Gas stove

[Yellow7]

Hi all.
I’m Just on the verge of departing on my next bicycle tour and decided to use a gas stove for the European section as from experience petrol is not so easy to buy.
I’m after recommendations for a reliable gas stove, and also the availability of the Coleman gas bottles against the Camping Gaz bottles. A rather late decision to take so not much time to dither over this, so any advice appreciated.

Mark.

 

[bikepacker]

Gas canisters can sometimes be hard to find, Camping Gaz canisters are sold in many supermarkets but if you buy a Coleman type stove you will need this adaptor. http://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/edelrid_valve_cartridge_adaptor.html

You can get piercable canister in many shops but you would need this adaptor. http://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/edelrid_puncture_cartridge_adaptor.html

I carry both knowing I can adapt all canisters to fit my stove.

If you want a small light stove the Pocket Rocket is a very popular stove. http://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/msr_pocket_rocket_gas_canister_stove.html

I use a floor standing stove currently using the MSR Windpro 2. The facility to use an upturned canister is good. http://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/msr_windpro_ii_gas_canister_stove.html

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Hi all.
I’m Just on the verge of departing on my next bicycle tour and decided to use a gas stove for the European section as from experience petrol is not so easy to buy.
I’m after recommendations for a reliable gas stove, and also the availability of the Coleman gas bottles against the Camping Gaz bottles. A rather late decision to take so not much time to dither over this, so any advice appreciated.

Mark.

depends entirely on which part of europe you are going to. availabilty varies from country to country and within each country. learning which stores to buy the gas from and where it is available is the key. So what countries are we talking about?

the eldridge adaptor(s) will make your life considerably easier. We have used it extensively and it is totally stable allowing you to convert single puncture gas cartirdges into screw on ones. We only carried the 2nd one (the more expensive of the 2) on our tour and never ran into issues. One tip i will give is when purchasing gas bottles, take your stove adaptor into the store and check you can get gas out before you pay. some valves are not long enough on some gas adaptors to trigger a flow of gas. Also campsites around airports are a really good place to pick up gas cartirdges because people can't take them on planes so leave them in the kitchens/utility areas... we went 5 months that way without needing to purchase gas on our tour.

We carried on using our trangia stove with a gas (and multi-fuel) adaptor. we ate out of the same bowls so didn't worry about space or weight etc and it allowed is to put the pots on an open fire or use meths/anything else that was flamable when we wanted, but mostly we used gas. What exactly are you looking for from a stove? lightweight with or without bowls/pans/kettle etc. how often are you planning on using it - guessing the weather is going to be hot, so it is not as necessary as winter camping & surviving etc...

 

[stephenjubb]

omni lite ti is a good gas stove and burns other fuels too if you cannot find gas and with appropriate adapters you'll always have fuel.

 

[bigjim]

I use a £6 adapter off e-bay that lets me use the long thin canisters with my mini gas stove. They are available easily all over western Europe and cheaper than screw or piercable canisters. I paid €2 for the last one which lasted over a week.

 

[Yellow7]

The European countries on this tour are Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, continuing onto Greece where obtaining petrol should prove slightly more relaxed.

I'm just looking for a reliable gas stove to my XGK stove, up until the point where I can buy petrol without problems, thereafter I'll ditch the gas stove.

Yes, the adaptors look okay but I am biased toward the CampingGaz Twister Plus stove, I've seen there's a stockist-locator on their website so intend to carry a spare and then replace it with a new spare as soon as I start using it.

 

[HovR]

We carried on using our trangia stove with a gas (and multi-fuel) adaptor. we ate out of the same bowls so didn't worry about space or weight etc and it allowed is to put the pots on an open fire or use meths/anything else that was flamable when we wanted, but mostly we used gas.

+1 for the Trangia. I've only used it on short tours or weekends away backpacking and wildcamping, but the all-in-one aspect of it is brilliant when you're trying to pack light.

 

[asterix]

I liked the trangia I had but it mysteriously disappeared so I guess someone else liked it too! At the moment I've a pocket rocket which works pretty well and is incredibly small and light.

 

[Deleted member 23692]

If you've got an XGK, why bother with gas?

Even in the farthest flung corners of the world you'll stand more chance of finding suitable liquid fuels than a compatible gas cylinder (same goes for finding meths for a Trangia)

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

If you've got an XGK, why bother with gas?

Even in the farthest flung corners of the world you'll stand more chance of finding suitable liquid fuels than a compatible gas cylinder (same goes for finding meths for a Trangia)

not all places have meths/ethanol available. We did struggle in some countries to find it, in the same way we struggled to locate gas on occasion, but we hate visiting major citites. Ironically some of the eastern european countries it was easier and cheaper to purchase 96% ethanol from pharmacies than it was to purchase gas or petrol/colemans fuel/white gas (located in Lithuania).

(for those not aware, the trangia is not solely meths based. It is possible for it to have both gas & multifuel burners, all 3 of which we used in our 12 month tour).

 

[psmiffy]

I have camped in most countries in western Europe - I have never got to the point that I do not have any gas to make a brew in the morning

 

[Amanda P]

I can understand that it might be tricky to get hold of Coleman-type fuel, but you could get a multi-fuel stove like the MSR Butterfly that will go on regular petrol-station petrol, diesel, paraffin, meths... pretty much anything that'll burn (although admittedly if you run it regularly on petrol-station petrol it will need cleaning out now and again. It's not hard). We got one because we didn't enjoy having to spend our holiday time trying to figure out where to go to buy the right kind of gas or meths, or what the local words were for those things.

But it's dead easy to buy petrol or diesel - just roll up to the pump - usually conveniently by the side of the road on the edge of a town - and fill up. Even if a mean owner or till operator decides to charge you for the 'minimum delivery' (often two litres), it's still cheaper than gas. Actually, the idea of someone buying 50 cents worth of petrol is often enough to spark off a friendly conversation which can result in all sorts of local knowledge or hospitality being exchanged.

And as Richard Ballantine says "I abhor a world filled with empty gas canisters".

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

In a number of countries (eastern europe/southern europe and into Asia), we were refused petrol when we turned up on bikes asking to purchase it at a petrol station - I didnt think we looked that rough at the time, but ironically had no issues purchasing 96% pharmacutical grade ethanol in chemists in the same countries, with the usual promise not to drink it!
It also burns more cleanly than meths (great when using it in hotel/motel/b&B bathrooms because unless you burn your eveing meal, you don't set the smoke detectors off and it doesn't leave that 'meths being burnt' smell around the room!)

The camping gaz twister type gas cartidges we did see quite a bit, but only in northern & western europe, though I have to confess to not really looking for them given they were the only type of cartridge we did not/could not use.

 

[ComedyPilot]

I'm a trangia meths man myself (cook it, don't drink it) and there's a web page somewhere that details what meths is called in each country, and where to buy it. [goes looking on Google.....back soon]

However, like Uncle Phil of this parish has already stated, chat up some motorist or other at a fuel station, and you may get more than a litre of petrol.....

Edit - Here you go: http://www.mark-ju.net/juliette/meths.htm

 

[andym]

The CampingGaz Twister ones maybe the worst of both worlds. My impression is that even in the countries where CampingGaz are the market leaders, the puncture type is by far the most common outside of specialist shops.

Judging by your itinerary I'd get an EN417 (or is it 471?) and back it up with a meths stove - 'soda can' or Trangia or whatever. Then make list of the Decathlon shops on your route.