I need to kinda rationalize my gas cans; right now I just have random size and volumes, which is...functional.  Kinda.

I'm thinking something in the jerry can format, because of the number of mounts and holders available.  NATO-style cans, Scepter MFCs (if I could find them^a), or possibly Midwest cans.

In line with that, I'm thinking 3 fuel cans for the moment: that's 3/4 of a tank of gas, or running my generator full-out for 36 hours.  More would be nice, but there are other constraints at the moment.

I'm also thinking of just buying a siphon each for my truck and generator.  On the generator, the fuel cap is inconveniently low to the ground.  On my new truck (being a modern, stupidly-tall bodied vehicle) the spigot's nowhere near a good lifting zone, and holding 45lbs or so in the air to fuel it up seem like a colossal pain in the ass.

So the questions are:

• How good are Scepter's civilian-style cans?  Close enough to NATO-standard size to use jerry can mounts?
• Or should I just go metal?
• If metal, how important is a NATO-style spigot mount?  Wavian makes both NATO cans, and similar-style cans branded Midwest with the same form factor but screw-on spigots.  The Midwest cans are literally half the price.

¹ Apparently the MFCs are restricted by the gov't.  I'm not sure why, but will hazard "CARB compliance".  Further commentary redacted, because CARB compliance of cans is the law of the land.

Note about siphoning from a gas can into my truck. I picked up a squeeze bulb siphon hose like this to help me rotate preserved "hurricane" gasoline into my Tacoma. I figured it'd be easier and less messy than the government-approved gas can nozzles. About twenty minutes of transferring less than two of the five gallons in the can I got fed up with how long it was taking. This sort of siphon might be useful for sucking small amounts of gas out of a lawn mower but they suck for adding fuel to a vehicle unless you have a lot of time to waste.
-Blast

Hrm...nuts.

Shipping flammable liquids (and other nasties) is my job, after a fashion.

Quote from: boskone on July 18, 2021, 11:08:25 PM
I need to kinda rationalize my gas cans; right now I just have random size and volumes, which is...functional.  Kinda.

The range of different designs of gas cans in the US always surprises me. Here in the UK there are a handful of (similar) 1-gallon cans, two or three 2-gallon ones and NATO cans for anything bigger. I suspect it's because UK law mostly prohibits plastic cans bigger than 2 gallons (it was one gallon until fairly recently).

QuoteIn line with that, I'm thinking 3 fuel cans for the moment: that's 3/4 of a tank of gas, or running my generator full-out for 36 hours.  More would be nice, but there are other constraints at the moment.

15 gallons is nice to have on hand, for sure.

QuoteI'm also thinking of just buying a siphon each for my truck and generator.  On the generator, the fuel cap is inconveniently low to the ground.  On my new truck (being a modern, stupidly-tall bodied vehicle) the spigot's nowhere near a good lifting zone, and holding 45lbs or so in the air to fuel it up seem like a colossal pain in the ass.

You might just need a decent funnel? That would work for the generator, at least.

QuoteSo the questions are:

• How good are Scepter's civilian-style cans?  Close enough to NATO-standard size to use jerry can mounts?
• Or should I just go metal?
• If metal, how important is a NATO-style spigot mount?  Wavian makes both NATO cans, and similar-style cans branded Midwest with the same form factor but screw-on spigots.  The Midwest cans are literally half the price.

I have no experience with Scepter cans but I understand they are essentially the same size as NATO ones,.
Metal is good but watch for rust. Support them off the ground to allow ventilation, if possible. I stand mine on a couple of lengths of 2x2.
The advantage of the NATO can is that the cap is attached (can't be lost) and has a good rubber seal to stop evaporation etc. The Midwest cans look to have some form of self-closing spout (a feature I associate with US gas cans, and haven't seen in Europe). Provided the screw-on cap is robust and seals well, and you're sure you won't lose the spout, I don't see a problem.

Watch out for fake NATO cans. There's a video here:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b4N1Fc1HIw

And if you have the chance, buy UN approved cans. They've been tested for rough handling.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktjY25s2lbA
(Not all the tests in this video are required for UN approval.)

Quote from: sheddi on July 19, 2021, 11:53:16 AM

QuoteI'm also thinking of just buying a siphon each for my truck and generator.  On the generator, the fuel cap is inconveniently low to the ground.  On my new truck (being a modern, stupidly-tall bodied vehicle) the spigot's nowhere near a good lifting zone, and holding 45lbs or so in the air to fuel it up seem like a colossal pain in the ass.
You might just need a decent funnel? That would work for the generator, at least.

A good funnel (or 2 or 3) is very important. It results in a lot less spillage.
These are good but you need to support the funnel.
https://www.amazon.com/attwood-Marine-Filter-Funnel-Handle/dp/B0009TODIM?th=1

This set of 3 are very useful. The tall thin ATF funnel is one I use for pouring gasoline into a car since the thin pipe will fit into the fuel fill pipe.
https://www.amazon.com/Hopkins-FloTool-10714MX3-Super-Funnel/dp/B074MG2VMF/ref=sr_1_11?dchild=1&keywords=funnel&qid=1626713985&sr=8-11


I use the simple plastic cans and eliminated all of the metal cans due to rust (interior & exterior) issues. The are very tight sealing and durable. The biggest issue is that the new ones have the silly "non spill" valve which does work well. I get around that by simply buying either used or new old type fuel fills. They do not wear out.
https://www.amazon.com/EONLION-Replacement-Flexible-Nozzle-Stopper/dp/B08883FMM8/ref=sr_1_12?dchild=1&keywords=gas+can+fill&qid=1626714429&sr=8-12
https://www.amazon.com/Super-Spouts-Replacement-Nozzles-Vents/dp/B07Q3HWTV5/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=gas+can+fill&qid=1626714480&sr=8-4

I use only 5 gallon cans. If you need less fuel just short fill a 5 gallon can.
 

Quote from: sheddi on July 19, 2021, 11:53:16 AM
And if you have the chance, buy UN Approved cans. They've been tested for rough handling.

I agree with this for transporting gasoline. A good UN approved container is a 55 gallon drum.
https://www.amazon.com/Steel-Closed-Top-Black-Rust-Inhibitor-Lining/dp/B07B661HBY/ref=sr_1_10?crid=23R43ZQXOJWVA&dchild=1&keywords=55+gallon+drum&qid=1626714770&sprefix=55+gallon+%2Caps%2C268&sr=8-10

The biggest problem wit these is the full weight is close to 500 lbs. I use these at the farm to off road diesel. You can roll them on the rim or store them on their sides. You will need a siphon or a pump to access the fuel.

Quote from: sheddi on July 19, 2021, 11:53:16 AM
The Midwest cans look to have some form of self-closing spout (a feature I associate with US gas cans, and haven't seen in Europe).

Yeah, that's a California thing they managed to push nation-wide as a requirement.  The idea is that less gasoline evaporated into the atmosphere, but at the cost of complexity, fragility, and often spilling more gas than you would with a noncompliant spout.

All gas cans post-2009 or thereabouts have similar stupid spouts.

Quote from: Raptor on July 19, 2021, 12:15:45 PM

Quote from: sheddi on July 19, 2021, 11:53:16 AM
And if you have the chance, buy UN Approved cans. They've been tested for rough handling.

I agree with this for transporting gasoline. A good UN approved container is a 55 gallon drum.
https://www.amazon.com/Steel-Closed-Top-Black-Rust-Inhibitor-Lining/dp/B07B661HBY/ref=sr_1_10?crid=23R43ZQXOJWVA&dchild=1&keywords=55+gallon+drum&qid=1626714770&sprefix=55+gallon+%2Caps%2C268&sr=8-10

The biggest problem wit these is the full weight is close to 500 lbs. I use these at the farm to off road diesel. You can roll them on the rim or store them on their sides. You will need a siphon or a pump to access the fuel.

If you don't mind the fact it isn't a "gas can" and you might get odd looks at the gas station, Skolnik make some excellent drums (we use their stainless steel ones occasionally). They come in a wide range of sizes, eg. this ten-gallon one. And they have NPT screw bungs not CARB spouts. Ten gallons of gas will only weigh 62lbs, plus 14lbs for the drum ... but you'll still need a syphon or barrel pump.

(I should've finagled Blast's affiliate code into that link  )

Quote from: sheddi on July 19, 2021, 02:02:06 PM
If you don't mind the fact it isn't a "gas can" and you might get odd looks at the gas station, Skolnik make some excellent drums (we use their stainless steel ones occasionally). They come in a wide range of sizes, eg. this ten-gallon one. And they have NPT screw bungs not CARB spouts. Ten gallons of gas will only weigh 62lbs, plus 14lbs for the drum ... but you'll still need a syphon or barrel pump.

(I should've finagled Blast's affiliate code into that link  )

Here's the affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3eBYy49

-Blast

For siphon's I've had good luck with these:
metal end goes in the liquid.  Few shakes up and down, and watch the flow...


https://www.amazon.com/Safety-Siphon-Safe-Multi-Purpose-Priming/dp/B000BG1X54

Quote from: Blast on July 19, 2021, 02:54:54 PM
Here's the affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3eBYy49

-Blast

So your affiliate code/tag is "wilediofhou-20", and reading this explanation of how it works, then we can take any base product URL, like:

https://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Spout-Water-Update-Your/dp/B00CYNDNM8

and add "/?wilediofhou-20" to the end (like this, "https://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Spout-Water-Update-Your/dp/B00CYNDNM8/?&tag=wilediofhou-20") and you get a commission on the sale of any product? 

That product btw is one that I bought to fix a 'broken' gas can.

Quote from: Crosscut on July 20, 2021, 10:22:08 AM

Quote from: Blast on July 19, 2021, 02:54:54 PM
Here's the affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3eBYy49

-Blast

So your affiliate code/tag is "wilediofhou-20", and reading this explanation of how it works, then we can take any base product URL, like:

https://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Spout-Water-Update-Your/dp/B00CYNDNM8

and add "/?wilediofhou-20" to the end (like this, "https://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Spout-Water-Update-Your/dp/B00CYNDNM8/?&tag=wilediofhou-20") and you get a commission on the sale of any product? 

That product btw is one that I bought to fix a 'broken' gas can.

I wonder if we could "double-dip" with Amazon Smile? 

Quote from: Crosscut on July 20, 2021, 10:22:08 AM

and add "/?wilediofhou-20" to the end (like this, "https://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Spout-Water-Update-Your/dp/B00CYNDNM8/?&tag=wilediofhou-20") and you get a commission on the sale of any product? 

That product btw is one that I bought to fix a 'broken' gas can.

I don't know for sure, but probably. I say we try it and find out!
-Blast

Quote from: Blast on July 20, 2021, 11:22:09 AM

Quote from: Crosscut on July 20, 2021, 10:22:08 AM

and add "/?wilediofhou-20" to the end (like this, "https://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Spout-Water-Update-Your/dp/B00CYNDNM8/?&tag=wilediofhou-20") and you get a commission on the sale of any product? 

That product btw is one that I bought to fix a 'broken' gas can.

I don't know for sure, but probably. I say we try it and find out!
-Blast

Supposed to be able to check if the affiliate link is correct with this tool:
https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/gp/associates/network/tools/link-checker/main.html

If "https://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Spout-Water-Update-Your/dp/B00CYNDNM8/?&tag=wilediofhou-20" works let us know, I'll just add "/?&tag=wilediofhou-20" to the end of each product link and reload the page before putting items in the cart. 

Quote from: Crosscut on July 20, 2021, 11:39:07 AM
Supposed to be able to check if the affiliate link is correct with this tool:
https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/gp/associates/network/tools/link-checker/main.html

If "https://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Spout-Water-Update-Your/dp/B00CYNDNM8/?&tag=wilediofhou-20" works let us know, I'll just add "/?&tag=wilediofhou-20" to the end of each product link and reload the page before putting items in the cart.

Sweet! I tried the link checker and received the message "Success: The link tags to a valid tag or sub-tag for your Associate ID."

-Blast

Quote from: Blast on July 20, 2021, 01:59:56 PM

Quote from: Crosscut on July 20, 2021, 11:39:07 AM
Supposed to be able to check if the affiliate link is correct with this tool:
https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/gp/associates/network/tools/link-checker/main.html

If "https://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Spout-Water-Update-Your/dp/B00CYNDNM8/?&tag=wilediofhou-20" works let us know, I'll just add "/?&tag=wilediofhou-20" to the end of each product link and reload the page before putting items in the cart.

Sweet! I tried the link checker and received the message "Success: The link tags to a valid tag or sub-tag for your Associate ID."

-Blast

Now we know what to do, I'm just going to save this info in a txt file on the PC and will add it as described to each item.  Read somewhere that affiliates can see the items they earned a commission on(?), I'll PM you with the items what I bought on the next order so you can confirm you got credit for it. 

I have used those replacement spouts from Amazon and tractor supply. They work to fix old gas cans. I have a 1 gallon for chainsaws, weed wackers, then a couple of 5 gallons of regular gas.

So, what I've taken from this:

• Skip the siphons
• Metal's not really worth it
• Scepter'll probably be OK
• You guys have no conception of staying on topic and within implied specs
• We can add /?&tag=wilediofhou-20 to Amazon URLs and Blast gets a bit of money

I think I'll get a few of these 5-gallon gas cans, one 5-gallon water jug, and something like EZ Pour spouts and--if I can find some--"blank" caps for the gas cans.

I can deal with just that much for now.  Probably (hopefully) by the time I'm in a position to want more, I'll have a rainwater catchment system going to a nice large cistern, and my vehicle will burn pixies instead of fermented dino piss.

Quote from: boskone on July 20, 2021, 07:23:36 PM
So, what I've taken from this:

• Skip the siphons
• Metal's not really worth it
• Scepter'll probably be OK

• You guys have no conception of staying on topic and within implied specs

[/b][/u]

• We can add /?&tag=wilediofhou-20 to Amazon URLs and Blast gets a bit of money

I think I'll get a few of these 5-gallon gas cans, one 5-gallon water jug, and something like EZ Pour spouts and--if I can find some--"blank" caps for the gas cans.

I can deal with just that much for now.  Probably (hopefully) by the time I'm in a position to want more, I'll have a rainwater catchment system going to a nice large cistern, and my vehicle will burn pixies instead of fermented dino piss.

stay on topic ... yea sure

Siphon>spout in my experience, less mess, less fuss, and hands free. I also use the shaker siphon linked above.

While the blue scepter water cans are quite good a few dollars more will get you the milspec can:

https://www.buylci.com/water-can-5-gallon-desert-tan.html

typically two cans gets you over the threshold for free shipping too.

Quote from: RonnyRonin on July 20, 2021, 08:56:19 PM
Siphon>spout in my experience, less mess, less fuss, and hands free. I also use the shaker siphon linked above.

Blast expressed some issues with flow rate; any anecdata on the subject?  ~10 minutes per gallon does seem somewhat problematic.

Quote
While the blue scepter water cans are quite good a few dollars more will get you the milspec can:

https://www.buylci.com/water-can-5-gallon-desert-tan.html

Aside from color, what are the differences?