I just got back from a backpacking trip, and on this one as on all others that I have to fly to, I brought a canister stove for fear of the TSA confiscating one of my liquid fueled stoves. The rules, here, are a little ambiguous and suggest that a clean stove is alright but that they can still be confiscated. It's discussed by MSR here. Does anyone have much experience flying, specifically within the US, with liquid fueled stoves? Have you ever have one confiscated in transit? What precautions have worked to avoid confiscation? If you do fly with your liquid fueled stove, what's your fuel strategy? I could get a quart of white gas at my destination but for most trips that would be more than I could use. Thanks!
Most airlines have the requirements listed on their web page and it can vary from airline to airline. But in the end it comes down to the knowledge and sensitivity of the nose inspecting the stove.
This is one of my recurring nightmares - I try to comply with all the regs and some overzealous clerk confiscates my vintage Svea anyway. I flew once with an MSR and almost had it confiscated. I took the precaution of emptying the fuel bottle, and drained the stove itself. However, like a dummy, I told the lady at the baggage check-in that I had "emptied the fuel bottle", at which point they got really concerned and asked to see it. Since they could smell residual gas, they weren't going to let me put it in my luggage. So I took the fuel bottle, ran to the restroom, and rinsed it out with hot water until there wasn't any odor (the bathroom however, reeked). I showed it to the lady back at the counter and she (somewhat reluctantly) allowed it back in my luggage. Now wiser, I kept my big mouth shut about the stove propper and it went through X-ray apparently without a hitch. So here's what I learned for future use: 1) Disassemble and drain everything, then rinse with hot water so you can't smell anything. Their nose, unfortunately, is the final judge. 2) If the stove has a wick, get rid of it. One reason I like DIY fiberglass wicks vs. cotton is I can simply burn the excess off with a match without destroying the wick. 3) Keep your mouth shut if they don't ask, but have a copy of the TSA regs that say you can fly with a stove as long as there's no fuel. 4) Mail ahead if you can. I would love to hear about any other ideas - Paul
Oh, and extra white gas can either be donated to others or poured into the gas tank of the rental car.
Since restrictions, I have only (potentially) had to take a stove on 3 common carriers. On one trip where most of us flew to the destination, one participant took extra time off work to drive there. The obvious solution was for him to transport all the stoves. The other occasions involved boat trips, where fuel (or residue) was not allowed in luggage. My solution was to use a Trangia stove, and to buy fuel at the destination. Burner and fuel bottle were new outbound and were carried (empty and thoroughly aired) in plastic bags in my jacket pocket (and therefore not in my luggage) coming home. Of course, I had a copy of the company's policy. So the answer is, be creative. I don't believe I would take a vintage or valuable stove on a carrier with restrictions. ....Arch
My dear 1920 Radius stove got refused at Stavanger Airport last year. They called me right before boarding. I fell on my knees and begged them to keep it for a few days so a colleage of mine could pick it up at the lost and found booth. So I will be way more careful in the future. I only emptyed the stove, did not clean it properly.
A friend, after visiting here, had something they would not let him fly with. A gift for his wife. It had sharp things. He called me and somehow convinced them to hold it while I drove to get it. I shipped it to him. A gas stove with a wick. At home ... rinse it with alcohol and air dry for days. Ship it home after. Buy a new stove. Ship it home after. Trangia is a great idea.
About 20 years ago, my son flew to Honolulu from the US East Coast, and then to Maui to hike with a friend, all Ok with his MSR Whisperlite. They would not let him fly back to Honolulu with the stove, and confiscated it. I think someone in Maui wanted his stove....
Thanks for the input. I was hoping lots of you flew with liquid fuel stoves all the time and that my concerns were totally unwarranted... Sounds like that's not the case. Good suggestion on putting extra white gas into the rental car.
Snwcmpr is right - alcohol stoves are a really good idea for airline travel, since there is no odor and the fuel is available at your destination almost everywhere. I once went down the rabbit hole with a weight comparison of alcohol vs. white gas vs. canister stoves, and alcohol came up the winner most of the time. The main problem with them (during the summertime anway) is the restrictions placed on their use in some states due to fire danger. (Sigh...)
20 (15?) years ago I did a comparison. 3 cups of water twice a day. Alcohol was efficient against the SnowPeak GigaPower until 3 and a half days. The insulated cook pot, before MSR Reactor, made the GigaPower very efficient. The Alcohol became too heavy after 3-4 days worth. I've not done a comparison since.
Snwcmpr: I got slightly different results. Without going into all of the gory details, I compared one of the alcohol stoves I make (3.5 oz for stove, support & windscreen) against a stripped down Svea 123, a Jetboil, and a MSR Pocket Rocket. There are lots of other canister stoves out there; I did these two because the Jetboil was an example of a completely integrated stove, while the Pocket Rocket was pretty minimalist. For each, I compared the average wt you carry, between the beginning and end of trip. For 3 days of boiling 6 cups a day, the average wts are: Alcohol: 15 oz Svea: 24 oz (no extra fuel bottle req'd) MSR P.R.: 17 oz (1 small canister) Jetboil: 21 oz (1 small canister) As always, your mileage may vary. The alcohol was still competitive at 7 days and even at 14. But the thing about all these comparisons is that for canister stoves, while the stove itself can be super light weight, the canisters aren't. And you can't buy a half or a quarter canister. So if you plan on a trip where you just finish the canister at the end of the trip, you come out looking pretty good. But the next meal requires a new canister, which pretty much kills whatever weight advantage you enjoyed. The devil really is in the details.
I used a JB insulated pot with the SP GigaPower.. It made the canister very efficient. Yes, experiences will vary. The weight of the fuel, alcohol, after so many days really is the downside to alcohol. >>>That was many years ago, and my priorities have changed. I could be wrong in my memories.<<<< That said. My fav road trip cooker is the Trangia 25. Hands down the easiest to use.
