Hi all,

I just bought a liquid fuel stove and I'm wondering what size fuel bottle I should get. What is the average mount of fuel used per day if one were to boil water for both breakfast and dinner? Some website I saw recommended 8 oz per person per day. This makes 32 oz (roughly 1L) for 2 people for 2 days. Considering the standard Nalgene bottles are 1L, this seems like a lot of fuel to bring...

Also, is there any difference in performance between Coleman fuel, Crown fuel, MSR fuel and any other type of "white gas"?

I'm very new to liquid fuel stoves, any insight will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

It would depend a lot on what stove you have. Many burn hotter than others, therefore requiring less fuel. The outside air temp, water temp, etc, can also effect stove performance. Does your stoves manual give you any hints as to fuel consumption???

Liquid fuel stoves vary in performance. The classic folding SVEA is not the same creature as Coleman's Peak 1 series. Cooking time can also be affected by altitude and efficiency of wind guards. Proprietory fuels are a way of making profit. If you periodically service your stove the difference in performance and clean burning is nil. If you've purchased a stove the best way to determine fuel needs is simple- Cook with it !

man the SVEA is a nice stove. i've used a few different modles of white gas and propane over the years before settling on the simplicity of an alcohol stove. but if i were to use white gas the SVEA is the way to go.

okay, as far as the amount of fuel you'll need, in my experience even a hungry stove won't use more than about a quarter of a 500ml bottle a day (if you boil a decent chunk of water one to two times a day in temperatures that don't drop below around 40 degrees.) just remember to pre-plan your burn and you will use a fraction of the fuel.

use a good windscreen

prime your stove as needed

organize your boiling/cooking so you don't have to burn more than once a meal

make sure your stove is on level ground (it helps keep the flame even and heats faster)

Thanks for the replies. I think i will go ahead and buy the smaller fuel bottle and try out the stove. The one tha i got is the Primus Multifuel. Does anyone have any experience with this particular stove? i tried to take it apart to familiarize myself with it. I was unable to unscrew the bottom of the stove with the two small holes. Also, the service tool they included doesn't work that well with the jet. I think i'll try to get a socket wrench and try to remove the jet.

Before I discovered Katadyn water filter and MP1 tabs, I used to carry a stove with me on my hikes to boil all my water. I have an MSR folding stove (dont remember the model name). I remember taking two small 11oz fuel bottls with me on my solo hikes. They usually lasted me about 3-4 days and I boiled ALL my water.

I bought a MSR 22 oz fuel bottle and tried my stove. How do you depressurize the bottle after use? I flip it over to OFF and burn the remaining fuel in the fuel line as indicated in the directions. But after I do this, there's still pressure in the bottle...

If anyone owns (or has expreience) with the Primus Multifuel stove I would love to receive some pointers/tips.

Thanks.