Discussion about making bushwalking-related equipment.
Fri 18 Jan, 2013 4:16 pm
The advantage of lightweight, poly, fruit-drink bottles is that you can use two or three say, 300ml ones so that you're not mucking around with the whole supply every time you cook. Part of it is stashed and protected. And in a clear container you can see what you're using and in the long term and develop a feel for what you use in different circumstances; for a cooked breakfast, for a brew and windy conditions. That is, you learn how to budget. With my Trangia, I used to try to get the lid of the fuel-pot back on as quickly as possible.
The opaque Nalgene and metal bottles don't let you see what you're using. It would of course also be great with gas canisters, some way of telling what was left.
Fri 18 Jan, 2013 7:48 pm
If you really must use drink bottles for Metho you could add a tiny drop of food dye to ensure you can separate them from drinking water, In the country I grew up in ( Scotland) Metho was dyed purple and back then could only be purchased from a pharmacy in small bottles.
We tend to forget that Metho can be deadly if ingested and also are possibly a bit cavalier in how we treat it,I personally would still use the dedicated metal fuel bottle if using a Metho burner regardless of the relatively small increased weight.
corvus
Sun 20 Jan, 2013 7:59 pm
corvus wrote:If you really must use drink bottles for Metho you could add a tiny drop of food dye to ensure you can separate them from drinking water, In the country I grew up in ( Scotland) Metho was dyed purple and back then could only be purchased from a pharmacy in small bottles.
We tend to forget that Metho can be deadly if ingested and also are possibly a bit cavalier in how we treat it,I personally would still use the dedicated metal fuel bottle if using a Metho burner regardless of the relatively small increased weight.
corvus
Spot on. I colour my fuel with a little red food colouring.
Wed 23 Jan, 2013 3:30 pm
80,000 views in 6 weeks. Clearly, there's something here worth bottling.
Thu 24 Jan, 2013 7:21 am
... you could add a tiny drop of food dye to ensure you can separate them from drinking water...
Why? Am I the only one with superhero powers that help them remember that the small bottle in the cookset that looks like nothing else carried is fuel? Or do you leave it lying around to be found by small children and apparently dim bushwalkers? The colour might not save them.
If you are going to get wood alcahol poisoning it will be from your cheap cocktails somewhere in SE Asia.
Get whatever small PET container you propose to use, fill it up with water and jump on it. If the lid doesnt blow off you are right to go. Then do the responsible thing and go out and buy a gas can and burner.
Thu 24 Jan, 2013 4:42 pm
Noticed today that the Metho in Super Cheap Autos was not only supercheap at $3.99lt but it was purple
corvus
Sat 26 Jan, 2013 12:38 pm
Rob A wrote: Why? Am I the only one with superhero powers that help them remember that the small bottle in the cookset that looks like nothing else carried is fuel? Or do you leave it lying around to be found by small children and apparently dim bushwalkers?
hahaha. Nicely said. I think if someone finds their way into my cook kit that has a meths stove and lighter, to then pull out the little tiny bottle that both smells like fuel and tastes like fuel, with a label.....to then think it's anything but fuel??....they deserve it!
Sat 26 Jan, 2013 6:37 pm
quicky wrote:Rob A wrote: Why? Am I the only one with superhero powers that help them remember that the small bottle in the cookset that looks like nothing else carried is fuel? Or do you leave it lying around to be found by small children and apparently dim bushwalkers?
hahaha. Nicely said. I think if someone finds their way into my cook kit that has a meths stove and lighter, to then pull out the little tiny bottle that both smells like fuel and tastes like fuel, with a label.....to then think it's anything but fuel??....they deserve it!

Good point but what about the big bottles that are needed for extended walks ??
Gas is so much more effective IMHO and is the only fuel permitted in Tasmania on a total fire ban day and having used Metho in the past the only stove I personally found it was really efficient in was the Multi fuel Optimus No 11 Explorer I own which at over 710 g sans fuel, it is and was overkill for two but at the time thought after experiencing very slow cook times with my Trangia especially in wintery conditions it was the way to go, several stoves and many years later I have found my perfect 4 season stove and it does not involve messy Metho

.
corvus
Tue 29 Jan, 2013 5:20 pm
corvus wrote: Good point but what about the big bottles that are needed for extended walks ??
I used to use the larger Listerine bottles for extended walks. They store 250mls, which works for me out to about 6 days. They too are slim-lined, and slot in well in outside pockets. Nowadays I use Esbit.
corvus wrote: Gas is so much more effective IMHO and is the only fuel permitted in Tasmania on a total fire ban day and having used Metho in the past the only stove I personally found it was really efficient in was the Multi fuel Optimus No 11 Explorer I own which at over 710 g sans fuel, it is and was overkill for two but at the time thought after experiencing very slow cook times with my Trangia especially in wintery conditions it was the way to go, several stoves and many years later I have found my perfect 4 season stove and it does not involve messy Metho

.
corvus
Agreed. For longer trips, gas is more efficient. Even still, I'll often use esbit (for solo or shorter snow sorties) for its ease of use and failsafe functionality...plus I simply love it. It works a treat in snow for the odd cuppa. Similar to you however, my stove of choice for extended winter trips is the original Windpro, which I MYOG'd an inverted gas canister stand and re-configured my hose etc. to suit. I use this in conjunction with the Ti JetBoil GCS pot...the one with the flux ring...along with an MYOG Ti windscreen...this combo works an absolute treat together....uber efficient, lightweight and fast. Plus, the flux ring slots in really well into the pot stand of the windpro.
Thu 18 Jul, 2013 4:10 pm
I have only ever used PET bottles for storing metho.
After having some PET water bottles burst I only ever use bottles that originally had soft drink or soda water in them.
I also usually do some impact testing. I fill my (soon to be) fuel bottle with water and throw it at the ground a couple of times, if it doesn't burst you're good.
If the bottle starts looking really bad throw it out and get a new one, cheap and safer that way.
-icefest
Mon 09 Feb, 2015 6:30 pm
vagrom wrote:80,000 views in 6 weeks. Clearly, there's something here worth bottling.
Looking back, positively surprised!
Mon 09 Feb, 2015 6:59 pm
icefest wrote:I have only ever used PET bottles for storing metho.
After having some PET water bottles burst I only ever use bottles that originally had soft drink or soda water in them.
I also usually do some impact testing. I fill my (soon to be) fuel bottle with water and throw it at the ground a couple of times, if it doesn't burst you're good.
If the bottle starts looking really bad throw it out and get a new one, cheap and safer that way.
-icefest
I hope you don't test helmets using the same methodology
Mon 09 Feb, 2015 8:53 pm
Bubbalouie wrote:I hope you don't test helmets using the same methodology

Isn't that the methodology that is used to test helmets (and safety stuff with cars)?
I thought crash tests were a common safety test :/
Mon 09 Feb, 2015 8:55 pm
A wee blast from the past (nice to read) I have since updated the stove I mentioned back then to a FMS 100T

just looking forward to getting back on the track soon to make sure it is as good to use as I remember (along with all of the rest of the gear recently bought) still would not store Metho in a soft drink bottle regardless.
Mon 09 Feb, 2015 9:00 pm
icefest wrote:Isn't that the methodology that is used to test helmets (and safety stuff with cars)?
I thought crash tests were a common safety test :/
Very witty, you'd fit in well at my work with a master troll like that.
Yes, every car is crashed at least once before shipping to a customer
Mon 09 Feb, 2015 9:17 pm
That was not satire, nor trolling.
What you mean is that I should attempt a destructive test of the bottle, and if the bottle survives use another new but identical bottle?
That seems reasonable. I'll do that from now on.
Mon 09 Feb, 2015 9:32 pm
icefest wrote:That was not satire, nor trolling.
What you mean is that I should attempt a destructive test of the bottle, and if the bottle survives use another new but identical bottle?
That seems reasonable. I'll do that from now on.
Ah, apologies, in case you hadn't inferred it from my previous comment this type of humour is par for the course with some of the company I keep.
I would definitely dispose of the bottle after abusing it. Even if the bottle looks to be fine I expect the integrity wouldn't be what it was before hand.
Mon 09 Feb, 2015 9:43 pm
Where do you work? It sounds quite fun.
Mon 09 Feb, 2015 10:16 pm
icefest wrote:Where do you work? It sounds quite fun.

Software company is as specific as I'm willing to post online. Lots of engineers (software, electrical, electronic, mechatronic, mechanical, optical and mining) also a lot of geologists.
Mon 09 Feb, 2015 11:06 pm
Bubbalouie wrote:icefest wrote:Where do you work? It sounds quite fun.

Software company is as specific as I'm willing to post online. Lots of engineers (software, electrical, electronic, mechatronic, mechanical, optical and mining) also a lot of geologists.
Hands on or desk jocks
Tue 10 Feb, 2015 6:32 am
Thanks bl,
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