Gas cartridge
A gas cartridge is a small, disposable metal canister of fuel gas that fits a camping stove. Most are butane or a butane mix. Once it's empty, you take it away for recycling rather than refilling it.
Where you'll see it
Gas cartridges are listed with stoves, in camping kit pages and in campsite shops. The stove's instructions name the type it takes, and the cartridge label shows the gas type and the net weight of gas inside. That net weight is the figure you use to work out how long a cartridge will last.
What to check
- The fitting. Pierceable, screw-thread and click-on cartridges don't fit each other, so use the type your stove is designed for.
- The gas type on the label, checked against the stove's instructions.
- The net weight on the label, which you need to work out how many cartridges to take. The camping gas calculator does the sum.
- Cook outside in the open air, away from the tent. Never use a stove, BBQ or gas heater inside or at the doorway of a tent, porch or awning.
- Keep cartridges upright and away from heat and flame. Never try to refill one.
Related terms
- Screw-thread cartridge: a cartridge that screws onto the stove.
- Butane: the gas most small cartridges contain.
- Propane: the gas usually sold in larger cylinders with a regulator.
Read more: Camping gas guide: types, sizes and how much (UK) and the camping gas calculator.