Camping gas calculator
The calculator needs JavaScript. The worked example, sum and figures below show exactly how it works, so you can do it yourself. A guide, not advice.
Short answer
Enter your stove's gas use from its box (in grams per hour), how many days you'll cook and how many hot meals and brews you expect. The calculator adds a spare for wind and cold mornings, then finds the cartridges to take from the sizes you can buy.
Worked example
| You enter | Value |
|---|---|
| Your stove's gas use on full | 150 g/h |
| People | 4 |
| Days you'll cook | 3 |
| Hot meals a day | 2 |
| Burner time per meal | 15 min |
| Brews per person a day | 2 |
| Burner time per brew | 4 min |
| Spare for wind and cold | 25% |
| Gas in each cartridge you can buy | 220 g |
Take 3 × 220 g of gas (581 g with spare)
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Gas to take, with spare | 581 g |
| Least left over | 3 × 220 g |
| Fewest cartridges | 3 × 220 g |
| Gas you'd burn on a calm day | 465 g |
| Burner time a day | 62 min |
Show the working
- Burner time a day: 2 meals × 15 min + 4 people × 2 brews × 4 min = 62 min
- Gas: 150 g/h × 62 min ÷ 60 × 3 days = 465 g
- With spare: 465 g × 1.25 (25%) = 581 g
- Least left over: 3 × 220 g = 660 g (79 g spare on top)
How it works
- Burner time a day = hot meals × minutes per meal + people × brews each × minutes per brew
- Gas = stove's grams per hour × burner time ÷ 60 × days
- Gas to take = gas × (1 + spare allowance)
- Cartridges: the mix of the sizes you can buy with the least gas left over, and the fewest-cartridges alternative
A stove's grams-per-hour figure is for full power. Simmering uses less; wind, cold and a big pan use more.
Gas works less well in the cold, and butane most of all: on a cold morning a cartridge can run well below its rated output. Gas sold for colder weather mixes in propane or isobutane. Check the maker's guidance for the temperatures your gas works at.
Take the spare. Running out halfway through tea is the usual way a camping trip goes wrong.
Our figures (adjustable)
These are our planning allowances and, once checked, typical figures with their sources. They aren't facts about your kit: change any of them in the calculator.
| Figure | Our default (adjustable) | Kind | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hot meals a day | 2 meals | Our assumption Not yet checked against the source | Our choice: change it to suit your trip Hot meals cooked on the stove each day. Our starting point: change it to your plan. |
| Burner time per meal | 15 min | Our assumption Not yet checked against the source | Our choice: change it to suit your trip Burner-on time per hot meal for the whole group. Our assumption: one-pot meals take less, a fry-up on two rings takes more. |
| Brews per person a day | 2 brews/day | Our assumption Not yet checked against the source | Our choice: change it to suit your trip Hot drinks or washing-up water per person per day. Our assumption. |
| Burner time per brew | 4 min | Our assumption Not yet checked against the source | Our choice: change it to suit your trip Burner-on time per person's brew (part of a shared kettle). Our assumption: depends on your stove and kettle. |
| Spare for wind and cold | 25 % | Our assumption Not yet checked against the source | Our choice: change it to suit your trip Spare gas for wind, cold mornings and a stove running below its rated output. Our allowance. |
| Table | Clause | Nations | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camping gas: cartridge sizes and typical burner use Researcher to cite makers' specs (Campingaz, Coleman, Primus, Calor) and Gas Safe / HSE consumer guidance on butane and propane in the cold | Net gas per cartridge or cylinder, and typical burner consumption in grams per hour | UK-wide | 0/9 values entered Not yet checked against the source |
What to buy
Shopping links will appear here once our retailer partners are confirmed. We don't rank kit by testing it: see our spec-based kit guides.
FAQs
How long does a gas cartridge last?
It depends on the stove and how you cook. Divide the gas in the cartridge (in grams) by the stove's grams per hour to get hours on full, then remember that simmering uses less and wind uses more.
Why does my stove struggle on cold mornings?
Gas works less well in the cold, and butane most of all. Store cartridges out of the worst of the cold overnight, in the car for example, and never warm one near a flame or heater.
Can I cook in the porch if it's raining?
No. Cook outside in the open air. Stoves give off carbon monoxide, which can kill, and a porch traps it.
Guides that use it
Camping cooking for families
Camping cooking for families: calm, practical help for UK families and first-timers, from the Canvasdale team.
Camping gas guide: types, sizes and how much
Butane, propane and mixed camping gas explained, the main cartridge and cylinder types, how they cope in the cold, and how to work out how much to take.
Best camping stoves (UK)
Best camping stoves (UK): calm, practical help for UK families and first-timers, from the Canvasdale team.