staehpj1

Really? I can't imagine that they would even notice you before you had already filled your bottle at most mini-mart type gas stations. Also dribbling out the few ounces is in the nozzles when the gas station is closed would be an option that I wouldn't be shy about using.

I can see it being a problem if you actually had to ask them. I guess in places where you need to prepay it would be an issue, but I can't remember the last time I didn't pay at the pump when putting gas in my car. If in doubt about filling options where you are it might be prudent to fill the bottle when you still have a day or more of fuel left.

Has anyone actually had a problem keeping their bottle supplied from gas pumps?

To me the far bigger issue is the possibility of having an expensive stove confiscated by the TSA. Being more expendable and easily replaced, I really like my pop can stoves in that regard.

Since there are trips where I'd like to use something like a whisperlite international, for those trips I am thinking that mailing it to myself at the start and mailing it home at the end. That would be a hassle for short trips, but I seldom go much less than 1000 miles and it starts to be less of a hassle in my mind when it is for a long trip.

TallTourist

Yes Bruv, really. In the UK during what they refer to as "Summer" I was refused repeatedly at petrol stations, that was late 2017, same with Canada same with the USA Annoying but factual. I guess if you don't mind hunting for petrol/gas then yeah you might get some with a whisperlite but for me I'm done with them. As stated from previous posters there are much easier and cleaner and cheaper and lighter options that'll work. Think I might actually try a pop can stove at some point too but yeah, one trip to the local outdoor shop in the fall and a look at the tiny little stove kits that nest in a pot with everything you need was all it took to convince me what my next stove would be

Just my opinion, if you're happy with your Whisperlite then I'm happy for you Happy touring and warm meals!

trailangel

You are doing it wrong. Wait until a driver is fueling their car, walk over and ask if they will touch up your fuel bottle a couple of ounces.... you are a bit short.

snow_echo_NY

i use the jetboil and the MSR -
the jetboil i tend to reach for when going on bike camping tours mostly b/c it's small/compact and a cinch to work and set up and it's very fast at cooking water.

the MSR is an older one that has more moving parts and is more steps to set up and make it work. it's better for actually cooking. but i almost never want to actually cook when i'm bike camping. if i was on a multi day tour i would take this, but all of the bike tours i've done are just one night (saturday night).

on bike tours, i tend to bring https://fishpeopleseafood.com/ and warm it up in water. i also make a lot of tea to drink as i want something warm, especially in the evening when things get cooler and also in the morning.

indyfabz

When I head west for two-week trips I ship my bike via Bikeflights. MSR Dragonfly and empty fuel bottle get packed with the bike.

staehpj1

That sounds like a good approach and I may use it on my next trip. On the other hand having to ship anything to my tour tends to crimp my style a little since I really like to just start my tour immediately by riding right out of the airport. There are always compromises though and giving up the ability to ride right out of the airport and hit the road may be one of them that I need to accept sometimes.

Tourist in MSN

Regarding fueling fuel containers at a fuel pump, I think that in some locations they do not allow customers to fill their tanks, an employee must do it. Then, I can see an employee not knowing if it is allowed and refusing. I think an employee has to fill the tank in Oregon but I am not sure.

There are legal standards for marking of fuel containers, gasoline generally needs a red container. But some camping fuel bottles are not red. None that I know of are labeled gasoline.

Kerosene can't use a red container. My 5 gallon Kerosene can is yellow and is labeled Kerosene. In a previous occupation I was knowledgeable of this stuff but no longer can cite the exact rules.

BBassett

Whenever I have the time (about 70%) I use a wood burning Solo stove. I like the routine of getting fuel, I like lighting it, and I like the smell. When I don't have time to cool it down and clean it in preparation for riding I use a Mini-Mo. I also have a torch head that connects to a gas bottle that is great for heating the tent, or searing fish and the like. Under the best of circumstances, every gas stove is subject to failure even when carrying the proper cleaning kit. I like redundancy. For over twenty years while serving in the U.S. military I used JP4 in both cook stove and a blue-flame tent heater. I always had access to JP4 and it burns so clean that it was perfect. Red topped cans for MoGas (gasoline), Yellow topped for Diesel, White topped for my JP4. I saved a fortune on buying kerosene.

Lovegasoline

Proviso: I've not bikepacked. However ...

I've had an MSR Whisperlight International since the 1980s. About 15 years ago I sent it in for service (I think it was to get a shaker jet?) and MSR refused to return it to me because it had the old style rubber covered in cloth fuel line, they said it was too old and too dangerous to continue using (wtf?) and asked if I'd like a new stove for free, and sent me a modern replacement.
I've not yet bike toured at all but have done a good amount of backpacking with it and have spent literally years living outside in climbing base camps and augured in for long term dig-ins for months at a time using this stove. If I'm long term camping and have access to cheap white gas (like Walmart) I'll buy a gallon and use that. Otherwise I just fill up an empty scavenged or other gas can and/or MSR fuel bottle at any gas station pump. This is in the USA. I've never once had a problem in three decades. Gas from the pump burns dirtier than the more refined White Gas so the stove gets dirtier. No matter, it's a tool.

Never had a problem flying in the USA with MSR Whisperlight International and MSR fuel bottle (empty of course!) in dozens of flights. (I've interesting stories of flying internationally pre-9/11 with hazardous and flammable art supplies ... stories for another time). In fact, I flew out of JFK in NYC very shortly after 9/11 just a couple-few days after they had reopened the airports. It was a new era but nothing was established. Very few people were flying, NYC airports looked like vacant quiet ghost towns, heavy armed military presence, large bomb sensing devices that looked like shipping containers camping out in the lobby, and because so few people were flying I got VIP service - I was personally escorted from the entrance through the airport to check in and to security by a kind attendant not unlike a movie theater usher ... who offered to carry my heavy bag (nothing before or since was like post 9/11 service!). They confiscated my nail clippers, teeny micro Swiss Army knife w/like 1" blade, and lighter from my toiletry kit. My MSR stove and fuel canister made it safely to California in my checked luggage.

It's a good policy to wash out the MSR fuel bottle with soap so there's no odor and if necessary stick the pump somewhere else.

That said, I've been putting together an ultralight backpacking set-up and will incorporate parts of that kit for my first forays into (fully loaded) bike touring. I've got a lot of state of the art lightweight gear but I think may likely take the MSR (vs. a titanium canister stove I have or an alcohol stove). Using gas stations to refuel via bike will be dirt cheap and convenient.

The MSR Whisperlight is a beast, is reliable, is repairable, and rebuildable in the field. I'll try to mount my fuel bottle on my bike's (Trek 520) downtube (although I've never had a single leakage issue with it inside my backpack). I won't have to hunt around for fuel canisters or burn excessive money on them. This stove's weakness is at simmering, but there's ways around that and it's in no way a deal breaker. In long term dig-ins at my destination I typically buy a cheap teflon frying pan at a discount store for under $10 so I'm not restricted to thin and lightweight backpacking type cookware which is mostly an exercise in frustration to actually cook with (then clean up) anything except stuff which is based loosely on boiling water like oatmeal, pasta, etc. (try frying eggs for ex.). The best dig-in eating I did was a couple months in the desert about 20 miles from water with a guy who was an astoundingly good chief and packing woks (along with propane tank and a high temp lobster burner ... 4WD Toyota pickup). This was eye opening and gave me insight into adopting something similar (sans lobster burner and 4WD). Generally there's no need to wash or scrub a well seasoned wok, it's fast, holds a lot of ingredients and allows you to move them around without everything getting jammed up or spilling out, and different parts of the wok have different heat zones which gives more flexibility in timing and even doing two things requiring different temps at one time. You can just wipe it out with a paper towel (excels in remote desert where water supply can be an issue). Maybe I'll look into a small diameter lightweight well seasoned wok for the bike, but if not that then definitely a cheap fry pan.

Eating is one of the central pleasures of living outdoors and I do like to enjoy the hang mode. I know what it is to exist on Cliffbars, cold cans of Stagg chili, tuna fish, bagels etc. vs. making delicious meals from fresh meat, fresh fish, fresh veggies, and full breakfasts especially if one is traveling for weeks or months at a stretch. Eating nutritious meals in style with fresh ingredients and minimal hassles can be made cheaply with cheap fuel and modest equipment weights. OTOH, if you're going out for a shorter bikepacking trip there's benefits to running a super lightweight minimalist kitchen/stove/fuel setup with dehydrated or similar prepackaged meals that only require boiled water.

Bikesplendor

I agree that the gasoline burning stoves have advantages.

I prefer them, except for the noise.

Bikesplendor

If you add up the cost over the long run, cannister stoves become very expensive. In the long run, gasoline stoves save a surprising amount of money, even over alcohol stoves.

Does anyone know of quiet gasoline burning stoves?

indyfabz

I think the OP's question was answered back in 2017.

3speed

I just want to clarify this for any future readers in this thread - I have no idea what you did, but I assure you from living my entire life in the US, and living in several different parts of it, it would never be a problem to fill a fuel bottle at a gas station. The only thing I can think of is if you, for some reason, wanted to walk into the gas station, find a middle aged lady working or something, and proceed to say something like "I have a tiny fuel bottle with a really tiny opening that the pump nozzle won't fit into, but I want to try putting some gas in there. Does that sound OK to you?" and sound really unsure of yourself while doing it. You don't need to do that. Just ride up to the pump, get out your fuel bottle, and fill it up. Zero issues. If you have to pay with cash first and want to avoid the potential question concerning the tiny amount of gas purchased, give them a $20 and say "I'm not sure how much it'll take." Then proceed to get your $1 worth of gas, go back in, and get your change. No problems.
In Oregon, employees having to pump only applies in towns and cities above a certain population. In really small towns, you can still pump your own gas. So if you're bike touring and going through Portland or Eugene, an employee has to do it, but you can probably get some other fuel in those towns easily. In a small town, where lots of us are likely to be touring and needing to use gasoline as fuel, you can often pump your own gas.

chrisx

A light weght stove in this photo, can you see it?

Just behind the bicycle, can you see it now¿
right in front of the tent, now can you see it?
food cooked on a fire tastes better.

No coyotes were injured while taking this photo,

You Tube

Lovegasoline

Fire is nice to have if environment, conditions, fuel sources, and weather cooperate. When they don't cooperate you're back to square one packing some combination of stove + fuel.

greatscott

you can tour on a budget if you want. A stove is just a stove, there is nothing complicated in it's design to warrant paying $100 for one, here is a stove I use, and have used it for 3 years and it's still just a reliable as it was when I bought it, since then they have sold thousands of them, it comes in a nice orange plastic case; see: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Oh, did you notice the price? I use JetBoil fuel in the 230 gram can. When it's windy I pull this out: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 cheap only $10 and it works great. A cannister of Jet Boil will last a long time, to the tune of around 3 hours of continual burn on high, but you never need to cook anything that long, and I've never had to cook anything on high, in fact that stove will boil water as fast as a microwave! So for one person a 230 gram can will last me 20 to 30 meals depending on what I'm cooking, and that's cooking breakfast and dinner, so it will last about 10 to 15 days. These fuel cans can be found just about anywhere for around $20 for the 230 gram size; you can save some weight and space by going to a smaller 115 gram size but that will cut down your use by about half, which still isn't bad but you will have to keep your eye open to buy another can sooner which you would have to buy food every 2 or 3 days anyways so really using a smaller can isn't a big deal since you'll be out getting food often.

Of course you should always take a couple of ways to start fire, simply go down to Walmart in their camping area and get a orange waterproof container filled with waterproof matches, and get a magnesium fire starter that comes in an orange thing as well. Fire and water is the most important thing to have, so make sure you have at least 2 ways of starting a fire; carry enough water but water is heavy and what happens if you have to hunker down and you run out of water? so like fire carry another source of getting clean water and Walmart to the rescue again, they sell the Sawyer mini filtration system for really cheap, don't leave home without it!

Save your dryer lint for fire starter, steel wool burns intensely as well, in fact steel wool and a 9 volt battery will get you fire, google how to do that.

Word of warning, whatever fuel you decide on going with make sure you put the fuel in a zip lock bag, in the unlikely event it leaks you don't want that stuff on your pots and pans, utensils or on you food or clothing, in fact I keep most of my stuff in zip lock bags anyways.

You would be surprised at how cheap you can get stuff for touring or backpacking from food to supplies, Walmart is a good place to go as is Amazon. A lot of food you can buy in the grocery isle is completely useable and not requiring frigeration and is a lot cheaper than camping specific food, packs small due to foil packaging, microwaveable food is completely easy to cook in the field. You tube as a lot of this stuff you can watch.

BigAura

Nice review, you're right.

huh? you pay $14 for a stove and $20 for fuel. Those fuel cans are $6 at Walmart for 250 grams.

Learning firestarting skills with a fire-starter is fun, but has little to do with touring, leave it home. Forget those waterproof matches too. Buy a Bic lighter. Best to keep it in a plastic bag or pouch. But even if a Bic lighter gets wet or even submerged it'll still work. Dry it and strike it like dozen times, or + whatever, it'll come back. If you want a backup system, buy two. I like those mini-lighters.

indyfabz

Careful handling a lighter while eating sardines packed in oil. During one long weekend trip I got oil on the striker wheel of my Bic and couldn't get it to work again. Now I usually carry two: A full size and a mini. Bright colored ones are easier to see if you are up before dawn.

Lovegasoline

Expensive.
If you're on a tight budget and looking to buy cheap, the same stove or similar can be had for half that price.
(I've got a titanium one that was about $7 w/shipping).

[Yes 'a stove is just a stove' but there's a big spectrum in BTU output, flame profile, weight, field strippability, fuel type/availability/weight/cost, noise, environmental/cold weather compatible, etc.]

cyccommute 

TimothyH

How would you lite a stove at altitude if a butane lighter proved unreliable.

Do you use the cotton balls and striker to lite a stove?

I'm not trying to challenge but sincerely asking.

There is no way for me to practice lighting a stove at altitude here in the east. I'd hate to get out west, set up camp the first day and find out that I can't lite my stove to make a hot drink.


-Tim-

Edit: light, not lite.

IPassGas

I love these stove threads, always a million ideas. Bought in 1980, we STILL use every summer on tours (when we don't fly) a Coleman peak 1 400A stove using white gas. Burns hotter than anything, simmers very low and always, always starts without priming or hassle, very dependable. Carry an extra liter and good for weeks cooking every day. I cleaned it 5 years back. True, a little heavier, the weight weenies will scream, but not that heavy, and who cares on a bike. I used to use it backpacking. Sad they don't make it anymore, but people would just call it old school. When I wake up on a cold morning in camp, I want my coffee yesterday!

BigAura

My last tour, in your neck-of-the-woods, CO, I camped at over 10,000 feet on two different nights and my Bic served me well. As did my cheapo canisters.

Tourist in MSN

I do not think I have ever tried a butane lighter above 10,000 ft. I always used a liquid fuel stove at high altitude. Used a Zippo lighter fueled with Coleman fuel.

But I always carry a couple books of paper matches in a zip lock baggie somewhere. If I have a lighter failure, paper matches still work fine. Decades ago you always got them at bars and restaurants as advertising, now you need to buy in a hardware or grocery store in boxes.

Hardware stores also sell wooden kitchen matches. The strike anywhere are getting nearly impossible to find but the strike on box ones are still around. I used to see a smaller version of wooden matches too, but have not seen them for a while.

Do an internet search for Diamond Matches or Ohio Blue Tip Matches, add the word price to your search and you get more shopping choices.

cyccommute