Extra Gas in SUV

How does one go about storing extra gasoline in the back of an SUV, I've heard that the fumes will get out of the canister and into the cabin. For truck owners, this is not a problem. Are there gas cans that have really good seals on them?

thanks in advance

I don't know if I would ever really feel comfortable storing fuel in an SUV, but being in Florida and maybe having to choose the lesser of two evils in a hurricane evacuation, I have several Justrite DOT 5 gallon storage cans in my garage filled with gasoline treated with Sta-Bil.

Any can rated to comply with the CARB (California Air Resource Board) is rated to completely contain gasoline fumes when the gasoline is not being poured. However, some gasoline canisters are also designed to "vent" excess pressure caused by temperature changes. If you've ever gotten into a car that has been parked in the full sun on a hot day for a while, then you can imagine that there's a possibility that some lower quality jerry cans will vent. If you're still interested in getting a jerry can, about the best ones I've seen are Justrite Mfg.'s UNO® D.O.T. Safety Cans.

I've also heard of a couple products that are better suited for emergency spare gasoline. One of them was called "Spare Tank" and the other is "dry gas" (which is actually just ethanol or methanol, I believe, and is mainly used for removing suspended water from gasoline). You may want to search the 'net a bit on these alternatives, as it is still tough for me to recommend carrying spare gasoline in an automobile… especially in the passenger cabin like in an SUV.

You got your post off while I was still typing. I'm getting slow. <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

thanks for the suggestions and info. I saw those cans online as well.

To clarify, this would be for more of a bug out scenario. I can imagine all the gas stations within a 400 mile radius would have long lines or run out during an evacuation as everyone else would start running low about the same distance.

You will have the same issue with vans and cars, most cars don't have anything solid between the truck and passenger compartment, just the seat so the fumes can still penetrate.
When we made the mistake of buying a minivan instead of a decent vehicle and I had to bring gas home for a lawn mower or something I would open the back vent windows and leave the front windows down to let air flow through. I would suggest that if you do need to carry gas in the back, leave the back window open at least to let the fumes out. I suppose you could always tape some thick plastic behind the back seat, sealing it as well as you can.

If you do this, definately secure the can(s) very well. A bungee cord won't cut it. In an accident, a lose can inside the vehicle would be very bad news.

If you had to evacuate, like the famous hurricane traffic jams, you definately want to conceal any gas cans. There are definately people out there that aren't above robbing fellow evacuees and it would pay to blend in with the crowds.

Something that comes up when it comes to storing gasoline is local laws and fire codes. At least some locals have a code prohibiting storing more than 15 gallons in a residence.

Rather than carrying it inside the vehicle, you could consider a hitch mounted cargo carrier. There are many styles out there, but, they generally are about 2 ft by 5 feet, carry 500lbs, and they are supported by a standard 2" trailer hitch. Most SUV's have a 2" hitch standard now, along with trucks obviously. We use it to carry things like a generator and gas cans. (And the gas grill for football tailgating.) You want to make sure you have a heavy duty one, because some are only for light use. Still, they keep everything outside the passenger cabin.

For the bug out scenario with some theft prone folks, you might have an issue with the outboard storage...but, they do have steel locking cargo boxes too... or you could see one of the threads on firearms for society breaking down type scenarios <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

You shouldn't be securing anything with a bungee cord except maybe a tarp. I see way too many small cars/vans/suv's driving down the road with everything from beds to other furniture to lumper on their roofs held on by rubber cords or string the size of dental floss just waiting to break and let the load fall off and hit someone else.

How could you not see someone siphoning gas from your car?

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.

That's a little over conservative. I've stored gas in tightly sealed cans with Sta-Bil for over a year with no problems. Maybe cycle it out every six months if you are worried about it. YMMV.

Craig.

"How does one go about storing extra gasoline in the back of an SUV?"

Never. Fumes aside, It's far too dangerous, for the reasons mentioned in the event of a collision from explosion or a filled can hurtling through the cabin. Even if you weren't somehow injured, it's hard to imagine a plaintiff's lawyer not having a field day if someone else in the vehicle was. Roof-mounting a DOT-approved can, preferably a NATO steel model with cam-operated locking top, is probably safest. It is non-vented and expands with temperature (and is built to withstand this, the Afrika Korps and later the Allies used them in 130-degree Saharan summers with no problems). The best mount is on a rear frame- or a roof-mounted steel rack (tends to crack and break fewer parts with the constant pounding off-pavement), with the can secured into a heavy-gauge G.I. (not aftermarket) steel can holder - I've noticed leaks with all other types of containers when used on an SUV off-road. The roof mount is probably safer than the rear frame-mount, but there is still a risk when installing and removing filled cans. I also cushioned the bottom of the can in its fitted GI holder to prevent metal-to-metal wear (incidentally, plastic tanks stored without special pouch-type holders or plenty of protective padding on roof racks will wear through even faster off-pavement). You'll need a lot more than a bungee cord in the event of hard bumps or a collision.

However, even using exterior-mounted gasoline containers is a fairly dangerous activity when dismounting, decanting, and refilling them - just watch your friends back away from you when you begin. A rear-end collision, a spark from dropping a can while taking it from the roof - lots of bad possibilities there. Never fill the can until just before heading off-pavement, and do not drive for any distance on roads shared by other vehicles.

Better solution is a larger, heavy-duty fixed tank in the stock location. The best solution? Probably a fuel-efficient diesel-engined vehicle with large factory tanks, which is what I eventually decided upon.

Pull the spare tire from under and mount it on a roof or rear rack and mount a second tank even.
I lot of pickup trucks are available with dual tanks when you get into the 3/4 ton and above, you can buy a nice Diesel 3/4 ton quad cab truck with two 25 gallon tanks for the same price as an SUV, get better mileage and have more range.

A bit alarmist, if you will permit me. A full fuel tank is much safer than one that is, say, 2/3's or less full. Liquid gasoline doesn't burn, at least not at "normal" temperatures. It is gasoline vapor which is so (very) flammable. Very few car crashes, even those where the fuel tank is ruptured, result in a post crash fire. Use an approved container, store it outside the passenger compartment and be careful, not fearful.

Why not an aftermarket spare fuel tank? With a switch to convert between your regular tank and the backup?

One thing I've noticed about late-model vehicles...there's plenty of "exterior" cubby space (not in the passenger compartment, but under the shell) where a smallish (5 gallons or less) tank would fit.

I wouldn't put too much stock in rumors. I've heard some whoppers during storms that were way off base. But I do know someone that was held up at gunpoint on the outskirts of a search and rescue task force staging area. They wanted the tank trailer he was moving with his SUV. He assumes they thought it was full of gasoline rather than the water it held. People are crazy.

I heard at least one report of a person that evacuated from Houston in a gas-electric hybrid. While others ran out of gas or waiting in long long lines for gas, they made it to their destination on a single tank with some gas left over. A Ford Escape hybrid would definately be a good choice for sitting in traffic for 12 hours. I'd peel off the "Hybrid" logo before I left though, to keep a lower profile.

"A bit alarmist, if you will permit me. A full fuel tank is much safer than one that is, say, 2/3's or less full. Liquid gasoline doesn't burn, at least not at "normal" temperatures. It is gasoline vapor which is so (very) flammable. Very few car crashes, even those where the fuel tank is ruptured, result in a post crash fire. Use an approved container, store it outside the passenger compartment and be careful, not fearful."

That's your opinion, but I certainly don't take any comfort from it. The possibility of fire is present any time external fuel cans are opened, refilled, or used to refill the main tank. People can and have incinerated themselves from generated sparks when refilling the main tank from a spare can, as well as causing fires at filling stations. Not to mention what happens when a external fuel can comes free in a collision, ruptures, and spills its contents over the accident scene. Factory tanks are (usually) designed to be resistant to rupturing and leaks after a collision, but DOT-approved external fuel cans are not (I have found many so-called 'approved' containers start leaking after their first off-road trip). What risk you choose to assume is your own business, what you impose on your fellow motorists is not. Since there isn't really any reason, 90% of the time, to carry filled gas cans for long distances on paved highways, best to leave them empty until you're ready to head off-pavement.

OK Mavrick, do I see Goose sitting there next to you? You on the highway to the danger zone?? By the look on your face I'd guess you tried to run down your photographer on the next pass!!!

I agree with Markantes about these tanks. The low profile makes them extremely convienent and they are very simple to secure. Obviously not the cheapest, but the only thing I can find anywhere near this shape/size.

m

Yeah, actually now that you mention it the photographer has never been quite the same since then... Of course, he's been pretty nuts as long as I've known him.

But MAN, that was a fun trip.
J

The red version that the guy is holding up in the Cabelas photo looks like one of those kneeling pads that you use for gardening. Or maybe a backboard that the EMS types use.

I do agree that it's low profile and certainly doesn't shout "Gas here!" to strangers.

I work at Gander Mountain and we have something like that back in the ATV area. They are pricey but about half the size (14"x14"x2" or so) and bolt to a rack for your 4 wheeler. Neat idea, I've been eyeing one or a dozen for around the house.

might just have to pick one up one day.