We just returned from a week testing the rig in Michigan's UP. Had a great time. The full 20 lb LPG cylinder we carried lasted all week, with plenty to spare.
Our LPG usage is projected to trend upward. The Mr Heater Buddy worked great, no more cold mornings or evenings for us! My old late 1970s water heater gave up the ghost at the last camp, so we bought a Camp Chef Triton to replace it. And while the old Coleman white gas stove and oven soldiered on, we pulled the trigger on a Camp Chef Oven/Stove after the trip, too. Both of the new appliances run on LPG, so we also added a Y-connector at the tank for cold mornings when we're cooking breakfast.
I've been thinking of going with a bigger gas cylinder from the beginning, but also wanted to go with a composite cylinder to cut down on weight and keep an eye on the gas level easily. Here's some background info from when they were first being introduced into the US market:
Composite Technology Pushes Cylinders to New Heights - NetComposites
Here's a FAQ on composite cylinders by one of the major manufacturers:
www.ragasco.com Frequently Asked Questions
Steel cylinders are available in a 30 lb size, which is about ideal as far as capacity. They're only ~24" tall, so will fit securely in my bottle rack without sticking up too much.
In looking into composite cylinders bigger than the standard 20 lb model, it seems that larger sizes are still somewhat specialized. There are 33 lb ones, but these are supposedly restricted to use on forklifts and advise not to use them with flame sources. They're also 28" tall, which is a bit higher than I'm comfortable with. My guess is that the restriction is more about restricting potential fire risk as much as anything, but who knows? Anyone know more about these? So won't work for me any way, but perhaps an option to consider for others.
I did come across a 25 lb cylinder though:
25 lb Propane Cylinder - Lite Cylinder
I'm liking it a lot, since it adds capacity over the smaller 20 lb standard cylinder. Too bad it only comes in white right now, but maybe if I hold off they'll get some more green ones? The price is reasonable, too.
I'm in no hurry to buy one -- next spring will work -- but I can definitely see the need for all the capacity we can squeeze into one cylinder on the tongue of our M101.
In any case, curious if anyone else has experience with composite LPG cylinders and has advice, maybe this could be a thread about them.
Our LPG usage is projected to trend upward. The Mr Heater Buddy worked great, no more cold mornings or evenings for us! My old late 1970s water heater gave up the ghost at the last camp, so we bought a Camp Chef Triton to replace it. And while the old Coleman white gas stove and oven soldiered on, we pulled the trigger on a Camp Chef Oven/Stove after the trip, too. Both of the new appliances run on LPG, so we also added a Y-connector at the tank for cold mornings when we're cooking breakfast.
I've been thinking of going with a bigger gas cylinder from the beginning, but also wanted to go with a composite cylinder to cut down on weight and keep an eye on the gas level easily. Here's some background info from when they were first being introduced into the US market:
Composite Technology Pushes Cylinders to New Heights - NetComposites
Here's a FAQ on composite cylinders by one of the major manufacturers:
www.ragasco.com Frequently Asked Questions
Steel cylinders are available in a 30 lb size, which is about ideal as far as capacity. They're only ~24" tall, so will fit securely in my bottle rack without sticking up too much.
In looking into composite cylinders bigger than the standard 20 lb model, it seems that larger sizes are still somewhat specialized. There are 33 lb ones, but these are supposedly restricted to use on forklifts and advise not to use them with flame sources. They're also 28" tall, which is a bit higher than I'm comfortable with. My guess is that the restriction is more about restricting potential fire risk as much as anything, but who knows? Anyone know more about these? So won't work for me any way, but perhaps an option to consider for others.
I did come across a 25 lb cylinder though:
25 lb Propane Cylinder - Lite Cylinder
I'm liking it a lot, since it adds capacity over the smaller 20 lb standard cylinder. Too bad it only comes in white right now, but maybe if I hold off they'll get some more green ones? The price is reasonable, too.
I'm in no hurry to buy one -- next spring will work -- but I can definitely see the need for all the capacity we can squeeze into one cylinder on the tongue of our M101.
In any case, curious if anyone else has experience with composite LPG cylinders and has advice, maybe this could be a thread about them.
