Platyplus for fuel

[Roland]

Hello,
I think I’ve read here on BPL that a lot of people are using the the “Little Nipper” from Platyplus as a fuel container. I bought the Nalgene wide mouth bottle here on BPL last year and after 3 weeks on a trip the seam of one bottle broke and I had wet pack. So I’m afraid this might happen to the Little Nipper too and that would be a really bad thing. Or would you recommend using a titanium bottle, especially since I do TrailRunning/Hiking??
Thanx for any thoughts on this
Roland

[paul johnson]

only can comment on my experience.

haven’t had a seam split in nearly a year of near daily use. i’ve even taken a spill (no pun intended) & landed on the platy which cushioned my pelvic girdle from hard contact with a rock. no damage to the platy. prob. would have bruised my hip bone though if not for the platy.

try another, using water – just in case. perhaps you rcv’d one w/a manufacturing defect???

take care,
pj

[Mark Verber]

I have been using platy since when they were Berkeley Light or something like that (before Cascade Designs). The first platypus I purchased somewhere between 7-10 years ago failed last year. I knew it was on it’s last legs for a number of years because there were micro cracks visible all along the body of the platy. One crack finally broke. The seams were still good. These days platys are made from a heavier gauge material. I carry a 1l platy filled with water in my bag every day. It has gotten stepped on, dropped, etc. No obvious signs on wear. I won’t worry about the seams. My little nipper (picked up around a year ago I think) has more or less continuously has alchohol in it. It’s been on numerous trips and when it’s not on a trip tends to be sitting in the gargage filled, ready to go. Maybe I should pour the alchohol back into the metal container, but I haven’t. I have had no problems.

–mark

[Bob Bankhead]

I submit that it is unwise to store fuel in what is generally regarded as a water container. The converse is also true. In the dark, or with another person, one could easily make a mistake. Water in the stove won’t ignite, but drinking fuel can be lethal. For the same reason, make your pee bottle uniquely different in shape from your water bottles. It sounds humorous but I’ve seen “accidents” happen to others on the trail.

I have carried the same 2 and 3 liter platys for years on the PCT. Never had a seam leak or burst, but the hoser attachment will leak if not seated properly. Great little gadgets!

Wandering Bob

[paul johnson]

different shape tops, or platy/bladder sizes is all that is needed to distinguish them from each other.

i had the bite valve pull off of a platy hoser, requiring me to “pinch”/bite the hose closed between my teeth in order to stem the flow of water while i replaced the bite valve. only problem, which was one of my own making, i’ve ever had with a platy. also, never had a platy “big zip” open unexpectedly in my pack either as i first feared might happen before i ever used one.

[Mike Storesund]

I agree with PJ, that the size of the Little Nipper is smaller than any other platy I carry for water, so it would be hard to confuse. On the other safety hand, anyone going through my gear may not be aware that the Little Nipper is fuel, until they open and smell it, but then what is someone else going through your gear for anyhow!
I have seen red caps on this BPL accessories section to replace the standard white pull tops sold for the platypus. An easy way to identify the pouch with the common color for ‘WARNING’.
I have only had a platypus zip top leak once on me/my gear and that was human error on my part. I have used my platy’s for years and have no problem with seams or with them carying any liquids. The only time I get away from the small mouth opening is during our winter camps, then I go to the Nalgene Cantene bags. Even though you could wear the small mouth platy next to your skin, that larger mouth has lesser tendency of freezing shut.

[Anonymous]

I am I correct in figuring that only alcohol can be put in a Platypus, not white fuel?

[Mike Storesund]

I was only referring to alcohol fuel.

[Anonymous]

I do like the red caps for controlling the flow on my little nipper, however i had problems with it leaking because the bottom of the red cap bottoms out before the seal is totally secure so i shaved my caps on the bottom so they will secure. No problem now. Just in case you get the caps on the site you might want to shave off 1/16 inch.

[paul johnson]

great fix you came up with, viz. “shaving the caps”.

here’s another suggestion for ANY leaking threads.

do what the professional plumber does to stop thread leaks.

NO…not plumber’s paste – messy & awful taste!!!

USE plumber’s teflon tape (you can buy it in any local H/W store) & wrap the threads. as most thread’s are “right-handed”, be sure to wrap the threads clockwise – the same direction as tightening the cap (“righty-tighty”; “lefty-loosey” as they teach the “flange-heads” in the USN). this draws the tape tigther & doesn’t cause it to unravel when tightening. if it unravels when tighting the cap, then you’ve wrapped it on the threads in the wrong direction. for “left-handed”/counter-clockwise threads, wrap in the opposite direction.

always wrap the tape in the same direction as the cap is tightened.

you can also use this tape on canister stove threaded fittings if you suspect a gas leak. on these fittings, don’t use too many wraps or you won’t be able to tighten the fitting. 1-2 wraps is all that is needed. make sure to replace seals/o-rings when you are able to do so. the tape should NOT be considered to be the best mechanism to stop gas leaks – that’s the job of seals/o-rings.

teflon tape is very light. yes. you may need to replace it at some point due to the cap being taken on-an-off, on-and-off…

mine lasts for many days/weeks (it varies on the cap/thread combo) before needing replacement. sorry, can’t quantify as i don’t keep score. usually i “overwrap” just a bit. plastic fittings don’t seem to have the same tight tolerances as metal gas fittings, or the plastic “deforms” slightly to accomodate the teflon tape. then when the end gets too messed up, i just cut the messed up end off & finish the wrap – good as new.

[Glenn Roberts]

I bought a couple of those caps, too – and found that combined with either a Platypus or a small Nalgene bottle, I was getting a leak. Couldn’t figure out why, though. Maybe Ryan will resolve the problem with his manufacturer by the next batch.

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