Cook System for Winter Snow Camping

[chris2fer6148]

hello everyone! hope everyone is having a fun filled day !

will be going Winter camping in December / January at Mt Baldy. There will be expected snow load of around 2 feet in a day. And the Forest Ranger recommended us to bring 0 degree F bags


Curious as to how you Feel a propane stove would operate under cold conditions at elevation. Is there anything I should be aware of or will the stove operate as it normally would?

thank you for your time

 

[AndrewD]

Lot of variables (tank pressure, length of hose, specific elevation/temp). I've had the hose freeze on a two burner stove at sea level when it was above freezing because the hose wasn't straightened out enough. I don't have much experience with stoves in extreme conditions but I can tell you about what happened last winter at our house, which runs the water heater and clothes dryer off of 100 pound propane tanks. We are at about 2500 feet elevation. The winter was average but when our tank/regulator froze it was definitely the coldest at just above 0 degrees, but the tank was below half so pressure was starting to reduce slightly. Being at home, we just had to put our two electric heating pads (for sore backs) on the tank, wrapped it all in a couple of blankets, and it was back up and running in an hour (they sell expensive heat wraps for propane tanks for $700+; our heating pads are about $20 each).

Maybe you should look into a backup stove option. There are many lightweight liquid fuel backpacking stoves. And there's always Esbit stoves for a lightweight back up if you don't mind your whole pack smelling like dried fish. You won't be cooking steaks on Esbits but you can boil water for coffee and freeze-dried meals. There's Sterno too. Another option would be the micro woodburning stoves they sell. There's a guy on youtube called Firebox Stove who does all kinds of elevation hiking with his stoves (which are all designed for backpacking and fold small and flat). They are basically just a portable metal box the size of a coffee can that let you cook whatever you want by burning small sticks. He cooks three-course steak dinners on his little stove all the time. Lots of stuff online for DIY backpacking alcohol stoves that burn HEET and homemade fireboxes too.

 

[Windigo]

I’m cautious about taking propane ice fishing these days, not sure how much I’d want to lean on it camping anymore. I’d definitely bring a backup liquid fuel stove, and I’d try and keep the propane as warm as possible

 

[robcollins]

Compressed gas (propane and butane) both have issues that get worse in cold weather.

A tipi (TiGoat Vertex-8) with a wood stove (Medium Kifaru Box Stove) is what I run in weather you describe. Pulling a sled with a chainsaw, something to split with, a collapsible shovel, and a pad with good insulation rounds things out more, the stove can melt snow, cook food, and warm you if you're standing or sitting at a level higher than the stove. Forget it warming you while you sleep.

White gas stoves are another option. MSR Whisperlite is a good one, solid for melting snow. Optimus Polaris is another, more $, but it can burn propane (with an adapter), butane, white gas, etc.

Sent from my SM-G781V using Tapatalk

 

[UpSideDown]

Do you mean the Southern California Mt Baldy? Be smart about trail selection if you’re going in the snow, the lack of vegetation on some trails makes them into extremely hazardous ice chutes.

As to fuels, Baldy usually doesn’t get that cold? Isobutane like JetBoil fuel would be fine. Propane probably would too. Check the weather ahead of time, I think most winters days on that mountain stay above 0-10F.

 

[Bendejo]

Backpacking, or car camping?

 

[ScreamingPotato]

I've had multiple trips where the butane jetboil stoves fail, but can't say propane has ever failed. Last year around 9500 feet we had 3-4 days where the highs didn't leave single digits and woke up every morning to negatives. We had our little pop-up camper and cooked on the propane stove daily. Stove is inside, but so were all our frozen water bottles and exploded sodas, tanks and lines obviously outside in the elements.

 

[TaperPin]

The Whisperlite white gas stove always works - a mountain classic.

 

[Mike 338]

Had to use a Jetboil to melt snow for water. It doesn't last to long so you'll need a lot of fuel. Whisperlite works good for all your cold camping but always be cautious of white gas flare-ups in enclosed spaces. I just cool outside. Coleman propane stoves never let me down in cold weather when car camping.

 

[doc holiday13]

I've been using a MSR XGK. Always works, fuel is cheap. Its a touch heavy but you can make up your weight savings elsewhere.