Great idea and a useful bit of kit, Alan, thanks. I end up using my nearly empty canisters on car-based trips or just in the kitchen at home. Partly filled ones I weigh and estimate whether there is enough left for the next proposed trip.

Once empty, please use a Crunchit tool or similar and recycle the metal!

This is why I loves my MSR petrol stove. If I wants to know how much fuel I have left, I just unscrews the top and looks inside.

I also doesn't take it anywhere near Gelder Shiel because, apparently, despite the fact I'm not called Tony, there are still some folks who have yet to recover from the emotional trauma of seeing a petrol stove at Gelder Shiel ...

(Also, my route doesn't go past Gelder Shiel)

Thanks for the tip, Alan. I think I may "need" one of those!

I'm interested to see Kirsten's tip about the Crunchit tool. Like her, I finish off my nearly empty cannisters when car camping but I've had trouble disposing of the empty cannisters. My local Council tip flatly refused to take them a few months ago - but previously they've let me chuck them into the metal recycling skip. They said I had to take them back to the shop where I bought them ...... like I can remember where that was?!

What do other people do? Empty then cruch them - so it's obvious there's no gas in - and dispose of as metal? Or take them back to the shop? Or just leave them next to the bins on the nearest campsite?

Just a thought.

Some shop should set up a system where you carry in your old empty cylinder and have it refilled from a tank in their shop. That way there is no need to dispose of empty cylinders and you can carry just the amount of weight you need for shorter trips.

Less waste and cheaper!

William

Judith

I just hit a few holes into an empty cartridge using a hammer and old spade type drill bit. Then they go in our recycling bin with everything else. Never been a problem.

(I use up the last dregs of gas carts to make coffee at home)

I borrowed a friend's gas saver and rationalised many part full canisters to not so many full ones. Especially happy with refilling 6 x100g carts as they are expensive for what they supply. Very satisfying.

But, as others say, don't overfill! Even if it seems ok. I tested a 25g overfill with one canister top stove, and it worked fine, but with another, it liquid fed and made things a bit tasty! Also, if storage conditions get warmer, things also change...

So, I work out the weight of an empty cartridge first, then add the correct amount of gas. If it's overfilled by more than a few grand, I bleed it back out into another less full cartridge.

( I'm sure this info is in Alan's blog post too, but worth reiterating).

Spot on Mole

You can see the various empty weights of different manufacturers' canisters on the spreadsheet on the post.

:-)

Ok. Here's an update.

I filled several 100carts using the remnants of several 250 carts several months ago.

I usually use meths or Esbit, so hadn't got round to using gas again until just after Christmas.
Then again a couple of weeks ago.
Then today.
I used a primus ETA lite plus, and a Jetboil.

What I found was, that the refilled (with remnants) carts do not perform very well at all in cool conditions. Slow and hardly get to a rolling boil unless the cart is warmed.
And if the stoves are moved at all, liquid fuel comes out and flares up alarmingly the side of the stove.
I tried with a friend's new jetboil gas cart and stoves worked fine. With the refilled carts there were issues.
I surmise that they end up with mostly pure butane rather than having a decent propane element like when new.

So dregs refills ok in summer, but not for cooler conditions.

I guess if you are filling a 100 cart from a new full larger capacity cart, it will transfer some propane as well?
( Does it need shaking to mix the 2 fuels?)

Good for thought.

Based on your good advice, Santa kindly got me one of these gadgets for Christmas. All my gas bottles are now replenished and my kitchen is still intact. Brilliant!

BU***R!

You shouldn't be overly upset, Andy. Think of your poor neighbours; Their house has been vapourised!