staehpj1

I hadn't heard of this and have not yet really researched it, but a quick google search for "bans on the sale of denatured alcohol" brought of a lot of hits for the California ban. A quick read made it sound like yellow bottle Heet may still be available.

A quick read sounded like there were some restrictions in Canada, but you could find it.

I did not do any in depth checking so don't count on any of this without a bit more checking.

djb

I did a quick search for the type of methyl hydrate that I've bought before to use in my trangia, and at Canadian Tire, a long standing Canadian chain of stores that sell car stuff, house stuff, tools, bicycles etc etc etc etc, still sell it
3.99 for a 1 litre, 9.99 for 3.78 litres (the smaller US gallon, we use imperial gallons at 4.5 lires)

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/t...-0382324p.html

this stuff burns very very cleanly, not sooty like some of the lower percentage alcohol stuff that one finds commonly in grocery stores or pharmacies, 70% or 90% alcohol bottles. (but what I've used in others countries because that's what there was)

thanks stae

kaos joe

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/...in-california/

kaos joe

The Scandinavians were as usual, way ahead of the curve on the hazards of this DANGEROUS substance. This is the fuel bottle from my 1960's era Swedish Army stove ("enmanskok", meaning "one man stove").

I believe this translates to,

"Don't even THINK about inhaling this stuff, you freaking moron."

staehpj1

Just for fun I searched for Heet on Walmart. site for a California location and the Yellow bottle stuff I use showed as in stock for $1.58 per 12 ounce bottle with 7 in stock at that randomly selected store (Richmond, CA).

Tourist in MSN

I do not use an alcohol stove, so maybe my ignorance is apparent here, but is isopropyl alcohol usable? Sometimes you can find rubbing alcohol at 90 or more percent, but often only the more watered down stuff is on the store shelf.

imi

Pretty much. Basically, don’t drink this, it ain’t vodka

ALCOHOL 35
VERY FLAMMABLE
HARMFULL
dangerous to consume
contains methanol

imi

IME the watered down stuff sold as rubbing alcohol for cleaning purposes will burn but is hard to light (especially on cold mornings) and takes ages to bring anything to the boil.

In Spain apart from in a few ironmongers where proper denatured alcohol is sold, it’s the only Trangia fuel I could find, so I use gas cartridges there. In France denatured alcohol can be bought in larger supermarkets and works fine.

kaos joe

Thanks for the translation, Imi. I thought "innehaller" meant "inhale".

I've got several camp stoves, but here's my favorite. I've had it for 48 years. Due to regulations I can't fly with it unfortunately.

imi

^^^ Lovely piece of gear
Is it army issue? Ah now I see, Svea 123

Tourist in MSN

That is the old style, no cleaning needle built in.

I have not used one of my Svea stoves for ... seven years.

imi

Cool! Optimus still make them:

https://www.optimusstoves.com/us/us/...9-optimus-svea

kaos joe

The new ones are made in Asia. IIRC instead of "Made in Sweden" they are embossed with the single word "Sweden" which I see as a bit deceptive. I last used mine a couple of weeks ago on a solo overnight camp in the hills north of New York City. 15F or if you prefer -9C and worked just fine.

The military stove kit has a 1966 date on the large aluminum pot. The burner was made by Trangia. I've used it on bike tours but not on foot when I actually have to shoulder the weight.






ready to boil some water

imi

The ”Three Crowns” (Tre Kronor) is the Swedish national emblem used by the military, but also the ice-hockey team among others

kaos joe

I have an M96 Mauser built in 1908 by Carl Gustafs Stads Gevarsfactori. Every part down to the smallest is stamped with a crown as an acceptance quality control mark. As you say, "A lovely piece of kit".

djb

thanks, I do confess to not really knowing much about the difference between these liquids.

I've only used a Trangia for maybe 6,7 years, and not often, so used the methyl hydrate stuff (methonal?) as this what was sold and available, but in some Latin American countries I've bought and used 90% rubbing alcohol which was so so , some medical grade much higher % alcohol bought at a medical supply place in Guatemala, and then in France some supermarket stuff that was probably denatured alcohol (big bottle, I assumed for use with fondue burners or whatever--can't recall what it said on the bottle) and the French stuff was ok, but not as clean burning as the methyl hydrate ive bought here in Canada.

imi

In Israel I found bottles of 98% alcohol (ethanol) next to the whisky in a supermarket, so it was meant for drinking (mixed with something else I sincerely hope). That’s dentist grade I think, which I once drank with Coca-Cola. Very smooth and I’m sure it would work just fine in a Trangia stove 😅

Doug64

This might come in handy:

I had this in a Word documant, and finally found the link to it. https://bushwalkingnsw.org.au/clubsi..._FuelNames.htm

imi

Here are three pictures that have helped me out in finding denatured alcohol in Israel, Egypt, and Thailand:

imi

Fantastic! Thanks Doug!

Tourist in MSN

In some states in USA you can buy Everclear at 95 percent ethanol, but it is taxed as an alcoholic beverage so it would be an expensive way to cook. There may be other brands that compete with Everclear too.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everclear_(alcohol)

But if you are backpacking and carrying all your gear on your back, you have to carry the dehydrated stuff, right?

Tourist in MSN

I did not compare your list against this other list, hopefully the are both in agreement.
https://www.msrgear.com/blog/stove-f...reign-country/

Tourist in MSN

Since this thread is getting into more exotic fuel discussion in foreign lands, I will comment that I have heard that in and near France that the threaded butane mix cannisters can be hard to find. That said, someone in the past on this forum has commented that the threaded cannisters can be found in Decathlon stores in France.

The non-threaded cannisters I am told are easier to find in France, note the difference in the tops of the two cannisters in the photo, left one is not threaded, the one on the right is threaded.



I saw lots of half used non-threaded cannisters on free shelves in campgrounds and hostels in Iceland, nobody had the right stoves for them. (That is where I took the above photo.)

The MSR Superfly will work with either cannister. Someone had some non-threaded cannisters at a local swap meet they were trying to get rid of, it gave me a chance to try out my Superfly on it, below.





Primus also makes a stove that works on both threaded and unthreaded cannisters, but I am unsure of the model name or if it is still in production.

And Gaz makes a stove that works only on the unthreaded ones.

I have not been to France, I am only repeating what I have heard. I have talked to people that camped in continental Europe and carried stoves for both types of cannisters.

I am not commenting on the puncture type cannisters that have also been made in France, they are getting quite hard to find and most people that have not seen one probably never will.

imi

Yes, in France and Spain the Non-Threaded valve is easiest to find. Green plastic valve seal = Campingaz ”One-Click”. Decathlon stores sell both the stoves and the canisters. The bigger supermarkets may have other branded canisters.

In Northern Europe (Germany and Sweden that I know of), the threaded Optimus/Primus canisters (Red seal) are easier to find.

I have both kinds of stoves and even an old school Campingaz ”puncture” stove for Greece.

Just a side note. Decathlon are huge warehouse like sport stores that carry good, cheap, but not top-of-the-line sporting, camping and bicycle gear. They even have an in-store bicycle repair service and can be found in hundreds of cities in Europe, usually in a commercial area outside of major towns and cities.

kaos joe

Is it legal, in Europe, to fly with gas canisters? Here in the US, on every trip out West we've always donated a can or 2 of leftover fuel to local hikers at the trailhead. They are only $5 so no big deal.