Well, hardly. Petroleum based liquid fueled stoves still rule the day when it's seriously cold. There are gas stoves that will work in really cold weather (particularly if you do things to warm the canister), but in general 0F/-18C is sort of my dividing line between appropriate use of a winter capable gas stove vs. a liquid fueled stove. Note that I said "winter capable." By that I mean a remote canister stove capable of inverted canister operation. Don't try to take an ordinary upright canister stove down to 0F/-18C!
OK, so extreme cold is when you need a liquid fueled stove, but are there other reasons to go with liquid fuel? Sure there are. Here are just a few:
- Motor touring. Liquid fuel is pretty popular with long distance motorcyclists for example. They can just pull a little unleaded out of their motorcycle's tanks and run their stove.
- International travel. Kerosene is the international stove fuel and is generally available world wide. Gas canisters aren't as widely available, and the canisters available in a given area may not be the canisters your stove uses. Other liquid fuels like "Av gas" (aviation gasoline) and unleaded automotive gasoline are also available in many areas
- "Sustainability." Canisters take a lot to manufacture and are single use. Even if you recycle them, there's still a much greater impact than buying a liquid fuel bottle that will last a lifetime (or more)
- KISS (keep it simple, sweetheart). If don't want to have "gear proliferation" and want one stove for all four seasons, liquid fuel is the way to go.
- High volume use. Liquid fuel is still the cheapest fuel. For people that use their stoves a lot, it's a good option. A four ounce canister of gas costs about $5.00. The equivalent amount of white gasoline? About $0.30.
- Nostalgia. Seriously! I've still got my uncle's 1962 Primus 71 stove. It's all brass, and it's highly cool. I'm not going to stop using that or my ultra-cool Svea 123 just because gas is a bit more convenient! Get real!
Happy hiking,
HJ
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