STOVES

• CANISTER FUELED
• LIQUID FUELED
• STOVE ACCESSORIES

The first portable stove was created in Stockholm Sweden by F.W. Lindqvist; the year was 1891. Thirty years prior to that (1860) in Paris a Frenchman named Etienne Lenoir patented the first practical gas engine. And in 1903, the Wright brothers built the Write Flyer I which had a purpose-built gasoline engine. These historical inventions had one thing in common – they all relied on some type of fuel. A century later fuel is still very much the center of invention, and as well, the center of the portable stove. And so it goes, with fuel you should begin your search for the perfect camping stove.

The Outdoor World, a family owned and operated retail sporting good store, has been supplying camping enthusiasts with the camping equipment they need for more than thirty years. We carry a wide variety of camping stoves, including canister fueled and liquid fueled stoves, as well as stove and cooking accessories. Over the years we have found that safety and convenience are among our customer’s first concerns when purchasing camping stoves, and knowing which type of fuel is going to work best for them is key. Though the size of a portable camping stove, and the ability and speed at which a camping stove can boil water and regulate pressure all play a role in the type of stove that you ultimately decide on, if you don’t have a safe fuel supply you won’t get very far. That said, it’s important to know the differences between the fuels, as well as the accessibility, convenience, and safety of the type of fuel you intend to purchase.

There are many fuel choices on the market when it comes to portable camping stoves: petroleum fuels, liquefied gases, alcohol, chemical solid fuels, wood, solar, and even water activated fuels. Each of them has advantages and disadvantages.

Alcohol fuel for instance is a very clean burning fuel, and where fire hazards are concerned it is much safer than petroleum based or liquefied gases. However, it has half the amount of heat potential as petroleum or liquid fuel per ounce.

Chemical Solid Fuels do not require special camping stoves. As a matter of fact, some alcohol stoves have the ability to double as solid fuel stoves. These solid fuels are very easy to operate, and by design very simple camping stoves. The down side, other than the sticky reside solid fuel leaves on your pots, and its lack of availability, is that the operator has little if no ability to control the heat output.

Wood fuel requires the user to either carry in or round up his fuel as needed. Although wood fuel provides camping ambiance it does have its drawbacks; availability, ability to burn, and heat control are just a few.

Solar fuel requires capturing the sun’s heat using a solar camping stove. It is the cleanest of the fuels, but a number of variables (weather specifically) must work in your favor to accomplish this. Relying on solar may mean half cooked meals. Safety-wise, the glare from solar foil has the potential to blind or cause fire if not used properly.

In most cases, the weekend camping enthusiast will choose one of two basic types of camping fuel for his or her camping stove; canister gas fuel or liquid gas fuel.

Canister fuels which burn liquefied gases (a butane or propane mixture) are sold in non-refillable canisters. These canisters are pressurized to allow the gases inside to vaporize and flow directly into the camping stove’s burner.

Liquid fuel (petroleum based fuel) on the other hand is sold in gallons or quarts which can then be poured into stove fuel tanks, or accessory fuel bottles. Liquid gas for stoves is usually either kerosene or gasoline, though in some cases it is possible to use jet fuel and even diesel.

Petroleum based fuel is also known as white gas (Northern America), white spirit, or Shellite (Australia) and consists of water white liquids composed of 95% paraffin and naphthenic, less than 5% aromatic hydrocarbons, and less than 0.5 benzene. What that means is white gas has a freezing point of -22 °F (-30 °C) and a boiling point of 117 °F (47°C) which allows them to work well at both high altitudes and low temperatures. White gas burns cleaner, less soot, than kerosene or gasoline. For convenience, there are dual-fuel stoves that will burn both white gas and gasoline from a gas station, but it is always recommended that you return to using white gas as soon as possible.

Regardless of which fuel you choose note that all fuel can be deadly when manufacturer’s directions are not followed. Mixing fuels, as well as burning fuels in stoves not designed to accept them could cause explosions, injury, or even death. Fuel cans and canisters are considered a hazardous material by the shipping companies and most stores will not ship them.

Next, Liquid vs. Canister || Camping Stoves, Part II

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