Wikipedia<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\nI couldn’t find exactly what White Gas burns to, but anecdotally everyone says it burns very cleanly due to it not having the additives our gasoline has that we use in our vehicles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For both fuels, you shouldn’t see meaningful soot build-up, if you do, there might be a problem with your stove. In the case of a white gas stove, such as the MSR Whisperlite, this could mean dirty fuel filters or other parts that have accumulated gunk that are messing with the oxygen balance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Which Fuel is Easier to Use?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Far and away, propane is the easier fuel to use.<\/strong> Here are the steps to use a typical propane stove.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nEnsure your propane stove is on as level surface as you can manage. If you are backpacking, you may want to use rocks to steady the propane cylinder as it is now the stand. There are also propane stands meant to hold a propane tank.<\/li>\n\n\n\n Ensure the burner(s) is\/are set to off. <\/li>\n\n\n\n Take off the cap from the propane cylinder, and screw it directly to the fuel regulator. In the case of a backpacking stove, just screw the stove directly on to the propane cylinder. <\/li>\n\n\n\n Open the stove valve with a lighter right next to the burner so the gas will ignite.<\/li>\n\n\n\n You are ready to cook! <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\nHere are the steps to use a white gas stove:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nAttach all components, the fuel line, and fuel tank to the stove and priming cup.<\/li>\n\n\n\n Pour the fuel into your fuel tank (never do this while the stove is in use or the stove is hot)<\/li>\n\n\n\n Pressurize the fuel tank using the attached manual fuel pump<\/li>\n\n\n\n Prime the Stove\n\nFirst, open the fuel valve allowing a little bit of fuel to enter the priming cup. (some choose to prime their stove with alcohol or another propellant as they are easier to ignite)<\/li>\n\n\n\n Once the fuel is in the priming cup, ensure that the fuel tank is completely closed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n Ignite the fuel with a lighter or another ignition source. <\/li>\n\n\n\n The priming cup is meant to heat up the burner and the fuel tube feeding the burner. Once the flames have heated up the stove and fuel tube feeding the burner, and the priming cup is almost burned out, slowly <\/strong>open the fuel tank to allow fuel to flow into the stove<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\nYou are now ready to cook! <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\nAn example of a liquid fuel stove with the fuel tank and fuel pump along with a stove and priming cup<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nPriming isn’t hard once you get the hang of it, but it still takes some time. Propane is as easy as screwing the propane tank into your stove and opening the valve, so it’s hard to beat in this respect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Which Fuel is Easier to Store?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Any type of fuel presents a risk when stored. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Propane Storage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Propane is a liquefied petroleum gas and is stored under tremendous pressure. Propane by nature must be in a sealed container, which is a safety benefit because you are protected from random ignition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, propane’s pressurized state also has a couple of risks. First<\/strong>, if the propane tank starts malfunctioning and starts leaking, then you will now have a flammable gas escaping.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSecondly<\/strong>, the propane tank is only made to withstand certain pressures, and the hotter the outside temperature is, the greater the pressure on the inside of the tank because of the extra energy within the propane. Propane tanks can spontaneously combust<\/strong> if the temperature is too high. Propane should be stored in temperatures lower than 130 degrees Fahrenheit.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe bigger propane tanks, such as the 20-lb tanks commonly used for barbecue grills, must be stored outside in the shade<\/strong> for these two reasons. Avoid direct sunlight as much as possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\nFurthermore, propane has an indefinite shelf life–the life of the propane is completely dependent on the life of the propane container. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There isn’t any documentation that I could find about storing the 1-lb propane tanks. Several stores sell these 1-lb tanks indoors, but the MSDS hazardous material sheets make no distinction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
White Gas Storage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n White gas must be stored in as cool of temperatures as you can manage. White gas must be stored in airtight cans as it will lose its effectiveness over time if exposed to air. It must also be stored in containers that will not erode from the fuel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fuel spills are much more of a risk with white gas because it is stored in liquid form. If a lid is not affixed securely, then a bumped fuel can could result in a very dangerous flammable liquid spill. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
White gas can be stored for a long time–longer than gasoline, but it still can go bad. As I’ve researched this subject, I’ve seen many people claim to use white gas that had been stored for over a decade. As the gas gets older it absorbs things it shouldn’t and can start to burn less clean with more soot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although you should never store fuel near any kind of ignition source or anything else that uses flames such as a water heater or your house heater, with white gas the warning is especially loud. Never ever store your white gas near an ignition source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TL;DR: Which Fuel is Easier to Store?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Although propane tanks (at least the big ones) must be stored outside, it is still easier than worrying about storing a liquid fuel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Which Fuel is Easier to Buy?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Propane can be purchased in those 1-lb green bottles, or in bigger canisters. The most common large canisters store 20-lbs of propane–but if you shop on Amazon, you can find reusable canisters that are made for refilling in 5-lb, 10-lb, 1 gallon, 20-lb, and more increments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Propane is incredibly easy to find. <\/strong> The 1-lb disposable canisters are almost everywhere, even in many gas stations. Many gas stations also have large propane tanks for exchange that you can just pick up and drop off without having to refill the tank yourself. <\/p>\n\n\n\nFurthermore, many locations including several storage unit companies and UHauls sell propane in bulk that you can use to refill your canister yourself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
White gas<\/strong> is sold by a few recognizable companies. Crown sells “Camp Fuel”, Coleman sells Coleman’s “Camp Fuel”, and MSR sells Superfuel. <\/p>\n\n\n\nThese are not remarkably hard to find, but they can be impossible to locate in rural areas that aren’t accustomed to campers. You can find white gas in an outdoor recreation store such as REI or at Walmarts that have an outdoors section. If you’re camping, chances are you aren’t near a big city so you may have to look a little harder to find white gas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Which Fuel is Better for Backpacking? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n So, you may be wondering why people go for white gas and liquid fuel stoves at all. Propane is almost equivalent and is more convenient in many respects. Why go for white gas?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One place that propane is not superior in a major and important way is weight.<\/strong> The gas itself isn’t as dense as white gas, but the propane container is very heavy.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you think about it, it makes sense. Propane boils at ~-47 Fahrenheit. This means at 60 degrees Fahrenheit, all the energy in that can is going crazy to escape. The containers can withstand temperatures of a bit more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit–propane tanks must be very strong to withstand the internal pressure of propane. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nWhite gas does not have this problem because it isn’t pressurized when stored. Therefore you can use a much lighter weight container. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because white gas is typically desirable for those concerned about weight, they are often in competition with backpacking stoves. Lightweight backpacking stoves are never designed to work with pure propane because propane requires such heavy containers.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nFurthermore, because it’s relatively difficult to gauge how much fuel is left in a propane container, backpackers like to use liquid fuel because you can know exactly how much fuel you have left. This makes it easier to budget your fuel usage so you aren’t carrying more fuel than you need (or worse, less).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because of this, white gas is a fantastic option for backpackers to be considered against a butane\/isobutane mix. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nWhite gas also can burn in cold weather, while backpacking stoves with butane\/isobutane mixes have terrible performance in very cold weather. If you are trying to hike ultralight in very cold conditions, then a liquid fuel may be your best and only option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n If you are just getting into car camping and are looking to buy a stove, I highly recommend propane–it’s simple and can be very inexpensive if purchased in bulk. If you are wanting to get into ultralight backpacking, or into long thru-hikes where you want to carefully budget your fuel, then consider white gas as a solid option.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
With all the camping fuels out there, it sometimes is overwhelming deciding which one to use. All fuels have their specific advantages, and so it’s difficult to decide on which<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1866,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":24,"label":"Camping"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/White-Gas-vs-Propane-1024x768.jpg",640,480,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Peter","author_link":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/author\/outsidedecider\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":24,"name":"Camping","slug":"camping","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":24,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":132,"filter":"raw","term_order":"0","cat_ID":24,"category_count":132,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Camping","category_nicename":"camping","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1862"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1862"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1862\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10458,"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1862\/revisions\/10458"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}