I have brought the Campingaz chef cooker, and a couple of small cylinders of gas -'c--270' from Tesco. I now think it might not be adequate. I've read loads of posts (I am a first time camper to be!) is there a refillable can I am supposed to get?
I must sound soooo thick, but there has been so much to get I've been caught up in all the excitement! Could a user of this cooker let me know what they use and how long the different gas bottles/cans last, We need it to boil the kettle and cook breakfasts for a couple of days?
Hi Ellie ,first off did it come with a regulator ? one of these if not you need one ( about £5 in camping shops )then ask in the store for the correct one to go with the gas you decide on. and you will need a length of hose available at the same place ,to connect the bottle to the cooker via the regulator
You will need to decide which refillable gas you want to use
1) Calor gas cheaper of the 2 but larger bottles,not available in France
2) camping gaz smaller bottles more expensive but is available on the continent ( only relevant if planning holidays abroad)
Then you decide which size of bottle both calor and campingaz come in different sizes the ones used for camping tend to be the 4.5 or 7kg Calor bottles or 904 or 907 campingaz bottles
You can buy your first bottles at calor/campingas supply shops but the initial outlay is expensive ,altho refils are only around £10 + your empty ,so have a look at scrap yards /recycling centers and car boots for the empty bottles then take them to swap for a full one .
hi, thats the wrong sort of campingaz - they are disposable cylinders , ok for lanterns & small cooking rings or the campingaz party grill - you need the refillable ie 901 (smallest) 904 or 907 (most common)Have a drive to your local tip and see if they will sell you an empty for a few quid (paid £2.50 for mine) and then you can take it to a garage/shop that stocks the refills and this saves you paying the high deposit for a new cylinder - about £30 or so, like scatty says then you need regulator & hose for it but they might well have them too......
...you can use the blue butane or red propane with the right regulator etc too so if you get one of those at the tip you could go with it - the red propane is better in colder weather and favoured by year round campers as it doesn't freeze...
We've got the Campingaz Chef, and use a 907 bottle. The bottle has so far lasted 2 camping trips (in total 8 days) and is still going....just waiting for it to stop right in the middle of cooking breakfast/dinner. Trying to convince my OH that we should probably invest in a second reserve bottle.
As Skatty has explained you can go either the Calorgas or Campingaz route depending on which regulator you have/decide to buy.
...and of course the best bit is trying to fit all your kit in the car/roofbox.
I had ordered a Campinaz 28 mbr (?) regulator, but I guess I need to buy a calor regulator now (although this regulator doesn't state whether butane/calor what ever. I will now sort out a calor gas cylinder 904 or 907.
We have the same cooker and use a campingaz 907 bottle. We have managed at least 8-10 days camping catering for 4 adults + 4 kids, although we do use a bbq for evening meals as well a lot of the time.
We find that they don't just run out suddenly, but you notice that the kettle takes a lot longer to boil as it approaches empty. Then we go change it either that day (or the next morning) as appropriate. We haven't yet been left with no gas at all!!
BTW The price of refilling seems to have gone up a lot this year, Last year we were paying £10-12, changed one last week for £17.50 (ouch). Anyone else noticed this?
I had ordered a Campinaz 28 mbr (?) regulator, but I guess I need to buy a calor regulator now (although this regulator doesn't state whether butane/calor what ever. I will now sort out a calor gas cylinder 904 or 907.
No Ellie, the 904 and 907 bottles are the Campingaz ones so will work with the Campingaz regulator.
It's only if you get a Calor (or similar e.g. Flogas or Budget Gas) 4.5 Kgs bottle that you will need the Calor regulator.
------------- Caz
If you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, just keep going till you go round the bend.
The price of refilling seems to have gone up a lot this year, Last year we were paying £10-12, changed one last week for £17.50 (ouch). Anyone else noticed this?
Changed two last week £15 on Monday, gone up to £16 on Friday!!
Ridiculous price - think I'll change to one of the 5kg BP cylinders when they become available.
I was quoted £17 for a 907 bottle so I changed the regulator to a butane one and used my 6kg from the van, the only difference i noticed was it cooked hotter probably due to the increase in pressure.
Thankyou everyone, I will try and get hold of a campingaz 904 or 907 bottle.
How much is the initial outlay for the bottle, I've seen how much refilling varies,cost wise. Could anyone reccomend the best place to buy the bottles?
Don't buy the bottle, go to your local dump (sorry - civic ammenity site) and see if they will let you have one. A small ammount of cash may have to change hands (no more than £5) and you can then take this and exchange it for a full one.
Check out your local car boot sales as well.
If you are not able to get an empty one anywhere that exchanges them will be able to sell you one but as has been stated before it will cost about £30 + the re-fill charge of £17.50.
If the dump hasn't got a campingaz but does have a calor then this would be the cheaper route to go down.
Finally just to put a little spanner in the works do you intend camping abroad, as if you do bear in mind that calor cannot be re-filled but campingaz can.
Thankyou Fat Belly , for your advice and offer. I have delgated the task of acquiring a bottle to my husband, I do the research and subsequent ordering, he provides the money!
Hiya - I bought the 904. The size is good for travelling in truck. I like to lash it and store it anywhere outside the cab, in case of leak or blowing up - which is unlikely.
You can get large single burners costing about £15 to go directly onto the 904. The price varies slightly but both the canister and a filling of Gaz comes in at around £80 which is expensive.
I did not use mine for over 2 months and I am sure it looses gas slowly.
As you need it to cook food you might want to consider a mini electric kettle for cups of tea rather than use all that gas.
They are cheap, about £14 and plug into the cigarette lighter socket but do check whether you are 12volts or 24volts - also check if you have enough power in your battery - ask your favorite mechanic or at a campsite. To fill tge canister up (omce you've bought it) can be anything from £20 depending on where you go.
Good luck.
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Topic: Help! campingaz chef cooker..gas???
via mobile 23/4/2019 at 7:15am
