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WE KNOW WE MESS AROUND WITH SATIRIZING SAFETY ALERTS FOR SOME THINGS, ALWAYS ADVOCATING SELF-RESPONSIBILITY OVER THE HYSTERIA OF AN INDUSTRY THAT BECOMES EVER MORE COTTON WOOL, BUT THIS ONE IS A REAL CONCERN AND IS SOMETHING WE HAVEN’T SEEN MENTIONED.

WE LIKE THE LITTLE GAS CANISTER ADAPTERS GETTING ABOUT, USUALLY BOOTLEG, CHEAP DEVICES THAT COST A FEW DOLLARS BUT THAT SUBVERT THE GAS CANISTER INDUSTRY. THESE LITTLE THINGS SIMMPLY ALLOW YOU TO EMPTY THE REMNANTS OF ONE CANISTER INTO ANOTHER, EMPTYING ALL THOSE NEARLY-SPENT ONES ROLLING AROUND IN THE BACK OF THE CAR. ON EXPEDITIONS THEY ARE GREAT AS YOU CAN KEEP CANISTERS AT GOOD PRESSURE WHILST CRUSHING THE EMPTIES FOR PORTAGE, AND WITH INTELLIGENT MANAGEMENT GET YOU A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT MORE USEABLE GAS OUT OF THE WEIGHT YOU CARRY. OVER A SMALL TEAM OUT FOR WEEKS THIS IS REAL MONEY, AND GOES A STEP TOWARDS ANSWERING WHY PACKS ARE NEVER SMALLER ON THE WAY OUT DESPITE HAVING CONSUMED EVERYTHING.

THE PROBLEM IS WHEN YOU GO TO ALTITUDE, ANECDOTAL OBSERVATION SUGGESTS ABOVE ABOUT 4500m, AND PROBABLY HAS AS MUCH TO DO WITH DEEP COLD AS IT DOES AIR PRESSURE. WHAT HAPPENS IS THE DIFFERENTIAL OF THE GASES MIX CHANGES WITH BURNING, SOMETHING WE ALL KNOW WHEN IT COMES TO BURNING. DIFFERENT GASES BURN AT DIFFERENT PRESSURE THRESHOLDS THAT ARE CONSIDERED BACK IN THE FACTORY AT SEA LEVEL, BUT GET A BIT RANDOM THE HIGHER YOU GO WHERE THE PARAMETERS OF  USE CHANGE. INSIDE TENTS, OUTSIDE TENTS, DIFFERENT STOVES, INVERTED, WARMED, SHAKEN AND SOLAR RADIATION ON THE METAL ALL AFFECT HOW THE CONTENTS ARE CONSUMED.

MIX A FEW OF THESE TOGETHER WITH AN ADAPTER AND YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE, THEN LIGHT EM UP AS WE’VE BEEN DOING AND IT’S A GAMBLE. ON-TOP STOVES SEEM TO JUST NEVER REALLY HIT STRIDE, PRESUMABLY BECAUSE THE MIX ISN’T RIGHT TO PREHEAT THE GOOD STUFF. WHERE THE PYROTECHNICS START AND EYEBROWS ARE LOST IS WITH INVERTED CANISTER STOVES, WHERE RANDOM LIQUID FEEDS CAN BE ALARMINGLY RICH BUT NOT VERY HOT, MEANING THEY NEVER GET OUT OF THE INITIAL ORANGE FLARE PHASE. IN A WORLD MADE OF DYNEEMA, NYLON, EXPENSIVE DOWN AND PLASTIC THIS ISN’T GOOD, WITH A LEAPING FLAME THAT IS COMPARABLE TO A FUEL STOVE BUT THAT DOESN’T SETTLE IN A FEW SECONDS, AND WE GUESS IS SPEWING CARBON MONOXIDE DUE TO HALF-ASSED COMBUSTION.

SO WHAT TO DO? WE’RE NOT SURE THERE IS MUCH OF A REALISTIC SOLUTION, THOUGH HAVING NOTICED IT ONLY HAPPENS ABOVE A CERTAIN ALTITUDE IN EARLY WINTER, MAYBE LEAVING ANY REFILLING TILL AS LOW AS POSSIBLE HELPS. THERE IS A METHOD TO DOING THE REFILLING PROPERLY, AND MAYBE PERFECTING THAT HELPS, GETTING THE TEMPERATURE DIFFERENTIAL BETWEEN CANISTERS SPOT ON AND FILLING IN A RELATIVELY WARM ENVIRONMENT. WE DON’T CLAIM TO KNOW.

WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT IF YOU’RE DOING THIS (AND WE WILL CONTINUE) IS TO BE BLOODY CAREFUL AND TO TREAT YOUR CANISTER STOVE LIKE A LIQUID ONE THAT CAN FLARE. WE NOTICED IT TAKES A FAIR WHILE TO GET A MIX THAT GOES WEIRD, SO THIS IS NOT A COMMENT ON NORMAL USE IN NORMAL ENVIRONMENTS. AS ALWAYS – THINK WHERE YOU ARE, THINK WHAT YOU’RE DOING, THINK FOR YOURSELF.

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