Availability of Propane-Isobutane Fuel Canisters

Are there any popular alpine climbing destinations (Karakorum, Tien Shan, Himalaya, Cordillera Blanca, Patagonia, etc.) where availability of propane-isobutane canisters is a major issue?

I am currently looking to buy stove, primarily for alpine climbing. Main use would be melting snow. Secondary use would be hydrating meals. So, a stove like the MSR Reactor would be ideal, for my use.

However, I may opt for a liquid stove, if availability of gas cannisters is limited outside of North America & Europe.

Finding fuel canisters is a pain outside of the U.S. and Europe. I went with a M.S.R. Whisperlite International which can run on kerosene which you can find anywhere. Check out the MSR Universal which can handle the liquid fuels as well as the fuel canisters.

Bobby Hutton wrote: Check out the MSR Universal which can handle the liquid fuels as well as the fuel canisters.

You should buy a liquid fuel stove. Not only is canister fuel not efficient weight wise for long period trips, the stuff does not work in the cold. These are very important, on top of availability issues, which I can not speak too.

The canisters are the way to go in Chalten. Easier to find than white gas.

if your dealing with extreme cold or climbing outside of the us or Europe don't go with canister but the higher you get the less the temperature does effect the canister.

+1 for whisper-lite international. In addition to white gas (camp fuel), it burns Unleaded gas (Gas gas), Kerosene (heating oil), and I wouldn't be surprised if you could make it run on diesel. One of those fuels should be available anywhere that there are people. I would use a canister stove on a wall, otherwise liquid fuel. You can make it the same fuel as your lantern(s) so its just 1 fuel you need to bring for car camping, backpacking, alpine, ect... Big camp, Small camp...

Bumping this thread because there may be a major Isobutane Fuel Canister shortage in the US.  The MSR/Snow Peak ones for Jetboils and stuff. There was a run in the early days of Covid.

Today the bin at REI was totally empty.  I asked one sales dude and he asked another and they both glumly shook their heads.  Checked the website, seemed the same for every store in the SF bay area. Just out of curiosity, tried a random Boulder CO address. Skunked.

Might have put some on back-order, we'll see about that.

Home Depot has come cans called Gas One but they look kinda dodgy, I've never heard of them.  Nor did I hear about any shortage.  Maybe I'm wrong, otherwise heads up.

johorn wrote:

Bumping this thread because there may be a major Isobutane Fuel Canister shortage in the US.  The MSR/Snow Peak ones for Jetboils and stuff. There was a run in the early days of Covid.

 Nor did I hear about any shortage.  Maybe I'm wrong, otherwise heads up.

Something something Ukraine something something Russia something something sanctions.

Do you pay attention to the news??? 

Most are made in Korea.  The southern one, I'm pretty sure, so I don't see how Ukraine would factor in.  

When I was at Walmart last week, they had a full shelf of Coleman branded canisters.  Those only have the n-butane that doesn't go as cold as iso-butane.  Rei was really low stock on fuel canisters.

I'd post a new thread rather than bump one as old as this one, but there's no law against it.  

My only thought on a liquid stove for international travel is flying with a used liquid fuel stove.  Not sure how legal that is these days.  I read something that said you couldn't.  Flying with a chunk of metal that reeks of diesel, unleaded, or naptha could be a problem.  

Jay J wrote:

Most are made in Korea.  The southern one, I'm pretty sure, so I don't see how Ukraine would factor in.  

Coleman make theirs in France(still getting Russian gas), every other brand is made by one company in south Korea(questionable if they are still getting Russian gas). If their gas was imported from Russia(likely) they will have one hell of a time having to create a new supply chain. 

Isobutane-propane canisters (MSR, Snow Peak, etc.) have been in short supply since the Covid thing started. They're all imported to this country from somewhere, nd US ports are still messed up to some extent by Covid, so I would expect them to stay in short supply for a while. REI in Denver has been sourcing them from wherever they can get them, and we're still having trouble keeping them in stock. Plan on calling around a lot and using whatever brand you can get. The good news is that almost all the canisters sold nowadays are either isobutane or an isobutane-propane mix, so getting stuck with n,-butane that liquifies at 31 deg F is not as big an issue. Read the list of ingredients on the can and make sure you're getting isobutane or an isobutane-propane mix. Seb, I've seen  Coleman canisters labelled "made in Mexico", any idea where that gas came from?

mark felber wrote:

Seb, I've seen  Coleman canisters labelled "made in Mexico", any idea where that gas came from?

Mexico or the US, Mexico consumes more natural gas than it creates so good chance its piped in from the US, 69% of US natural gas exports are to Mexico as of 2020.

You can also choose to blend isobutane with propane through our Jetpower Fuel. The result is a high-performing blend that combines cold-weather performance with energy efficiency and pressure consistency throughout the life of your canister.

Yeah, I agree, the canister shortage started with Covid.

I have a MSR XGK that I bought in 96. That thing still runs like a jet. Might be overkill compared to the Whisper Lite Int, though, something to consider, depending on your objectives.

Thanks for the info.  REI cancelled my back-order so I ordered a six-pack of the Gas One's from Home Depot.  They appear to be the standard Taeyang product, same factory as the others (except for Coleman.) They appear to have plenty in stock, fingers crossed, but these could become hot property come summer.  Sorry for bumping an old thread but I anticipated my query might be flammable.

I'm in Germany and I have noticed the shelves empty on about every 2nd visit to outdoor stores since the invasion of Ukraine. Most of our gas here comes from Russia so the shortage may not get better.
The hardware stores here sell gas with a lindal/screw connector. All of the diy stuff (soldering, lamps, torches etc.) uses the same connector as a camping stove. But you can't get every blend or cannister size in a hardware store. They don't stock 100g cannisters. Also, you can only buy either 100% butane (summer gas) or a mix of 30% propane with 70% butane (spring & autumn). Hardware store gas never contains isobutane, so it is poorly performing in deep winter or the propane portion burns and the butane is left in the cannister. You can get the mix of 30% propane with 70% butane to work in winter, but only by inverting the cannister (liquid feed). For this your stove must be remote cannister AND have a pre-heat tube. In this mode simmering is not possible and fuel economy drops a bit, but it works well.

As far as bumping this old thread:

Anyone who clicks on this is looking for information, and there's a lot of good info here regarding different fuel and stove choices.  None of these people want to have to click on 15 different threads created by someone reinventing the wheel every time they have a question.  I think MP should have exactly one thread on Availability of Propane-Isobutane Fuel Canisters, and this can be it.

A shipment to us got lost in the mail, we are expecting another shipment in a few days. I can't remember if it is Olicamp, MSR, or something else.

So I've been out with the Home Depot Gas One's and they work just fine.  They only give you 100g instead of 110g like some other brands, checked on my scale.  No big deal.  I managed to snag a single Snow Peak from REI ordering online.  Had to use my member discount on something.  When I went there, the cupboards were still bare, they only had like 4 of the big cans, limit 2 per customer.

Cardboard boxes are also full of canisters, and there is at least 1 more box not pictured.