Independent proof: Award winning Primus Winter Gas works Gear News

© Dan Bailey

Multi award-winning Primus Winter Gas, with its innovative vapour mesh, improves the performance of LP gas cartridges at temperatures as low as -22°C. A selection of different brands of LPgas cartridges went head-to-head in temperatures of -8°C as highlighted in this video with Primus Winter Gas showing an outstanding performance in low temperatures when only ¼ full. Usually pressure would be really low at this point and performance unreliable.

Winter Gas was reviewed by UKC/UKH in March 2016 and received a rave review for the winter camper  © Dan Bailey
Winter Gas was reviewed by UKC/UKH in March 2016 and received a rave review for the winter camper

The test, undertaken by Strong Roots Outdoors, pitched four types of LPgas against each other at Manchester's indoor ski & snowboarding centre, The Chill Factore (-8°C was as low as the location allowed). On test were: Primus Winter Gas; Primus Power Gas; Go Systems PowerSource and JetBoil's JetPower. Three tests were run: Cartridges as new with no fuel used before the test; Cartridges where 50% of the fuel by weight had been used before the test; Cartridges where 75% of the fuel by weight had been used before the test to leave just 25% remaining. All stoves and pots were the same models, brand new and each pot was filled with ½ litre of water at the same temperature.

The results of the test were as follows and the video of the test can be viewed below:

At full capacity all four performed well, boiling water between 3:50 min and 4:40 min.

At 50% capacity the GoSystems cartridge failed to bring the water to boil even after 8 minutes, whereas the other three took between an admirable 4:50 min and 5:15 min.

At just 25% full the JetBoil failed to bring the water to a boil even after 12 minutes. The Primus Power Gas took 10:20 min but the Primus Winter Gas performed fantastically well and took just 6:40 min.

Primus Winter Gas  © Primus
Commenting on the test results, Primus distributor Ralph White, said; 'This well organised and independent test bears out the strength of conviction Primus had in developing their Winter Gas. We welcome the paradigm shift in thinking that it's no longer just a case of 'how fast is my stove?' but also 'how well will it perform in extreme conditions?' and, probably most important of all, 'how energy efficient is it?'. Strong Roots' test shows us that in cold conditions you could be carrying dead weight in your pack if you've chosen certain brands of cartridges that are less than half full through normal use and fail to let you make a hot meal or drink. After all, how many of us set off with a brand new, unused LPgas cartridge on each and every trip? Let's hope that outdoor magazine tests will no longer look just at boil times of stoves but also factor in the LPgas being used."

Primus Winter Gas contains a unique innovation inside the cartridge: Vapour Mesh. Vapour Mesh is made from absorbent paper and increases the surface for the evaporation process, enabling LP gas to change phase from liquid to gas much easier and quicker making the Winter Gas deliver better performance than other cartridges in temperatures down to -22°C.


For more information Primus



10 Oct, 2017
That's seriously impressive if it can halve the time a standard jetboil canister takes to get a boil!
10 Oct, 2017
Where can we buy these?
10 Oct, 2017
Also interested if anyone knows which shops stock this (UK/Europe). Low vapor presure in gas canisters is very annoying.
12 Oct, 2017
Official response from Primus UK, to answer some specific queries 1. Main UK stockists of winter gas are; Cotswold Outdoor Ltd, Tiso's, Craigdon Mountain Sports (Edinburgh), Outside, Needle Sport, Cairngorm Mountain Sports, Countryside Ski and Climb 2. Winter Gas uses the best LP Gas available on the market, the cartridge is cleverly designed so that internally it increases the evaporative surface area, producing more gas and therefore more pressure, which is why it works so well in a cold environment both on canister mounted and hose stoves. Also the use of a stove with a regulator valve, such as the new Primus Microntrail or Primetech will greatly improve performance and fuel efficiency. For more tips on winter cooking see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8EQmNHEqLg I trust that helps!

Product News at UKH presents climbing, walking and mountaineering equipment posts that will be of interest to our readers. Please feel free to comment about the post and products on the associated thread.
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