How do you decide how many gas canisters to throw in the bag for the next wild camping or trekking trip?? This calculator can help you make a more informed choice.
Most gas canisters of the types used for trekking are now butane/ propane mix. The addition of propane gives better low temperature performance. There are some differences in composition which may mean the calculator is not 100% accurate, so for that reason if it is safety critical, e.g. cold weather camping or when water boiling is essential, it’s worth rounding up to maintain a bit of extra capacity.
Isopropane Gas Calculator for Hiking
3 Litres allows for 1l for cooking and 2 litres for water boiling per day. If you have a water filter or are carrying water you can reduce the amount, if you are melting old snow which requires boiling allow for doubling of as required to melt then boil.
The following table gives an indication of actual gas volume for some popular bottle gas choices. From this you can work out the best combination of bottles to deliver the required amount of gas. Generally larger bottles are lighter for amount of gas carried. If you are using the small (expensive) canisters see this helpful advice on refilling safely to save money.
| Gas bottle | Gas Weight | Approx litre boiled | Check link for product prices * |
| Coleman C300 | 240g | 15.5 | https://amzn.to/3tF8rsm |
| Coleman C500 | 440g | 28.3 | https://amzn.to/48HdHKS |
| Primus 230g | 230g | 14.7 | https://amzn.to/3S6KzXW |
| Jetboil Jetpower EN417 | 100g | 6.4 | https://amzn.to/3tBZn7N |