As some of you may know, as of January 2009 the only gas cans you may buy must have CARB-compliant nozzles which effectively makes them garbage.
If you want the correct, leak-proof NATO-spec jerrycan of old you can still get them new (but in NATO color code for unleaded gasoline, which is green, not red) from Atlantic British and they are on sale right now until the end of October:
Big, dumb Irish guy walks into the room… What’s a CARB compliant nozzle and why does it make them garbage? Are they not like the little 1 gallon red ones with the yellow spout the old man kept in his car?
Thanks for the heads up on the steel ones. Wifey and I were talking about getting some gas cans the other day so this is perfect timing.
Be very careful with these. They are only listed for non-potable water usage and from what I understand with these that unleaded gasoline over time will cause problems. If you really want the best “jerry can” out there you want a Sceptor MFC. Go to Ebay and type them in for a search and you will find a guy from TX named Schimo88 I believe. Email him privately and he will take care of you. Believe me this is a much better option than the OP’s link for what essentially comes down to overpriced water cans IMHO.
I don’t know where you see the OP’s link indicate water rating only. They exactly like one I have been using for gasoline.
I bought several of these a few years ago, but in red. They are coated/sealed inside. The spout mentioned is terrific. It has a built in breather hole and is very fast, no slop and pours pretty fast. Excellent, excellent gas cans. I have had gas stored in mine continuously for about 4-5 years now.
CARB is some committee in California that makes lots of dumb stupid regulations. One is that all the spouts on gas cans need to be “spillproof”. Basically they’re completely overcomplicated and make it very difficult to pour gas and I typically end up spilling way more than I ever did with the old normal spouts…
"*Note: Federal law prohibits the use of this container for the storage of fuel.
This metal jerry can is a classic European military-spec design and provides a durable and preferred way to store and transport non-potable water."
I don’t know where you bought your cans from or what year, but again the cans listed and 100% of all of the cans I’ve seen like these have small notes that say they are rated for water usage. Again I’m not trying to rain on the OP’s parade, but wanted to inform someone so they don’t spend a lot of money on something it’s not possibly designed to be.
The coating that I’ve seen on the ones that are only rated for water have a white looking liner in them and the gasoline over time has been known to wear that lining off. Then after time they can start to rust etc. As I said I was just trying to help everyone out. Take it for what it’s worth. I have been looking for cans for over a year and then met this guy and his business partner in TX who were able to get me some true Sceptor cans. They were used yes, but in really really good shape. Pricing is a lot more than the ones the OP listed, but they are the best cans ever made that I know of. YMMV.
Probably trying to get around EPA regulations with that disclaimer, especially given the “note” in the comment section. A “wink, wink, nudge, nudge” if you will. The coating on the inside of this can is pretty clearly not the same as that on the Wedco water can I have that is food grade. Speaking from experience, the food grade linings don’t “degrade over time” they begin to dissolve damn near instantly with gasoline contact. These coatings are sort of a rust red color, the same (from appearance) as my pre-ban Wedco gas can.
I’ve used a couple of these cans for well over a year and the coating on the inside has not deteriorated and the gasoline doesn’t appear to have been affected. There are guys on an offroading forum I frequent that have been using them for even longer without problems.
Irish, as noted above CARB is the California Air Resources Board. They mandated changes (which are now federal law) to fuel containers that make them very difficult to pour, cause them to pour unevenly (because they aren’t vented), and for many users result in spilled fuel. New cans must also be child-proof because of the Children’s Gasoline Burn Prevention Act, making them even more difficult to use.
But hey, caveat emptor guys. If any of you are uneasy about these being NATO-spec gasoline cans, don’t buy them.
Wow, that is a much better deal. I didn’t know CTD! had them, the only consistent source over the last couple years I’ve seen for them is Atlantic British.
ETA: Apparently they are out of stock, but they are accepting back orders.
Well, I ordered the 4-pack of cans from CTD! to see what they were like. They aren’t NATO, but NATO-style. The seam isn’t recessed, the inside is bare metal (showing rust out of the box BTW), the neck has paint, but I tested it with a rag soaked in gasoline to be sure, and it flaked off immediately. The included free nozzle is just utter crap. I’d strongly recommend against buying these cans. The cans in my original link from Atlantic British are real, unissued NATO cans that are coated inside with “gas-proof” enamel, have proper recessed seam, and the NATO spout on that site is also real deal and works extremely well (smooth pour, no leaking).
BTW, even though the sale is ended, Atlantic British cans are cheaper than the gas cans listed by CTD! as actual NATO:
I bought a few of these and have hauled gasoline, diesel, and 90% Methanol/10% Nitro in them and have had no signs of internal coating giving up the ghost.
Figured that either the crap they call gasoline or the dragbike mixture would have done it, but so far so good
If you want milspec gas cans give http://www.supplycaptain.com/ a call. They have scepter cans available with both diesel or gas color rings and they can provide new gaskets too.
Sceptor MFCs aren’t listed on the supplycaptain website. I don’t like the MFCs for several reasons. They have a screw-in cap that has to be retarded monkey torqued to not leak (even with new gaskets). The gaskets don’t seem to last quite as long. The spout configuration always leaks; I have yet to see a MFC that didn’t leak while pouring. The plastic isn’t opaque or UV-proof, so gasoline will degrade in the can, and the can itself breaks down (fading and then brittleness) over time. They do have some advantages, they are lighter, crush-proof, rust-proof, and don’t become bombs in a fire. I prefer leak resistance and better storage life of fuel though. Plus, steel NATO cans are cheaper new than MFCs are used (I’m also wary of sellers hawking GI goods).