A very recent trip to Provence had me convinced that we'd get any gas we wanted in the Decathlon in Nimes.  I mean - they sell camping kit don't they?

Winter officially and definitively starts in Provence in late September.  Nearly all the gas was gone; to be replaced by skis!  Outside it was 28 deg and clear blue skies.  Luckily we had an antique Bluet and managed to get a couple of pierceable cans from there. 

We had difficulty getting gas in the Haute Alps last year and where it is available it is very expensive. It was available in the larger towns but how many of them do you visit when backpacking? This year we used alcohol a Bruler (meths without the purple dye) which is cheap and readily available. They use it for fondue burners so it is available in every little food shop. I carried a "Coke can burner" and Caldera cone, this works very well and is very light. I would not use a gas stove in France, as the availability of gas is too unreliable.

Can't beat a petrol/ multi fuel stove as you'll struggle to find a country where you can't buy some, or if you are with you car take care with the siphon tube!

darksky9 said:

otherwise what other stoves do you suggest i could use ? i only need my stove to heat up boil in the bag foods and brews...Thankyou kindly...Kris.

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I had the same problem when I went out to Sicily recently.  Took out a cheap and cheerful solid fuel cooker with some spare tabs to tide me over till I found gas (took two different burners with me!) and finished up cooking for the whole week on it.  Bit of muck on the bottom of the pans was the only down  side.

 

I found an adapter that changes the ubiquitous 'cartouche de gaz' (the little camping gas canisters) into a reasealable gas cartidge which is great, because as you say you can get camping gaz everywhere in France. You can get most other types of catridge in specialist shops in the hill areas or the massive Decathlons by the big towns but as the little super markets tend to stock the simple ones.

For trangia lovers you can find meths- look for the cooking area though, alcool a brule used in the burners of fondue sets.