilled canisters? I wonder if any hard data exists?

Certainly you can get into trouble with any kind of stove or fire if you are clueless.....

Most definitely. I don't do so much hiking/backpacking as I used to, but I have switched from white gas over to alcohol (Trangia) and wood burning. My switch was not necessarily because of safety, even though alcohol and wood are probably the safest of the inherantly unsafe fuels. But because I now think alcohol and wood are just "cooler". "Cooler" as in "nifty", "neat", "swell", "peachy", etc.

BTW, my statement below was intended to be a joke, not a comment on which fuel is better/safer!

The issues for gas vs. liquid fuel in extreme cold are in general two fold:
1. Mechanical reliability
2. The dangers of priming when tent bound.

I recently read of an Arctic (Antarctic?) expedition that was using a liquid fueled stove. They brought three pumps for the one stove. Two out of the three pumps failed. They made it, but had that last pump failed, they would have been in a world of hurt. The problem? The "O" ring that seals the fuel line to the pump got so cold that it no longer sealed properly. If you want to talk about danger, try lighting a white gas stove that is sitting in a puddle of its own fuel. Generally, gas stoves have greater mechanical reliability than liquid fueled stoves.

Gas stoves don't require priming. When it's -40 and there's a howling gale out, the only reasonable place is in your tent. You live there for 24 hours a day. You cook in your tent. Dangerous? Of course. But it's even more dangerous to open that door. Now, go ahead. Prime your liquid fueled stove. In your tent. And you were saying refilling gas canisters is dangerous?

The dangers of refilling are real, but put the dangers into perspective. Working with liquid fueled stove is as or more dangerous.

HJ

Yes.

Now, we all "know" that refilling gas canisters is "dangerous." But white gas stoves have been around for ages. We're following the manufacturer's recommendations, so it "must" be safer, yes? Yes? Well? Hmm.

Now, take something like a Svea 123/Primus 71/Optimus 8R. Question: What stops that stove from over heating? YOU do. The only control on that stove is you. If you let the stove get too hot, the SRV will "pop," and you'll get a flamethrower. And you were saying that refilling canisters is unsafe? Really?

OK, maybe that's an unfair comparison. The stoves I named above are all older stoves. How about a more modern stove? MSR just released the Whisperlite Universal this very month. Question: On a Whisperlite, what stops the fuel from flowing all over the place? YOU do. The only control on that stove is you. If you leave the valve open, the entire contents of the fuel tank will pour all over the place. Anyone got a light? What stops you from striking that match? YOU do. I recently saw a Boy Scout practically immolate himself and his dad with a Whisperlite. They hadn't a clue. Flaming white gas everywhere. You never saw a bunch of scouts move so fast. And you were saying that refilling canisters is unsafe? Really?

What prevents overfilling a gas canister during refilling? YOU do. It's really no different than working with white gasoline stoves. You are the safety. Don't screw up. That advice goes for a lot of life. Welcome to the real world.

HJ

There goes my dream of fame and fortune..................

Geez, Jim - you are strongly implying that one must take responsibility for one's actions. What an outmoded concept in today's environment!

I guess the problem is that if one is refilling canisters they have crossed the bright line drawn in the sand by lawyers, and boldly violated the words printed on the canister: WARNING; DO NOT REFILL. Even if it isn't really valid, refilling does leave you hanging out on a limb.

From a more realistic technical perspective, I am just a wee bit cautious about refilling a container that is designed, manufactured, and marketed, as well as plainly labelled, as a single use device. Your experience is quite interesting, but I am going to have to take a bit of time to get my head around the concept. And then I still have to deal with the basic ease of buy, use, and toss (well, recycle), and staying firmly within the lines....

OT but sorta related. Hikin_Jim's post and blog articles on butane adapters, and refilling canisters with butane made me take a look at the stoves designed for that can. The stoves available on Amazon and REI mostly look the same, one burner, can sits in the compartment on the right-hand side. Mostly good reviews.


Not exactly designed with backpacking in mind, but it might make for a great emergency stove. Relatively inexpensive and fuel cheap enough that HJ finds ways to use it in stoves not designed for the cans.