Chatted with a ranger at Shenandoah who changed how I pack my stove fuel

Ran into this older guy at the camp store near Big Meadows, been a ranger there for like 20 years. He saw me buying those little green isobutane canisters and just shook his head. Said he's pulled more of those out of bear spots than anything else because folks don't realize the O-rings get brittle after a season. Told me to store them upside down in my car during winter to keep the seal wet. I never even thought about O-rings on fuel cans. Has anyone else been doing this or did I just miss some basic camping knowledge?

3 comments

3 Comments

christopher_sullivan1mo ago

Honestly never heard that upside down trick, but my buddy swears by freezing leaky cans to slow the gas.

reesemiller1mo ago

Yeah @christopher_sullivan freezing em is legit, slows the leak just enough to get home or to a shop.

torres.sage17d ago

Whoa yeah, I tried that once and it bought me like a solid 10 more minutes to find a gas station. The trick is getting it cold enough without it actually freezing solid though, or you're just stuck with a slushy mess.