Some roof carriers/baskets have brackets available specifically for carrying jerry cans. Obviously the less weight on the roof the better, but I figure a slightly higher center of gravity is a hell of a lot safer than carrying fuel inside a vehicle. Just check the load rating of the carrier & your vehicles roof first, and remember that rating is probably for smooth on-road conditions, so don't load too close to that limit.

Also, it's easy to chuck a tarp over the whole roof load to conceal it.

I heard that NATO style gas can don't vent like the US style gas cans. This was told to me by a guy that was a British bomber mechanic during WWII.

uhmmm... Dry gas is an fuel additive, not a fuel. I wouldn't try running a car on just dry gas any more than I would try to live off just the contents of a spice rack.

I've got to agree that carrying gas on a roof rack would be safer than either inside the vehicle (esp with a smoker on board) or on the hitch. Getting rear-ended with a gas can squashed in between the vehicles sounds like a recipe for disaster to me.

Just cover them with a cardboard box or something as a disguise and anchor them securely.

Sue

I've got a couple of those Californina Wonder gas cans, I know for a fact that they will emit both fumes and liquid, even if only filled to 4.5 gals in a 5 gal can. Plus, those wonderful no-spill spouts that come with them usually end up spilling more gas than a reqular old flex spout. Once again CA has tried to solve a non-existant problem with an over engineered piece of junk...

If you do some Internet searches on off-road accessories you can find the swing-away spare tire carriers WITH racks for 5 gallon gas cans on them. I've seen them mounted on almost every brand of SUV on the road. Some are designed just for carrying the gas cans and NO spare. They have steel plates to lock the cans to with a cable and can be covered with a tarp for concealment. One such supplier is JC Whitney - try this link as an example.

Some places (eg most states in Australia) it's not legal to carry fuel in those rear carriers due to increased risk in a rear-end accident. They fit a standard jerry can, but they're only intended for water.

For an off road trip, where putting them on the roof could increase the risk of a roll-over but the chances of being rear-ended are minimal, I'd be inclined to ignore that law. For a "flee the hurricane" type scenario on a crowded highway, I'd put them on the roof.

The safest option would be to fit a long-range or additional fuel tank, but cost and availability is a factor.

Gasoline goes "bad" in a hurry. This is a constant problem for anyone with a trailer boat, especially over winter. Sta-Bil will help extend the life, but it still goes bad sooner than you would think. Put bad gas in your engine, and say hello to a carb rebuild at the least. If you are going to store gas for emergency situations be sure to cycle it out on a regular basis, run it in your vehicle before it goes bad, and refill the storage cans. As for how long it takes to go bad, I try and not let it sit for longer than a month even with Sta-Bil.

These storage tanks offer a great, compact way of storing fuel on your roof rack, outside of the car. The main drawback is that they're freaking expensive- $90 for one. Also read the reviews on the site. The one common complaint is the vent valve is in a vulnerable position. I never had an issue, but it was always noticed.

You can just barely make out two of them strapped between the rack bars on my roof in this image (click for full sized):


J

Thanks for the info. I kinda like those, they're low profile enough to store on a roof rack so they're not too visible. Also they don't look like gas cans.

BTW: Wal-mart has them for $75.