I learned an important lesson this week about using upright canister stoves in the cold. Don't count on it.

Our family BOB has included a Peak 1 Micro Stove for the past dozen or so years, but I've never used it in cold weather. We had a major malfunction with it at camp last fall, so I replaced it with a Primus Classic Trail upright canister stove a few months ago. The return of the polar vortex seemed like the perfect opportunity to test it our new stove in extreme cold. bacpacboy has been working on his super shelter in the backyard and asked if we could cook dinner out there, so....

Long, curse word filled story cut short: It was about -30C, it was the stove's first use, I was using a brand new lg canister of Primus Power Gas 4 season mix, and I couldn't get the stove to stay lit. I started with the canister sitting right on the ground, which cut the wind but obviously wasn't enough to keep the canister warm:



I tried moving it on top of a wooden cutting board, but by the time, I think the canister was too cold. It just would not stay lit, so we finished cooking the chilie inside.

I've been told that putting the canister in a pan of warm water helps a little, and using a windscreen is dangerous, but it seems like I'm pretty much SOL when it comes to planning to use this in an extreme cold weather emergency.

For now, we've got hobo wood stoves, esbit stoves, canteen stoves, alcohol stoves, the old 2-burner Coleman propane stove and this new Primus one, and a Whisper Lite or something similar is on the shopping list.

This trial was confirmation of two things for me:

1. Upright canister stoves don't work well in extreme cold.

2. Getting out and testing your gear in the conditions you're prepping for is sage advice and totally worth a little frost nip, even if it is just in your backyard.

White gas stoves (Primus, Svea) have always worked for me. If it ever gets so cold that they won't work, neither will I.

In cold weather, fuel consumption also increases - if you can keep it running !

Thanks for reporting on your results. We can all learn from you without going outside to freeze! Personally, I've never had a pressurized gas stove. No reason in particular, just never thought I needed one. I started out wih a Svea 123R. Boy, I wish I could figure out what I did with that stove! Used a Coleman Peak 1 for a while. Good stove, but heavy. Now I've got alcohol burners and wood burners. But I don't get out as much as before, so I've never actually tried the alcohol burner in extreme conditions. Wood, I image, will always burn in the cold - as long as you keep it dry and shielded from wind. At least I hope it will!

Thanks for the report.

The problem of canister stoves in cold weather is fairly well known, fo example see Stoves for Cold Weather.

One trick I have heard of (USE AT YOUR OWN RISK) is to use tape and ensolite to make an insulating blanket around the canister. Have some thin copper strips with an angle bend in the end. Warm the the canister in your parka so you can start the stove. Before you light it, put it in the blanket and insert the copper strips between the blanket and the canister. The angle at the end of the copper strips should extend over the burner. Now light the stove.

The idea is that once the stove is lit, the heat of the burner warms the copper. The copper conducts the heat down inside the insulation next to the canister, and keeps it warm. I have not tried this myself, but I've talked to folks who have used this method successfully in cold weather. BE CAREFUL THE CANISTER DOESN'T GET TOO HOT!

Personally, I only use my canister stove in milder weather. In cold weather I use an MSR stove with Coleman fuel (white ga).

EDIT: For more background see Gas Stoves: How Cold Can I Go?. Be sure to read Hikin' Jim's cautions toward the end of his article!

"Wood, I image, will always burn in the cold - as long as you keep it dry and shielded from wind. At least I hope it will!"

Not to worry. i have ignited wood at temps well below zero, minus 30 or 40. I have been known to ease the task by adding just a bit if Boy Scout Fire Started (AKA white gas). You only need a little bit....

+1 Svea 123 = old reliable

Everyone should get out there and try their gear in such conditions. It is excellent that you do.

Another option for the cold would be a canister stove that can run in liquid feed mode ... one that has a pre-heater loop and can run with the canister inverted.

One nice, compact stove that I have my eye on (I need a good winter stove too) is the Kovea Spider (thanks to Hikin Jim's high praise). Another option that looks good, especially if you are looking for flexibility, is the MSR Whisperlight Universal ... although at double the cost of the Spider. It runs on canisters or a variety of liquid fuels.

I've also been considering the venerable Whisperlight, but am leaning towards the compactness of the Spider.

I would also consider the Primus Omnilite Ti Stove for an additional $10 over the WhisperLite Universal.

http://www.moontrail.com/primus-omnilite-ti.php

It has a more substantial pump and construction is in lighter titanium.