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NATO Fuel Cans

TJJP77

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Jun 5, 2013
Messages
142
Location
SE Michigan
Atlantic British carries honest-to-goodness NATO fuel cans imported from Europe. They are well made with good paint application. I have a 10-liter and a 5-liter can I bought from them during previous sales. The 5-liter can is nice for filling up yard equipment and the 10-liter can is great for road trips in the car as an emergency supply.

If you are not familiar with NATO cans, they don't have that stupid anti-spill **** that CARB requires (that creates spills anyway) and they are robustly constructed. They are less prone to seam rust than US jerry cans with the weld seam on the bottom, plus thanks to that vertical perimeter weld seal design, the NATO cans are engineered to survive a 3 meter (10 feet or so) drop when full without leaking.

All sizes of NATO cans as well as matching spouts are on sale right now through 9/2:

http://www.roverparts.com/Promotion...e+-+Jerry+Cans+On+Sale+Now!&utm_campaign=R68M

I have no affiliation with Atlantic British...just though I'd pass along a good deal and a little info to the fine folks here who appreciate nice stuff.
 
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Bull

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Dec 12, 2005
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MA
I do want a couple of the larger cans, one for diesel and one for gas. The idea of taking one along on a road trip, just in case, sounds good too.

I'm looking at $47 for one 10-liter can after shipping. How much of a deal is that? I haven't looked at these in years.
 
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TJJP77

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Jun 5, 2013
Messages
142
Location
SE Michigan
I'm looking at $47 for one 10-liter can after shipping. How much of a deal is that? I haven't looked at these in years.

It's a good deal. Deutsche Optik sells them as well and they want $41 + 9.59 for shipping to my address. Having said that, the 10-liter and 5-liter cans admittedly aren't as good of a value as the 20-liter cans are.

When it comes to 20-liter cans, A-B has D-O beat hands down on the set of four 20-liter cans - $163 shipped from A-B vs. $196 from D-O. Too bad I don't need any 20-liter cans...I have two genuine German army used/surplus cans I acquired years ago. The issued cans have these cool little spring loaded placards that tell you what type of fuel is in the can - I think they can be flipped around/rotated to show diesel, gas, kerosine and 1 more that I forget. The surplus cans also accept a giant articluated high flow nozzle I got years ago that is supposedly from the WWII era - that sucker will empty a 20-liter can in the blink of an eye! Too bad it won't fit in my Jeep's fuel filler opening...
 

JoeMA

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Aug 10, 2011
Messages
478
Location
PA
Can these be used for fuel? The following is stated in the description:

*Note: Federal law prohibits the use of these containers for the storage of fuel and California law prevents the sale of jerry cans to California residents.
 

rodm1

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Feb 17, 2008
Messages
2,270
I believe some people are using the water cans for fuel but might leak. I'm not shire what water can brands they are using most you can't get spouts for. It's just the color I think fed law stats they need to be red. My rule is if California is involved then disregard.

If for fuel get fuel for water get water.
 
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TJJP77

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Jun 5, 2013
Messages
142
Location
SE Michigan
Can these be used for fuel? The following is stated in the description:

*Note: Federal law prohibits the use of these containers for the storage of fuel and California law prevents the sale of jerry cans to California residents.

I think that's just a BS disclaimer to get around the fact that the cans aren't CARB compliant. It's kind of like the automotive equivalent of "for off road use only"...

And rodm1 is right that fuel cans need to be red, but if you are just storing them in your garage for extra fuel for a generator or whatever, who cares? If you are going to mount them on the back of a Jeep, you probably will need to respray them red to be compliant.

I keep gas in my 10-liter and 5-liter cans I bought from them and never had a leak. These are the same design that the European military have been using for over 70 years, so I think they'll be fine.
 
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tikidollracer

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Jan 28, 2012
Messages
130
When it comes to 20-liter cans, A-B has D-O beat hands down on the set of four 20-liter cans - $163 shipped from A-B vs. $196 from D-O.

total for me is $200 from A-B. $50 for shipping and $14 for tax.

-SM-
 
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TJJP77

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Messages
142
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SE Michigan
total for me is $200 from A-B. $50 for shipping and $14 for tax.

-SM-

So don't buy them then. The example was based on shipping to my zip code. I don't know your zip code.

I was just trying to point folks here to a decent deal on real NATO fuel cans that aren't old, beat-up surplus cans. If people are going to pick apart everything I say, I guess I'll keep the deals to myself then.
 

tikidollracer

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Jan 28, 2012
Messages
130
So don't buy them then. The example was based on shipping to my zip code. I don't know your zip code.

I was just trying to point folks here to a decent deal on real NATO fuel cans that aren't old, beat-up surplus cans. If people are going to pick apart everything I say, I guess I'll keep the deals to myself then.

lighten' up Francis.
 

Coopduc

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Dec 14, 2012
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263
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Asheville, NC
Here is a much cheaper way. Available at tractor supply. Works great to convert new ventless cans to old style with vent.
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Subyroo651

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Aug 26, 2011
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832
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Northern IL.
That retrofit kit looks pretty nifty, I thought all recent gas cans had that already. At least in the last 10yrs or so
 

Higgins

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Dec 25, 2009
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Shepheardsville, KY
Those retrofit kits work great! Purchased several, one is in use and works great. The others are in the drawer for future use..... It's just a matter of time before they are no longer available!!
 

djb2

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Apr 3, 2010
Messages
639
Location
Redwood forests
Hmm, I'm in California and was looking at similar 'Jerry' cans just this past week for substantially less. I believe they were in an Ace Hardware store. (It was the week before Burning Man, and every store in the bay area stocks up on tarps, water containers and fuel cans.)

The company that made them had an Ohio address, and the label had an American flag, but it didn't explicitly say 'Made in the USA'. I looked carefully for 'China' in the fine print or stamped into the metal, but didn't find it.

They were painted blue, which is easily fixed. (Although it's California where you need three forms of ID to buy spray paint, but just a hangnail to buy pot.)
 

vjlobel

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Joined
Nov 11, 2012
Messages
117
Location
Greensburg, PA
As far as the color of the cans go, back when my brother was a firefighter I remember having a discussion about propane tanks with him (I had one that was painted black from a previous owner)


He said that in an emergency situation, the color can be helpful to firefighting crews in assessing hazards...as in "oh **** theres a propane tank and two cans of gasoline over there". So I guess I would paint mine red if I was actually using it to store stuff. But that's just me.:dunno:
 

loranger

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Feb 2, 2012
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789
Location
DFW, TX
Here is a much cheaper way. Available at tractor supply. Works great to convert new ventless cans to old style with vent.
null-11.jpg

null-10.jpg

Thanks for the info! I really HATE HATE HATE the new spouts. Growing up my dad had several of the older Eagle gas cans with the rubber spout.
 

Beowulf

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Jul 4, 2011
Messages
377
Ok, the NATO are the way to go. Red NATOs in the US were commonly made by Wedco. Please don't confuse this with the Blitz style. The screw on style metal can was vastly inferior. I have had several of them and they all weeped a little. The NATO, whether made by Wedco, Wavian, or some Swiss versions I have are all leak proof. I have taken them on many extended backcountry trips to the deserts and high elevations of Colorado with no leaking or even fumes. I total I have 28 Nato cans from 5L, 10L, and 20L versions. My favorite are the older ones with changeable tags that tell what fuel is in them all in various languages.

The ones from RoversNorth are made by Wavian. The not for fuel is to bypass the current regs. They are identical to the ones that predate the ban. If you want to know more about Jerry Cans, I recommend heading over to a forum called www.ExpeditionPortal.com. They are just as nuts about Overland travel and all the gear that it requires as this forum is about Epoxy Floors and Lista cabinets.
 
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TJJP77

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Jun 5, 2013
Messages
142
Location
SE Michigan
My favorite are the older ones with changeable tags that tell what fuel is in them all in various languages.

I have two like this that are painted gray and were clearly military issue. They are old enough that they accept a vented, high-flow nozzle that is over 1" in diameter and probably 16"-18" long. That nozzle will empty one of those cans lickety-split!
 

Beowulf

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Jul 4, 2011
Messages
377
I have that same nozzle. Sadly the filler neck on my jeep's gas tank is not big enough to accept that nozzle. I have thought about creating a reducer. Most of the time I use the Super Siphon. The jerry cans stay mounted and the super siphon ***** them pretty dry. Probably on a cup or two in the bottom when done.

shpicfile.php


Not quite the tags mine have, but this is the only pic I could find. My tags are colored. You can see the tag next to the spout on the left.

DSCN8800.JPG
 
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