I do a quick review and first time use of a Flip Fuel fuel transfer device and decide if it’s worth it or not. I also talk about some of the initial safety concerns I had with this tool.
The biggest concern is overfilling, so always weigh a new canister and write the total weight on the canister. Then be sure not to exceed that weight during a refill. Iso has a vapor pressure of only 30 psi at 70F, which isn't very high. Propane would be 100 - 200 psi and CO2 (not a fuel) would be around 900 psi.
The larger canisters are cheaper per ounce, so I find good deals on them and refill my small ones. Definitely saves money. And if you know the weight of an empty canister it takes the guess work out of knowing how low you are. For the small MSRs, empty is about 3.5 ounces. I fill to a gross weight of 7.4 ounces.
I've always felt skeptical about the need for one of these. I typically end up taking my partial canisters on car camping trips and using them up that way where it's smaller issue if the canister runs out while cooking. But I think im gonna get one to try out. Thanks!
I’ve always felt the same way, I probably should have mentioned in the video that the store I work for started carrying these and we got one for store use and I played with it for the weekend.
Agree. That’s how I’ve used up my nearly-empty canisters: car camping. Then use puncture device and recycle metal canisters. That way, don’t have to spend the $30 for this device and don’t have to invest in scale, worry about overfilling, etc.
I'm still too scared to try it myself. Especially with the smaller cans if I'm getting low I'll just bring two and run one out. I think it's important to have a stove with a regulator so you can get the most amount of power out of the stove and can before having to make the switch. Def get the 'crunch it' tool from jetboil to puncture those empty cans and recycle! Nice one GM! 🙌
Great advice there using your expertise and passing it on, as well as showing how the device works. It's worth getting, I think, because it will pay for It's self over time. 💯👍
Great sharing of information, especially with the concerns about pressurized cannisters. I was leary of this device as well, because of that. But I recently tried it out and I think it's a great addition to our bag of tools. However, there's risk in everything we do; for example my friend's Jetboil had a minor explosion and meltdown this season. And she does not refill her fuel canisters!
That is certainly true, there is definitely always risk. No experience in the backcountry is guaranteed safe haha. That said, I think that it’s always wise to consider the safety of a thing or situation and plan accordingly. In this case I did choose to wait and see how it worked and im happy to say it proved to be safe. I think we all have the opportunity to approach things with our own filters of safety. Thanks for watching!
Great video. This nifty gadget is on my wish list. Not a super high priority, but would be nice to have, I think. I typically pack my "used" canisters on shorter car camping trips to finish them off.
I have been doing this for 3-4 years. I'll refill until gut feeling tells me to purchase another small canister. I purchase the larger canisters and do the refilling from that. Saves money on fuel cost. I have also refilled my canister from discarded ones in hiker boxes. I have a method of refilling without overfilling.
Paused the video as soon as it started after the ads. Yes it’s worth it. Just used mine for the first time the other day. Worked great. I’ll refill small canisters from larger ones for hikes and then just use what’s left in the bigger canister for just camping or maybe short hikes.
I bought one of those, haven't used it yet. In the past I've used the partial canisters for car camping or trailhead meals on day trips. For recycling, I've always dropped them off with the 1lb propane tanks at my recycling center/waste transfer station.
It saves time and $. I've been buying the big 1 lb canisters to fill a small 100g. Before a trip, I'll do a quick shake and if it feels around half empty, I'll fill it back up. I have the even simpler device without the pressure release. I don't even bother putting the small canister in the freezer anymore. After a few rounds of unscrewing and releasing the pressure, it fills. With a Sharpie I wrote on the canister in grams the 'max capacity' just in case I overfill.
I’ve been on the fence about these for awhile now. I had thought about getting a mosquito repellent device for the patio that works off of the same canisters just to use up the extra cans I’ve collected. I may still do that. Thanks for the info.
In addition to the fuel you need cartridges/pads that heat up. They contain the same or similar chemicals as the old fashioned mosquito coils have. The PIC brand of coils is usually around $1 for a four pack. So I haven't gone the thermacell type device repellent yet.
Great video thanks. The cycling of pressure may not be too much of a worry as you are not entirely emptying canisters. The pressure of a quarter full canister can't be much lower than a full one. It's the evaporation of the fuel that maintains the pressure. I'd still only top up a canister a few times though!
Thank you! And yes that is a fair point. My fears are definitely based in previous mind sets and I will be the first to admit that this device had been used for years now without much in the way of serious issues. I’m reasonably assured it’s safe. Thanks for watching!
We've been doing this with propane camping cannister. We find that eventually, the valve fails and starts leaking. I assume this will happen with this, too. I like the idea of marking them.
Make sure that your total weight doesn't exceed the capacity of the fuel canister. Each one should have a weight of canister and weight of fuel. If you overfill you'll end up above that. Waiting longer might have helped as well. It's a pretty small hole and the vapor phase has to move past the liquid that is flowing down. If there isn't a big pressure differential, that can take a while.
