Gas canister - where to get cheap ones?

[andreoz]

Hello everyone, my name is Andrea and I'm new in this forum. I like bushwalking and recently I've upgraded some of my gear. I bought a new portable stove; I checked prices of gas canisters and they start from $9 for 100g when I could have 4 x 220g for $4 for my old stove. Does anybody know where they sell cheaper ones? Maybe online or some secret shops? I live in Melbourne.

Thanks in advance for the answers

Andrea

[undercling-mike]

Unfortunately the bushwalking type gas canisters are just much more expensive. It might have a tiny bit to do with the valve and canister construction as well as the gas mix but realistically it's 99% due to much lower sales volumes and them not being sold in low margin stores.

It's a bit of an annoying cost but if you cook efficiently they last a while and the cost is a small fraction of that associated with going walking.

If you have a remote canister stove you can get an adaptor to use the cheap gas cans, which is what I do for car camping.

[andreoz]

Hi Mike, thanks for your advice. I was actually reading about those adapters and I found a cheap one from china so I can use it with my "bigger" stove. I also found an adapter to refill the canisters as I also have a stove that scews strainght to the cartridge and use it as base. At this stage I should look for some empty ones

[GPSGuided]

The canisters are relatively efficient and one can get quite a bit out of it if used efficiently. So the cost is not too bad. If you do pick up in usage significantly and tend to stay in warmer climates, then an investment in a refilling adaptor is useful to allow one to use cheaper gases and to combine residues. For camping in the cold, there's not getting away from a more expensive quality gas mix.

[andreoz]

Hi Gps. Yes, in cold weather butane doesn't work. I will try with the adapter and decide what to do. Has any of you ever used LGP to refill canisters?

[Gadgetgeek]

Before you start mixing and matching gas accessories, be aware of the risks. Think about the thickness of a butane lighter, and an LPG tank. Totally different beasts. I do know people who do fill tanks, but they are a little nutty to begin with, and also have engineering and similar backgrounds. Its the sort of thing you only get the chance to get wrong once.

I've noticed that I get very poor burn performance out of my micro-rocket, and it has not really payed off to fill tanks. What I would say is that filling the little 100g cans from a bigger 450g might be worth while since they are near the same cost, if you were wanting to only carry a little bit of fuel. Whats your time worth?