Your propane fire pit can lose output while there is still plenty of fuel in the tank. In cold weather, or during a long burn, the cylinder can cool enough that it struggles to supply gas at the rate the burners need. That leaves you with a weaker fire even though you brought enough fuel. Being cold next to a tank full of fuel is an excellent way to start arguing with an inanimate object.
We choose aluminum for our EnduroTanks because it conducts heat more readily than steel, helping heat from the surroundings reach the propane as it cools during use. Aluminum also reduces carrying weight and resists rust. All three matter when you are hauling a campfire into the woods and expecting it to keep you warm.
Your tank needs heat to supply your fire
A propane cylinder holds liquid fuel with gas above it. HOWL draws that gas through the valve, regulator, and hose, and some of the liquid turns into vapor to replace it. That change takes heat from the remaining propane and the cylinder, cooling both. The Propane Education & Research Council explains this cooling effect: while your appliance heats up, its fuel cylinder gets colder.
At 20°F, you might be swearing at the weather, but propane behaves very differently from water. Its boiling point at atmospheric pressure is about −44°F, far below what sane people camp in. As propane vaporizes during use, it can cool the tank below the outdoor temperature. If the tank is at 0°F and the air is at 20°F, the air is 20 degrees warmer and transfers heat into the tank. Air that feels freezing to you can still supply heat to colder propane.
The temperature difference explains where the heat comes from; the amount of heat reaching the propane determines whether the tank can keep up. If the burners draw fuel faster than that incoming heat can sustain vaporization, the tank gets colder and propane pressure drops. When pressure falls far enough to restrict gas flow, the A-Flame can shrink, and the BarCoal tubes can lose radiant heat output.
The fuel is still there, but the cylinder cannot deliver it fast enough.
Aluminum helps heat move through the tank
The tank wall sits between the surrounding air and the liquid propane. Aluminum conducts heat through that wall more readily than steel, giving heat a path into the cooling fuel. That ability to transfer heat also makes aluminum useful in heating and cooling equipment, as aluminum producer Hydro explains.
For a propane tank, that property can help maintain fuel delivery as the cylinder cools. The result depends on the whole setup: outside temperature, tank size, fuel level, and how quickly the burners draw gas. Aluminum helps heat move through the metal, but those other factors still determine whether the tank can keep up.
Steady fuel delivery supports steady heat
HOWL’s A-Flame burner provides visible flames and firelight, while BarCoal supplies radiant warmth. Both rely on the tank delivering enough propane to maintain their output. An aluminum cylinder can help sustain that supply in cold conditions. That is the performance benefit we are after: keeping the fire working at the setting you chose.
Each pound of propane contains the same energy whether it comes from a steel tank or an aluminum one. If your steel tank already supplies all the gas the burners need, changing tanks will not make that burner setting hotter or reduce its fuel consumption. Aluminum's thermal advantage matters when the cylinder starts struggling to supply the fire.
Tank size matters too
A larger cylinder gives you more fuel and can also help sustain vapor supply. More liquid provides a larger store of thermal energy, while more tank wall in contact with that liquid gives heat a larger area through which to enter. As the fuel level falls, that contact area decreases. RegO's LP-Gas Serviceman's Manual explains why cold temperatures and low fuel levels make it harder for a cylinder to keep supplying vapor.
The EnduroTank 20 holds 20 pounds of propane and works with all HOWL campfires. It is our choice for maximum fuel reserve and cold-weather performance. The EnduroTank 10 holds 10 pounds and is built around the R1's compact setup. Choose the capacity for the fire, weather, and burn time you have planned.
Less weight and no rusty ring
You also have to carry the tank. Our EnduroTank 20 weighs 13 pounds empty, and the EnduroTank 10 weighs 9.6 pounds empty. Aluminum cuts the cylinder weight you haul along with the fuel, which matters every time you load the vehicle or carry your setup to camp.
Anyone who has seen an old steel propane tank sitting outside knows how ugly it can get. Rusty patches, peeling paint, and stains underneath can make it look like it came free with an abandoned trailer. Our aluminum tanks resist corrosion and do not leave those rust stains. Cylinder manufacturer Worthington recommends aluminum where weight or corrosive environments matter.
Our tanks also have rounded handles and foot rings designed to be gentler on the vehicle and gear they travel beside. Your propane tank should not get to autograph your truck every time you load it. A cylinder spends plenty of time being loaded, unloaded, and packed next to other equipment, so we pay attention to those details too.
Your tank does not need a sweater
Keep the connected cylinder upright and exposed to the surrounding air while operating. A storage bag or insulating cover can slow the heat it needs to absorb; we explain that in Why Not Insulate the Propane Tank. Follow your HOWL manual and keep the tank at least five feet from the campfire. Do not move it closer or improvise a heat source to force more gas out.
We choose aluminum because it helps with the things a portable campfire asks of its fuel tank: supplying gas in the cold, traveling with your gear, and holding up to repeated use outdoors. Choose the EnduroTank that fits your HOWL and the trips you take.
P.S. If you invite a HOWL engineer camping, this is what you get instead of a ghost story.
