Carrying petrol and meths

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Tengu

Full Member
Jan 10, 2006
12,798
1,532
51
Wiltshire
Still not decided on my winter stove but I now have an Optimus 99!

But it needs both fuels

What is the best way to carry? I have the bottle from the Swedish stove and a Sigg ripoff water bottle I can label PETROL
 

Watch-keeper

Life Member
Sep 3, 2013
93
51
London
I have a small plastic bottle that fits inside the box when you close it up which contains the meths for preheating I think its an old tablet bottle. Alternatively, you could just use the petrol/coleman fuel/white gas that you use for main fuel to preheat but it makes a lot of soot.
As for carrying petrol a sig rip off would work, I have a trangia meths bottle thats i use for white gas, it has a spring loaded valve that controls the flow it also has a nozzle that makes filling much easier on a 99.
One other thing you can do to reduce mess if you go the petrol preheat route is to take a piece of fiberglass rope for sealing wood stove doors and with a piece of copper wire attach it inside the preheating cup, it will reduce spilling.
Another thing worth noting is if you use it on snow, because the fuel tank is somewhat remote and lies directly on the aluminium bottom it can sometime cool quickly enough to loose pressure and this will affect performance. To reduce any losses make a windshield out of one of those thick aluminium take away food containers so you can fold it in to the closed box when not in use. Stand the stove on a log or find some other way to isolate it from the cold surface to preserve the temperature in the fuel tank.
 

Kadushu

If Carlsberg made grumpy people...
Jul 29, 2014
868
945
Kent
You can get a dedicated bottle from Trangia ~£25 iirc. I use a metal can/bottle that originally contained xylene. Meths is far less volatile.
 

Pattree

Full Member
Jul 19, 2023
1,318
738
76
UK
Thoroughly recommend the Trangia bottle.
Not only does it have a narrow spout, it only pours when the top is depressed against its spring. It shuts off when you let go or drop it. It won’t leak upside down in your pack; s as well as the press to release function the whole nozzle locks shut with a screw cap. I have two.

That said I only use Meths. A friend on another site gave me a Tilly lamp with an adapted jet so that it too burns meths and I only carry the one fuel. (The KK doesn’t count of course even though I’ll use meths to kick it off in a bad day :) )
 

Dan00001

Forager
Nov 13, 2023
123
123
34
Wales
I use the Trangia fuel bottles, I bought them from Go outdoors. They are red and labelled so there is no mistaking them. I use one for paraffin and one for meths.

One tip that I always do now is to depress the valve with the bottle vertical, prior to pouring. I do this since one time when I had used the bottle outside in winter and I brought the bottle inside. Some time after, I proceeded to fill my pressure lamp in the kitchen and due to an increase in pressure as the bottle had warmed up, the fuel squirted out of both spouts and made a bit of a mess.

I think they are great, but I do have one complaint. No matter how lightly I'm comfortable with tightening up the valve after filling, they're always an absolute nightmare to get back off again. As in, I usually have to stick the valve end in a vice and then I'm always afraid of breaking it.
 

Pattree

Full Member
Jul 19, 2023
1,318
738
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UK
Check for thread damage. I’ve never had that problem with either my 500ml or the litre.

IMG_6021.jpeg
The 300ml is ok for a day out. The ordinary Trangia burner is 100ml per fill.
The Svea military version is 125ml per fill.

I take a litre.
 

Dan00001

Forager
Nov 13, 2023
123
123
34
Wales
The threads are ok, I think it's maybe the o ring squish or something. They screw up ok.

I have 2x .5L bottles.
 

birchwood

Nomad
Sep 6, 2011
440
99
Kent
Sigg fuel bottles have a different lining to water bottles. Not interchangeable.
I personally would not put fuel in a cheap water bottle.
 
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Mesquite

It is what it is.
Mar 5, 2008
27,868
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~Hemel Hempstead~
An Optimus 99 isn't designed to run on ordinary petrol and should be only as a last resort. They're designed to run on white gas (aka Colemans fuel or Aspen) in them.
 
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TLM

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 16, 2019
3,129
1,649
Vantaa, Finland
An Optimus 99 isn't designed to run on ordinary petrol and should be only as a last resort.
I am constantly having problems remembering who calls which fuel what. I think these early Swedish stoves were designed to use the so called "lamp oil" that is a somewhat refined version (does not smell much when burning) of "motor petrol" which again is lighter than diesel.
 

Broch

Life Member
Jan 18, 2009
8,064
7,856
Mid Wales
www.mont-hmg.co.uk
It used to be Petrol/Gasoline without all the additives but Colman Fuel and White Gas now have their own additives to "reduce corrosion and improve burn".

From a trekking point of view, I always chose stoves that ran on my main vehicle fuel - so diesel or petrol (or, on some stoves, both) - if they needed cleaning out when I got back (due to soot etc.) that was fine. I never took a separate 'primer' fuel (more faff) - but either used the burning fuel or, occasionally, a burning gel. I'd be happy running a 99 on petrol but would service it more often. Sadly, I don't have one anymore :(
 

Pattree

Full Member
Jul 19, 2023
1,318
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UK
I have only recently discovered that the term “petrol” as used in the UK Is a misnomer. What Americans call gasoline is apparently more correctly called “petroleum spirit”. The term Petrol in continental Europe and beyond refers to kerosene = UK paraffin.

I’m confused. I guess the solution is to read the original instructions in the language of the user.
I heat my house with kerosene but am advised that I shouldn’t use it as lamp oil. Lamp oil is a cleaner version of my kerosene/heating oil. I hear that some of you guys can get hold of aviation fuel - another clean version of kerosene/paraffin.

Not my problem! I only use meths, (purple potion) whatever that is. It suits my simple mind to have one liquid fuel.

@Tengu. Sorry if I’m preaching to the converted but do practice using any new equipment under as close to field conditions as you can and before you leave.

When are you off?
 
Last edited:

Pattree

Full Member
Jul 19, 2023
1,318
738
76
UK
I’ve got several of those little white Swedish “Trangia” bottles if anyone wants one. Some are embossed and some have a label.

I put a pile of stuff inside my M40 stove and have no room for the fuel bottle. They only hold a couple of fills anyway - hence my 1L bottle.

In general I wouldn’t put fuel into anything but a fuel bottle.
 

Broch

Life Member
Jan 18, 2009
8,064
7,856
Mid Wales
www.mont-hmg.co.uk
I have only recently discovered that the term “petrol” as used in the UK Is a misnomer. What Americans call gasoline is apparently more correctly called “petroleum spirit”. The term Petrol in continental Europe and beyond refers to kerosene = UK paraffin.

I’m confused. I guess the solution is to read the original instructions in the language of the user.
I heat my house with kerosene but am advised that I shouldn’t use it as lamp oil. Lamp oil is a cleaner version of my kerosene/heating oil. I hear that some of you guys can get hold of aviation fuel - another clean version of kerosene/paraffin.

Not my problem! I only use meths, (purple potion) whatever that is. It suits my simple mind to have one liquid fuel.

@Tengu. Sorry if I’m preaching to the converted but do practice using any new equipment under as close to field conditions as you can and before you leave.

When are you off?

It's even more confusing than that - the word Gazolene was trademarked by John Cassell who was British. It was originally Cazellene.

I am happy using 28 Kerosene, paraffin, or diesel in lamps if needs must. I am also happy to run my diesel generator on 28s Oil - it's even legal :) (I do add a little two-stroke oil to it though).
 

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