Page 1 of 1

Stove Fuel in Mendoza

PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 8:38 am
by Day Hiker
I need to buy compressed-gas stove fuel (isobutane, butane, propane, fartgas, whatever, etc.) for a Jetboil stove before an Aconcagua trip, and I would like to buy it before leaving town in Mendoza. I have already established that the Jetboil works at high elevation, so that is not an issue.

Specific street directions would be great, but I'll take whatever information I can get, of course.

If the fuel I need is available at Plaza de Mules, that information will be useful, but I would prefer to have it sooner, just to be sure that I have it, and also because I presume I may need it for a night before I arrive at base camp.

Muchas gracias.

PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 12:54 pm
by Corax
These guys have a good selection of gear. Map on the site.
http://www.orviz.com/english/sale.htm
Also.
http://www.aconcagua6962.com.ar/aconcagua_rent.asp

There's gas for sale in Plaza de Mulas, but if you're extremely unlucky the depots are empty and you have to wait for a day or two for new canisters.

PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 1:35 pm
by Brad Marshall
I found Orviz to be little out of the way but a great store with friendly staff. There are also several shops on Saramiento Street like El Refugio in Corax's link. You can also ask Eduardo Solar at Xperience-Aconcagua run out of the Independencia Hostel on Mitre Street. El Refugio is probably a good place and you can find Andes beer and good food at Don Tristans.

PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 3:30 pm
by Corax
Brad Marshall wrote:El Refugio is probably a good place and you can find Andes beer and good food at Don Tristans.


And, not to forget, a great ice cream parlor at the corner ten meters from El Refugio.
:D 8) :wink:

PostPosted: Fri Dec 08, 2006 10:36 pm
by jimnylander
You will be EXTREMELY lucky to find " JET BOIL" brand cannisters. You will find MSR stove fuel that will work for your Jet Boil. However, if you are counting on your Jet Boil for your whole trip I would advise against it unless you are using self heating MRE's for food. You will need to boil a hell of a lot of snow for a sufficient amount of water and I am not totally convinced of it's dependability at high altitudes. I have a Jet Boil myself and love it but in my opinion it is well worth the extra weight of a MSR XGK.

PostPosted: Fri Dec 08, 2006 11:32 pm
by Day Hiker
jimnylander wrote:You will be EXTREMELY lucky to find "JET BOIL" brand cannisters. You will find MSR stove fuel that will work for your Jet Boil.


I'm not looking for specific brand-name fuel; any brand is fine. I don't think there is anything special about the Jetboil brand fuel, other than the high price and the fact that the fuel canister fits in the cup. I want a larger canister anyway.

jimnylander wrote:However, if you are counting on your Jet Boil for your whole trip I would advise against it unless you are using self heating MRE's for food. You will need to boil a hell of a lot of snow for a sufficient amount of water and I am not totally convinced of it's dependability at high altitudes. I have a Jet Boil myself and love it but in my opinion it is well worth the extra weight of a MSR XGK.


I'll need boiling water for the "dinner" meals, but I'm probably going to use a lot of the granola meals, which require only cold water. This is partly for the purpose of saving fuel and partly because I actually like the cold granola more than a lot of the hot "breakfast" meals. I found some spinach-cheese omelet things that required a frying pan, like I'm going to bring a goddamn frying pan to 19k.

If the cold temperatures become a problem with the fuel canister's performance, there are ways to warm the thing before use, and it only needs to stay warm for several minutes at a time. Obviously, if elevation is a problem, there isn't much I can do. But according to some testimonials on Jetboil's website, the thing works at high elevation. Their website seems to be going slower than stove fuel in January, so I copied some of the quotes:

I was amazed at how well Jetboil performed while guiding on Aconcagua. At 19,000 feet using the Jetboil made things so much easier.


So, apparently it works at Berlin, which is as high as I'll need it. Of course the manufacturer wants to sell their product, so this may all be bullshit, but I think it seems legitimate.

We were . . . a little anxious to see how they would do at 20,000’ and above. I always knew that we would be able to count on the stoves working; what I was really concerned about was the fuel. Well, everything worked as if we were using it at sea level.


Well, that as-if-it-were-at-sea-level crap may be an exaggeration, I suppose.

We used the Jetboil in Camp 2 of Baruntse (21,500’) . . .


. . . for a deadman anchor. (Haha.) No, really it goes on to say they cooked with it. I hope it's not a lie.

PostPosted: Fri Dec 08, 2006 11:43 pm
by Brad Marshall
Corax wrote:
Brad Marshall wrote:El Refugio is probably a good place and you can find Andes beer and good food at Don Tristans.


And, not to forget, a great ice cream parlor at the corner ten meters from El Refugio.
:D 8) :wink:


Man, I forgot about that place and it was great ice cream. Especially since it was so hot compared to the cold, Canadian winter we left behind. How about the all-you-can-eat breakfast at the Park Hyatt Hotel for $12.50?