Fuel

Don’t worry about the fuel situation while you are on the trail at Philmont. Every back country commissary sell a variety of canister stoves and White Gas ($0.10/oz). Philmont usually does a great job of keeping up with fuel needs on the trail. That being said, you will want to carry enough fuel to last your crew at least 3 or 4 on the trail. If you are using canister stoves, a lot of crews distribute one canister per person before getting on the trail.

Canister Stoves:

If you are planning on taking a canister stove, plan on using approximately one 8 oz canister per meal for a 12 person crew. Canister stoves typically are simple to use and require virtually no maintenance. If you don’t have a stove that inverts the canister, you will inevitably find yourself with a canister that has fuel in it, but not enough fuel to effectively use.

To purchase canister fuel, visit your local sporting goods store. It is illegal to ship hazardous fuels. If you are flying this is an item that you will need to purchase at Philmont as it is not allowed on the plane.

White Gas Stoves:

You should plan on taking a white gas stove to Philmont if you can. Plan on using about 10 to 15 ounces oz of fuel per meal. They are a bit more complicated to use, but they are worth the hassle of learning them because they provide you with a more efficient stove. No matter how much or how little fuel you have used, when you assemble the stove, you will always have to pressurize the fuel canister and you will always have the best flame output.

If you are flying to Philmont, you will need to clean and ship your stoves and fuel bottles. If you have brand new out-of-the box fuel bottles and stoves, you can take them on the plane. If you want to get them home you will need to clean them and ship them back.