Good Alcohol Carrier?

[John Fegyveresi]

I am in need a lightweight method of carrying alcohol for several days for my firefly stove. I was going to get a nipper…but they were discontinued. Any suggesstions? (Platypus does make a .5 liter bottle now i guess…but that might be overkill)

-john

[J R]

I have used empty cough syrup bottles. They are designed to hold liquids, and come in lots of sizes. If you dont have a bottle available, you can *occasionally* buy them cheaply from the pharmacy – empty of course – without any labels. If they ask you why you need them, tell them the TRUTH. Make something up and they will not sell it to you.

[John Fegyveresi]

Thanks! Good Idea. I actually thought of something else too. A while back I ordered the "hiknakd" alcohol kit, and I seem to remember it actually came with a small plastic bottle. If I can find that somewhere in my stuff, I may just use that.

Thanks again for the quick response.

-john

[Kathleen B]

Minibulldesign.com sells little blue containers for carrying alcohol. I'm a big fan of their alcohol stoves, as well.

[James Pitts]

The "Lil' Nipper" from platypus is a pretty lightweight solution. Pick up a squirt cap topper for it at BPL and you basically have what I use. It takes a little practice to learn to use the nozzle but other than that it's a setup that has worked well for me for years.

[John Garberson]

I've tried different containers but I keep going back to those used for contact lens solutions. Sizes vary from 1oz to 12oz and they all have great drip nozzles and can be squeezed to force out a stream of alky or just drips. And of course they're free…just find yourself a nearsighted friend if you don't wear contacts yourself.

The bottles are tough and have never leaked in my use. I've had alky stored in 'em for months on end and have not noticed a fuel degradation or problems with the bottles. The four ounce capacity will get me through a two-nighter with just a little to spare.

[Scott White]

I use a small disposable water or soda bottle.

I take two caps.

One to seal it shut.

I poke a tiny hole in the second cap with my knife so that I can squirt out a precise stream of alcohol.

I have always found the alcohol difficult to pour. This method enables me get an exact amount. It also works well for squirting out a tiny bit of alcohol around the perimeter of the stove for priming.

[D T]

Platy lil' nipper is my first choice. If you can't find one, then I suggest:

You can find it at REI.com, just type "flat oval poly container" into the search box. It costs $1.80 for an 8 oz size (weighs about 1 oz). If I remember right the nipper is about 7 oz capacity. REI also carries a 4 oz and 2 oz size. If you need more than 8 oz then a 20 oz pop bottle should have you covered.

[Colin Parkinson]

I use a smirnoff micky plastic bottle (weight 1oz) holds 12oz and has a 1/2 oz cap built in, easy for measuring the one oz for my alcohol stove.

Just look in a raod side ditch I am sure you will find a lease one.

[Pamela Wyant]

Antigravity gear sells a fuel bottle with a pour spout in two sizes:

http://www.antigravitygear.com/store/index.php?cPath=3_39_40

I've used the 8 oz one extensively and haven't had any problem with leaking or spilling.

Pam

[Stephen Eggleston]

My favorite is an empty 8oz or 16oz Dickinson's Witch Hazel bottle. They have a slim and packable flask shape and have a leak proof cap with a great red spout. Unfortunately they changed the shape of their bottle a little while ago :( Thankfully I have a few stashed away!

[G Cowen]

I use the Nalgene Flask. Just remove the big blue cap and the blue protective sleeve. Its a little pricey at $7, but its light, slim, tough and carries 12oz.

[Mark]

If the Nipper is really discontinued, I'd go with the .5L Platypus Sport. Double the capacity of the Nipper, but only about .1oz more. The clincher is that it's soft-sided, so alcohol won't slosh around and it won't take up as much space.
-Mark

[Scott White]

prolightgear.com sells a bottle with a flip-top nozzle.

They come in either 8 oz or 16 oz capacity.

They weigh 1.13 oz and 2.4 oz respectively.

The cost is $4.50 or $5.50.

[Jason Klass]

I've tried various bottles but my favorite is this one: http://www.freewebs.com/jasonklass/gearblog.htm?blogentryid=937869

[ryan g]

Almost any hard plastic bottle will do. I've used Gatorade and other drink/medecine bottles over long distances with no problems.

[Summit CO]

i can tell you that nalgenes will pick up and keep the taste from Stoli Orange ;)

[Einstein X]

This might be a good idea:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/xdpy/forum_thread/3827/index.html

0.3 oz, 6.8 fl. oz

Eins

[Vick Hines]

1) Pop bottles have better seals than disposable drinking water bottles. Drinking water bottles are lighter than pop bottles. You can put a pop bottle lid on a drinking water bottle and have sub-1 oz carrier.

2) Platypus weighs less than most options and works well. Even a 1 liter Platypus is under 1 ounce, so why should 1/2 liter be overkill?
……..2a. Platies seem to age faster when holding alcohol. This should not be a factor on treks shorter than 12 to 18 months.
…..2b. Never fill a Platypus much more than about 3/4 full and then press out the remaining air. This will keep it from popping if dropped. If the bag is close to full it can burst when dropped. Platypus used to include that caution with their bags.

3) The BPL pour-cap has to be trimmed a little (1/16 inch or a little more) to seal properly on a Platypus and some pop and water bottles.

[Gene .]

Geeze Jason, I thought the bottle I sent you was your new favorite!

[Victor Karpenko]

Here is another idea for a fuel bottle. I have used it a couple of times. It is an "applicator bottle" found in beauty supply stores. This one is about 6 oz. It has 1 oz and 30 ml markings. The small red cap in air tight. the small spout allows easy filling and priming. It comes in different sizes. This one cost $1.49. BTW in is very light.

[Frank Deland]

To go along with Duane's suggesstion of the ovals that come in a variety of ounce sizes, a one ounce nalgene is available at REI. It is useful for filling your stove with an accurate amount of fuel each time.

[Gene .]

Victor, Folks can also find this type of bottle in dedicated cooking stores, in the cake section. I saw some while I was out yesterday, and thought they would work for storage of fuels. My only concern is the little red cap becoming loose over time, or getting lost.

[James Loy]

I bought one of these bottles from Prolite Gear last fall. After filling it recently, I found it would leak regardless of how tight the caps were tightened. I wouldn't recommend spending the money on it.

[Jason Klass]

Gene,
Sorry, I forgot. Which bottle was that?

[Author]

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