I most often use my MSR Pocket Rocket for cooking on the trail. I'm looking to purchase some fuel canisters for this summer's trips. They will not have to be the best mix because the weather will be warm.
Any ideas where I can purchase these on the cheap? The prices have gone up, it seems, from last year. Hasn't everything?

REI prices actually are not bad for the MSR brand canisters.
[img]https://www.rei.com/product/651555/msr-isopro-fuel-canister-8-oz-227g?sku=6515550017&store=153&cm_mmc=PLA_Google%7C21700000001700551_6515550017%7C92700061999267873%7CBA%7C71700000074421680&gclid=9a29d0c79c0319083a4bb2557daf2cda&gclsrc=3p.ds&msclkid=9a29d0c79c0319083a4bb2557daf2cda[/img]

Does a dollar or two one way or another really matter with an item you only buy a few of per year and upon which your ability to heat food or water while backpacking depends? Amortize it over a full year and it's nearly nothing.

I have no idea the going rate, but I ordered a bunch from Amazon and got them down to $5 per 3.5oz can.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083F91M3D/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You are right. I could drink a cheaper blended scotch this month and save enough to pay for a year's supply of Iso-butane canisters. I lost enough in the stock market last week to pay for a dozen canisters. You are correct; relatively speaking it isn't worth worrying about.

Thanks. If my arithmetic is correct 119.99/24 cans = $5 per can.
Not bad. About the same as REI and I get a dividend back at the end of the year from REI.

"I could drink a cheaper blended scotch this month"

Okay now, there's no reason to get profane....

I've been refilling the same canister now for over 3 years

I always carried isobutane in the winter. The plastic tube in the bottles can get very stiff in the cold, sometimes the opening in the end is above the fuel line if the bottle is lying flat and you will not get enough pressure. it is important to keep the fuel bottle vertical with the bottom stuck in the snow. But cheap is not a modern BP term. Oh yes I have a liquid feed stove.

We use canister stoves all winter long out this way. The half pound canisters can be had at our local outdoor shop for about five bucks. I find the quarter pound canisters not as economical. This photo is from last week on a ferocious winter day. Good to have a comforting hot beverage as we gaze into the brutal winter scene.

Whoa there, @Arizona! That IS a ferocious winter scene. Does it dip into the 50s at night? Can you actually feel the two or three water molecules in the air bouncing off of you?

Since the fire danger here in CO keeps going up, everything but canister stoves is pretty much banned, so canisters of any size can be tricky to come by at times. Has anyone seen a setup to refill the little canisters from the Coleman canisters? I'd rather buy the big ones, but carry the small ones.

It can be extremely rough out here but we somehow manage. Lol
I know what you mean with dry conditions and fire bans. Canister stoves are one of the only solutions. Even with no fire bans it gets so dry that I err on the side of caution and use a canister stove. For real cold the two remote canister stoves in my kit allow for inverting and feeding liquid fuel into the burner.

I’ve heard of an adapter that allows the filling of an empty canister but only with isopro. The green one pound Colman canisters are pure propane. Propane has a boiling point of-40°. Isobutane has a boiling point of 11° F, much less volatile but not a great performer in colder conditions. That’s why they mix about 20% propane with the isobutane. I get better results when I shake the canister before using. Of course there are those using a Lindal valve to us the green canisters with pure propane. The stove manufacturers don’t agree with that practice and it could be more dangerous for wildfires and could damage the isopro stoves. But some do get by.

I agree the smaller canisters would be better for carry. But the half pound and the Snow Peak windscreen nests not to mention I’m a born penny pincher. Lol You can sort of see the extra titanium upper windscreen I made for a very efficient fuel miser in the breeze that wraps the titanium mug/pot for compact footprint.





I keep two one pound isopro canisters around for backup when the electricity goes out. Our house is 100% electric. Also six of the green Colman propane canisters are on hand with the rather heavy, bulky stove that uses them. That is really nice for car camping with inexpensive fuel.

I do like your refilling a smaller canister idea Dustin. The IsoPro canisters are of a much lighter gage steel than the pure propane canisters. I’m seeing people filling a smaller canister from a larger canister of the same manufacturer with a valve designed for this.

The G-WORKS Gas Saver Plus is about 30 bucks and some other valves run around 20 bucks. They are filling the small canisters from the one pound canisters with this valve. They are freezing the smaller canister and letting the larger canister become warmer so the pressures will make the flow and exchange work as well as possible. We just need to be careful not to overfill.

Now I just need to get to town so I can buy a smaller canister. I’ll get the valve from Amazon. My local shop has all sizes of MSR, Jetboil and Olicamp canisters with MSR being the more expensive. I’m moving more towards Olicamp recently.

People are refilling the green one pound Colman canisters from large propane tanks but I’m not going to fool around with that. I’m sticking with IsoPro for hiking.

I ended up getting the G-WORKS Gas Saver Plus and a few of the small canisters. After using more than half of a small canister ‘s fuel I gave the
G-WORKS Gas Saver Plus a spin and it worked quickly and flawlessly. Even the little air-bleed button worked smoothly and did its job. A scale was kept close so as not to overfill. Yesterday it only got up to 70° so a hot mug of tea to go with gourmet chocolate, berries and nuts was sublimely life saving and luxurious.

The G-WORKS device is very well made with some serious craftsmanship.

I always shake my canisters to make sure the iso is well blended with the pro. I can see the draw to less expensive butane over isobutane or the isopro blend but I’m only interested in isopro even with warmer temps here. It’s the cold mornings when we fire up the mobile hearth.