Fetch Camper Vans

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Northern Exile Mar 2021 7:43pm, 27 Mar 2021 7,494 posts	0 Northern Exile How do people measure how much gas they have left? In our van it's nigh on impossible, the gas cylinder is located in the middle of the water tank (it's like a polo shaped barrel) and a proper pain to change. It means we have to carry a spare half-cylinder with us as we can't run the risk of running out.
gardengirl Mar 2021 7:51pm, 27 Mar 2021 112 posts	0 gardengirl We carry a spare cylinder as well. Our van will only fit a rather small one so we carry a spare as we aren’t sure yet how many days we can get out of it.
Mandymoo Mar 2021 8:14pm, 27 Mar 2021 11,508 posts	0 Mandymoo We carry a spare, always hard to tell when they are empty. You can get things to put on the cylinders but they are pretty useless
♪♫ Synge ♪♫ Mar 2021 8:42pm, 27 Mar 2021 39,558 posts	0 ♪♫ Synge ♪♫ We carry a spare too.
Angus Clydesdale Mar 2021 9:36pm, 27 Mar 2021 22,227 posts	0 Angus Clydesdale When the kids were small we inherited a small butane cylinder from my in-laws to go with the camping kitchen. It came with a jury-rigged in-line pressure gauge which, as Mandy has said, was bloody useless. It told us the cylinder was full in the heat of the day and virtually empty in the cold early mornings. On the same day! At Scouts we weigh our cylinders.
XB Mar 2021 10:05pm, 27 Mar 2021 11,861 posts	0 XB Nice van, RR.
flyingfinn Mar 2021 10:08pm, 27 Mar 2021 2,612 posts	0 flyingfinn I weigh mine too AC (just stand on the scales holding it). Over the last four years I've gained a good idea how much gas will ensure I get a through x days away OK. I have two cylinders so when one gets very low I'll just use it when I'm pottering about making the odd brew here and there. If it suddenly runs out in those circumstances I'm not too bothered. If I want to have a full cylinder for a long trip I will sometimes finish one off by connecting it to my old double burner stove and using it to cook on at home until it's dead (I hate waste!). But compared to yours NE swapping mine in and out is a piece of cake, takes a couple of minutes at the most.
♪♫ Synge ♪♫ Mar 2021 10:12pm, 27 Mar 2021 39,559 posts	0 ♪♫ Synge ♪♫ I've been looking for this and finally found it. This is for a Campingaz 907 cylinder (which is what we use) and FB users seem to think it's a good guide. I've never tried it, I just tend to shake the bottle to see how much gas is sloshing around inside.
flyingfinn Mar 2021 10:18pm, 27 Mar 2021 2,613 posts	0 flyingfinn What AC says about Propane v Butane is true but whether it impacts you will depend on how well insulated the storage space for your cylinder is. I've used my van 12 months a year for the last four years (well before Covid I did!) all over the UK in some very exposed and cold locations. I've had the water frozen solid (water tank below the van) but the Butane (storage cupboard inside) has never been a problem but as a child I remember it freezing in caravans when it was kept in a compartment outside the main van. And a consideration before you change it has to be the size of the cylinder storage location. As far as I know there isn't a Propane cylinder that would fit in mine.
Angus Clydesdale Mar 2021 10:21pm, 27 Mar 2021 22,229 posts	0 Angus Clydesdale That’s good points.