@Cookie My rule for refueling equipment(stoves, small engines, etc) is that I have to be able to touch it bare handed before getting anywhere close to it with an open fuel bottle.
Not my thing. Just not worth it. I'll be SLIGHTLY more lenient with kero powered appliances, but anything involving alcohol or gasoline is a nope. Not worth it.
@Cookie I like the Ronsonol/Zippo fluid can idea, but since it's already Naptha, I'll just top it off with Coleman gas, for filling lighters or priming a Svea 123. I recently acquired a <<Flaska>> along with a snuskburken stove and Svea Alco burner, but it came with an Hungarian mess can, the genuine Swedish M41/44 mess tins being sold out. Priced under $15. And misidentified as a NATO Mess Kit. Sweden was neutral and Hungary was Warsaw Pact -- so total advertizing BS. But the Svea military burner in the Trangia windbreak kicks butt.
@Marc They come in 1L, 1.5L. & 2L. I like the one liter version personally. I guess that they are not EPA or CARB approved because they don't have a child/adult resistant spout or cap. Additional info from a site: The can's opening is large enough that you can fill directly from the pump. Emergency reserve for motorcycles, scooters, quads and other small engines Small, extremely robust, meets the most stringent European safety requirements 1 & 1.5 liter versions have eyelets that a strap can pass through. Suitable for all fuel; gasoline, diesel and ethanol mix fuels. Made of super robust HDPE plastic Made in Germany and approved for unrestricted general use by TÜV NOT EPA or CARB approved (Sorry, these cans cannot be shipped to an address in California)
Hi everyone Sorry for resurrecting an old thread but I just wanted to relay my experience as a warning with the Trangia fuel bottle and valve. Back in the days before I paid sufficient attention to pack weight, I had the one litre bottle. At the end of a 10 day hike as I was getting back to the big smoke, it was sitting at the bottom of my pack with a heap of gear stashed on top of it and the pressure on it cause the valve to shear right off its thread - ie it snapped with the thread staying in the bottle. Fortunately it was empty at the time or I would have found myself in possession of a highly flammable candle the size of my backpack! Just one spark could have meant a world of pain... In my disappointment I ditched the whole bottle but now regret that choice as I can see buying just a replacement valve is a possibility and it's not really the bottle's fault. I put it down to user error in expecting too much of it as much as anything - the bottle itself is very robust but the valve does need to be treated with appropriate care - despite being made of the same robust material as the bottle, the design of the valve does lend itself to the possibility of significant torque being applied to it inside a heavy pack, to take just one example. Just in case anyone gets the impression the valves are as robust as the bottles - they aren't and they can break. If I needed a fuel bottle that could take some hits in service from being neglected like this, then I would be looking for something with a screw top instead, such as those Fuel Friends. But if I can be confident of being able to keep the valve protected, then of course nothing beats the Trangia bottle. I hope this helps!
A Sigg bottle stopper fits the Trangia fuel bottle. Not such a good pourer, but a lot less likely to fail.
She's a keeper! FWIW, I've used Trangia's bottles for several years, without leakage. I suspect people are confusing dribbles with leaks. When you finish pouring fuel from a Trangia bottle and take your finger off the spring-loaded cap, there will generally be a small quantity of alcohol left in the dispenser. It's important to shake that out (which may be done before or after screwing down the cap) before stowing the bottle away in your pack. Fortunately we're only talking about a two or three drops, and it's pretty easy to shake out this extra fuel into the Trangia burner so none of it goes to waste. Like most other bottles, when a Trangia bottle is less than half full it becomes necessary to invert it beyond the horizontal while pouring. In my experience, that occasionally results in a very small quantity of alcohol spilling out ... I'm unsure exactly where that leakage comes from, but it immediately stops when you release the cap. I have all three sizes (Trangia stuff is addictive). The 300 ml is my favourite. They are all good, it just depends on how many burns you plan. Horses for courses. That incident sounds plausible. While I don't consider the valve as ultra-fragile, indeed it's not as bomb-proof as the bottles and I would not deliberately pile a lot of heavy gear on top of it. Very reasonable.
Thanks @Ian - I didn't realise that. I suspect I have now found the perfect solution for me. Now I just need to source the full size range of Trangia bottles (they are so pretty and particularly handy in the smaller sizes to work with - and I'm vain like that), with their accompanying valves for general use. Then when I call on them to bounce around the back of the four wheel drive with a heap of gear for a trip into the outback, or the bottom of the hiking pack in a negligent fashion etc, I can just swap in some Sigg bottle stoppers for that purpose. Far safer and more peace of mind than relying on the bottles that meths comes in around here... This is why I like this forum - these things seem like such minor details but they make a big difference to the usability of an alcohol stove in topping up quickly in the dark / wind / rain without spilling alcohol everywhere - as well as keeping it in the bottle! I also learnt the trick of lifting the top windshield of the Trangia off the bottom one without taking the saucepan out first, in order to refill the burner. I've been using Trangias for years and I'd never thought of that!
May be of interest to note that the Trangia fuel bottles are manufactured in your choice of two colours: bright red and olive green. My own three bottles (300, 500 and 1,000 ml) are all of the red variety, which is a lot more common than green. Doesn’t bother me as I am not a wannabe soldier and don’t need tacticool kit. But perhaps the green might appeal to you, so I thought I’d mention it. BTW, Perth is a nice place! I hope to get back there some day, probably with a side trip to Broome.
Giving the latest comments more thought that might be the reason for some of the banning and restrictions recently. Not available in Canada, at all, and cannot use gasoline in USA.
@Cookie My apologies sir, I must have seen this before but I certainly don't remember it now. I REALLY like the larger 1L and 2L FuelFriend bottles. Those form factors are generally easier to pack, and 2L would be useful for chainsaw fuel in the woods. Thank you for the additional info. @Phantom Yes, she's fantastic. Just thinking about her makes me smile uncontrollably. Over a year on the Trangia fuel bottles now, zero issues. I do notice the one or two drops after filling, not an issue I agree. I'll eventually get a couple more for white gas, rather than pouring from 1 gallon cans into appliances. Before anyone comments, yes I'm aware they're not labeled for use for white gas in the USA anymore, not legal or against the rules or whatever. I don't care.
The older ones, which I have, have no restrictions for using gasoline. Same bottle as the newer ones, just different rules. Brad
Yes, that’s pretty much my attitude towards the apparent ban on importing these bottles into Canada. Happily, they are still available through Amazon.com.
Alrighty, reviving an old thread. As usual from Ken, this was wisdom and proved true. And this has happened. Another gift from Sunni, two more Trangia bottles. Went with green simply because they cost less at the time and I don't care what color they are. Also trying a Nalgene HDPE bottle. Mostly an experiment but expecting it to be fine, it's made of the same material as gasoline cans and vehicle fuel tanks. Labels are just printed and taped on. After stacking the new bottles on the self with the rest of the family, I realized the rest of the fuel bottles needed labels too. Too many to keep reliable track of what fluid is in what bottle by just memory now.
I was dubious of the Trangia bottles because they weren’t metal. Until, that is, I bought one for my wife’s Trangia kit. Now I’m sold. I have a red one for my wife for meths. I bought a green one for me for Kerosene, because I equate green for Kerosene. I will buy a red one for white gas next.
I have had occasional issues with pressurised contents spitting out from Trangia bottlles but like their pouring ability especially for some small stove openings. I recently looked at color coding and here in Australia blue is good for kero and I purchased a 2 litre steel fuel can and am thinking of painting it the correct blue and labelling it for kero. Probably still use Trangia for Shellite and MSR fuel bottles as well.
