Kovea in Hobart

[Big G]

Hi all,

Ive recently purchased a Kovea Booster +1 stove and im chasing a 1 litre fuel bottle to go with the 600ml bottle that was supplied with the stove. Does anyone know where i can get one of these in Hobart??

[rucksack]

Mountain Creek Outdoors at 75-77 Bathurst Street and Jolly Swagman's Camping World at 107 Elizabeth Street both carry MSR fuel bottles.

rucksack

[Big G]

Thanks Rucksack. Does anyone know if MSR bottles will take a Kovea pump?

[rucksack]

That, of course, is the question. I have a lot of stoves and a lot of fuel bottles, but no MSR fuel bottle. I suspect that they would be compatible, but why don't you take your Kovea pump into one of those two shops and try it out in an MSR bottle. If I remember correctly, Jolly Swagman's Camping World has another brand of fuel bottle besides the MSR, so if the MSR isn't compatible, the other might be.

The original MSR stoves were usually coupled with a Swiss-made Sigg fuel bottle. Later,after MSR had been acquired by Cascade Designs, MSR sold their own line of fuel bottles, but their threads were identical to the Sigg bottles. Sigg no longer make fuel bottles and most of the European-made fuel bottles are sourced from Spain these days, but they all seem to match up with the Sigg/MSR threads, so I suspect that you might be OK with an MSR bottle.

I would take your Kovea pump into one of those shops and try it out. You will soon know.

rucksack

[icefest]

Kinda off the topic, but I thought I'd warn you.
Be careful with the old Sigg fuel bottles. I had one explode on me last year.

[rucksack]

Icefest, if you still have that particular Sigg bottle, you could have a look at the thread in its neck. Some of the older Sigg fuel bottles had the thread added into the neck of the bottle. These have a tendency to leak, and with spectacular results if under pressure with a lit stove. The later Sigg fuel bottles had the thread cut into the neck of the bottle and as far as I am aware, (and certainly in the case of the three Sigg fuel bottles that I still have), they shouldn't leak, providing of course, that they have a good O-ring. Most Sigg fuel bottles would be getting on in years now and many will have likely already been retired whatever thread they possess.

rucksack

[icefest]

I threw the bottle out when I got rid of the fuel. It was only ever used as a spare fuel bottle as it was quite large. I'm not too sure which type of thread it was - cut or added.

The explosion happened on a hot day when the bottle was 3/4 full and sitting on a table. Thankfully it wasn't connected to the stove at the time. I don't have any picture but, drew the first image. The second image shows which type of bottle.
In all the bottle had over 15yr of life, so I really can't complain.

[rucksack]

You were lucky that it wasn't connected, under pressure and with a lit stove when it exploded, but as you say, fifteen years is a fairly decent 'outing' for a fuel bottle. Two of my Siggs are older, but are no longer in use. I long ago replaced them with newer (non-Sigg) bottles of various persuasions (Optimus, Primus, Trangia, Fire Maple and Karrimor). No explosion yet, fingers crossed!

rucksack

[Big G]

Wow, very lucky to make it out of that in one piece mate. Thanks again for all your help RS

[Strider]

Unsure if these will work? I'm sure Stefan wouldn't oppose you trying out your pump for fit.

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/west-hob ... 1010155396

[tryangus]

Does the thread on the MSR bottle/pump still match Sigg?

I remember hearing that they changed the thread because of the number of accidents involving people using Chinese knockoff "Sigg" bottles with their MSR stoves.

*shrugs*

[Big G]

Unsure if these will work? I'm sure Stefan wouldn't oppose you trying out your pump for fit.

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/west-hob ... 1010155396

Ive sent him an email mate. He's a very helpful guy that Stefan!

[rucksack]

I haven't heard that tryangus. I lived in Shanghai for the last seven years and Fire Maple was/is the only Chinese-brand fuel bottles on sale in most of the serious Shanghai outdoor shops. I have a couple and they are fine. There are certainly unbranded fuel bottles about in China and I have seen them, but never bought one. It was more the MSR pumps that were the problem for years, not the fuel bottles. From the time that Penberthy sold MSR in 1980 until the latest iteration of the MSR pump, the 2005-release duraseal, MSR pumps have had a very bad reputation for unreliability. With those pumps (and unfortunately, I had some of them), a Chinese knock-off fuel bottle would be the least of one's worries.

I was in a party of nine that spent 9 days on the Central Plateau one winter. We had deep snow and below zero temperatures every single day. Setting off with three stoves: two MSR XGK's and one Optimus SVEA 123R, after the first night we had one working stove: the 123R. Both MSR pumps self-destructed during the first night's cooking and were unrepairable.

I am not sure where those Primus fuel bottles for sale on Gumtree are made, most likely Spain, or possibly China. Primus are having quite a lot of their stuff manufactured in China these days.

rucksack