Carrying Extra Fuel

[Akicita]

Alu-Cab questions/comments
- Did you drill into your "canopy" doors to install accessories? I have the canopy only and have yet to breach it.
- Is that an Alu-Cab awning or other brand. If other brand how is it mounted?
- Have you looked at the rubber lock mechanism seals? It only took one below freezing adventure where water froze in the locks for me to get them. Have not had a problem since and the locks like not being exposed to grime.

And now back to the regularly scheduled topic ;)

Did you drill into your "canopy" doors to install accessories? I have the canopy only and have yet to breach it. - Yes - I backed them with aluminum bracing to prevent flex and sealed with Sikaflex.
- Is that an Alu-Cab awning or other brand. If other brand how is it mounted? - Yes - Alu-Cab awning and has exceeded all expectations for ease of use and durablity in every extreme condition I have encountered. I would be hard pressed to use anything else.
- Have you looked at the rubber lock mechanism seals? It only took one below freezing adventure where water froze in the locks for me to get them. Have not had a problem since and the locks like not being exposed to grime. I have not installed them and have used my camper for backcountry skiing and mountaineering is sub-zero weather for two seasons now. They have frozen on occasion like my truck door locks and padlocks do so I carry a small butane torch to defrost them as necessary. I have not had a lock failure due to ice yet. . .

 

[MOAK]

It depends on what you’re doing. We have always carried two old school steel Jerry cans, figure 9 gallons combined. The last two trips out we had an additional 6 gallons up on the rack. That fuel was always used up asap. But what a pain, carrying 15 extra gallons in three cans. Necessary? Well ya. Rolling into St George we had 3 or 4 gallons to spare. Rolling into Mexican Hat last time out we had about the same left over. So, instead of me constantly calculating, checking and re-calculating we finally had a Long Range tank installed giving us an additional 24 gallons. I’ll carry water in one of the jerrys and Coleman stove gas in the other. This gives us about a 450 mile range. So ya, depends on what you do.

 

[OTH Overland]

It depends on what you’re doing. We have always carried two old school steel Jerry cans, figure 9 gallons combined. The last two trips out we had an additional 6 gallons up on the rack. That fuel was always used up asap. But what a pain, carrying 15 extra gallons in three cans. Necessary? Well ya. Rolling into St George we had 3 or 4 gallons to spare. Rolling into Mexican Hat last time out we had about the same left over. So, instead of me constantly calculating, checking and re-calculating we finally had a Long Range tank installed giving us an additional 24 gallons. I’ll carry water in one of the jerrys and Coleman stove gas in the other. This gives us about a 450 mile range. So ya, depends on what you do.

Boy I bet that water tastes bad....lol

 

[KAIONE]

I have a 4Runner and I run two 3.5 gal fuelpax on my roof strapped down with ratchet and zip ties. Never had a problem, not once (kow). Weight doesn’t affect my driving, they lay flat so not in the wind, no noise and easy to access. Looking to get another two. And cheap; outside the cost of the can, lol. Didn’t need any additions to anything and they give me an extra 100 miles. Highly recommend.

 

[Ocean_Ranger]

Every trip I carry at least 2 gallons of extra fuel. I carry them in Rotopax container(s) on my roof rack. They have never leaked. Three times I have helped fellow overlanders in need.

On longer and more remote trips I carry up to 6 gallons. My T4R gulps rather than sips. :o

 

[Hogman]

So, I'm a big fan of Wavian jerry cans. They're classic. If it ain't broke don't fix it. Be wary of cheaper imitations. Included a link.

 

[MidOH]

1) How much extra fuel should you carry?
None. A 5g can is nothing to my 38g tank. Route planning failure. Rule of thirds failure. If I run out, I deserve to walk/die.

2) Is it safe to carry extra fuel in plastic Jerry Cans?
Not really. But we do it all the time.

3) Is it safe to carry extra fuel on your roof rack?
No.

With an SUV I'd put a rotopax on a swing out carrier. With a truck, I'd toss a motocross jug in the bed.

Rule of thirds, and your fuel woes mostly disappear. Always tank up when you exit the hwy.

Select the right ride for the job. And plan appropriately. My truck has a 38g tank. Usually reads empty with a 10g reserve. So my 1st third, on my guage is 1/2.

If I want to haul a slide in camper north of pancakes, I'll most likely be towing a little utility trailer with spares, bikes, kayaks, and a 55g drum of fuel.

 

[Lief_WJ]

1) How much extra fuel should you carry?
None. A 5g can is nothing to my 38g tank. Route planning failure. Rule of thirds failure. If I run out, I deserve to walk/die.

2) Is it safe to carry extra fuel in plastic Jerry Cans?
Not really. But we do it all the time.

3) Is it safe to carry extra fuel on your roof rack?
No.

With an SUV I'd put a rotopax on a swing out carrier. With a truck, I'd toss a motocross jug in the bed.

Rule of thirds, and your fuel woes mostly disappear. Always tank up when you exit the hwy.

Select the right ride for the job. And plan appropriately. My truck has a 38g tank. Usually reads empty with a 10g reserve. So my 1st third, on my guage is 1/2.

If I want to haul a slide in camper north of pancakes, I'll most likely be towing a little utility trailer with spares, bikes, kayaks, and a 55g drum of fuel.

Good info

 

[MOAK]

Good info

1) How much extra fuel should you carry?
None. A 5g can is nothing to my 38g tank. Route planning failure. Rule of thirds failure. If I run out, I deserve to walk/die.

2) Is it safe to carry extra fuel in plastic Jerry Cans?
Not really. But we do it all the time.

3) Is it safe to carry extra fuel on your roof rack?
No.

With an SUV I'd put a rotopax on a swing out carrier. With a truck, I'd toss a motocross jug in the bed.

Rule of thirds, and your fuel woes mostly disappear. Always tank up when you exit the hwy.

Select the right ride for the job. And plan appropriately. My truck has a 38g tank. Usually reads empty with a 10g reserve. So my 1st third, on my guage is 1/2.

If I want to haul a slide in camper north of pancakes, I'll most likely be towing a little utility trailer with spares, bikes, kayaks, and a 55g drum of fuel.

I agree with #2. #3 however, when a vehicle gets maybe 11-12 miles a gallon the one up on the rack is emptied asap. So if #3 is necessary, just be smart about it. #1? I’ve never considered 10 gallons in steel Jerry cans to be extra fuel, it is fuel that is needed, planned and used for the trip. If any extra fuel is left over, it’s always in the vehicles tank. Not to debate , your common sense rules that you follow are great as they apply to full size vehicles. Seriously, the very best choice is having an auxiliary tank installed, which we are doing. Sadly, the tank, installation and certifications cost as much as a small used vehicle. Truly a luxury.

 

[Akicita]

1) How much extra fuel should you carry?
None. A 5g can is nothing to my 38g tank. Route planning failure. Rule of thirds failure. If I run out, I deserve to walk/die.

2) Is it safe to carry extra fuel in plastic Jerry Cans?
Not really. But we do it all the time.

3) Is it safe to carry extra fuel on your roof rack?
No.

With an SUV I'd put a rotopax on a swing out carrier. With a truck, I'd toss a motocross jug in the bed.

Rule of thirds, and your fuel woes mostly disappear. Always tank up when you exit the hwy.

Select the right ride for the job. And plan appropriately. My truck has a 38g tank. Usually reads empty with a 10g reserve. So my 1st third, on my guage is 1/2.

If I want to haul a slide in camper north of pancakes, I'll most likely be towing a little utility trailer with spares, bikes, kayaks, and a 55g drum of fuel.

??????????? " If I run out, I deserve to walk/die." ????????????

 

[K12]

1) How much extra fuel should you carry?
None. A 5g can is nothing to my 38g tank. Route planning failure. Rule of thirds failure. If I run out, I deserve to walk/die.

Definitely do not agree with this, esspecially when driving off road on a decently hard trail. Gas mileage is greatly reduced and having extra fuel not only brings peace of mind, but and extra 5-10 gals of fuel should hopefully get you what you need. Route planning is attempting to account for all variables. If the gas stations in that area are closed for whatever reason, the trail was more dificult than expected, the route you planned on was closed, as so was the alternate, having the extra fuel is necessary.

Again if you are ignorant to these factors then maybe you should deserve a long walk to civilazation and back for fuel.

 

[MidOH]

I brought plenty of extra fuel. It's in the bottom two thirds of my tank. Dont even have to get out to fill it.

First 1/3 is for my planned route.

2nd is for issues. Screwed up roads. Roadblocks. Storms.

3rd is for the other truck I'm traveling with. Or extreme emergencies. If he punctures his tank, we can still get out easy. We'll consider consuming this on easy roads.

Obviously, on the highway we dont do this. We're assuming to fill up before leaving it.

During hurricane season we simply never ever consumed more than half a tank in our work trucks. So always enough to get back to our hotel, where they had working pumps. If we found a working pump to top off during the day, we could go out further, but still had to keep an eye on our range.

It wasnt just power outages. Sometimes our fuel cards were INOP until the next day. My current fuel card only allows 3 fills per day.

Done right, I should never pump more than 26g into my personal truck. Estimated 250 mile range, from a truck that normally does 500+ on a tank.

 

[Renegade]

1) How much extra fuel should you carry?
None. A 5g can is nothing to my 38g tank. Route planning failure. Rule of thirds failure. If I run out, I deserve to walk/die.

I carry an extra 5 gallons, used it several times, never for myself, but to help others who ran out of fuel or forgot to bring fuel for their genny.

 

[Renegade]

Weight up high is the enemy of vehicle stability.

The weight of a 5 gallon can is insignificant to everything else on your roof.

 

[K12]

Weight up high is the enemy of vehicle stability.

I dont carry it on the roof... and the weight is only aroun 20lbs... thats not much.

 

[genocache]

My Land Rover 109 is a diesel, The best place to carry more fuel is, as others have stated in an aux fuel tank. My stock tank carries 13 USgal, my long range aux carries 16 USgal. With 22mpg I can go a long ways..... I do have some NATO cans if I plan longer trips. I picked up these from ; Store Closed They seem to be having website difficulty today Aug 20, 2020.

 

[MOAK]

Mid Ohio really doesn’t get it. If I’m in a jeep TJ I have a usable 16-17 gallons. Top off at Green River and head toward the San Rafael Swell. Hang a left or a right when you get there and you’ve already used a half tank. So, according to some experts, it’s time to turn around and head back to Green River immediately. Really? In our case we have 22-23 usable gallons. That’ll get you to campsites in the Maze. The destination? Mexican Hat. Hite is closed. Cmon man, your advice may be sound for the pavement crowd but for “ over-landing “ the North American west it is deeply flawed.

 

[K12]

The other day I went about 50 miles and used up over half of my 34 gallon tank. Pulling a trailer and moving at 5-15 mph off road kills the fuel mileage. Used up about 30% of my tank in a 15ish mile track off road. We made camp for the weekend and had a blast. I put the 10gal of extra fuel I take with me just in case for the way out. The way out was much better on fuel but still was at 1/3 of a tank before I got by a gas station. Without the extra I put in before we left camo it would have been a 50/50 chance I actually made it to the gas station.

If I was on pavement gas is not too.much of a worry as there are signs posted is there is.not fuel within a certain distance, and there is almost always a fuel station within 100 miles. Following your rule if 1/3, this will always suffice. Go off road and warch your mileage plummet and tell me you dont want a safety blanket.

 

[Downs]

Got that right, but the fumes in the cab tend to wipe out the entire crew quickly!
Gotta weigh the options.
Point to remember: I do not pack too much on the roof. Most everything has a place inside.
I follow the aircraft load-master's method of stowage. Keep it low, keep it tight, keep it within load limits and keep it evenly distributed or we do not take off!

Modern cans seal really well. I've never had the 2.5 or 5 gallon cans leak in the vehicle. I have smelled fuel a few times and though it was those cans but it was my main fuel tank venting pressure though the cap at higher altitudes.

I may end up with an opinion here that most might disagree with.

I wouldn't bother with carrying extra gas unless you are going out really remote and far. That said...

You will get less miles out of your tank than on freeways, but if you have an idea from shorter trails, or camping trips what your range is, that helps. If its for peace of mind, the wavians suggested already are the standard everything else must meet. Make sure whatever jerry can you choose it is secured in a way that damage isn't caused from washboards. Also agree that carrying weight as low and centered as possible is your best bet, but depending on the circumstances the roof may be the best option, say on a true expedition.

Also, just another opinion here but, dont waste your money on wavian knock offs. The value isn't there.

The Harbor Freight ones are good to go but have the CARB rated spout as any gas can in the US is SUPPOSED to have. The NATO wavian spout is a lot more superior.

I'm in agreement. I very rarely carry extra fuel and just calculate my range based on 10 mpg which is the lowest I've ever seen from my XJ off pavement. Combine that with the extensive fuel infrastructure of the US as a whole (even out west) and it's a lot of extra weight to carry around and space taken up for something that will rare if ever get used. Even when I lived out west and carried extra fuel because I felt it was needed, I never actually used it. But I also rode dual sport motorcycles all over the boonies and never once felt like I needed extra fuel on those so why would I need it in a Jeep with 20 gallons of fuel on board?

I do have a 5 gallon US type Jerry can (large screw opening) for my CJ2A as that gets poor fuel mileage and only has a 10 gallon fuel tank.

 

[kunstmilch]

Mid Ohio really doesn’t get it. If I’m in a jeep TJ I have a usable 16-17 gallons. Top off at Green River and head toward the San Rafael Swell. Hang a left or a right when you get there and you’ve already used a half tank. So, according to some experts, it’s time to turn around and head back to Green River immediately. Really? In our case we have 22-23 usable gallons. That’ll get you to campsites in the Maze. The destination? Mexican Hat. Hite is closed. Cmon man, your advice may be sound for the pavement crowd but for “ over-landing “ the North American west it is deeply flawed.

Obviously in this case you bring extra fuel. There are places like that in Oregon, and Id bring fuel just to keep from worrying about high prices in the boonies in that case as well. But again, you know your rig and your trip.

I believe MidOhio also gets it, but for their situation, which is different. They were talking about ensuring safety and having redundancy during hurricane season in their area. Their area is WAY different from say, mine. but I can see their logic.

Same thing...while I dont carry extra fuel (I have a 42 gallon tank though) if someone doesn't know and is just stating out...its not a waste to just buy a nato tank and fill it up on the principle of better to have and not need etc. Once they have a better idea they can begin to leave the extra at home.

To each their own.