Coleman backpacking stoves (and conversion?)

[workinwifdakids]

I was perusing the shelves over at Wally World yesterday, and they had Coleman Micro Backpacking Stoves on sale, from a clearance price of $28.88 to $8.50 each.



10,000 BTU, under 7 ounces, for $8.50? I took two. When I unboxed them, they felt sturdy, light, and were quite compact. Of course, this compares to what I had to work with in the Scouts maybe 20 years ago.

I don't have any of those butane / propane mixture cartridges, but I can pick some up. On the other hand, I was hoping to maybe convert these to the 1lb propane canisters - ubiquitous and cheap. All I found is this lindal valve <--> LPG adapter for $30 (LINK). If anyone has any ideas, let me know. I'd love to have the flexibility.

[D5CAV]

Great price!

I had a butane canister stove years ago. Worked poorly in cool weather and not at all in cold weather.

Went to msr white gas and never looked back.

Never tried running it on propane, though.

[PawPaw]

You scored, dude. Great little stove, great price.

The only problem with the standard bottle is that it makes them "tippy". Try to find a base from a Coleman lantern and those 1 lb bottles will work fine.

[Aesop]

Um, Coleman already sells a stove that runs on propane canisters.
By design, right out of the box. $23.88 at WallyMart.
For a pair of them, plus maybe a pair of socks, you hit $50, and shipping is free.
Assuming there wasn't one or two of them just sitting down the rack from where you found those two.

It's possible that there may be some way to convert the two you have, but why would you want to?*
I really hate to say it, but I think you essentially cornered the market on 8-track tape players.
If you don't want butane stoves, and can turn them around on eBay for more than you paid, and use the proceeds to buy the stove(s) you want, I think you'll be ahead of the game.
And the bases to keep them from tipping over are a good idea.

*A guy jumps out of a skydiving airplane. Hits his altitude, pulls the cord. No chute. He's flailing around, trying to get the chute to deploy, and the ground is getting closer. As he looks down, he sees another guy coming up towards him from the ground leaving a smoke trail. He thinks it's some kind of rescue. As they come close, he notices the guy is charred and aflame, but he's running out of options and altitude, and so he yells to him "Hey, you know anything about parachutes?"
"No!" screams the other guy. "You know anything about camping stoves??"

[workinwifdakids]

It sounds like you're saying these are obsolete (8-track tapes).

Does that mean the propane / butane mix cartridges displayed on the box aren't being manufactured anymore? I haven't heard that, but let me know. I'm always learning.

As far as the conversion goes, I figured being able to run two fuel options with the same stove would be a good thing to have around. Also, I know they already make propane-only stoves. I have two. Everyone's inner gear whore has a different turn-on.


Ninja Edit: Whoops! I can see how my post was confusing! I didn't mean convert, I meant adapt. In other words, I'm looking for an adapter like the one I linked that would allow me the ability to use either fuel type: LPG or a propane / butane cartridge.

[Netpackrat]

If you've got the space, for eight and a half bucks it may be worth having around just in case you get a deal on some of the fuel cannisters, but for regular use get a real damn propane stove. The minimal savings isn't worth fucking around with things that can potentially go boom.

[Aesop]

It sounds like you're saying these are obsolete (8-track tapes).

Does that mean the propane / butane mix cartridges displayed on the box aren't being manufactured anymore? I haven't heard that, but let me know. I'm always learning.

No, they're still made.
But as others noted above, butane works for shit. Save the butane to refuel your Zippo lighter to set old-growth logs on fire.
Keep your propane stove, and get a dual-fuel gas stove from MSR or Coleman that runs on white gas or unleaded auto fuel. Add a Solo Stove that's a hobo can on rocket-stove steroids, and you'll be able to cook anything anywhere with almost any fuel.

The main reason people use(d) butane canisters is weight savings, compactness, and they were only doing warm-weather trips in mid-summer on a weekend, and they're Birkenstock-wearing tofu-slurping hippies.

[PawPaw]

Amazon sells the mixed fuel cartridges. You might be able to find them elsewhere, but Amazon is quickly becoming my go-to source when I wonder if something can be obtained. One can purchase damned near anything from Amazon.

[Weetabix]

I got some Coleman clearance stoves that looked very similar to an MSR Pocket Rocket. They're not quite as good as the pocket rocket. I've used them down to 20 or so without bad results. I think I was using the isopro blend.

I've had the stove like Aesop linked to. You definitely want the base on that. I like the short butane stoves better for stability and size, but if I were car camping, I'd use the propane one without hesitation.

Having had problems with gas stoves before, I wouldn't adapt anything. Use them where they fit and get something else for where they don't. Fire and pressurized fuel canisters make for a high pucker factor.

The main reason people use(d) butane canisters is weight savings, compactness, and they were only doing warm-weather trips in mid-summer on a weekend, and they're Birkenstock-wearing tofu-slurping hippies.

I agree with the first three reasons, but I'm not even sure what these Birkenstocks you wear are. And you can keep the tofu.

[BDK]

I understand the practical benefits of being able to use unleaded as a stove source, but once upon a time, long, long ago, I had to do an analysis of gasoline, for carcinogens.

A) Being in a lab, w. ventilation, was still nauseating with gasoline vapors.

B) There are quite a few carcinogens in gasoline - can't say I'd really be inclined to cook over it.