I used my supercat alcohol stove last weekend and it worked out great.

But the 8 ounce flip top bottle I used leaked.

I need to carry about 16 ounces on a week long trip. What are my best options?

Any 16oz plastic water/soda bottle works. Either add a drop of food coloring to the alcohol or mark the bottle as fuel though so you don't accidently drink from it.

With any fuel bottle with a flip cap, store the bottle so that it stays upright. I've never had one leak though I sometimes squeeze some of the air out if I'm going to be decending over a large elevation difference.

Aquafina bottles work. But I always worry about puncturing a hole in them. If you are comfortable that you wont stick a hole in it, it is the best option and they a free after you drink the water :)

Platypus discontinued their .5L Lil Nipper bottle. At .7 oz it was a good product. I would suspect that a regular .5L Platypus water bottle should work. Short of that you could get a red Platypus wine bottle. they hold about 800ml and weigh .9 ounce. You won't confuse it for a water bottle either. I have one that I occasionly use when I feel like taking a little wine with me on a short trip and know I will be enjoying a great sunset. I use Platypus bottles for my water, but am still a little aprehensive about poking a hole in them. I know they are supposed to be pretty sturdy, but I take extra care with them anyway.

Lastly you can make a gasket for you present bottle. Get a Zip Lock brand sandwich bag (cut off the zip top). Now cut a small square and cover the top and threads of your bottle, and then screw on the top. Take the rest of the bag with you. It doesn't even register on my postal scale. If and when you damage the gasket after a few uses, just cut another square from the remaining zip lock bag. You can probably make at least a dozen gaskets from one bag. I did this this a couple of times with no problems. I was worried that the alcohol would melt the plastic, but I didn't have any problem with that.

I just bought some of the blue 8oz flip bottles from antigravitygear(weight = 1.2 ounces ea) and there is no confusing them for something else. They didn't leak when I tested them at home, but I pack fuel bottles straight up anyway. They are not super light, but the last thing I need is for my fuel to leak out.

I'm glad you made this post.

I am confused about the terminology differences between US & UK. I was under the impression alcohol in US was the same as Methylated Spirit in UK. However Methylated spirit is a vivid purple colour, so I am now sure we are not talking about the same fuel. Perhaps someone here can enlighten me.

Hi Darryl

Methylated spirits in the UK is ethyl alcohol with additives.
In America you can buy ethyl alcohol in various forms, plus methyl alcohol and isopropyl alcohol.

The purple colour is just colouring added in the UK and Australia.

Cheers

A used/empty mouthwash bottle (mine was Listerine) works well. Mine is exactly 8 oz. capacity.

The walls of the bottle are a bit thicker and less prone to damage than the typical water bottle. The screw-on top is a decent measuring cup for the proper stove amount, and the material is impervious (so far) to alcohol.

Edited by Beep on 02/12/2009 07:16:27 MST.

I've been using the same 16-oz soda bottle for the last 2 1/2 years with no problems. In fact, I'm so lazy that I usually don't bother to empty the bottle between trips, so it's become a semi-permanent storage bottle for alcohol. I've read that denatured can attack some kinds of plastic, but soda bottles seem to hold it fine.

I use a Platypus lil' nipper for short trips or the platypus .5L for longer trips. I like the fact that they're relatively flat and store nicely in an outside pocket on my pack.

John,
Any large hardware store will have a selection of O-Rings in their small parts section. Take the cap and bottle with you and root around until you find the one fits snug in the top of the cap. Take a pointy thing to get them back out during the process, but don't damage them - the next guy will thank you. Compression will do the rest, the o-ring won't fall out, and will last a long, long time.

I have mated up a fliptops to a variety of bottles without any leakage.

The Container Store has an assortment of shapes (round/square/rectangular) and sizes (they have a note saying that 3 oz - for air travel - are not made) of
leakproof Nalgene bottles.


http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?searchId=18626126&itemIndex=12&CATID=253&PRODID=59739

sandy in miami

I saved a HEET bottle for reuse. I will use a small water bottle I got on a plane for shorter trips. I use my flip-top bottle as a personal bidet.

Plumber's silicone tape is what you want - put it around the threads. Stops leaks!

"Plumber's silicone tape is what you want - put it around the threads. Stops leaks!"

Thanks Sarah, that's a great idea! How does this hold up in the field or do you replace it frequently?

I've been using a little nipper with a variety of o-rings and washers, but it still leaks on me.

I was watching a video by Jason Klass and he was using a contact lens solution bottle. The cap screws on and it's pretty leak-proof. Being a contact lens wearer myself, I decided to give it a try and was pleased with the results. The bottle is too small for extended trips but works fine otherwise. Here's the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vr5ZQEZnrF8

John,
My previous post contained quite an assumption - that we were talking about the same style of FlipTop.

In the photo below I was refering the the white one on the left. If you are dealing with the blue one on the right then a full opening gasket is the way to go. Sorry for any confusion.

Yes, the one of the left. I own a cleaning business and I have tons of those types of bottles. They've never leaked on me before. But then again, that was the first time I've carried one in a backpack.

I'll try either the gasket or the plumber tape idea. I'd like to carry some in two different bottles just in case one goes freaky on me.

Nia, my husband has done my bottles once and they hold up. Though if needed to be redone, a roll of the tape lasts nearly forever! :-D

This is his write up he did:
http://www.traildivas.com/diy/make-your-bottles-leak-resistant.html

I've had flip tops leak on me with thin fluids. Alcohol is thin so I would rather use a 10 oz water bottle.

I used my wife's old Opti Free contact solution bottles (too). Squeeze a stream into my stove with no drips - doesn't leak. Easy to fill. Pop cap attached so you can't lose it. Works great with large sizes down to travel sizes....

Eric,
Have you tried to suck the alcohol OUT of a stove?
Like when you're done cooking, but still have some left?

This question pertains to recovering unused alcohol from stoves that you can't really pour from, like a Trail Designs 10-12.

Thanks.