Outdoor retailer REI has announced plans to expand its propane cylinder exchange program after testing it in several stores in California. The move comes after California banned single-use canisters for camping.
The company has been testing the program for the past year and a half at four of its Bay Area stores – San Francisco, Santa Rosa, Sunnyvale and Dublin – and now intends to launch it in some 50 stores nationwide, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Under the program, you can purchase a refillable propane canister for your camping stove for $22 which comes full. When it's empty, you can take it back and exchange it for another full one for just $10, much like you do at the grocery store for your barbeque grill.
In September, the state announced a ban on disposable propane cylinders under new measures designed to protect the local environment. Approximately, 40 - 60 million small single-use propane cylinders are sold in the US each year for use with grills and portable stoves, but they have been linked to wildfires, and are said to create a huge amount of waste for the state.
The law isn't set to go into effect until January 2028, and REI says it will continue the sale of single-use cylinders until then, but the new program is intended to start to change consumer behavior.
The retailer hasn't yet announced which locations will be adopting the program next, but given that only 31 of its 190 stores are in California, it's clear that it will be available to campers in other states.
Many retailers including Walmart and Home Depot will refill 1 lb canisters for barbeque grills, but the REI program applies to smaller canisters used for backpacking stoves. If you're nowhere near an REI, it's always worth walking into your local outdoor store to ask if they can help you.
Propane stoves like the Jetboil Flash are certainly convenient for backpacking, but for car camping and backyard fun you can always go propane-free with the likes of the Petromax stainless steel Fire Kettle or a Solo Stove Lite.
