The Best Adapters for Refilling Camping Gas Canisters

READ MY FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS IN THE COMMENTS SECTION.

WARNING! In case you're wondering, DO NOT TRY TO FILL PROPANE GAS INTO BUTANE OR ISOBUTANE CANISTERS!! It's dangerous to place propane into the Isobutane canisters because they are light gauge metal containers, and propane exerts a greater pressure than butane. There's a reason why LPG or propane canisters are significantly thicker gauge than the little hiking gas canisters we love to carry around.

PURCHASE LINKS:
**This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated, and you will be supporting this channel.

HELPFUL INFO:
Gas suitable for most camping applications:
Generic Butane Canister 220g - $1.50 - Boiling Temp -1°C

Gas suitable for cold climate applications:
Jetboil IsoButane Canister 100g - $13.00 - Boiling Temp -12°C
Jetboil IsoButane Canister 230g - $16.00 - Boiling Temp -12°C
Kmart IsoButane Canister 227g - $4.00 - Boiling Temp -12°C

Gas suitable for extremely freezing climate applications:
Coleman Camping Propane Canister 468g - $12 - Boiling Temp -42°C
LPG Bottle Exchange (Bunnings) 3.7kg - $22.50 - Boiling Temp -42°C
LPG Bottle Exchange (Bunnings) 8.5kg - $31.50 - Boiling Temp -42°C

WANT TO SUPPORT ME?
My videos are free to watch, but are not free to make.
If you enjoy my content and want to support my work - I am very grateful. Here's the link:

#gas #campinggear #howto

[jelreviews]

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Q1. Can I fill propane gas into butane or isobutane canisters?
Answer. NO! DO NOT TRY TO FILL PROPANE GAS INTO BUTANE OR ISOBUTANE CANISTERS!! It's dangerous to place propane into the Isobutane canisters because they are light gauge metal containers, and propane exerts a greater pressure than butane. There's a reason why LPG or propane canisters are significantly thicker gauge than the little hiking gas canisters we love to carry around.

Q2. Can I "top up" a half full gas canister, say a camping iso-butane canister that is half-full with butane gas?
Answer: There is nothing wrong with 'topping up' a canister provided that it is only topped up with the same type of gas, ie butane to butane, don't mix butane into iso-butane or propane for example. However, be aware of the weight of an empty canister vs a full canister, so when you top up the half empty canister, do not go above what a full canister would normally weigh. That's why always use a kitchen scale to double check. For example, I always use the small 100g Jetboil camping canister for my adventures. When empty, it weighs 100g, when full of butane it weighs 200g. Don't overfill it to say 220g total weight, ensure its 200g total and you're good to go - it's what the canister is designed to hold.

Q3. If I don't freeze the "receiving canister" (host), can I still transfer gas from the donor canister to the host canister?
Answer: Yes, you can.... if you don't freeze the receiving canister, it will still receive gas, but won't be as efficient to transfer, and it won't get to its full capacity. To make sure gas flows from the donor canister to the host canister effectively, there needs to be a heat differential between them. If both canisters are the same temperature, it won't transfer effectively. Cold gas shrinks and condenses, while warm fuel expands. So, the receiving canister needs to be colder than the one being emptied, and the receiving canister should be on the bottom of the donor canister.


Q4. My iso-butane canister is looking old, rusty and crappy. Can I still refill it?
Answer: Like anything in life, safety is paramount, and if you choose to use any equipment that is old, rusty and crappy, then you will wear the risk of personal injury!! It is critical to always ensure your gas canisters are in good condition. If there is any rust or damage, do not use it for gas purposes!! Discard it and get another gas canister that you have confidence in.

[t.davidgordon]

I don’t know how you could have produced this with all of the important information in a briefer, clearer presentation. I have probably consulted seven or eight other videos (each helpful in its own way), but none was as thorough or as clear as this. Thank you very much for the effort that went into this (the editing must have been labor-intensive); be safe, and enjoy the outdoors. Many thanks from the USA.

[beingaware]

pull the little relief valve out with needle nose pliers to get some air out, instead of repeated freezing. great video!

[tarnvedra]

Few notes:
- propane, butane or their mix is always mostly liquified in the bottle unless its almost empty, you harvest the gas from layer on top of the liquid
- this is part of the reason you had trouble transferring into a bottle that was laying on its side, better setup is donor/receiver adaptors connected with a hose, that way you can keep donor bottle upside down, receiver bottle right side up and also keep it on the scale while you are filling to check that you don´t go over the proper fill weight.

[t.davidgordon]

This was the most thorough, and understandable, video I have read on refilling canisters. I ordinarily hammock-camp in a nearby state forest (less than 20 miles away, in the USA), and I ordinarily do everything over a fire; in the summer, it keeps bugs away, in cooler weather, it produces heat (I’ve been comfortably down to 18 F in my hammock), so I ordinarily just cook on the fire. When it rains, however, and I have my hammock tarp in porch mode, I take an alcohol stove, which works fine. However, it doesn’t work very well in sub-freezing weather (it lights, but is slow to reach boiling temps). So I purchased an inexpensive butane stove (the Ozark single-burner). When I weighed it, compared to my alcohol (with fuel), it is only one ounce lighter for the 8 oz. canister, and would be LESS with a 4 oz. canister. Since I ordinarily do only a night or two, that is all I need, but now (thanks to you) I can use my larger butane canisters to re-fuel my smaller ones, and they will be as light (or lighter), and more reliable (keep them close to your back on sub-freezing hikes). This is what I will try this summer and fall, and see how it compares to the alcohol stove. You have provided VERY helpful information as I plan for the future. BTW, I am almost 70, recovered from Stage-3 colon cancer 20 years ago, and I am just grateful to still hike out in the woods and spend nights alone in the woods. Thank you very much, from state-side, as we call it here; hikers, campers, and backpackers have no countries; we all just live in the forest, when we can. THANK you very much. Be safe, and enjoy the forest.

[wojomojo]

Best and most comprehensive explanation of all these gas bottles / valves etc. EVAR! Thanks.

[KeithRobertson]

Here in the UK I tend to buy larger ISO Butane cans at 500g each. I then fill our small 230g or 100g cans as appropriate. Works out a little more economical to buy in bulk. The 230g ones we use for sea kayaking expeditions, they fit in the boat a bit easier; and the 100g ones for when we have to carry stuff on our backs 😎

The big ones never go anywhere near a stove. Once they are empty I puncture them and recycle.

Thanks for the info on the narrower pure butane cans. Cheaper solution so long as it’s not too cold 👍🏻 Will probably use these once I get the adapter from eBay.

[brashachilles]

Best canister refilling video I have seen!

[ArsaGauri]

Every single hikers in my country ( Indonesia ) always refill their canister after hiking, only rich hikers buys new one after their canister empty, because Primus, MSR, Jetboil and Giga Power gas is so expensive, we use local gas to refill.

[Buffy-]

Excellent explanation finally someone explaining what all the gases are/ used for. Thanks

[douglasgreen]

Excellent presentation, concise & to the point, 10 out of 10...

[Randombourg]

Great video, it's good to move isobutane from one canister to another if you don't want to take 2 on more partly filled cans, for weight or space reasons

[freechasehappy]

Awesome video! Here in the US, propane is so prevalent that I switched my Iso-butane backpacking stoves to it using the adapter. I have almost completely abandoned isobutane, taking propane for car camping, white gas for backpacking.

[lithgowlights]

I have been filling my propane torch for the last few years and it's a great idea, and saves heaps of $. Alas the new cylinder connections are becoming more common, so I'll have to get another adapter to continue in the future

[Aussiehomestead]

Well explained. Thanks
Regards Andy from Aussie Homestead NSW Australia 🦘

[SmithandWessonA]

Would like a follow up please, testing the efficiency of the gases. So, a boil time test using pure the propane/ LPG, the isobutane mix, and the pure butane. Show the time, and the amount of gas used, all with the same stove.

[Johndozer]

Great video! Be mindful of the rust that will develop inside of steel peopane bottles, they will not last forever. Propane contains water so structural integrity will eventually be compromised by rust. That being said, I hate throwing away a perfectly good canister just because it is empty.

[dnf]

Kmart doesn't sell the small butane bottles anymore. So I came across your video on how to refill them. I like the idea of re-using them since the small bottles are expensive.

[kampmotovlogs]

Thankyou for this informative video😊 great help watching here in the phils.

[Lone-Rider-dw]

Excellent Video mate.
Very useful information Cheers 😁