Hi all, I've recently rebuilt and refurbished a fairly old Svea 123, complete with homemade replacement adjustment key. I haven't taken it out on the trail for more than a couple days and so far I haven't run out of fuel in the built in resevoir. For future extended trips I will bring along extra fuel in a separate fuel bottle. My question to you is, what fuel bottle is best? Currently, I've been trying to use a small funnel and a brand new primus fuel bottle...but it's terrible. It's very durable, and secure, I'm not afraid of leaking, but when I pour, it makes a huge mess spilling white gas everywhere. I need a fairly lightweight fuel bottle that pours well and doesn't leak. Any suggestions? Thanks!
A Primus style bottle is pretty typical. Sigg is the traditional brand, but Primus bottles are much the same. The one bad thing about Primus bottles that I've observed is that they don't have the two small holes in the thread of the cap that other brands have. If I can find a photo, I'll post it. A small funnel along with a cap with the two small holes I'm describing works pretty well. You might try picking up a used Sigg or MSR bottle and see if that works better. Nalgene made a red fuel grade plastic bottle with a built in nozzle like device. Those work well too if you can find one. HJ
Trangia bottles are brilliant. I take my Sigg on all of my hikes and campouts. It's a little beat up but it has and does the job quite well. It doesn't have a safety valve like the Trangia, though. Here's my Sigg: sam
Oh, yeah, I've got one of those dual lid Sigg lids too. One for sealing, one for pouring. Those are great if you can find one. It might be easier to find a regular Sigg or MSR bottle. Take a close look at this photo. Note the oval shaped hole in the threaded portion of the cap just below the rim. One unscrews the cap -- just a bit -- exposing the hole. Then one pours from the oval hole you can see in the photo. I can usually fill my Svea without a funnel, but a small funnel helps. By the way, on the 180 degree opposite side of the cap, there is another, smaller hole that lets air in which makes pouring go more smoothly. The pouring hole is really a nice feature. I don't know why Primus doesn't have that feature. HJ
One of my fuel bottles, MSR I think, has the holes drilled in the cap threads,a good system worth replicating. Interestingly, one hole is probably twice the size of the other, both round. A tiny funnel that jambs into the tank neck so you don't have to hold it would seal the deal.
Myself, i prefer the ovel shaped tins with the larger fill hole and the small pour hole, both with brass caps. i have a set (2) that i've had since 1980 and they still do a fine job of keeping my fuel clean and water free. They are easy to pour from, and they don't leak. lance
Buy a trangia safety bottle cap! Will fit your primus bottle, and pours safely without spilling. If you want a less complicated type of pouring cap, try these: UCO pouring cap I've recently been sent a few by a member here, and am going to try them out, but can't vouch for them yet. (Seems pretty good though, although with less flow than the trangia cap)
echo the benefits of the UCO fuel faucet; i have it on all my non-Trangia bottles (i use the Trangias for alcohol): the cap twists on in a standard manner, but you twist the 'faucet' counter-clockwise to allow flow - which can be directed straight into filler holes... no muss, no fuss! btw, the new 'child-proof' caps on Optimus bottles are AWFUL! no threading, only a series of ridges, and you must use downward pressure to not only open the cap, but also to close it! the worst industrial design for a camping item i've seen in my lifetime... (i throw them away)
Tried the UCO and I really liked it at first but the o-ring on the outer spout got to where it didn't quite seal right. It dribbled in one spot and poured in the other. I eventually found some NOS MSR caps and went to those. Maybe not the "best" and a funnel would always help, but I knew exactly what I was in for with the MSR's. BTW, anyone ever find a sources for those ?Swiss? folding funnels? AR
Greetings, All, I must agree that the UCO caps do not seem to last too long, in actual use. I've had mine for quite a few years, and when using it with Meths, I have found that it binds or seizes up in a very short time. I've replaced the o-ring, which really didn't help much. Speaking only for myself, I do not trust those caps any longer, and have gone back to the old Sigg caps, some with that red Canady pour ring, which have always worked like champs, despite their advanced age. Just my two cents..... Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
I too have had trouble with the UCO caps seizing. I'm not sold on them. I've gone back to the MSR caps which are dead simple. Very little to go wrong. HJ
Hey HJ, how about those Trangia button caps, do they fit into the regular msr or optimus bottles or are they only designed for trangia bottles. Ron
I've never used the the Trangia caps, so I'll have to let someone else make the final call. I think they're the the same thread as Sigg/MSR/Primus/Optimus/Brunton bottles, but again I've not used one. HJ
Another vote for the Trangia safety pourer, I've used them on Sigg, Karrimor and no name fuel bottles with no problems to date as well as original bottles of course.
Thanks for all the input guys! I'm going to purchase a MSR bottle with the holes in the cap and that should be good. Anybody have a source for the trangia fuel caps? Or the sigg fuel bottle + pour caps, that seems like a secure setup. Really loving this classic stove.
https://www.canadianoutdoorequipment.com/store/search.php?mode=search&page=1&keep_https=yes In Canada
A lot of places carry the MSR caps by themselves. I would think that an MSR cap would fit on a Primus bottle without having to buy the whole MSR bottle. I don't see the MSR caps on www.MEC.ca, but there may be other locations. The Trangia bottles are available at: https://www.canadianoutdoorequipment.com/store/trangia-multi-fuel-bottle.html HJ
Hi I've recently fallen out of love with Trangia fuel bottles and their caps. I'm not the only one, at our recent north east meet a few expressed that they had "issues" with them. First problem is that the cap jams on and requires something (like a tent peg)poked through the loop on the cap to undo it. The second prolem is a wet finger, Andy explains it best here. I even took mine apart to see if anything was missing but there wasn't. This post from Keith shows a useful addition.
Campmor in the USA sells a pour spout that works perfectly with MSR and Sigg fuel bottles. It emits a small, controllable stream perfectly sized for filling SVEA 123 stoves.They call it the "Fuel Faucet". It sells for about 5USD. I've used one for ten years without problems. I keep it on the bottle, ready for use. It has never leaked when stowed in my backpack.
