I bought my first new truck a several months ago.(a Dodge Ram 4X4 Quad Cab HEMI) There are a lot of advantages to having a 4x4 Truck in an emergency. Fuel economy however, is not at the top of this list. As my truck is the single most important piece of equipment in my bug out gear I wish to store a little more fuel than I usually do. Where I live there is little chance of having to evacuate. Unlike our friends in the USA we do not have huge hurricanes or earthquakes and the like here in Alberta. There is no current risk of floods or forest fire where I am currently living. Although most of my mentality is geared toward bugging IN upon the event of an emergency, there is always some possibility of having to leave in a hurry. I am looking to store at least 200L of gasoline for my truck to give me 2 more full tanks of fuel while on the road. This will up the total distance that I can travel considerably. I am also looking to store an additional 200L for using my gas generator. Do to space constraints, this is all the available space I have for the storage of fuel. I have searched through the old posts and have not come up with anything of much use. Normally I cycle each container by fuelling my truck, and then filling up the cans fresh at the pumps. Quite honestly though, It is becoming a real pain to do it that way.

What I would like to know is:
1. What is the best type of stabilizer to add to gasoline for long term storage ?
2. How long will Gasoline store with added stabilizers ?
3. Are there any ill effects of such ?
4. Am I better off sucking it up and just keep doing what I am doing ?

Any info on this is much appreciated. Thanks.
Mac

Have you considered an auxiliary fuel tank for the truck?

I was looking at this option but it takes a lot of useable space out of the back of the truck(I only have a short box) If I needed to bug out I simply plan to throw 4 50L containers in the back with my other gear. The aux tank would be rather difficult to remove and replace for those times when I don't need it, such as hauling fire wood and hunting where I need all the space I can get. Thank for the link though, I actually found some other goodies I may purchase later.

Sounds like you need a "tidy tank" (or equivalent). It's a fuel tank that can slip into (or out of) a pickup truck bed.

Here's a link: http://www.tidytanks.com/origtank.html . These types of tanks are not hard to come by. Lots of people who live/work in the country have them. They don't always transport them around; put them on railway ties, well away from buildings. You can even find them used at auction.

The question, though, is: do you live in an urban or rural area?

Storage of this much gasoline in an urban area may violate all sorts of fire codes.

If you are in the country, though, you can get a local bulk supplier to top off your tank (on site) with a phone call. Very convenient.

I buy regular old Canadian Tire fuel stabilizer (the red stuff) and use it in my generator and my motorcycles. I don't know exactly how long gas will last 'stabilized' but I've had the same gas in my generator for 8 months and every time I test it, it fires right up.

From the Sta-bil website:
"One ounce of STA-BIL Fuel Stabilizer will keep 2-1/2 gallons of fuel fresh for 12 months. Using twice the recommended dosage will keep fuel fresh for up to 24 months."

-Blast

I always use more than the recommended dose. When winterize one of my motorcycles I'll put in enough for 50L worth of gas then run the engine to make sure the fuel in the carbs is 'stabilized' too.

i don't know if anyone has really done a real study on
how long gas will last sealed and stored..military maybe??
but---my snowblower started up a few days ago with gas that
was left in it from last winter--same with the lawnmower--fired
up with gas left in it over the winter when i got it out in the
spring..i have cans of Coleman fuel--which if not "gas" is close
to it---and its years old--open and closed..it it burns just fine..

In all my years with the Military I have never covered the topic of storing fuel, as that is undertaken on a huge National scale by fleet management people who are far above my pay scale. I actually store a good amount of Coleman camp fuel as well. I honestly have never considered if anything needs to be added to that to keep it stable over long term storage. Food for thought thought, now you have me thinking about that as well.