mgray
Junior Nomad
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Registered: 12-13-2007
Location: Vancouver
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Where to get camping propane bottles???
Heading down in a couple months and would like to know whats the best method of keeping a steady flow of propane bottles. Are the small little ones
readily available, or should I bring a BBQ one and just keep refilling it?
Thanks
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vandy
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I used to do the propane thing and used 20-lb refillable bottles for light and cooking.
I now use a small power inverter in the cigarette lighter and compact fluorescents for light, and a Coleman gasoline stove or wood for cooking...no
leaving the valves on by mistake, no delicate hot mantles, no butane contamination, no trips to the propane place, no waiting to get it filled, etc.
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Bob and Susan
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here in mulege propane is everywhere...
the small bottles are in the hardware store
the bigger units are filles at a grocery store or taken to santa rosalia
the "gaspa" truck goes to the campos every once and a while for the people that stay all winter
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oldjack
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Go to Cabela's sporting good store and get the hose you can use to refill the small bottles from a larger source... the hose is about $19.... it is
very easy and reasonably safe... if you are not smoking.......... from my experience the small bottles are to be found but are darn expensive...
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Bob and Susan
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mr heater is $39 at home depot in the states right now...
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vandenberg
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Attachment that refills the small cylinders from a larger one.
This one at Harbor Freight. This one at $15.99.
The little ones are expensive here as per Old Jack.
[Edited on 12-13-2007 by vandenberg]
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DENNIS
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That's the same one I got at Cabelas for I forget how much. It's called the MacCoupler.
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Barry A.
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PROPANE--------20 lb tank, or the one slightly smaller (3 gal?) (found at Home Depot), plus the 3 outlet pipe that fits on the tank vertically. You
can run your lantern on top of the pipe, your stove off the 2nd outlet, and a heater (or bar-b-Q) off the third outlet------works slick, and the "big
tanks" last forever on a camping trip. I only use the tiny tanks for emergencies----way too expensive, IMO. I carry 2 of the 3 gal size tanks and
therefore never run out of propane----lots of places to fill them, if you have too.
barry
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mgray
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Wow, this forum definately has the quickest and best responses! Very impressive.....thank you!
So I think what I'll do is bring 1 big BBQ tank and some small ones, along with the connector to refill the small ones.
But I've heard its a big hassle filling propane down there, like they dont have guages and have no idea how much they are putting in, and dont have
meters so you have to get an estimate of how much it will cost fist type deal.
Can somone please explain the process I'd most likey encounter for refilling propane? If they have no meter how do you know when the tank is full?
That kinda scares me as I already see tanks blowing up in my mind!
Thanks again
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bearbait1
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If you use the filler adapter the directions say to put the small bottle in a freezer before filling it. You need to do this to get much into it,
without putting them in the freezer they only get about half full.
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vandenberg
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McGray,
At the propane filling stations they do it all by weight. Weigh your tank before and after filling and the difference determines the amount of gas
that went into your tank. Simple and fairly accurate.
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Al G
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Thanks Van...was not aware they went by weight...I do know when you get it out of a truck it is by the litro...I carry 2- 20 pound spares and 1- 40 #
on board...I will not let them put butane in my on board so I use it sparingly. each 20 # (full 9.5 gallon) cost 200p in Cabo San Lucas (5 km north
hwy 19) other fills were 150p to 180p.
Also I SEEM to go through a hell of alot more butane then propane (20%+-) When you fill a small tank you don't get to see the meter...
Albert G
Remember, if you haven\'t got a smile on your face and laughter in your heart, then you are just a sour old fart!....
The most precious thing we have is life, yet it has absolutely no trade-in value.
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mgray
Junior Nomad
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Alright thanks for the info, just wondering tho, is there a difference between butane and propane as far as I'm concerned? Will butane make my food
taste like fuel??
I think here in Canada its always propane so I dont know what the difference is.
Also any scams to look out for like at the gas stations?
All I know about filling propane is that I take it to the station and the guy does what he does and thats it. I remember hearing something about NOT
filling a tank full, leave like 10% free or something? Is the weighing method accurate, as in does temperature affect the density hence the weight?
Can't they just put 30 liters in a 30 liter tank? Sorry for going a little off topic, I just dont want to stand there looking at the guy look at me
while the tank blows us both up...lol
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805gregg
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If you are using propane lantern, take plenty of mantles. In the states my mantles last for years in baja new mantles after every drive.
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