Picked this up un ebay for $5.50 Big-5 has canisters, large approx $10 and half size for $6. These have been discontinued in the US but are still available abroad. Couldn't beat the price. Works great.
Camping Gaz stove
That's a Twister 270. It's a decent upright canister stove. Big 5 as you say has the canisters. REI no longer does. I was up at Lake Isabella a week ago, and the super market in Kernville had the canisters. Sport Chalet has the canisters and generally has better fuel prices than Big 5. Rancho Army-Navy store in Temecula also has them.
Note that the Twister 270 uses a canister with a Lindal valve but that the valve is not threaded. This is the standard configuration in France but is atypical in the US. The Twister 270 does not use the old style puncture type canister which are the same color but have a different shape and do not have a valve threaded or otherwise.
A slight upgrade for those who want a little nicer stove is the HP470 which uses the same canister but has a larger burner and 5 pot supports instead of three. The HP470 is a little bit nicer for real cooking; the Twister 270 is a bit more compact.
HJ
The Twister 270 is a nice basic upright canister stove. I think you've got a good "worker bee" stove. Nothing fancy, but it will do the job and a definite improvement in terms of weight and ease of set up over the Turbo 270 (also Camping Gaz). The Turbo 270 is the better cooking stove and is more stable but is heavier and requires more set up.
Generally, the non-threaded Camping Gaz connector should last a life time if you keep it clean and take care of it. The more common (in the US) threaded connectors (like on MSR, Jetboil, etc.) wear out with heavy use. Maybe not a concern to the casual backpacker who does one or two trips a year, but for through hikers or for those who go out often, the Camping Gaz connector is clearly superior. See also Canister Stoves 101: Thread Care
The downside to Camping Gaz is that a) it's less widely available in the US, b) it only comes in 8oz and 16oz canisters (no small 4oz canister as with Jet Boil, Snow Peak, MSR, etc), and c) only comes with propane-butane mixtures (no isobutane) which makes Camping Gaz less desireable at temps below 50F.
You can get stoves like the nice but heavy and bulky MSR SuperFly which will go with either threaded or non-threaded canisters, or you can cobble together something light and small like the SuperGnat which can also use either threaded or non-threaded canisters.
HJ
Hi Jim,Hikin_Jim wrote: ↑The Twister 270 is a nice basic upright canister stove. I think you've got a good "worker bee" stove. Nothing fancy, but it will do the job and a definite improvement in terms of weight and ease of set up over the Turbo 270 (also Camping Gaz). The Turbo 270 is the better cooking stove and is more stable but is heavier and requires more set up.
Generally, the non-threaded Camping Gaz connector should last a life time if you keep it clean and take care of it. The more common (in the US) threaded connectors (like on MSR, Jetboil, etc.) wear out with heavy use. Maybe not a concern to the casual backpacker who does one or two trips a year, but for through hikers or for those who go out often, the Camping Gaz connector is clearly superior. See also Canister Stoves 101: Thread Care
The downside to Camping Gaz is that a) it's less widely available in the US, b) it only comes in 8oz and 16oz canisters (no small 4oz canister as with Jet Boil, Snow Peak, MSR, etc), and c) only comes with propane-butane mixtures (no isobutane) which makes Camping Gaz less desireable at temps below 50F.
You can get stoves like the nice but heavy and bulky MSR SuperFly which will go with either threaded or non-threaded canisters, or you can cobble together something light and small like the SuperGnat which can also use either threaded or non-threaded canisters.
HJ
My buddy had Camping Gaz stove on our Hockett trip. It wasn't a 270 but similar and had 4 wire supports for the cooking vessel and used the same gas canisters. We used at it 34~ degrees with no noticable bad effects or problems. It lit instantly and performed very well. What are the issues with this fuel type at sub 50 degrees? Is it the time it takes to heat?
Thanks again,
Firstly, that 50F temperature is for sea level. Subtract approx. 2F per 1000' of elevation. At Hockett Meadows you're at almost 9000', so subtract 18F, giving you 32F. Running at 34F shouldn't be a problem.
Secondly, that 50F number is for throughout the life of the canister. Cold weather performance with a fresh canister will be markedly better. Why? Well, Camping Gaz canisters contain mostly butane. Butane alone is a poor cold weather fuel. Propane on the other hand is a great cold weather fuel. Blend 'em together, and you've got a decent cold weather fuel. There's still a little problem though -- propane burns off at a faster rate than the butane. So, with a fresh can, you can go pretty cold, maybe as low as 20F, particularly if you do things to keep the canister warm. However, as the can empties, the percentage of propane decreases. As a result, your cold weather performance will decrease as the can empties. In the last third or so of the canister you have nothing but butane left, and your cold weather performance will be at its lowest.
It's a bit complicated, but the main things to remember are:
-In cold weather, use a fresh canister.
-Toward the end of the canister, don't expect good performance below 50F at sea level; subtract 2F for every 1000' above sea level.
-In weather below 50F, you may need to switch to a different type of stove if you want to be able to use all the fuel you bring.
Hope that makes sense.
HJ
Secondly, that 50F number is for throughout the life of the canister. Cold weather performance with a fresh canister will be markedly better. Why? Well, Camping Gaz canisters contain mostly butane. Butane alone is a poor cold weather fuel. Propane on the other hand is a great cold weather fuel. Blend 'em together, and you've got a decent cold weather fuel. There's still a little problem though -- propane burns off at a faster rate than the butane. So, with a fresh can, you can go pretty cold, maybe as low as 20F, particularly if you do things to keep the canister warm. However, as the can empties, the percentage of propane decreases. As a result, your cold weather performance will decrease as the can empties. In the last third or so of the canister you have nothing but butane left, and your cold weather performance will be at its lowest.
It's a bit complicated, but the main things to remember are:
-In cold weather, use a fresh canister.
-Toward the end of the canister, don't expect good performance below 50F at sea level; subtract 2F for every 1000' above sea level.
-In weather below 50F, you may need to switch to a different type of stove if you want to be able to use all the fuel you bring.
Hope that makes sense.
HJ
Exactly. But for fair weather trips, it won't matter. Certainly this time of year it's nothing to worry about.
You've got yourself a nice little stove. Cook on!
HJ