Designing a dual‑mode cooking system for overlanding and foot travel: standards, safety, and real efficiency
Objective: consolidate to one stove/burner that can operate in two modes-backpacking away from the vehicle on EN417 canisters, and at the vehicle on bulk LPG (1 lb/4.5 kg propane cylinders)-without swapping the burner or compromising safety, reliability, or fuel efficiency. Seeking field‑verified configurations, component standards, and measured performance data rather than anecdote.
Constraints and context
- Use cases:
- Solo or two‑person backcountry treks: 0.8-1.5 L boils, simmer capability for dehydrated meals.
- Vehicle‑based camps: 1-2.5 L boils, small pan frying, wind exposure typical of open desert or alpine trailheads.
- Environmental envelope:
- Ambient −10 to 35 C; elevations 0-4,000 m; frequent dust and vibration from corrugations.
- Fire restrictions common; preference for low CO, low flare risk, controllable flame within windscreens.
- Packability:
- Burner < 120 g desirable for foot travel; total vehicle galley space ≤ 25 L.
- Fuel strategy:
- Unify around LPG to avoid carrying white gas, diesel, etc.; ability to run on isobutane/propane blends and pure propane at the vehicle.
- Safety and compliance:
- Components compliant with appropriate standards (EN, CSA/UL, CGA) and materials rated for pure propane where used.
Preliminary architecture
- Burner: remote‑canister backpacking stove with preheat loop (for liquid feed capability in cold), stable pot supports, and fine simmer control.
- Vehicle hookup: bulk propane cylinder to low‑pressure regulator, then quick‑disconnect to the stove’s hose assembly via an EN417 interface or direct rated coupling.
- Cookware: 1.0-1.5 L heat‑exchanger pot for boiling efficiency; 7-9 inch pan with moderately conductive base for sauté and fry tasks.
- Windscreen: segmented or box‑style with adequate ventilation and CO mitigation; pot spacing set to maintain clean combustion.
Questions for the community
Regulation and interfaces
- Regulator selection for backpacking stove on bulk propane: For North America, low pressure is typically 11 in WC (27-30 mbar). Many remote canister stoves meter flow at the stove valve and are designed to see canister vapor pressures far higher than 30 mbar. In vehicle mode, is it preferable to:
- Run unregulated from a CGA600 (1 lb) cylinder via a rated hose and Lindal adapter, relying on the stove’s native jet/valve, or
- Step down to low pressure via a 11 in WC regulator and feed the stove through an EN417 low‑pressure adapter?
Looking for measured impacts on max power, flame stability, and CO with each approach, and any documented manufacturer approvals for pure propane operation on specific models.
- Quick‑disconnects: Recommendations for LPG‑rated QDs that:
- Are dust‑resistant (valved, minimal ingress), compact, and safe for repeated connects/disconnects in the field.
- Have known compatibility with common backpacking stove hose ID/OD and materials (propane‑rated elastomers).
Model numbers and certification marks helpful.
Combustion quality and cookware interaction
- Heat‑exchanger pots on small burners: Data on CO/NOx and efficiency when using HX pots over compact backpacking burners versus wider flame two‑burners. At what pot‑to‑burner spacing and flame height do CO spikes occur under windscreens? Any lab or field CO ppm measurements with:
- 1.0-1.5 L HX pots at rolling boil outputs,
- Shielded setups representative of a tailgate galley,
- Elevated altitudes where primary air density is reduced?
- Pan compatibility: For frying tasks on compact burners, has anyone quantified hot‑spotting and oil smoke points versus base thickness and diameter at given burner outputs in wind? Seeking IR thermography or thermocouple mappings to inform pan selection when not carrying a full two‑burner.
Fuel consumption and energy budgeting
- Real‑world grams of LPG per liter boiled and per 10 minutes of simmer in wind (3-5 m/s) at 2,000-3,000 m, comparing:
- EN417 canisters,
- CGA600 1 lb cylinders via unregulated adapters,
- Low‑pressure regulated feeds to the same stove.
Looking for side‑by‑side tests controlling for pot, lid, windscreen geometry, and water start temperature.
- If anyone has compared this dual‑mode gas setup to a compact induction plate driven by a 1-2 kWh LiFePO4 system in the same environment, watt‑hours per liter boiled and inverter overhead figures would be valuable.
Reliability under overland conditions
- Vibration and dust: Documented failure modes for remote canister stoves used as vehicle galleys (piezo igniter fractures, valve creep, jet clogging). Preventive measures that actually work (sintered inlet filters, hose strain reliefs, shock‑mounted galley boxes) and maintenance intervals that kept systems reliable over multi‑week corrugations.
- Materials compatibility: Any long‑term issues with O‑rings, hoses, or seals when running pure propane through gear originally intended for isobutane blends? Material callouts that avoided swelling/hardening (e.g., FKM vs NBR in specific locations).
Standards and approvals
- Specific makes/models of backpacking remote‑canister burners with manufacturer statements or listings indicating suitability for propane operation and/or low‑pressure LPG supplies.
- Adapters and regulators with clear certification (CSA/UL/EN) for the intended use chain: cylinder → regulator (if used) → hose/QD → stove.
Target outcome
- A vetted bill of materials for a dual‑mode system with:
- Safe connection methods and component ratings,
- Predictable combustion performance with HX pots and small pans,
- Quantified fuel/energy consumption in realistic overland conditions,
- Service plan for dust and vibration.
Willing to collate any shared data into a comparative matrix (fuel use, boil times, CO levels, mass/volume, and cost) and post results back to the forum.