Guide 3 min
Gas canister 100 or 230: which one weighs less?
A 100 g canister weighs 200 g full, a 230 g weighs 394 g. Once you need more than 100 g of gas, the 230 g carries less dead metal.
A 100 g canister weighs 200 g full, a 230 g weighs 394 g. On its own, the small one is lighter in your bag: 200 g against 394 g. If you're only out for a night or two, that's the whole answer, take the 100 g.
But the weight that earns nothing is the shell: the metal you carry without ever burning it. That's where the big canister changes everything. A 100 g hides 100 g of dead weight, a 230 g only 164 g for far more gas. Once your need goes past 100 g of gas, the big one has you carrying less useless metal.
What each canister really weighs
Gross weight splits in two: the gas you'll burn, and the shell you keep, empty, until it goes in the bin.
| Canister | Full weight | Gas | Shell (dead weight) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 g | 200 g | 100 g | 100 g |
| 230 g | 394 g | 230 g | 164 g |
On the small one, the shell weighs as much as the gas: 100 g of metal for 100 g of gas. On the big one, you carry 164 g of metal, but for 230 g of gas. More usable gas per gram of shell carried.
You carry the shell only once
This is what flips the sum. The dead weight isn't counted by the day or by the meal: you pay it once, at the start, and you drag it around empty after that. What you want is the most gas possible under a single shell.
Two small canisters means two shells. One big one, a single shell. That's where the 230 g catches up with, then overtakes, the 100 g.
Two small canisters weigh more than one big one
Once your need goes above 100 g of gas, a single 100 g isn't enough. You need two, so two shells.
| Option | Gross weight | Gas carried |
|---|---|---|
| Two 100 g canisters | 400 g | 200 g |
| One 230 g canister | 394 g | 230 g |
The big one weighs less (394 g against 400 g) and gives you more gas (230 g against 200 g). It wins on both counts as soon as you cross the 100 g line.
When the small one stays lightest
As long as your need stays under 100 g of gas, a single 100 g is enough, and it's the lightest: 200 g in the bag, nothing more. To place your need, count on 40 g per day per person. Below the line, the small one; above it, the big one.
What to remember
- A 100 g weighs 200 g full, a 230 g weighs 394 g: the dead weight is 100 g against 164 g.
- You pay for the shell only once. The bigger the canister, the less metal you carry per gram of gas.
- Under 100 g of gas, take a 100 g. Above that, a 230 g weighs less than two 100 g.
Choosing the right canister is a few grams. But added to your sleeping bag, your tent and your water, those grams decide whether your bag stays inside its weight target (see how much your bag should weigh). Give your trip and its number of days to the configurator: the right canister shows up with its weight, already counted in the total you'll carry.
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