FUEL CANS

I think for anyone on a tight budget, these civilian version Scepters that Road mentions here are the best bang for the buck.

Road said:
I purchased 3 rugged 5gal diesel jugs (Scepter made) from my local West Marine supply house here on the Maine coast. I've had them for years, in and out of my trailer (with a coarse bed-liner surface) and van and in all sorts of weather and environments with no problems, undue bloating, or obvious wear.

Cheap, too, compared to Scepter Military Fuel Cans, which are near impossible to find in the states, though more available in Canada. I do know a guy in El Paso who has two used MFCs if you're int'd, though think he wants $80ea.

The Scepter jugs I have, meant for fishing and sailboat industries, are a lot thicker than typical fuel jugs for homeowners, though not quite as thick as their MFCs. Like I said though, plenty rugged for the abuse I give them on a regular basis.

Took these images just now, having just fueled up recently in case local stations close during the virus crisis:

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Here's another source for these same jugs, where they are $26.90 ea. I think I paid $50 for two yellow diesel Scepters at West Marine three years ago.

Scroll down on that page and you'll see the Wavian jugs, too (of rolled steel), which are popular with a lot of adventurers. I have no personal experience with them, preferring the non-rusting and probably longer lasting benefits of thick plastic. I have no experience with the site, zoro.com, that they're on, either.

If looking for great US Govt MWC, for water, you can get them in America from https://www.buylci.com/water-can-5-gallon.html. I have three from them and one from the military and find absolutely no difference. LCI contracts with the US Govt, from what I understand, and produce genuine military issue. Wish they made MFCs as well.

I've had these water jugs for years, too, and have found after extensive testing that fitting them with o-rings, as you'll find a lot of adventure threads suggesting, has no benefit in real practice. They get a lot of real practice with me, too, as much time as I spend in the desert.

Here's an image of the MWCs from last year when doing an article on sanitizing procedures:

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The black 5gal jug is from Front Runner Outfitters and is my daily refill jug for the trailer tank, as it has a built-in and recessed tap on a bottom corner.
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As for Roto-pax fuel containers, I have a couple for diesel, and have found them to look cool and all, but not be as practical for my use. I leave them in storage unless going on adventures where I think I may need them in addition to the 41 gals of fuel I can already carry.

They're fairly rugged, and thin dimensionally, making them easy to pack in narrow places. Though if carrying on the outside of your vehicle or trailer and exposed to the sun and weather, they tend to bloat and need venting more, like daily or couple times/day.

Many have complained of seepage leaks along seams. I suspect that's more from user error, overfilling (not allowing for expansion of cold fuel) and overexposure to the elements. In any event, since I carry my jugs out of sight, sometimes in the van, any potential seepage problems makes them less desirable for regular use.

Rotopax are expensive, too. I may sell mine in favor of getting more Scepter marine use jugs.

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Hope this helps you.

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Code Red said:
The tiny bladder has stopped me from buying a Taco more than once.

Get it done. It's so worth it. And the sooner you do it, the longer you will get to enjoy it, i.e. the more value you get for that money.

As I grow older I have finally realized that life is better if I install modifications in the order of what I will use the most often. I will vary that a little bit for safety and recovery gear, but not much. I had the big gas tank and a 5-speed installed in my FJ62 before I had a hundred miles on it, because I use them every single time I drive the truck.
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LRA now has a 32 gal tank for the 3rd Gen Access Cab. The list of LRA tanks has expanded quite a bit.
 
smlobx said:
Actually the development is done and they’re taking orders. Have mine in! Will get it some time this summer with a Fall install if we can get to AK this summer.
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Put my order in for the 32 gal tacoma tank a few days ago. If you're going to carry extra fuel that's the best place for it. It's not a cheap mod but it's a lot cheaper than upgrading to a full size p-up for a larger fuel tank and greater range.
 
Long story to get these to the casa, but they arrived today. New stock, not used and not inexpensive.


Scepter #1.jpg
Scepter #2.jpg
 
Dave said:
Funny, those have Arabic markings....
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Noticed that as well. There's no red/yellow color designation on the cap straps either. They probably rate pretty high on the most traveled equipment/items on this forum. Probably rate the item stuck in a shipping container the longest too.
 
Greg said:
Noticed that as well. There's no red/yellow color designation on the cap straps either. They probably rate pretty high on the most traveled equipment/items on this forum. Probably rate the item stuck in a shipping container the longest too.
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The military ones don't always come with colored straps, sometimes you have to add that to the MFC. These are the first ones I've seen with Arabic on them, and I've spent plenty of time "over there" and more time just being a Scepter nerd so it's interesting to me.

Mike, what's the story here?
 
The Arabic writing was the first thing I noticed truth be known. I've never seen something like that. My guess is they are marketed for the Middle East from Canada and he's getting some of that production from Canada.
 
Dave said:
The military ones don't always come with colored straps, sometimes you have to add that to the MFC. These are the first ones I've seen with Arabic on them, and I've spent plenty of time "over there" and more time just being a Scepter nerd so it's interesting to me.

Mike, what's the story here?
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The first rule of unobtanium sources club is that you don't talk about unobtanium sources club.
 
Dave said:
The military ones don't always come with colored straps, sometimes you have to add that to the MFC. These are the first ones I've seen with Arabic on them, and I've spent plenty of time "over there" and more time just being a Scepter nerd so it's interesting to me.

Mike, what's the story here?
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An overland shop just across the border near Vancouver BC has new stock available. They asked me not to publicly share the shop name.

I headed north to go purchase them and was stopped short at the border, lack of current COVID test. Unknowingly you need a COVID test no less than 72 hours prior to crossing.

Undeterred I headed back to Bellingham WA to get a test. Rapid testing in B Ham is $250.00. That was a hard pass.

That afternoon I contacted the shop and stated the border problem. They stated they had successfully shipped in the past to the USA. So they got the quote for shipping and the purchase was made knowing customs could be an issue.

With all the rain we had in November (19” @Seatac) major flooding slowed the shipment. While at customs the shipping information noted a halt in movement. I contacted the shop and they were unsure why, I suspected the worst. Two days later I had shipping info from UPS that they would arrive.

I was very happy to see this box on the front porch and that they made it through. The box clearly had the brand on it and had been opened.

I won the lottery on this one.
 
WashingtonTaco said:
That’s where I ordered the red lid straps. I didn’t see the storage bag. I’ll have to take a close look at that website again.
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I have the storage bag - it will hold the spout and the wrench in that one bag. It's bomb proof like everything else on their site. If any of my flanges ever fail I'll be upgrading to their aluminum flange.
 
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