At the outset I'd like to say this is a joint effort between many people in the Survival Forum here on AR15.com - I posted it but I want to give credit where it is due, to many smart people who come here to talk about common interests, and thanks to Feral for blessing off on it.  I hope newcomers get their questions answered here.

New Information as of May 23, 2014 - here is an excellent JLC review of several modern cans.  Here.

First question (the one that comes up most often) Where do I get them?!!!Answer:
link

and get NATO Jerry cans here...." target="_blank">Get Scepter MFCs here.  linkand get NATO Jerry cans here....</a>  As for "Stock-Number" - I am not sure how they were able to sell to civies for the length of time they did, but as of February 4, 2011 it appears they have stopped.  As you can see from additional posts below, there are other sources to get NATO cans and another type of container called "Blitz can" and these sources come and go, so take your pick.  At this point, I am not aware of a source for legally obtained Scepter MFCs, and as a result used ones may hit $75.00 again, and therefore I have no problem recommending the Steel Nato "Jerry cans" as they are superior to MFCs in my opinion anyway.

Which are better, Scepter MFCs or steel Jerry cans?
Answer: they both work for the intended purpose. MFCs swell with gas and sometimes with diesel too in hot weather - but never rust. Some leak, some don't. The Viton seal on a gas is designed for gas: if you put gas in a diesel can it will eventually cause the seal to fail. The Steel Jerry cans don't swell up but some require a touch of paint here and there periodically.  The main problem with older Jerry cans is they are lined with some form of layered material that can (and does) chip off.  Once the liner material becomes unstable and begins to chip, the interior of the can can oxidize and contribute to rusting of the can.    The water cans have a similar lining that has possibly changed in nature over the decades, but it is a food grade lining of unknown origin.  There are also French wife cans out there that become available from time to time with this food grade liner that should be inspected prior to purchase.  If you have more cans than you have floor space, Jerry cans and Blitz cans (discussed below) are actually stackable in a couple of different ways....MFCs are not.  And if you lay them on their side and stack them, when they swell from petrol offgassing, they won't be stabile and may fall.

What about Blitz cans?
answer: Here is the Blitz website.    The modern "Blitz can" is different than the traditional "Blitz style" can which had a flat face and a relatively large bung hole.  "Bung" is the threaded opening in the can that receives the lid or nozzle.  If you look about halfway down the page, you will see the red can that is labeled "obsolete - discontinued"  this is what most people think of as a blitz can.  I have some that are decades old.  The rest of the cans displayed on Blitz' website are modern attempts to comply with CARB.

Why so damn expensive? Answer: Market demand over the last few years has driven the price up, plus CARB regs made them contra legem..... There was a mad rush a year or so ago that drove the price up even more.

Why do my new carb compliant cans leak more than MFCs ever did?
Answer: facepalm. we don't know. why come here and ask that? GD is thataway...

Why did the government do this?
Answer: By product of environmental regulation and law happy lawmakers.  The old style cans were said to leak quite a bit when you attempted to pour them.  There was some sloshing involved.  The CARB complaint cans are known to leak/slosh just as much as the MFCs and now you are stuck with a crappy can.  Government at it's finest.

How much does a gallon of gas weigh anyway?  
6.073 pounds per US Gallon.
So doing the math, a typical 5 gallon container weights a tad over 30.36 pounds.   Some folks are tempted to store fuel in larger containers, but consider that if you bump up to a 10 gallon HDPE container, you are dealing with 60.73 pounds.  If you are injured, or if you are relying on your spouse to help move, you just limited the portability of your fuel.

Why not just get a water can and fill it with gas/diesel?the water cans are based on a pressure seal, there is no gasket.  You will ruin the can for it's intended purpose and on top of that you will have a can that leaks if you move them around or put them in a warm enviroment which causes excessive pressure which water cans were not designed to withstand.  The handles on water cans and fuel cans are different (one main handle on water, three on fuel) so that in in the dark you can tell if you are grabbing the correct can.

What is the difference between the gaskets?
answer: Cans designed for petrol have a substance called "Viton" that forms the seal.  If you are rehabilitating an old MFC for gas/petrol, you need a Viton Gasket.  A member here going by "Vatopa" is the gasket man and can probably get you what you need.  "Pish posh" you say.  "I'll just skip the Viton upgrade and use my regular MFCs for Petrol!!!  I'll show them!"  OK.  but you are going to crack your flange and have to replace the flange portion of the lid AND buy the proper Viton gasket.  So why not just buy Viton to begin with?  Here's a case in point.  

The MFCs that hold diesel have a form of rubber gasket.  Obviously if you put petrol in a can with a rubber gasket, the petrol (or according to Vatopa the additives in the patrol) will begin to break the rubber down and degrade it, causing leaks.  The water cans have a friction seal instead of a gasket.  This means they are not generally suitable for anything but water for long term storage.  

Other than that, if I insist on using water cans for gas, are water cans and MFCs made out of the same material?  
yes.

Where would I get water cans?
Try LCI

Regarding water cans, some have "Scepter" on them and some have "LCI" - so are LCI cans and Scepter water cans the same?Answer: depends on who you ask...I have both and my Scepters don't leak, but I have 2 LCIs that do.  They look different side by side.  New production may look identical, but at some point they were different.  For my money, buy Scepter if you can but in the end, both will probably do just fine.  I will say the Scepter water cans are vastly more expensive, but if we are talking emergency drinking water, go with what you trust.

Found some old cans and bought them - now I see they have RUST inside...how do I fix this?
Answer: Quarterbore linked to a prior discussion on this, for convenience I will repost it here.

HELP!  My MFC Lid is STUCK!  
ANSWER: get a strap wrench.  
Awesome technical data below....Thanks Coltrifle!

I didn't want red cans but if I did, that's probably the best price around for red Valpro/Wavian cans.

Thanks for the heads up on this.  I have been looking for a good place to buy some.

Still making my way through this thread, and there is some great info in here.

When I'm out on the trails in my 4x4, I bring some extra diesel fuel along.  Previously, I had used the 5 gal yellow Blitz containers (from their last run before they went out of business).  They both had the stupid spouts with the Pour/Store switch.  Trying to hold up 35ish lbs of fuel, activating the switch, and pour into a funnel without spilling was always a pain in the butt.  Not to mention a slooooooow process.

Also, on trips into the mountains in Colorado I really never knew to "vent" my containers as I gained altitude.  So like a dummy I'd have some diesel leaking out into the bed area of my truck, getting on whatever I had stored back there.  If it were gasoline it would evaporate quickly, but diesel just stays there, then with all the dirt in the air it would make everything extra dirty.  I was never able to fully clean off one of my coolers (luckily I just use it for extra drinks; my food is brought along inside my rig in my ARB Fridge Freezer).  On my last trip to Colorado I made sure to vent my containers frequently (using my standalone GPS all day, I would take note about every 1,000-2,000 feet of elevation), no leaking in the tailgate/bed area this time.  

If you are climbing in altitude, make sure you vent your containers every 1,000 to 2,000 of elevation change.  

I was also able to finally use my Rotopax containers. I got two of the Rotopax 2-gallon containers, along with the self-venting spout (available separately).  My wife treated me to these two years ago and they are awesome.  Holding 14 lbs of fuel up is quite easy, and with their spout I was able to safely and cleanly pour out the fuel very quickly.  But the Rotopax containers are awesome.  They absolutely do not leak, even with all the bouncing around on the trails.  They have a super tight and secure lid.  For those saying they are expensive, I agree, at full retail price they are expensive.  I used their ebay store and offered them 1/2 price for 2 containers plus a $8 spout at full price.  They accepted.  

I didn't mount them with any of their mounts, I just ratchet strapped them in my bed next to a large heavy tote (filled with extra vehicle fluids).

Get some NATO cans and don’t worry about fuel leaking again.

Ordered 2 of those for longer term storage if ethanol free fuel.
Tracking went active the day after order but it hasn't been given to UPS in the 5 days (3 business days) since it went active. Hoping I don't have to dispute.

Did you contact the seller?

I did, they quickly responded, they show it left their faculty and are double checking. Hopefully not bs, but I'll update once resolved one way or another

Please do, if this vendor starts having problems that's something we all need to be aware of.  I know other folks have gotten their orders from them so hopefully this is just a UPS issue.

Apparently, I've ordered from them previously also. I guess it had been a while. They finally accepted that the cans never left the warehouse after they didn't arrive on the estimated arrival date which was 2 weeks after the ship date. I now have a new tracking number that is active and in UPS possession and not just generated. And it should be delivered Thursday. I'll update on can condition when they arrive. So it appears they are making it right.

My theory is they ran out of the red cans. There were 9 remaining on the site inventory. eBay policy allows them to wait until the estimated delivery date before any action can be taken. They got in a new shipment and actually shipped it this time. I just can't buy the line they fed me that "our warehouse indicates the package left our warehouse and UPS didn't scan it." If that had happened it would have gone active within a day or two. I waited a week to contact them about the tracking.

Thanks for the follow up and I think you’re probably right about the shipping.  

How well will these hold up with gas in them in the Florida heat in a garage?  I have some of the softer plastic 5gal Scepter's and they have started bloat and leak.   They are only two years old.  How well do the Valpro's hold up when it comes to summer bloating?

I have had no issue with diesel in mine for years in the shed in South Florida.

I am on the fence between the Valpro or the Scepter .mil ones.  I am having trouble finding the Scepter's.

I have had two that bloated and flexed with the temperature changes and ended up developing pinhole leaks after several years. They’ll get what looks like a pinch in the metal, usually the broad side of the can.

Very very well. Do a search on YouTube for Valpro gas can tests. The one where they fill one like halfway with gas and then light a fire around it....it’s impressive.

The ones where they pressurize them are also impressive.

This happened with Valpro cans?  That’s remarkable as the cans are designed to flex with temperature changes.  Stored outside?  Have any pictures?

Stored in almost direct sun in the Phoenix heat. Certainly not ideal conditions, probably the worst you could find. Just reporting what I’ve dealt with. I’ll continue to use them, I have 12 more that are still in good shape.

I guess if anything will kill a can that will.  Not just the heat but the cold as well.  I spent some time in west Texas and at certain times of the year the difference between the daytime high and the nighttime low could be spectacular.  That’s a lot of flexing.

Finally received today.

Didn't read through the WHOLE thread, so hopefully I'm not trying to reanimate a dead horse...
I bought a number of the NATO cans from Ohio Prep supply a few years back. I need to replace gaskets, and neither the Wavian, Atlantic British, or generic Chinese off Amazon fit my cans / spout.

Since Ohio Prep supply seems to be deadded, anyone have any suggestions on gaskets that might fit my cans?

Maybe (probably?) these.  Ohio Prep sold mostly Gelg cans.  

https://www.jerrycan.com/shop/gelg-jerry-can-gasket/

Question for those smarter than I (figured this might be the best place to get an answer).

I'm picking up a used flammables cabinet today - I have to store my fuel in an attached garage.  I typically keep Jerry cans: 2x 20L and 3x 10L cans full (with a few empties that I would fill up in case of a storm etc).  My bigger question- can I store my spare BBQ propane safely in the same cabinet?  Obviously a cage outdoors would be bet, but not feasible on my property.

It’s never safe to store anything larger than 1lb propane tanks in an enclosed space. Realistically, it’s unlikely anything would happen but if something did....it’s bad....really bad. Do you have a deck you could store them under? Cable lock them to a post maybe?

That's what I figured.  Currently store outside next to the house, not locked up or anything, but probably best to keep them out like that rather than the garage.

https://www.roverparts.com/flashsale/

Atlantic British / rover parts is having a sale on ValPro cans. Mine came marked wavian.

Nmg

You may have the large mouth "oil" cans from Valpro with a large V on the side and "BUND" imprinted below.

Mine leak at the mouth and haven't used them in years. I have emailed Valpro in Latvia looking for gaskets, no response yet.

http://valpro.lv/en/products/metal-cans/military-line/Oil-can-military.html

Filled up 2 with corn free gas. Forgot to take them out of the truck bed afterwords. Daughter distracted me for something and never got around to putting them in the shed. I had them bungeed in, but they were still bouncing around for a week. Seal held great, no spillage. Very good cans.

Hi guys.  Glad to see this thing still going strong!  I had no idea it would go this long!

You used to post a lot around here but kinda fell off the radar

Looked through the oracle and maybe I missed it but...did we ever decide on what spout works best with scepter mpc?

This one in my opinion is the best for the MFC.  It's not cheap though.  The hose will need to be replaced eventually but replacement parts are available on ebay.  

https://www.scepter.com/products/military-products/military-accessories/military-fuel-can-spout-3-4-19-mm-04856/

Here pretty soon I’m going to get a large job site tool box for storage of fuel cans.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-60-in-W-x-24-in-D-Steel-Job-Site-Tool-Box-in-Black-H60JSB/309019895

Has anyone had experience with Jerrycan.com?
I ordered from them and they screwed up my order. I can't get them to answer the phone and they aren't helpful on email.

ETA: Spelling.

Just got a call back from Jerrycan.com. Turns out they are swamped with orders. They are sending the rest of my order. I'll be buying from them again.

It has been some time since I ordered some of the scepter fuel cans. Are there any good deals on them these days? I really like them, but I can't see paying $100 for a gas can plus shipping.

Unless you can talk a Canadian to bring you some, you are stuck paying absurd prices on eBay for used cans. I have a few but since I’ve switched to NATO cans I might “price gouge” them on eBay.

Well, that might be an option at our annual car convention this year. Thanks for the tip.

I thought the borders were closed to Canada? Has that changed?

I'm assuming by the summer things will be open. Perhaps I'm overly optimistic.

How well do the heavier plastic “U-Jugs” hold up long term?  Rural King has them for $20 and they feel a lot heavier than the typical red plastic can.

Attached File

I was wondering the same when I went through the store this last weekend. I would imagine that they hold up very well, but I doubt they keep out moisture as well as other cans.

I've got some Wavian can's I've had for about 5 years. I went to fill them up recently and I was very disappointed when I looked at the bottom and found the paint flaking off and rust underneath. These can's have always been stored elevated and never site in water. Has anyone else experienced this?

Two different cans.

Attached File


Attached File

Wow, that's odd. I just moved 12 of my cans from 2009 (?) onto a new rack, and they look fine. Stored in a garage that gets humid at times, too.

No kidding. If the outside looks like that I’m sure the inside is rusting as well. I’m not contemplating going with the racing jugs.

Edit: Whelp that's it no more metal cans for me. Went to the plastic racing jugs. I'm sure they will be ok for the year or so I keep the fuel.

I scored these!

$40

Attached File


Who knew that Briggs & Stratton sold these?

Bit of an odd thing I'm seeing with several Wavian cans, 20L and 10L size.    

Happens with all of them, oldest can is 9 years old (but has a new gasket), newest cans are about 7 months old.

All of them have seemed to leak a bit, starting from the first fill.   I'm getting thick orangeish fluid slowly seeping out under the front bottom of the cap, then running down the front of the can.  Smells like gas, but not as strongly as straight gas.

I do have Stabil in the gas; only thing I can think of is that something in the Stabil is wicking out around the seal.   Seals are tight; I can turn the cans upside down and shake them around without any apparent leaking.

Cans have not been subjected to temp extremes, none have been poured from without a nozzle (and the newer ones haven't been poured at all, only had gas in a couple for ~2 months)

I don’t think I’d trust the gas until you figure it out.  Maybe try a Mr Funnel and see if it separates anything from the fuel?  Or shake up a can and then pour some into a clear container and let it sit.  Maybe something will separate out.  The one thing that jumps out is the fact that the lining of the can is orange so maybe the Stabil is reacting to that?  How it would be leaking out from a good seal is baffling.  Please keep us posted.

Yeah I'm still stumped; haven't seen anything else come out since I cleaned them off.   The gas has always seemed fine - ran small engines, generators, and trucks on it without any hiccups.

Do you mind sharing where you sourced the cans? Have you mentioned it to the seller to see if they have any ideas? It definitely sounds like an unusual issue based on how highly everyone speaks of wavian cans.