Gas stove or petrol?

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Psamathe
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Re: Gas stove or petrol?

Post by Psamathe »

PDQ Mobile wrote:I don't like petrol as a camping fuel.
....
But it's ready availability is a plus.
....

Might sound a daft question but where can you buy it in the quantities appropriate for cycle camping? (i.e. garage petrol pumps deliver large quantities through a large diam pipe with minimum delivery volumes ...)

Ian
PDQ Mobile
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Re: Gas stove or petrol?

Post by PDQ Mobile »

Brucey
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Re: Gas stove or petrol?

Post by Brucey »

another anecdote alert; many years ago I had a motorcycle with a tiny tiny fuel tank, which was a problem, because at that time filling stations which were open after 9pm were as rare as rocking horse poop. Thus if was going places in the evening, I had to be sure to top the tank up, or risk running out of fuel later on. Most filling stations had signs up saying "1/2 gallon minimum delivery" etc but I found that when I explained that I needed about two pints, and no, I couldn't have more, because it wouldn't fit, they invariably relented.

More recently, I've used a SIGG bottle for stove fuel and had the same conversations in filling stations with (mostly) the same results.

cheers
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Pastychomper
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Location: Caithness

Re: Gas stove or petrol?

Post by Pastychomper »

Sweep wrote:...

I used to be in a troop that had an explosives experimenter, though he didn't use gas cannisters.


Another anecdote warning:

I was never a Scout, but once spent a memorable night on an island run by sea scouts. It was the sensible, ex-RN person in charge who threw two gas canisters onto the fire at the end of the evening. He did get us kids to stand a safe distance away - though I'm not sure how safe, at least one of the cans landed in the trees behind us. :lol: Come to think of it, I never found out why our group didn't go back there.

I gather the valved gas cans are much less interesting, since the valves are designed to vent excess pressure so they just release a jet of flame every few seconds until the gas runs out.

No, I haven't tried. Yet. :twisted:
Everyone's ghast should get a good flabbering now and then.
--Ole Boot
nez
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Joined: 19 Jun 2008, 12:11am

Re: Gas stove or petrol?

Post by nez »

Brucey wrote:another anecdote alert; many years ago I had a motorcycle with a tiny tiny fuel tank, which was a problem, because at that time filling stations which were open after 9pm were as rare as rocking horse poop. Thus if was going places in the evening, I had to be sure to top the tank up, or risk running out of fuel later on. Most filling stations had signs up saying "1/2 gallon minimum delivery" etc but I found that when I explained that I needed about two pints, and no, I couldn't have more, because it wouldn't fit, they invariably relented.

More recently, I've used a SIGG bottle for stove fuel and had the same conversations in filling stations with (mostly) the same results.

cheers

It's weird this with rules about petrol purchase. I buy it for my boat and of course every filling station has a sign refusing to sell more than 5 litres to someone with a can. There are two answers - fill the 22L can at the back of the car and claim not to have seen the sign or keep buying 5 litres and decanting them into the 22 litre.
Cyckelgalen
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Trangia alcohol availability worldwide

Post by Cyckelgalen »

I have failed to find any good reliable comprehensive source on burning alcohol availability worldwide.

I read reports of people touring South America having to turn to pharmacy alcohol in small containers, which presumably works out expensive. Or so-called industrial or cleaning alcohol than can be as low as 70%, virtually useless.

Another report I read about Morocco, you could get it only at some French large supermarkets that are few and far between and only in big cities, the ones you'd want to avoid touring on a bike.
Pharmacy alcohol is not even an option in countries where alcohol drinking is banned or suppressed, as it is ethanol and can be consumed unless it is peppered with some discouraging additive.
What about Africa? I doubt local people have any use for burning alcohol. And a lot of the alcohol production has been reconverted recently to produce hand disinfectant. That may have an impact.

So, can you really rely on an alcohol stove to tour extensively outside Europe/North America?
Jdsk
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Re: Trangia alcohol availability worldwide

Post by Jdsk »

There's a useful site with local names and comments:
https://bushwalkingnsw.org.au/clubsites/FAQ/FAQ_FuelNames.htm

<SNIP>

But the answer is usually that it is available.

Jonathan
Last edited by Graham on 19 Dec 2020, 2:21pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Post-merge
Cyckelgalen
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Re: Trangia alcohol availability worldwide

Post by Cyckelgalen »

Thanks Jonathan,

Trangia also publishes a long list of how meths/burning alcohol is called in dozens of countries. Useful but it doesn't say much about how readily it is.
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Graham
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Re: Gas stove or petrol?

Post by Graham »

topic merge
recumbentpanda
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Re: Gas stove or petrol?

Post by recumbentpanda »

Read the section on stoves in Three Men in a Boat. Tells you all you need to know.
nsew
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Re: Gas stove or petrol?

Post by nsew »

I’ve always been able to find meths in hardware stores which is ‘quincaillerie’ in French, ‘ferretaria’ in Spanish and ‘loja de ferragens’ in Portuguese. Used in conjunction with a wood stove you’re covered practically everywhere.
mercalia
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Re: Gas stove or petrol?

Post by mercalia »

as well as the woood burner I also have a colemans petrol stove. Riding a motor bike just syphon some from the m/c tank. The only trouble is there is very little control its either full burn or nothing really. I haven yet had a blocked fuel line that is supposed to be the problem with petrol. I would have thought less of a problem than when it was leaded petrol? coleman liquid is far to expensive.
paddler
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Joined: 8 Oct 2017, 9:13am
Location: Norfolk

Re: Gas stove or petrol?

Post by paddler »

Regarding Coleman petrol stoves, I have a duel fuel Sportster. The control of the flame is very good, especially when compared to my MSR Whisperlite which always sounds like a rocket taking off and looks like one too.

I've never used Coleman fuel, only unleaded. This tends to soot up a bit, but no blockages.

Only ever use a gas Pocket Rocket now, less faff.
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