Can you take camping gas canisters or a camp stove on a train?

No, not the gas canister, on any of the five operators checked here: Amtrak, Eurostar, the British National Rail network, SNCF in France and Deutsche Bahn. The stove itself is a different matter. Eurostar allows one in writing, and the others do not name a bare stove at all. In Britain, clause 23.6 never says "camping gas", but it bans dangerous goods, and a gas canister is one.

What "dangerous goods" means, and where a gas canister fits#

A camping gas canister is the sealed steel can that screws or clips onto a backpacking stove. It holds butane, isobutane, propane or a blend, kept liquid by pressure. The site's propane and butane page covers how those gases differ. Shipping rules file these cans under UN2037, gas cartridges.

Dangerous goods is the legal name for things that are hazardous to move. The CIT, the body that writes model conditions for Europe's railways, lists them in its 2025 notice. "Gases" come first, then explosives, then flammable substances, and so on. A full canister is a gas. A used one still holds some, which is why it still counts.

RID is the rulebook for dangerous goods on Europe's railways. It is Appendix C to COTIF, the rail treaty. Britain applies it too. Regulation 5 of the Carriage of Dangerous Goods Regulations 2009 bars carriage in England, Wales and Scotland that RID prohibits.

The question turns on one point. RID can free a canister from its rules while the canister stays dangerous goods. Every rule below depends on keeping those two ideas apart.

The rules by operator in one table#

"Not named" means the document says nothing either way. A stove with no fuel in it is not a gas or a flammable liquid. But four of these five operators never say so in writing, so the table does not say it for them.

Why "the law allows it" and "it's banned" both circulate#

Both answers quote a real rule. They are rules of different kinds.

The law answer comes from RID. Exemption 1.1.3.1 (a) says RID does not apply when a private person carries goods "packaged for retail sale" for "their leisure or sporting activities". Measures must be taken to stop leaks. A sealed canister bought in a shop for a camping trip fits those words. Section 1.1.3.8 applies the same exemption to hand and registered luggage. Forum posts that say camping gas is "legal on trains" are reading this.

The banned answer comes from the operator. RID 1.1.3.8 opens with a note: "Further restrictions in the carriers' conditions of carriage under private law are not affected." The CIT notice repeats it in point 1.5: "Carriers may impose additional restrictions." Its 2019 table carries the same line. So the exemption tells you the state will not prosecute you for carrying the can. It does not oblige any train company to let you on with one.

Germany makes the split visible. Section 32 of the GGVSEB, the German dangerous goods ordinance, lets passengers carry dangerous goods within RID 1.1.3.8. Deutsche Bahn's conditions then exclude "explosive und entzündbare Stoffe" (explosive and flammable substances) from hand luggage. They let back in only matches, lighters, aerosols with harmless contents and electronics. Gas cartridges are not on that list. Lawful under the ordinance, refused under the ticket.

The ticket wins on the train. You agree to the operator's conditions when you buy it, and the guard enforces those, not RID.

Britain: what clause 23.6 means for a gas canister#

This is the question forum threads argue over, because the wording is short. Clause 23.6 of the National Rail Conditions of Travel lists items "not permitted to be carried on passenger trains". The last line reads "Dangerous goods; inflammable liquids; explosives". Camping gas is not named. Appendix B, the definitions, does not define dangerous goods.

The settled answer is no, for three reasons.

1. British rail law uses RID's meaning. Britain applies RID through the 2009 Regulations, and RID's dangerous goods include gases. The CIT notice lists gases first. No other meaning is written down anywhere in the conditions, so a canister is dangerous goods.
2. The exemption does not change that. RID 1.1.3.1 (a) switches off RID's own rules for retail leisure goods. It does not turn the canister into something else, and Note 1 to 1.1.3.8 leaves operators free to go further. Clause 23.6 is an operator condition going further.
3. There is no carve-out. Deutsche Bahn wrote a personal use exception into its conditions. Clause 23.6 has none. Read word for word, the same line also catches matches and a lighter. The conditions do not say how staff treat those, and this page does not guess.

Liquid fuel needs no argument: "inflammable liquids" is on the list by name. That covers white gas, meths and petrol for a multi-fuel stove.

The rule reaches every company in Appendix A. That list includes ScotRail, Caledonian Sleeper, Avanti West Coast, LNER, Great Western Railway, Northern, TransPennine Express and Transport for Wales Rail. Clause 23.1.7 lets each company add conditions of its own on top.

The railway byelaws sit behind the contract. Byelaw 2 bans any item "which, in the opinion of an authorised person, may threaten, annoy, soil or damage any person or any property", unless an operator gives written permission. Staff may remove the item. Byelaw 24 makes a breach an offence, with a fine of up to level 3 on the standard scale.

Amtrak and the US#

Amtrak's list is the plainest of the five. "Incendiaries, including but not limited to flammable gases, liquids, fuels" are banned in carry-on and checked baggage. "Canisters, tanks or other devices containing propellants" are banned in both too. The one exception is oxygen equipment for medical reasons, in carry-on only, with restrictions.

That covers an isobutane canister, a 1 lb propane cylinder and a bottle of white gas. The page names no stoves, lighters or matches. It says the list "is not exhaustive", and Amtrak staff decide on items it does not name.

Canada is not on this page. VIA Rail's site did not answer requests while this page was being written.

Eurostar, SNCF and Deutsche Bahn#

Eurostar gives the most complete answer of any operator. Tents and pegs may come if packed in a bag no longer than 85 cm. "You can also bring a camping stove and matches." Gas cylinders and canisters "can't be taken on board under any circumstances". That includes EuroDespatch, the registered luggage service, so there is no way round it through the baggage office. Eurostar's luggage page puts the ban down to "SNCF/SNCB regulations". Neither Eurostar page mentions liquid stove fuel.

SNCF bans bags containing dangerous products. Clause 10.3 of its conditions of sale names weapons, explosives, "liquides inflammables (carburants, peinture, etc.)" (flammable liquids such as fuel and paint) and "tout produit dangereux" (any dangerous product). A gas canister is a dangerous product. On TGV INOUI and Intercités, a non-compliant bag can cost 50 euros, rising to 150 for three. A traveller who will not pay can be refused the train. The clause names no stoves, matches or lighters.

The same SNCF document reprints the CIT's model conditions for international journeys. Point 7.2 there refers to RID 1.1.3.8 and says that "in general" retail goods for leisure are admitted. That is the RID exemption again, and Eurostar, which runs the cross-Channel trains, has already excluded gas.

Deutsche Bahn excludes "entzündbare Stoffe und Gegenstände" (flammable substances and articles) from hand luggage and carried items, in clause 7.3.1. Matches and lighters for personal use are allowed back in. The clause names no stoves. Under clause 7.3.2, staff with reasonable suspicion may ask to inspect an item. A traveller who refuses, or who is clearly carrying an excluded item, can be put off the train without a refund.

Worked through: two trips#

London to Fort William on the Caledonian Sleeper. Suppose a walker heading for the West Highland Way packs a canister stove, a pot and one 230 g canister. Walk it through the documents. Caledonian Sleeper is in Appendix A, so clause 23.6 applies. The stove holds no gas once the canister is off, and nothing in 23.6 names it. The canister is a gas, so it is dangerous goods, and 23.6 bars it. RID would exempt it as a retail leisure good, but Note 1 says the operator's condition is not affected. So the stove travels and the canister does not. The fix is to plan the trip so the first canister is bought after the train.

London to Chamonix by Eurostar and TGV. Suppose the same walker carries a stove and a box of matches. Eurostar allows both in writing. The canister fails on Eurostar, in hand luggage and in EuroDespatch alike. On the TGV from Paris, SNCF's clause 10.3 bars the canister as "tout produit dangereux", and the bag could be charged as non-compliant. Two operators, two refusals, one answer: buy the gas in the Alps.

On both trips the stove was never the problem. The can was. Check in advance whether the place you arrive sells the canister type your stove takes. Camping stove types compared sets out which fuel each type burns.

What this page does not cover#

This page covers five operators' written rules as read in November 2026. It does not cover VIA Rail, any other Canadian operator, Swiss or Austrian railways, or the private operators in Italy and Spain. SNCB, which Eurostar names, was not checked directly. Car-carrying trains are out too. The CIT notice applies the same retail exemption to goods inside a car on board, but no operator's car train rules were read. Nothing here says what a guard does in practice. Where a cell says "not named", ask the operator before you rely on it. The rules for ferries and planes differ again. The ferry page and the plane page set those out by operator.

Before you travel: a five minute check#

1. List every operator on the route. A connection on a second company brings a second set of conditions. The strictest one decides.
2. Find each one's luggage conditions. Search for the prohibited items or luggage page, not a forum thread. Note the date on it.
3. Take the canister off the stove. Leave it at home or use it up. The stove travels empty.
4. Empty the fuel bottle too. Every operator here bars liquid fuel. On a multi-fuel stove, the pump and bottle hold fuel, so run it dry and let it air.
5. Plan the first purchase. Find where you can buy the right canister near your arrival station, and size the load with the stove fuel planning guide.
6. Plan the last canister too. Finish it before the train home, or give it away. Checking how much gas is left takes a kitchen scale.

Common mistakes#

Reading "legal" as "allowed". The RID exemption is a rule for the state, not for the train company. RID says so in Note 1 to 1.1.3.8.

Thinking a used canister is empty. It still holds gas, so it is still a gas canister. RID even has a line for used leisure goods, carried as waste, and they stay dangerous goods.

Putting the can in registered luggage. Amtrak bans canisters in checked baggage too. Eurostar bans them in EuroDespatch.

Reading clause 23.6 as liquids only. "Inflammable liquids" is one item on the list. "Dangerous goods" is another, and it covers gases.

Posting the can ahead instead. That can work, but post has rules of its own. Mailing fuel canisters sets out the US Postal Service limits.

Frequently asked questions#

Can you take a gas canister on a train in the UK?#

No. Clause 23.6 of the National Rail Conditions of Travel bars "dangerous goods" on passenger trains, and gases are dangerous goods. It applies to every company listed in its Appendix A, including ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper. UK law, through RID, exempts retail gas for leisure use, but RID says operators' conditions may go further, and this one does. Buy the canister at your destination.

Can I take a camping stove on a train?#

On Eurostar, yes: its help centre says "you can also bring a camping stove and matches". Amtrak, National Rail, SNCF and Deutsche Bahn do not name a stove in their conditions. A stove with no canister or fuel holds no gas or liquid fuel. Take the canister off, empty any fuel bottle, and ask the operator if the conditions do not mention stoves.

Can you take camping gas on Eurostar?#

No. Eurostar says camping gas or butane cylinders and canisters "can't be taken on board under any circumstances". That covers EuroDespatch, its registered luggage service, as well as hand luggage. Its luggage page says the ban follows SNCF and SNCB regulations. A camping stove and matches are allowed, and tents in a bag no longer than 85 cm.

Can you bring a propane or butane canister on Amtrak?#

No. Amtrak bans "flammable gases, liquids, fuels" and "canisters, tanks or other devices containing propellants" in both carry-on and checked baggage. The only exception is oxygen equipment for medical reasons. That rules out isobutane canisters, 1 lb propane cylinders, butane cans and white gas. Amtrak's page does not name stoves, matches or lighters.

Is camping gas allowed on Deutsche Bahn trains?#

No. Deutsche Bahn's conditions of carriage, dated 14 December 2025, exclude flammable substances and other dangerous goods from hand luggage. They allow matches, lighters and aerosols with harmless contents for personal use. Gas cartridges are not among the exceptions. Staff may inspect an item on reasonable suspicion and can exclude a passenger without a refund.

Can you take a gas canister on a French train?#

Not on SNCF. Its conditions of sale ban bags containing "tout produit dangereux", any dangerous product, and name flammable liquids such as fuel. On TGV INOUI and Intercités, a non-compliant bag can be charged 50 euros, and a traveller who will not pay can be refused the train. Buy canisters after you arrive.

Is an empty gas canister allowed on a train?#

Treat it as full. A used canister still holds some gas, so it is still dangerous goods. Amtrak's ban covers any canister "containing propellants". RID handles used leisure goods as waste and keeps them in the same class. No operator checked here makes an exception for empty or used cans.