Who is Campingaz?

The history of Campingaz

The unmistakable blue Campingaz canisters and cylinders – and the devices the liquid petroleum gas (LPG) inside them powers – have, more than likely, been a feature of all of our lives at some point when we have been enjoying the great outdoors. After all, the company has been around for almost 75 years.

In France in the late 1940s, three engineering friends, Gabriel Corlet, André Colomb and René Sillon, together with their families, enjoyed their first camping holiday together. The three engineers immediately saw a gap in the market for portable cooking equipment for caravanners, campers and, later, motorhome and campervan users.

So, the trio created and then, soon after, launched the small blue portable and refillable gas cylinder, which they named the bidon bleu. With the launch of the bidon bleu, Campingaz was born and, by 1952, the company had moved on to develop stoves and other easy to use, affordable gas-powered equipment.

It then established distribution and retail centres throughout Europe with the vision that its customers would never bee too far from a Campingaz outlet wherever they chose to holiday on the Continent.

Just a few years later, in 1955, the company launched its iconic C206 pierceable gas cartridges and the famous Bleuet Stove, which secured dominance in the market for easy-to-use gas-powered camping equipment.

Today, its factory in the French city of Lyon manufactures some 11 million of its C206 cartridges annually and has capacity to make twice as many.

The site, which supplies the entire European market, also manufactures 9.5 million of the six varieties of the larger CV valve cartridges (230g to 450g), and almost a million of its trio of refillable gas cylinders, which range in capacity from 1kg to 3kg.

Its distinctive blue cylinders and canisters have remained almost unchanged over the decades – the blue paint used on the majority of its products is trademarked and strongly defended by Campingaz – and the design of its cylinders is so robust that many last decades. Indeed, the average age of its refillable gas cylinders still in circulation is over 35 years. But, as every cylinder in use across Europe is returned to the Lyon factory to be refilled, they are tested and, every decade, they are recertified.

In 1994, Campingaz was one of the first to introduce a gas-powered barbecue and has spread its operations to become a global player, as well as expanding its portfolio – which now includes stoves and lanterns, coolboxes, camping equipment and even garden and DIY equipment, but what it remains most well-known for is those unmistakable blue cylinders and canisters that are still produced in the original factory, which is now highly automated.

Less than a decade later, Jarden bought Coleman and, just over a decade after that, in 2016, Newell Brands bought Jarden, meaning Campingaz is now part of an American manufacturing empire that has brands such as Marmot, Contigo and Aerobed in its outdoor and recreation portfolio, in addition to Campingaz and Coleman.

Creating the cylinders

The Lyon site is huge and it is heavily protected – it is classed as a Seveso II High Level site, which is second only to a nuclear facility in terms of classification for a hazardous site. But then one would expect that for a factory that handles so much gas it can supply the entire European continent and beyond with some 20 million cylinders and cartridges, as well as cylinders for other manufacturers, every year.

During the process it adds a chemical odorant – ethyl mercaptan – to the LPG mixture to give the gas that unmistakable smell, which allows the quick detection of a leak. The aroma of this chemical is evident throughout the factory where all 250 employees and guests must wear antistatic clothing, caps and boots and leave all items that could cause a spark locked away before entering.

While the factory manufactures and fills all Campingaz cartridges, the company’s cylinders are made elsewhere. Every cylinder, no matter how old, is safety checked and, if necessary, refurbished, before it is refilled at the facility and then sent out to retailers across Europe.

In the UK these refillable cylinders are sent to one of nine Flogas distribution centres before being shipped to retailers like camping shops and motorhome dealers.

Campingaz itself does not sell direct to consumers but only through its retailers, of which there are over 14,000 in 22 countries across Europe.

Because of the complications caused by Britain’s exit of the EU, Campingaz now must ensure its cylinders meet two standards – that for distribution in the EU and a separate standard for distribution in the UK. These standards are identified by two different markings on the cylinders – the Greek symbols, Pi and Rho – which show they are certified for use for a decade.

As a result of this, the UK is receiving the majority of all the new cylinders manufactured this year. Unsurprisingly, Campingaz is faced with additional costs to meet the new standards.

Chris says,

It does mean you’ll notice a lot more brand-new blue cylinders with both Pi and the Rho symbols on the side circulating around Britain this year, which will be welcome news to those of you who have been struggling to source the first cylinder for your new leisure vehicle or those of you struggling to get a replacement for an empty cylinder.

Indeed, Campingaz says around 70% of all the cylinders it will supply to the UK this year will be brand-new, a figure that is all the more exceptional when one considers the high average age of the cylinders currently in circulation. Indeed, Campingaz says around 70% of all the cylinders it will supply to the UK this year will be brand-new, a figure that is all the more exceptional when one considers the high average age of the cylinders currently in circulation.

There has been a noticeable lack of gas cylinders this year thanks, in no small part, to the significant increase in sales of new motorhomes and campervans over the last 36 months, which has led to increased demand.

Chris explains,

The availability of cylinders has also been negatively impacted by Calor’s decision earlier this year to stop supplying or exchanging its Cube, 3.9kg propane, 4.5kg butane and its Lite propane and butane cylinders, although this decision was, of course, good news for Campingaz as customers have switched to its cylinders instead.

What's new?

One of the common issues cited about the use of butane in Campingaz cylinders is that, as the temperature drops closer to freezing, so does the ability of the liquid butane to boil and become a gas.

This has just been addressed and now all Campingaz R (refillable) cylinders use a blend of butane, propane and isobutane. This means they are suitable for year-round use down to -10°C.

Chris explains

Also new to the UK market is the arrival of Campingaz’s new twin connector regulator, which won Camping magazine’s award for the best camping innovation of 2023.

The new twin connector allows double-burner stoves, grills and tabletop barbecues that are powered by Campingaz’s refillable gas cylinder to also be powered by its CV470 Plus cartridge through a single regulator and hose. It achieves this by having both the refillable cylinder screw connection and the Easy Clic Plus cartridge connection as a single unit.