I was at the Costco business center today and found that they are selling a 12 can pack of Sterno Butane for $20. This is $1.66 a can and is significantly cheaper than anywhere else.
If you are camping above 32F then butane works perfectly fine. Use a butane to lindel adapter and then you have a significantly cheaper alternative to those $7 MSR, Jetboil, Snow Peak, Optimus etc cartridges.
I did a post about this topic a couple years ago:
Vapor pressure does begin to drop around freezing. If you are cold weather camping you will need to use Isobutane, propane or white gas.
I actually find these cans perform poorly around 45-40 degrees due to evaporative cooling. Pretty much only use them in warmer months. That’s a good deal though.
In Japan, they have these canisters with a winter blend due to the popularity of the style of stove that uses them.
@Scout
Yeah it depends how you use them to an extent. If you’re boiling one cup of water relatively slowly you’ll fare better at low temps than if you want more power and for longer. A stove which is designed to be used with an inverted canister will be fine to around freezing (but those are bulkier).
Val said:
So do those fit Coleman style stoves or Pocket Rocket style stoves?
They fit butane cartridge stoves. These aren’t for vertical canister mount stoves since the bottle is the shape of a can of spray paint. You can fill isobutan canisters with the right adapters but it’s easier just to buy an appropriate stove like a Soto ST-340.