Fuel for Rainier

[goatboy]

Hello, folks

 

I have recently acquired a MSR Reactor stove, which boils water ridiculously fast.

 

Planning to spend 4 days up on Rainier (summitting via the Emmons Route and spending time at high camp on either end) and wanted to know how many fuel canisters you'd personally take, for a party of four?

 

I assume we'll be melting snow for water, for four people, for four days.

 

I've worked with white gas and whisperlights in the past, and am having a hard time approximating the fuel needs for such a trip, given the party size and the wildcard that is the Reactor stove.

 

Thanks in advance

[Water]

what do you think, a gallon of water per day per person?

thats 16 gallons total, 64 liters, each canister is suppose to boil 22liters, so go conservative since melting snow say 17? (not sure) liters per canister = 3.75 canisters ~ just take one each for the margin? at the worst you end the trip with one full canister?

 

i have the same stove and have found a little difficulty keeping it lit for the first minute in windy conditions--once going though it is solid. have wasted bits of fuel at that juncture. also get a cozy for the canister/hold it in your hands/on an insulator. I'm not sure if it impacts efficiency but mine makes a bit of a whine/noise after melting a few liters and the canister starts to get cold..if i put my warm fingers along the bottom of the canister it sounds like the burner 'speeds up' and the whine goes away.

 

2cents

[goatboy]

Thanks for the math, that's a sensible way to approach it.

 

As for heating the canister: I've found that setting the canister in a saucer or bowl of warm/hot water really kicks up the output of the canister. I've never gone to the trouble of building a copper-wire canister heating contraption, but have heard that its very effective.

 

One note: MSR Reactors kick out HUGE amounts of Carbon Monoxide. Definitely need to use them in open/ventilated areas.

[TMO]

I typically take 1 canister per person per day and come back with extra.

[tomtom]

I typically take 1 canister per person per day and come back with extra.

 

Well duh.

 

So four people for four days you would carry 16 canisters?

[Water]

1 canister per day per person, maybe on winter expedition far and away, for safety, but right now on rainier, that is beyond conservative. though i suppose if they were the 100gm canisters..then maybe. in which case one 227gm per two days is a little less crazy.

[RaisedByPikas]

Getting a cozy for the canister may not actually help, it depends on the temp of the fuel vs the temp of the air. If the temp of your fuel is colder than the air (probably the most common case unless you are in really cold weather), putting a cozy on the fuel will actually hurt the performance since you are keeping the air from warming the fuel. The only way I know to judge the relative temp difference is if I see frost on the fuel can and its above freezing. Obviously means that the fuel is below freezing and the air is not.

 

what do you think, a gallon of water per day per person?

thats 16 gallons total, 64 liters, each canister is suppose to boil 22liters, so go conservative since melting snow say 17? (not sure) liters per canister = 3.75 canisters ~ just take one each for the margin? at the worst you end the trip with one full canister?

 

i have the same stove and have found a little difficulty keeping it lit for the first minute in windy conditions--once going though it is solid. have wasted bits of fuel at that juncture. also get a cozy for the canister/hold it in your hands/on an insulator. I'm not sure if it impacts efficiency but mine makes a bit of a whine/noise after melting a few liters and the canister starts to get cold..if i put my warm fingers along the bottom of the canister it sounds like the burner 'speeds up' and the whine goes away.

 

2cents

Edited June 28, 2010 by RaisedByPikas

[J Surette]

Some people wrap a coil of copper wire around the fuel canister to keep the fuel warm. Others recommend hand warmer packets to keep the canister from freezing. When the can freezes up the vapor pressure drops and you lose performance. Insulating the canister will only hurt your performance as mentioned above. If the can, can be inverted as with the Jet Boil Helios that this issue will be less of a problem as the vapor pressure is kept relatively constant since gravity is acting on the fuel in the inverted canister.

[TMO]

I typically take 1 canister per person per day and come back with extra.

 

Well duh.

 

So four people for four days you would carry 16 canisters?

 

"Typically" I am in a party of 2 for 2 days and have one 100gm canister left over incase I get stuck on the hill, smart ass

[JohnGo]

Putting the bottom of a cannister stove in a small cup or pot with a bit of warmish water is the best (read most hassle-free and safest)way to improve performance, IMHO.

 

This is why I love my MSR Windpro stove. It's easy to do this without upsetting your pot, and the remote cannister can be inverted. Both of these hugely help stove performance.

 

One more trick for Rainier or any snow climb:

 

Dig a 2-foot deep hole with the circumference several inches smaller than a black plastic lawn bag. Place a wide mouth container or cookpot in the center of the hole. Punch a hole in the center of the plastic bag and center the hole over the pot. Seal off the edges of the bag with large berms of snow. Place snow on the plastic bag and let the sun do its work. This method increases the volume of water vs. putting snow in a black plastic bag and laying on the snow. This solar melting will save you time and fuel.

 

Taken from the Mazamas Tip of the Week page (maintained by me):

http://www.mazamas.org/your/adventure/nw/melting-snow-for-water/

 

 

Edited July 10, 2010 by JohnGo

[summitchaserCJB]

Sounds like you got this covered. I brought an 8 ounce (double size) cannister for a two day trip up the Ingraham Direct. Melted probably 6 pots of water for two people with the pocket rocket and have some left over.