So I am gearing up for a long distance bike tour across Canada this summer. Couple weeks from now is when I'll be leaving. I just want to make sure all the items I have are optimal for my trip.
This is the stove I bought Classic Trail LPG Stove Now this stove was on the cheaper side which was nice but I'm sure theres some downsides to it like everything. Here is the butane canister I have for itButane Can What I heard about these cans is once you puncture the seal for the first time by screwing the stove onto there is you cant unscrew it. This is because the seal is open so it will leak or something?
-How long do these types of canisters last. I'll be using it almost every day; boiling water and cooking meals.
-How hard are these cans to come by? Like I said i'll be traveling across Canada BC, AB, MA, SK, ON.
-Also something else: Is a wood stove a possibility? How reliable are they for touring?
Thanks!

IDK I've always used MSR petrol stoves, The whisperlight Internationale, is fine with unleaded regular.

from regular gas stations.. 50p at a time..

You can unscrew the canister safely. Canisters are found in most outdoor store and Canadian tire or Walmart. You might find the rare non-threaded "Bleuet" canister. Those don't work. A canister should last about a week depending on use.

Learn to make the alcohol stove below. It's cheap, light, and fuel is easy to find.

You are talking about the old Gaz stoves, also known as Bluet stoves. And a few were sold under the Optimus name. You will know if you have one of those stoves. They were common up until about 30 years ago. I have not seen a new one for decades.

I know this is a lousy photo but the blue stove under the pot on the left side behind the wine box is one of those stoves. The blue fuel canister closer to the camera is that type of canister.

I think a wood burning stove would be a bad idea, at least in western part of the country. It get hot and dry in a hurry; and unless you planned on only using it in campgrounds it would be a fire hazard. The same for alcohol stoves.

i'm impressed with that alcohol stove video.

building one, looks like a good way to blow off an afternoon with a six-pack and some Ramen!

There is nothing wrong with that kind of stove for summer camping. There are some drawbacks, including the lack of a decent wind shield, which makes using it on windy days annoying, and that you have to buy and carry extra cannisters (always one backup on a longer trip), and that it doesn't collapse into a small shape that can nest into the cooking pot.

So, I've always preferred liquid fuel stoves, and these days would use alcohol or white gas, though my 50 year old kerosene stove still works great.

It's the simplest to make that I know of. It doesn't need a pot stand and you can recuperate the fuel after use. It's nice to know how to build one even if you don't use alcohol. A different alcohol stove (Supercat) saved me when my MSR Dragonfly pump failed for the second time, and again when the canister available was for a Bleuet stove.

Alcohol stoves are prohibited along with open fires in non-designated campgrounds during certain periods of the fire season in a lot of western states.

Alcohol stoves are a problem because of their tendency to spill fuel when tipped over, and they lack a "positive shutoff valve".

https://www.pcta.org/discover-the-tr...y-basics/fire/

Your stove is ok and canisters can be commonly found in Western Canada at least. I have that and the older puncture type cylinder stove you are concerned about.

The other stove trapped the cylinder with two wire arms and punctured it via the burner when the stove was screwed down onto it. A seal on the burner part kept the gas in but you could not unscrew the assembly until all the gas was used up.

The stove you are looking at has a seal inside the cylinder itself and will reseal whenever the burner is unscrewed.

If it were me I would have two cylinders, one I was using and one a spare. When you switch start looking in outdoor type stores for a replacement along the way. That gives you 3 - 4 days to find one.

Through northern Ontario maybe take two

Nice to hear since I just bought an MSR WhisperLite Universal. In re wood stoves I'd guess they could also be problematic in the damper areas since wet wood produces less heat.

Sounds like a good idea. Canadian Tire had fuel canisters.

Link has water boil volumes for the different size canisters, figure out how much water you need per meal and calculate it out. If you have dehydrated meals, each should have a water volume in the instructions.

In any case, they aren't that bulky or heavy, you could carry a couple extra until you've got a routine sorted.

I have a little camp stove that uses the same butane/propane mix canisters as the OP. When unscrewed from the stove the hole automatically reseals so you can store the canister for the next use. However, with some brands of canisters I did notice a little gas leakage when either screwing or unscrewing from the stove so it's good to do this as quickly as possible. Main drawback is the cost of the canisters and the amount of waste from the empties. For longer trips I use a white gas stove, but the canister one is convenient for shorter ones - the one I have comes in a little orange plastic box, includes piezo-electric spark lighter, weighs 4 oz., and cost $7 from Amazon.

If you wanna get really crazy with an alcohol stove...

Trangia stoves are rock solid (not likely to spill fuel) and are easy enough to shut off. They also have a fine built in wind shield.

But yes I've read as well that they are prohibited in parks out west during fire season. Is the prohibition only for non-designated campgrounds or is it broader?

That certainly is a good reason to go with a different type of stove. I really like the Trangia and use it a lot. When I did a cross country though I used the MSR whisperlite.

Check with the local forestry/campground service. The wording for alcohol stoves often (but but always) mentions "ultralight", aka cat-food-can stoves specifically.

Hi,
There's a gas attachment specifically designed for the Trangia (made by Primus, I think). I assume that you can use this when necessary and the regular fuel when not. Either way, you've a back-up if you ever have fuel issues

Made by Primus for Trangia, if you are searching for it. The spirit burner is the alcohol model, of course, while the gas burner will yield what you are looking for. It runs on the common screw-on isopropane canisters. The more modern Trangia stove sets accommodate it, but you'll need to punch/saw a hole/cutout in the base of the older [classic] stove stands.

Canadian Tire carries isobutane canisters & pretty much any store that carries outdoor/camping supplies. For me the middle-size lasts 7 to 10 days. I cook most of my meals on them.

Your Optimus Trail stove will work just fine, probably great. It weight is a bit more my Optimus Crux (folding model) comes in at 85 gm and the Trail 227gm. In the grand scheme of things not all that much difference. One possible down side is how much noise the Trail makes at full throttle. Cheaper stoves “tend” to be noisier. Something to keep in mind in busy campground when you fire it up for you morning brew at 5:00 am to get an early start on the day. Be considerate to others.

Your fuel canisters will not leak when you remove the burner. If one does, it a defect in the canister valve or the burner – very unlikely.

I pictured both my Crux and my DYI alcohol stoves just because bike stove conversations always drift towards the “unmatched” qualities of alcohol. Both stoves cook very well. Both simmer but the Crux must have 2x the heat output on high. For one person cooking at blowtorch temperatures is a little ridiculous not to mention an inefficient use of fuel. Of course my alcohol stove make no noise at all no matter the flame size. I take one or the other depending on the tour.

I agree with both of the last 2 posters. No need for anything else. You should be fine with your new purchase. Just keep it on level surfaces so it doesn't tip over.....

Carry a spare cannister just in case you run out - but shaking the cannister should indicate if it is almost empty. Any reader have thoughts on this?

Canadian Tire stores are in larger places (over 5000 population??) like Portage la Prairie, but often hardware stors have gas cannisters too.