Back in the day, everyone in the hiking and backpacking community used SIGG bottles to carry Coleman type fuel. In fact, or so I've been told, MSR's first brand name bottles were made by SIGG. ANYWAY, to my question: can today's SIGG bottles with their epoxy coating still be used for fuel? Or will the epoxy dissolve in the fuel and gunk up a stove? I imagine they'd be all right, but I'm not really sure. Just curious because SIGG bottles are so ubiquitous (now that people are using them as drink bottles) that they're easy to pick up at garage sales and the like for cheap fuel containers. Supposedly, or so I've been told, Coleman fuel lasts longer if stored in vessels with little airspace so no condensation/precipitation cycles can occur. With that in mind, I've been decanting my Coleman fuel into smaller bottles instead of storing it in the Coleman can and could use the extra containers.
epoxy cant be used with food and drinks it is some sort of plastic inside, usualy polyethylene. It is fuel resistent. But O-ring on cap of drinking bottle is made of silicon rubber which is not fuel resistent, it should be replased with nitrile(frome the stove spare kit). The lightest way of carring fuel is usual plastic bottle from Bon Aqua or smth like it. Fuel stay in any bottle for a week without any problems. If you need to keep it longer, you are to chose plastic bottle cap with out seal. P.S. I am sure that the only difference between drinking and fuel bottle is that threat on fuel bottle 0.5 wider
Morning, HJ, I've heard that Sigg made the early MSR fuel bottles, too, but never seen any real documentation for that fact. I once asked Mike Ridout, who was, at that time, the MSR Repair Center stove guy, is that was true, and he didn't know for sure. If you want to use Sigg fuel bottles, why not just buy some at garage sales and the like? I have bought quite a few of them, over the years, and still see them out there for sale. Sigg must have sold a veritable TON of them, back in the day!! They usually sell for between $2 and $5, and that's a good buy, me thinks. I used to snap them up every time I saw them, but have "enough" now, and no longer do so. Just a thought... Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Hi, Grigoriy. Thanks for that info. It is good to know the linining in SIGG drinking bottles is OK with fuel. I just have to replace the silicon gasket with a nitrile one. But the threads are different on a SIGG drinking bottle versus a SIGG fuel bottle? I didn't know that. Well, I won't be able to screw my MSR fuel pump directly into the bottle, but at least I can use it as extra carrying capacity if needed. That's a good idea about using a plastic bottle by the way. I can definitely do that when I bring a stove that has an integrated tank.
A very good idea. The only downside of garage sales is that they take a lot of time first to get to and then to peruse, but you can find some gems. I've got a couple of my uncle's old late 50's/early 60's SIGG fuel bottles. Instead of a plastic lid, they have aluminium ones. If I make it to the Calif. Stove Gathering, I'll be sure to bring them and a other few vintage things. I imagine I'll be the "lightweight" of the bunch, but hopefully some of my items will be interesting.
On the topic of fuel bottles... Has anyone used the new MSR bottles with child proof caps. I have and it seems that I am a child. I think this might be a new Canadian thing though. Jeff
Hi, Jeff, We're seeing the child proof caps here too, although you can still buy the regular MSR caps. I suppose child proofing them isn't a bad idea, but I'm a little worried that I'm going to come off a mountain on a cold snowy day, stumble into camp, and be unable to get the confounded cap off to cook supper and brew up a hot cup of tea. Any of you who have ever been out in the backcountry on a very long, cold, wintery day and have had stiff cold fingers and a benumbed mind know exactly what I'm talking about. It's probably nothing to really worry about, but I always worry when someone in a nice warm office who has no idea what it's like cooking supper on a wind swept rocky plateau when it's 15F/-9C and you're at 12,000'/3600m is setting requirements for my gear. I haven't tried it yet, but I sure hope you can get them open with mittens on. HJ
Hi Jim I don't own any yet, just playing with one at a store. Seems like extra weight and a half thought out idea. I agree. It guess it is a good idea. But you have to be really drunk to put a bottle of white gas to your lips and not smell it. Like you said that a lot of people are using these as water bottles so that doesn't help. For now I will stick to the old caps too. Regards, Jeff
Definitely extra weight. Dunno about some of these "improvements." Sometimes plain and simple is good, especially when you really have to be able to count on something.
I am not ultra light by no means... i am a scout deep down so i am prepared for almost anything but Bigfoot/Sasquatch maybe. But I like light simple gear along with some comforts. "It just has to work" is something that comes to mind. These caps appear to be more a way of msr to cover their own butts than camping. Jeff
I used two of them with this stove without any problems https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/8923 drinking bottle threat is G 3/4 (or 14 tpi and 26.5mm dimeter) fuel bottle threat is 14 tpi and 27.0-27.1 mm dimeter) for a long trips cap withoul seal is important point
That's the one thing I don't understand. What do you mean "cap without seal?" What kind of cap is that?
So y'all think a typical Coke bottle is OK for Coleman fuel? I have used them for meths for a long time, and am currently experimenting with keeping some Klean Heat in a PET bottle. Because Coleman fuel is more volatile, I thought it would be more likely to have problems so wanted to experiment with something less volatile first. I have seen strange things happen to plastic ...
Just to be clear - the older SIGG bottles can be used for fuel, and in fact were made to do so. The newer SIGG bottles made today are not designed for fuel storage. The following excerpt is from the Q&A section of SIGG's US website, at http://www.mysigg.com/FAQ/ "Can I Store Gas In My SIGG? No, it is a beverage container. SIGG used to make fuel containers for this purpose, but they had a heavier wall. We do not recommend storing any fuel in SIGG beverage bottles whatsoever. We do not carry fuel bottles at this time."
some have and some dont I like this word "designed" ))) weight sigg fuel and drinking bottles, I am practically sure that its the same, any way, What role heavier walls play in transportation?
Why did Sigg stop making fuel bottles? Inturance/Regulation reasons? I too am looking for a way to carry coleman fuel. Any other ideas on household containers that might work? Do you think the seal in the lid of a SOBE bottle would hold up to fuel? Also, what did people use to carry coleman fuel back in the old days besides Sigg containers? Did coleman make bottles? Did they use household stuff? Thanks!
I always used Sigg bottles, from 1972 on when I got my first Svea 123. Now I have some MSR bottles too, along with the old Siggs which still hold up fine. And even one from Snow Peak. Never knew anyone who didn't use Sigg bottles, come to think of it. What a conventional bunch I ran with.
Simply for carrying fuel, the thickness of the bottles wouldn't really matter. I do not believe the gaskets on today's SIGGs are compatible with fuel, though, and I have no idea if the inner lining SIGG uses today reacts with naphtha. When used as the stove's fuel tank (as on a Whisperlite, XGK, etc.), however, it's a little different since the bottle is pressurized. I can only assume the thinner walls of today's SIGGs are not as well suited to handle the pressure as the old-style bottles with thicker walls. I *think* (am not 100% sure, though) that the newer SIGGs have a separate threaded sleeve inserted into the neck for the cap to be screwed into. My guess is that this would make for a possible rupture point under pressure, as compared to older SIGGs that were entirely one-piece. Anyway, like Brerarnold I've got a pile of older SIGGs from the 70's and 80's that I still use for camping, and they were certainly ubiquitous back then. I see a lot still in use on the AT these days as well.
Had an interesting conversation at a local Army/Navy surplus store today. The current 'child-proof' and late model MSR fuel bottles have an angled face on the place where the cap screws on. He remarked that they have had reports of fuel leaks with the new(er) bottles and Primus MFS (Himalaya, etc) and Optimus Nova pumps. He said I should refrain from using newer bottles with these older stove pumps. Any thoughts? These stoves are part of our equipment stores on our Honduras Medical missions. Tim
