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!

Have to hunt the scepters on eBay, sometimes good deals come up.

I see that now.  I have some genuine German NATO cans and I can see the difference now that you pointed it out.

I appreciate the guidance.  I hate spending money, but I really hate wasting it!

Sometimes the more expensive option is the best value.  I think that’s true of the Wavian/Valpro cans.

Sealey?  If it’s the adaptor I think it is then that’s a shame.  I’ve used one for years to run my generator with outstanding results.  If you end up getting Wavian’s get the Wavian nozzle with the reducing coupler.  Works great if you need to pour into small openings.

If anyone is interested I tried a AB NATO style Donkey Dick (Long-Nose Flexible Jerry Can Spout) on a Wavian NATO 20L can to fill my 2012 F150 capless fuel tank.

No spills, no problem getting past the spring loaded cap. I only topped off so no data on how long to empty a 20L can. Very slight gurgling.

humm..first ever dupe

Yes, a Sealey adaptor.   Fits fine on Wavians from AB.    Works great with my generator.

What did you use to airtight cap them? Is there a special cap? I have the commercial red Sceptres and I want to put up some fuel. I am also interested in the VP racing containers, anyone use them?

There's a special adapter cap for the Scepters [got several on eBay]



It's been mod'd for 3 ports, source, vent and return, and can have more.



Output is 12vdc.

For those techy and curious, the orange wire is the 'sense' for the modified voltage regulator.

Well gol dangamighty!  This thing is still going?  So I really did contribute something to the world????  LOL

I learned a lot from it.

I just had to replace the gasket in my nozzle that I got from Old Grouch.

What a pain in the ass.  Tough fit with the replacement gaskets I had.  I tried searching for nozzle specific gasket but I couldn't find any.

I can only speak to the Wavian cans and spouts but there are two different sizes of gasket.  The spout gasket is on the right in the picture below.



Out of stock at the moment but this is where I got mine.

https://www.topspecus.com/products/genuine-authentic-wavian-rubber-gasket-2325?variant=21270964353

Thanks!

Ill pick some up.

Made a thread on these but after doing so realized it would be better here.

I bought these fuel cans for mounting on an ATV. Pretty impressed with them so far. They are similar to the Rotopax but probably 1/2 the price. They have an air vent and drain just like the old style fuel cans (no CARB nozzles on these). They are made of very tough, thick plastic.

Out of stock, probably taken down from liberal eBarf due them not being CARB compliant.

Rancher

I need a spout for my MFC cans that I got long ago from Sportsman Guide. I only bought 6, but wish I would have got 20 or more. I don’t recall where I saw a home brew spout with parts from Home Depot or Lowes. Also, the cap baskets are Viton. We had a guy here that made them years ago, but can’t seem to find that info.

I have some 20 gallon steel drums that are lined. They had chiller oil in them. But the bung plug is plastic. A metal 2” bung is easy to find, but was thinking a bung with a flange and a Viton gasket might seal better.

Guys that use drums for gas, have you use anything aside from just a standard bung plug?

Any replacement caps for the Midwest Jerry cans? They come with a cheap plastic cap with a hole in the middle for the spout.

Are you talking about the round ones? If so, I believe a standard lawnmower gas cap will work. Briggs & Stratton 397974S

Thanks!

Bought two more NATO Jerrycans on FB marketplace for $5 after church today.  There is some superficial rust on the outside, but I should be able to take care of that fairly easily. The insides will likely need to be treated too, but who doesn’t like a project?

Finally finished reading the entire thread a little at a time. Now waiting on free shipping.

For what?

BA Jerry cans.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/400924140518?rmvSB=true

Thanks, but a lot higher than website. Will wait until after Memorial Day and see if they free ship. I am in no hurry.

Forgive me if this has already been covered--I skimmed the thread and didn't see it.  AB offers the Wavian cans with two different spouts--a black rubber flexible hose, and a long-nose flexible spout.  They are within a few dollars of each other.  Is there a preference?

I don't have any experience with the long-nose spout so maybe someone that does will chime in.

I use the black rubber flexible hose version and would recommend it without reservation.  It works fine as is and comes with a hose barb that makes the spout extremely flexible in use.  I wrote about it back on page 27 of this thread.

Thank you very much.

Happy to help.  Just FYI, there is a technique to using the spout.  You tip the can into the pour very, very slowly.  You need to give the vent in the spout time to start working and to do that it needs to overcome the pressure of the fuel feeding the spout. This is just to start to pour, once you hear the “glug” you know the vent is working and you can pour normally.  If you don’t do this you risk a small amount of fuel spurting out the vent.  It’s not a lot and it stops as soon as the vent starts working (and it will) but if you want to avoid spilling any fuel at all then start slow.

Finally had my blitz cans give up the ghost. Needing a couple of cans that will seal so I don’t get vapors in my garage. Usually try to keep 2 or 3 cans for my inverter generator. What’s the Best Buy for the cans and spouts. I do want the ability to dump the fuel in my vehicles to rotate stock. Thanks

Where they plastic or metal?

Maybe they need a new gasket.

Emptied the remaining fuel I had in mine into my 4Runner yesterday. It was a reminder to myself I need to pick up one or two more shaker siphons, those things are great if you've never used one. Now I need to go fill all of my cans back up. $$$$

Plastic. Some rode on a lawn trailer as well for several years

Yep, scrap then.

Sorry to ask, I am certain that it has been asked and answered before and my TBI'ed brain forgot. Would these spouts work on the cans that Ohio Prep was selling last year?

https://wavianusa.com/wavian-brand-jerry-can-pour-spout-nozzle/wavian-spill-proof-safety-spouts-nozzles

Thanks

Ohio Prep has sold jerry cans from at least 3 different manufacturers.  Some of them worked with Wavian nozzles and some (most?) did not.  I think the only way you're going to know for sure is to try one.

Thank you for the reply.

the cans are the Polish ones that they were selling for $19.99 last year.  These fit but I don't like them  http://www.ohioprepsupply.com/jerry-can-spout/

Ohio Prep sold GELG and TUT cans, both of which are manufactured in Poland.  Apparently some of them work with Wavian spouts and some don’t.  If you go back and read the last 3 or 4 pages of this thread there’s some discussion about it and some pictures that might help you figure it out.

I'm just curious but why are you looking to buy the Wavian safety spout?  Not many people have anything nice to say about them.

I believe that I have both GELG and TUT cans. I apologize,  I thought the Wavian was the best.  My TBI'ed brain is really struggling.  The Nameda and Exelon are not working as well as they used to in years past.  I'll do some more research.

Thank you for pointing me to the correct pages.

Best is of course a matter of opinion.  In my opinion the pre-ban Wavian spout is absolutely the best, if it fits your cans.  The Wavain safety spout you linked to is not the same thing.

This is the pre-ban spout.
http://www.roverparts.com/Parts/GJC002?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzNiNkMqo2wIVDdRkCh3Z1wYzEAQYAiABEgIh0PD_BwE

This is the safety spout.
https://wavianusa.com/black-safety-spout.html

Thank you for taking the time to make the clarification. Thankful that I posted and ask.

I did check and I have that GELG cans from Ohio prep. Has anyone used the pre-ban Wavian spout on the $19.99 GELG cans from Ohio prep?

I need to order 4 (extended family needs them also), just trying to cover everything before I pull the trigger.

Thanks again for helping me out, Beowulf!

Sorry, just re-read your post and noticed that you typed "LAST" 3 or 4 pages", not first 3-4 pages!

I will look at the pics and see. I was up to page 10, looking for pics.

I need to pick up some more cans has anyone seen any deals out there?
BA 4 cans for $169 is the best I have seen.
Thanks

I looked but could not find any pics of what works vs what will not!

ETA

Think I found them but they have been deleted.

I think $169 with free shipping through their eBay store is as good as it gets right now.

About half way down page 29 member onealphay2k made a post with six pictures.  The last one shows the open mouth of the can.  This is most like the Wavian cans and is the one most likely to work with the pre-ban spout (still no guarantee).  In the next post I asked him a question about the 10L cans and he replied with 3 more pictures with the last one of those showing the open mouth of the 10L can.  This shows a different type of internal air vent and will not work with the Wavain spout.

first of all, thank you.

Second, I am sorry.  I did not go far enough. I got side-tracked by to the "Holy Moly, New European" thread that you posted on 9/20/2017 10:56:42 PM EDT.  The pics there have been deleted.

Don't think mine will work!

Thank you so much Beowulf!

Your very welcome, sorry there wasn’t a better outcome for you.

Amos-

PSA- Don't forget, the Super Siphon is still the preferred method of transferring from cans for many members here. It, of course, fits all cans, and is able to empty a can in a very short time. I have both Super Siphon and nozzles, and have yet to use the nozzles. Although, I pretty much just empty a can into the truck.