Inverted Canister Stoves for Winter Backpacking
An inverted canister stove (also called a remote inverted canister stove) is a canister stove that can burn canister gas (an isobutane/propane mix) in lower temperatures than a regular canister stove. It’s good for winter camping when the nighttime temperature drops below 15 degrees (F). That’s the temperature at which point regular (upright) canister stoves like a Jetboil Flash and MSR Windburner begin to fail because the gas inside their fuel canisters can’t vaporize.
But an inverted canister stove can burn gas down to about 0 degrees Fahrenheit because it burns canister gas in its liquid form rather than as a gas. This is done by turning the canister on its side or upside down so that the fuel comes out of the canister in a liquid form rather than a gaseous one. Inverted canister stoves are specially made so that they can burn the liquid fuel feed.
| Make / Model | Upright | Inverted | Weight (oz) |
|---|---|---|---|
| GSI Outdoors Pinnacle 4 Season | Y | Y | 6.0 |
| Kovea Spider | Y | Y | 5.9 |
| MSR WindPro II | Y | Y | 6.6 |
| MSR Whisperlite Universal | Y | Y | 11.2 |
| Optimus Vega | Y | Y | 6 |
| Optimius Polaris OptiFuel Kit | Y | Y | 16.75 |
Remote Inverted Canister Stove Benefits
Being able to position the fuel canister separate from the burner head has several benefits:
- The first is that you can surround the burner head with a high windscreen to make it more efficient, something you can’t do with a burner head that sits on top of a canister because the canister will overheat and explode.
- The second is that the stove is much more stable and can be used with much larger cook pots because it’s lower to the ground and less prone to toppling over. Efficiency and stability are very important if you’re melting snow for drinking water in winter, which you need to bring to a boil to purify.
Just be aware that most remote canister stoves are designed for group cooking and larger pots, but do not support inverted operation. That requires a specially designed stove.
Better Fuel Efficiency
If fuel efficiency is of paramount importance, and it frequently is in winter, a remote inverted canister stove will burn more efficiently if it’s surrounded by a windscreen, something you can’t do with most upright canister stoves, lest they overheat and explode. The one exception to that is a completely enclosed burned head, like the radiant burner used on the MSR Windburner stove, the Olicamp RBS Infrared Stove System, or the MSR Reactor Stove (currently under a safety recall). However, both of those stoves have the same temperature limitation of regular upright canister stoves (like a Jetboil Flash or MSR Pocket Rocket 2) because they can only burn canister fuel in its gaseous form.
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Another option is a propane to lindal (isobutane) adapter, which lets you use 1-lb propane canisters with your isobutane stoves and lanterns.
Kovea has one with a small pressure adjustment knob (model VA-AD-0701), there are some without the adjustment knob and they work OK for me. Amazon sometimes has them (the ones with the adjustment), and nearly always has ones without the adjustment.
Look at the accessories on www . kovea . com for pics of some adapters.
But no one wants to carry a propane tank up a mountain.
Unless you’re dragging a pulk into BSP…
Just make sure that you use the canister that is environmentally friendly, refillable.
As someone who wants to get into winter camping this year, the stove system is the biggest thing I can’t wrap my head around, and the thing I am most afraid of failing. Obviously melting snow is crucial and you can’t have that fail. When do you like to go with a remote canister vs. liquid fuel? Obviously if temps are forcasted to dip below 0. Going remote canister seems simpler than liquid fuel, until you get to the point of needing more fuel than a single 8oz canister. Do you need more than an 8oz canister if you’re going to need to melt snow for 1 overnight using a remote system?
When in doubt bring white gas. It’s not that heavy and the stove are much more reliable in cold weather. I’ve had canisters fail on trips and had to bail. It really sucks. That’s never a problem with white gas. When far from a road, bring white gas. You get a lot more energy from it too. Get yourself an MSR whisperlite universal which can do both – white gas and inverted canisters, so you always have options.
Get the Xgk by MSR. It’s better at melting large volumes of snow and can go down to the low Temps. we love to brag about .
For a quick weekend trip you can use the small fuel bottle . The best buy for a gallon of White Gas is Wal Mart.
Make sure you put duck tape all over the fuel canister as the liquid is so cold you will get frostbite on your hands with any type of contact.
I have three different sizes of fuel bottles depending on trip length and number of people in the group.
Burns like hell and just as loud but it’s bombproof.
I use the canister stoves for the shoulder seasons and summertime.
Hope this helps.
Should be used outside your tent only and practice safe lighting regularly.
Only the Sherpas are allowed to use XGK’ s at base camp never clients.
Have you tried the Fire Maple Blade 2 yet Phil? I ordered one up to see if it’s suitable for light mountaineering trips.
If you want to use propane in one of these stoves look out for Ultra Flame propane canisters in the welding section of your hardware store. They use a Lindal valve in a lighter weight 8oz format. Slightly more expensive than a butane canister but worth it for the low temperature benefits.
Good tip!
I love my GSI Pinnacle 4-season. I take it for deep winter day hikes as an emergency water source. Or to heat up a water bottle if, God forbid I need to spend a lonely cold night out. Packs tightly into a Toaks 750ml pot with canister, mini-Bic, and a couple tea bags. The legs loosen up over time but can be crimped tight with a set of pliers.
Have any of you placed the fuel canister of your JetBoil in a shallow container of water while melting snow? Give it a try. We use this method to keep the fuel warm and the stove functional during our annual snow camping trip. Absent the water bath, the JetBoil does not function. Yes, it does get cold in California. ?
I’ve done that, but you have to realize that the jetboil canister gets colder as its used (its how they work) and will eventually chill the water so much that this hack does not work unless you keep pouring hot water into the container that the canister is sitting in.