gas fittings for camping

Introduction

LPG stands for Liquefied Petroleum Gas and this may refer to propane (as it usually is in Australia), butane or a mixture of both
n-butane has a boiling point of -0.5degC and at 21deg is stored in cylinders or cartridges at 215kPa
iso-butane has a boiling point of -11.7degC and at 21deg is stored in cylinders or cartridges at 310kPa
propane has a boiling point of -42degC and at 21deg is stored in cylinders or cartridges at 860kPa hence requires extra strong and heavy cylinders but is better than butane in sub-zero temperatures
natural gas is methane and appliances operate at much lower pressures than LPG (1.1kPa vs 2.75kPa)

whilst you can use appliances with different fitting to the bottle via adapters such as 3/8”BSP–POL, these add extra connections and thus extra risk of gas leaks - so check the fitting before use
you cannot in any instance join two gas hoses together as this can be dangerous
you cannot lengthen the hose of a high-pressure stove but you can lengthen the hose of a low-pressure stove
if the appliance came with a gas regulator (usually pre-set to 2.8kPa) then this should be used and this creates a low pressure system - no regulator is a high pressure system
- caravans often have this regulator at the gas cylinder and thus you don't need to add extra regulators into the system for each appliance connected to the gas line - these must be fitted by licensed gas fitters.
some principles regarding LPG gas cylinders
- it is not legal to store an LPG gas inside the car except for a short trip to and from a refill
  - it may leak creating an explosion risk within an enclosed car cabin or in a roof pod
- it is not legal to refill a cylinder that is more than 10yrs old you less it is re-certified
- they must be stored upright and out of direct sun
- avoid storing them on your vehicle in an impact zone - most transport them on the roof rack - perhaps tied down in a milk crate - check your local regulations!
- they are heavy a 1.25kg gas bottle actually weighs around 4kg when full
- they are hard to judge how empty they are

this is used on larger 4-9kg cylinders such as those at service stations, Swap'n'Go, etc

proprietary fitting used on Primus bottles that has an internal fitting that only allows gas to flow once the fitting is fully inserted into the cylinder

BOM fitting propane cartridges
- designed for BOM fittings on portable appliances
threaded puncture cartridges
- eg. Jetboil JetPower (propane/isobutane mix)
- eg. Companion butane/propane mix Pro-Fuel cartridge
aerosol can style butane canisters
- eg. Companion butane/propane mix Pro-Fuel cartridge

hiking gas cartridges are made light with thin walls and use a MIX of isobutane and propane - DO NOT refill these with propane only as they may explode as propane has much higher vapour pressures and requires a much stronger cartridge!