Gas canister for camping stove

Hi Huntley,

I'm afraid I can't give you any definite info on this one, but maybe these hints will help.

First, propane is available in Madagascar - some people use it for domestic cooking as an alternative to charcoal - so in principle there's no reason (apart from lack of commercial demand) why it shouldn't also be available in cartridges for camping stoves.

A good place to ask would be CS Events in Tana [http://www.csevents-madagascar.com], which despite the name is a store, not an events organiser, and a good one for camping equipment. They don't have it in their online catalogue, but there's an e-mail address, so you could ask them if they stock it.

The reason why I've never tried to get any camping gas is because basically I've never needed it. If you go trekking in national parks the guide (together with porters if you use them) will organise the cooking using local techniques and materials (e.g. burning dried parts of ravenala - the traveller's tree).

If you're outside the parks, you're unlikely to be camping anyway, and in almost every settlement there's going to be somewhere where you can buy a simple hot meal for probably a fraction of what something like a gas cartridge is likely to cost you.

I hope that's helpful, but maybe someone will answer who has actually found cartridges in Tana or elsewhere. Of course if you do manage to buy cartridges, it rather limits you to ground transport, whereas with only 16 days to play with you might find yourself wanting to take a domestic flight.

Hi Marogisa,

You are a star! Thanks for being so helpful, and yes, after reading your answer, maybe there is not a need to buy a canister at all. First time in a country you are just never quite sure what to expect or have on you.

As a hiker and camper, I usually just have some basics with me.

Yes, I will probably be flying in between, at this stage looking to maybe fly from Tana (after spending 2 nights there) up to Diego to go to Parc Montange D'Ambre, Reserve De L'Ankarana and some beaches around Baie des Sakalava. From there not quite sure, will see how it goes. But been a hard year at work, and certainly the lure of the islands of Nosy Be sounds good.

Thanks again for your help, and all the best that side.

Sorry this reply is too late for your trip but it may help others.

The only gas canisters available in Tana are Camping Gaz models which are proprietary and will not work with stoves by MSR, Primus, etc. Jumbo Score supermarket (3 locations in Tana) sells both the C206 (puncture) and CV270 (screw-on) canisters. They also have Camping Gaz stoves but these will be cheaper to buy in your home country.

-Kyle

Was in the Jumbo supermarket in Antananarivo located on the way to Ivato (airport) in December 2010 - they have canisters by Camping gaz, suitable for my Coleman stove, of the types 206, 270 and a big one, probably 470. 206 costs around 6000 Ariary (2 euro). There are also different types of stoves, but expensive.