[Seldom Seen]

I'd like to hear why you went with whatever fuel you picked. I went with propane because:

1. I can use it in all kinds of appliances.
2. It's easy to carry in those little 1 pound cans.
3. It's cheap,especially when you buy bulk and refill the little cans.
4. It's easy to change a cartridge from a lantern to a stove to a heater, etc.
5. I've found that the appliances that use propane are usually less expensive.
6. It lasts forever,long as you don't let the cans rust.
7. It burns hot right now.

Anyhow those are the reasons I went with propane,as opposed to white gas or butane. The one thing I really like about white gas appliances over propane is the fact that if need be you can use unleaded. Therefore in a scrounging situation gas appliances would be king imo. Any thoughts?

[Aleph Null]

I like propane for most of the same reasons. I hate the danger and smell of white gas or kerosene.

BTW you can use unleaded in white gas appliances but I have heard the smell is horrible and it may not be all that great for you. Someone who has done it could probably give more info.

a0

[Shadowfane]

unleaded is no where near as clean as Coleman Fluid/white gas.

You CAN use it but you will clog the ceramic in the generator relatively (couple weeks of heavy use) quickly.

Carb cleaner has been known to clean the generator on a stove or lantern but it is a biatch.


my PERSONAL fav is kero, since I have a kero pressure lantern (std Coleman mantles), a Kero Hassock style wick stove, as well as a MSR X-GK if I need portability. I prefer kero because there are BTU's per unit of measure in Kero. Yes, occasionally one needs to use alcohol to preheat the lantern or the X-GK but well thus is life.

the X-GK is the primary BO stove (even though there is an original Whisperlite Single Fuel in one of the bags for space and weight considerations) primarily because if you can atomize it and get it to light, the X-GK will burn it to advantage.

And A0, kero is WAY safer than propane (or any compressed gas) and white gas because it's flash point is SO high that for all practical purposes you aren't going to ignite a pool of it, regardless of what you try to use, unless you generate a wick action or someone comes along and atomizes it by driving through the puddle a lot(the fire in Mass last winter was due purely to the vehicular atomization of the diesel).

Kero does not explode.


shadowfane

[Shadowfane]

In the interests of truth in advertising disclosures, my at home preps, as well as in the van preps, use all 3 fuel capabilities.... Kero/diesel, White gas/automotive fuel, and Propane. I do not have any butane capabilityyyyy uh darn, I have the stove and lantern just none of the butane cartridges. dang I forgot about them....for a second....

(y'see this is what happens when you spent a couple years repairing Coleman, sigg, etc etc etc camping stoves....heh my FAVORITE is one of the original Peak Ones, with the green cylinderical bodies...dang thing immitates the Space Shuttle if you want it ot HEAT something and then you can simmer on it too.... unlike thye ROCK ON or not X-GK...)

[Aleph Null]

You are 100% correct shadow. I actually knew that but didn't express myself very well. Thanks for the detailed correction!

a0