What do you carry your Alcohol ifuel in?

[Whistler80]

Recently moved to alcohol stove planning a 5 day section in May. Just wondering what others carry their fuel in. Thanks

[pipsissewa]

I use bottles like this for short trips:

bottles.jpg

For longer trips, I use an old hair color bottle with the same kind of top like this:

fancifull.jpg



These tops are great for squirting alcohol into my catfood can stove and they make a reliable seal. Good luck!

[pipsissewa]

P.S. I put whatever fuel bottle I'm carrying inside a Ziplock bag for extra security.

[squeezebox]

I plan on using Heet red ( 99% isopropyl ) that way I can also use it as hand sanitizer. I don't want the contamination of denatured alcohol soaking through my skin.

[4eyedbuzzard]

I plan on using Heet red ( 99% isopropyl ) that way I can also use it as hand sanitizer. I don't want the contamination of denatured alcohol soaking through my skin.

You should reconsider your plan. Isopropal alcohol smokes and leaves smoky residue on pots. Not a good fuel. Just don't take a bath in the methanol (Yellow HEET) and you'll be fine. Methanol occurs naturally in very small quantities in many fruits and their juices. You definitely don't want to drink out outright, but a little on you're fingers once in a while isn't going to hurt you.

[handlebar]

I plan on using Heet red ( 99% isopropyl ) that way I can also use it as hand sanitizer. I don't want the contamination of denatured alcohol soaking through my skin.

Red Heet is NOT a good fuel for alcohol stove. It'll carbon up your pots and doesn't have very good heat value. You need to use Yellow Heet.

[rocketsocks]

I use bottles like this for short trips:

bottles.jpg

I use to carry mine in a Tequila bottle but now I use these, like pipsissewa.

[lyagooshka]

I use bottles like this for short trips:

bottles.jpg

Ditto!
They seal pretty tight, and the spout is convenient.
They are pretty rugged too.
I only boil water once a day, so for me 8 oz will last a week+.

[burger]

Any 16-oz. soda or water bottle will be perfectly fine--I've never had one leak. I used one bottle for the entire CDT.

[CarlZ993]

Any 16-oz. soda or water bottle will be perfectly fine--I've never had one leak. I used one bottle for the entire CDT.

+1. Lasted the entire AT hike. Kept it in a gallon ziplock baggie just in case. Never leaked.

[Wise Old Owl]

Any 16-oz. soda or water bottle will be perfectly fine--I've never had one leak. I used one bottle for the entire CDT.

The leak is from the paper and foil cap - it was designed to a one use gas tank. it is in your best interest to use another bottle well labeled - However using a soda bottle for a poison is illegal and is the source of many lawsuits. There are federal laws associated to this behavior. As Mags pointed out he knows people that have made the mistake. It was even used as a warning on the series Moonshine. If you knew the dangers would you do it again?
Here is what you need to know from the MSDS.

Methanol

Skin Contact: Moderate Eye Contact: Moderate Ingestion: Major Inhalation: Major Effects of Short-Term (Acute) Exposure:
Inhalation: Inhalation of high airborne concentrations can also irritate mucous membranes, cause headaches, sleepiness, nausea, confusion, loss of consciousness, digestive and visual disturbances and even death. NOTE: Odor threshold of methanol is several times higher than the TLV-TWA. Depending upon severity of poisoning and the promptness of treatment, survivors may recover completely or may have permanent blindness, vision disturbances and/or nervous stem effects. Concentrations in air exceeding 1000ppm may cause irritation of the mucous membranes. Using stove in a small air tight space doesn’t take much to get sick.

Skin Contact: Methanol is moderately irritating to the skin. Methanol can be absorbed through the skin and harmful effects have been reported by this route of entry. Effects are similar to those described in “Inhalation”

Eye Contact: Methanol is a mild to moderate eye irritant. High vapor concentration or liquid contact with eyes causes irritation, tearing and burning. “Think contact lenses as a transfer from the fingers.”

Ingestion: Swallowing even small amounts of methanol could potentially cause blindness or death. Effects of sub lethal doses may be nausea, headache, abdominal pain, vomiting and visual disturbances ranging from blurred vision to light sensitivity.



Mags... I often wondered why the once a year posts "lets put Methanol in soda bottles" doesn't fall under toss "recommending illegal activity" or just plain stupid.

[lonehiker]

The leak is from the paper and foil cap - it was designed to a one use gas tank. it is in your best interest to use another bottle well labeled - However using a soda bottle for a poison is illegal and is the source of many lawsuits. There are federal laws associated to this behavior. As Mags pointed out he knows people that have made the mistake. It was even used as a warning on the series Moonshine. If you knew the dangers would you do it again?
Here is what you need to know from the MSDS.

Methanol

Skin Contact: Moderate Eye Contact: Moderate Ingestion: Major Inhalation: Major Effects of Short-Term (Acute) Exposure:
Inhalation: Inhalation of high airborne concentrations can also irritate mucous membranes, cause headaches, sleepiness, nausea, confusion, loss of consciousness, digestive and visual disturbances and even death. NOTE: Odor threshold of methanol is several times higher than the TLV-TWA. Depending upon severity of poisoning and the promptness of treatment, survivors may recover completely or may have permanent blindness, vision disturbances and/or nervous stem effects. Concentrations in air exceeding 1000ppm may cause irritation of the mucous membranes. Using stove in a small air tight space doesn’t take much to get sick.

Skin Contact: Methanol is moderately irritating to the skin. Methanol can be absorbed through the skin and harmful effects have been reported by this route of entry. Effects are similar to those described in “Inhalation”

Eye Contact: Methanol is a mild to moderate eye irritant. High vapor concentration or liquid contact with eyes causes irritation, tearing and burning. “Think contact lenses as a transfer from the fingers.”

Ingestion: Swallowing even small amounts of methanol could potentially cause blindness or death. Effects of sub lethal doses may be nausea, headache, abdominal pain, vomiting and visual disturbances ranging from blurred vision to light sensitivity.



Mags... I often wondered why the once a year posts "lets put Methanol in soda bottles" doesn't fall under toss "recommending illegal activity" or just plain stupid.

This post makes me want to use a pop bottle to store my fuel.

[burger]

If you knew the dangers would you do it again?

Yes. Yes, I would.

I've used soda bottles for my last 6000 or so miles of backpacking and have never come close to drinking fuel. I keep the bottle in a ziploc, and as soon as I pour it in my stove, the bottle goes back in the bag. Zero chance of a mistake.

Under exactly what law is repacking HEET illegal?

[Nodust]

Under exactly what law is repacking HEET illegal?

Not illegal if the new bottle is properly labeled. Put what in it and go online and find a OSHA 23 label for the product. Good to go.

[Mags]

Mags... I often wondered why the once a year posts "lets put Methanol in soda bottles" doesn't fall under toss "recommending illegal activity" or just plain stupid.

Wise old owl, many backpackers use this method. Myself included. My only suggestion was to use a green colored bottle so it sticks out a bit.

I'd like to think I am reasonably experienced at this point.

[Foresight]

Serious question here....WTH is wrong with the plastic bottle that HEET comes in?

[rocketsocks]

Serious question here....WTH is wrong with the plastic bottle that HEET comes in?

Nothin at all, but I buy my alcohol from the big "Orange Box" in a large container, "Kleen strip" brand, and my little squirt bottle is just easier for me to dispense it from. Heat Bottle would work just fine too.

[burger]

Serious question here....WTH is wrong with the plastic bottle that HEET comes in?

They leak! I had one lose half it's contents before I even took off the foil seal (there must've been a leak + a bunch of evaporation). Another one that I opened leaked all over the place--those lids are pretty small.

Also, with an opaque bottle, you don't know exactly how much you have left. And I'd bet dollars to donuts that the original bottle is heavier than any soda bottle you'd use.

[Rolex]

Serious question here....WTH is wrong with the plastic bottle that HEET comes in?

I noticed this on this weekend. I usually use the trangia filled. And a 4 oz plastic bottle. And for a longer trip, one of the common red bottles (msr?) filled with yellow heet. I had already shipped the red bottle out and still had quite a bit left in the yellow heet bottle. So I put it in a ziplock, put it in my pack deliberately upside down. When camped, I left it on the ground on its side and dropped it a couple of times on purpose. It never leaked. I need to weigh it vs the 4 oz bottle that fits in my pot kit but I may not even carry the red fuel bottle any more.

[Dogwood]

I noticed this on this weekend. I usually use the trangia filled. And a 4 oz plastic bottle. And for a longer trip, one of the common red bottles (msr?) filled with yellow heet. I had already shipped the red bottle out and still had quite a bit left in the yellow heet bottle. So I put it in a ziplock, put it in my pack deliberately upside down. When camped, I left it on the ground on its side and dropped it a couple of times on purpose. It never leaked. I need to weigh it vs the 4 oz bottle that fits in my pot kit but I may not even carry the red fuel bottle any more.

1) HEET bottles tend to leak around the opened caps

2) Might be on a short trip where only 1 or 2 oz of HEET arerequired so why should one carry a larger or heavier bottle than needed? To me this counters one of the reasons to use an alchy stove which is to minimize carrying uneeded fuel wt, container wt, or volume of such container. Think about it. Cant carry just 2 to 4 nights isobutane (compressed gas) always so readily. Also, think about the wt and volume of a can even if you do have a partial can of iso. I know it's not a prime concern for everyone but it is for those gram weenieing.

3) For those who want to have all their cooking stuff together in the most compacted space the shape of HEET bottles may interfere with that goal.