Whole trip
0kg
0 kg / day
Bottle lasts
0days
Pick a bottle size to see days.
Bottles for the trip
0bottles
Rounded up.
Breakdown by use
Heating usually dwarfs cooking in winter. Summer trips are often cooking only.
Start from a preset
Saved on this device
How to use
- Choose a preset if you want a head start, or keep the defaults.
- Set people and how many days you are away.
- Edit cooking, heating, and whether the fridge or hot water run on gas.
- Choose butane or propane, then a bottle size. Totals update as you type. Refresh the page: your numbers stay on this device.
FAQ
Why butane rather than propane in the UK?
Most UK leisure trips are in mild weather, so butane (blue Calor bottles) is the usual choice. Propane (red bottles) is better when it is cold or freezing — butane does not vaporise well in a hard frost. This page defaults to butane and lets you switch. The Winter week preset and the Winter season chip both switch to propane (13 kg Calor). Summer and mild stay on butane.
What bottle sizes do UK motorhomes use?
Calor leisure butane bottles are 4.5 kg, 7 kg and 15 kg. Calor leisure propane bottles are 3.9 kg, 6 kg and 13 kg. The number is the gas inside, not the weight of the empty cylinder. Type another size if yours is different.
Why does winter use so much more gas than summer?
Space heating. A blown-air heater can use around 0.2 kg an hour. Twelve hours a day is more than 2 kg, every day. Summer is often just cooking — a 4.5 kg or 7 kg butane bottle can then last weeks. Use the Winter week and Weekend summer presets to see the gap.
Should the fridge run on gas or 12 V?
A 3-way absorption fridge on gas uses about 0.3–0.4 kg a day if it stays on. That adds up on a long trip. A 12 V compressor fridge uses battery or solar instead, so you can leave “Fridge on gas” unticked. Many people use gas when driving or off-grid without much solar, and 12 V or mains on site.
How long does a 7 kg or 13 kg bottle last?
It depends on heating. Cooking-only for two people might be 0.1–0.2 kg a day, so a 7 kg butane bottle can last a month or more. A winter week with the heater on is often 2–3 kg a day, so a 13 kg propane bottle may last around 4–7 days. The “Bottle lasts” figure above is for your numbers, not a rule of thumb.
What if my bottle is a different size?
Type the kilograms of gas your bottle holds. Refillable bottles (Gaslow, Alugas and similar) are still measured by the gas inside. This page does not tell you where to fill, or whether Autogas is available on your route.
Is cooking or heating the bigger user?
Heating, whenever it is on. Cooking for two is often a small fraction of a kilogram a day. One cold night of heating can use more than a day’s cooking.
Do I need to ventilate, and is this a safety check?
Use gas only with proper ventilation, and never check for leaks with a flame. Have installation and repairs done by a qualified fitter (for example Gas Safe or an NCC workshop). This calculator is a planning estimate only. It is not a safety certificate, a leak test, or advice that your system is safe to use.
Is this accurate enough for shopping?
It is good enough to decide between a 4.5 kg and a 7 kg, or a 13 kg in winter, and whether to take a spare. Real use changes with how cold it is, how well the van is insulated, and how long the heater runs. Leave a margin, especially off-grid in winter.