Military plastic "Scepter" 5g fuel cans.

Camelfilter · Jul 3, 2016

Hey there,

Not sure if this is ok or not, but a user on another forum I'm on (Expedition Portal) sells US surplus 5g plastic Scepter fuel cans.

User is "socallove". His current thread is:

Scepter gas cans - Expedition Portal (http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/160011-Scepter-gas-cans)

$50 each + shipping, PayPal. Shipping is pretty reasonable - $19.50 for 2, $25 for 3. This is fedex shipping to Salem, so price may vary upon location. They come bundled together plastic wrapped, no box.

Pretty decent price, however these sometimes pop up on the craigslist for less, but then you have to deal with craigslist folks.

No affiliation whatsoever to the seller, etc etc. However I bought 3 from him just before I moved out here, and I just bought 3 more on Friday. His communication is great, I got tracking same day.

-Buyer beware- these all appear to be the diesel version, however I store gas in them. The only cautionary with doing such, is that over time the plastic retainer ring inside the cap which holds the gasket in place degrades and fails. I've had that happen to one other used can so far which has had about 5-6 years of use. I still use it fine, I just have to properly seat the gasket when I go to close the lid.

Replacement caps & cap parts (gaskets, retainer hoops etc), can be purchased online via "JAGMTE.com"- just a guy making things easier. Again, no affiliate etc etc. Kinda pricey, but I might by a few replacement retainer hoops from him (the one on my oldest can has split & is barely hanging on)

For folks considering using scepters, or similar, you would be wise to use a cap wrench.

Camelfilter · Jul 9, 2016

Received my cans yesterday. The

FedEx guy was NOT HAPPY, he laid them down own there side in his truck and residual diesel leeked (caps were loose). Sorry FedEx guy!

They are in great condition, as were my previous from this seller. I figure I'll swish out the remaining diesel with 87 & run that in my mower.

The Heretic · Jul 9, 2016

For $50 I get the good metal ones:

Camelfilter · Jul 9, 2016

The Heretic said:
For $50 I get the good metal ones:

View attachment 301341

Good deal!

The scepters work best for me. I have detachable swing outs on my bumper that can carry 2 cans plus a small LP tank. I use a jiggle siphon (harbor freight) to empty the left hand can into my trucks tank. Don't even have to lift it up, unless I want to empty the last 1/2 gallon or so.

The other cans I figure to load into my trailer (if need be). There shape allows for carrying more other stuff.

The Heretic · Jul 9, 2016

The rectangular cans are better for hauling in tight spaces - sometimes. I don't use my cans that way anymore (I used to have a toolbox I built that I put to "jerry" cans in for hauling fuel in a pickup); i just use them for storage of fuel for machinery at home, so they sit in my shop, and when they are in my vehicle it is just to fill them up at the gas station (which every one comments that they have never seen them like that before - probably because they are twice as expensive as the cheap plastic ones).

The round cans like that haul better than the tall rectangular in the sense that they don't tip over so easily if loose.

If I need extra fuel for my vehicles I get larger tanks - aux. or otherwise. I am not going to haul around fuel in cans, although I may carry cans for motorcycles/etc. - sometimes.

AMProducts · Jul 29, 2016

A lot of people like to use gas cans for storing fuel as well (makes obvious sense) however I wouldn't recommend the plastic cans for that, even in the NW, it's warm enough that the fuel will build pressure and eventually compromise the can. I know the MFCs are designed to account for this, but for that price, you can buy the MWC (midwest) cans, or there are importers that sell carb compliant nato cans for the same price (new). I know Lexington Can Company went up recently to >$70, there's another outfit out of northern california that also sells them.

Thanks for the link, the guy is actually local to me at the moment, so I may go pick one up for trial use. What I'm really looking for is for some of the Sceptre MWCs (water).

Camelfilter · Jul 29, 2016

AMProducts said:
A lot of people like to use gas cans for storing fuel as well (makes obvious sense) however I wouldn't recommend the plastic cans for that, even in the NW, it's warm enough that the fuel will build pressure and eventually compromise the can. I know the MFCs are designed to account for this, but for that price, you can buy the MWC (midwest) cans, or there are importers that sell carb compliant nato cans for the same price (new). I know Lexington Can Company went up recently to >$70, there's another outfit out of northern california that also sells them.

Thanks for the link, the guy is actually local to me at the moment, so I may go pick one up for trial use. What I'm really looking for is for some of the Sceptre MWCs (water).

I've had my older, vy well used red scepter can balloon up once on a road trip. No rhyme no reason as to why, it was hotter on the off-road portion of that trip, and it didn't balloon. Ballooned on the 2 day drive home (pavement), yet was fine before & since - including driving crossed country out here! Another reason to use a cap wrench on them - it's easier to slowly release any pressure built up.

Also-that seller had WFC's last year, bought an extra one, he may still have a source.

AMProducts · Jul 30, 2016

Camelfilter said:
I've had my older, vy well used red scepter can balloon up once on a road trip. No rhyme no reason as to why, it was hotter on the off-road portion of that trip, and it didn't balloon. Ballooned on the 2 day drive home (pavement), yet was fine before & since - including driving crossed country out here! Another reason to use a cap wrench on them - it's easier to slowly release any pressure built up.

Also-that seller had WFC's last year, bought an extra one, he may still have a source.

Gasoline is a tricky thing, as the temperature increases, so does it's ability to dissolve the gasses, however there are certain points in temperature where the solubility of the fuel decreases, but the partial pressure of the additives (ethanol, butane, etc) are well above the boiling point and won't go back into solution until the temperature drops. I've even had cases where the metal cans were at the right temp, and god forbid you open them... the gasses would come out of solution, and the fuel would look like it was at a rolling boil, like opening the top on a warm bottle of soda.

gearhead · Aug 9, 2016

AMProducts said:
What I'm really looking for is for some of the Sceptre MWCs (water).

The MWC's are awesome. I have two that have been on many camping and off-road trips. They've handled heat, cold, and rough handling quite well over the past five years, and still have no issues.

Camelfilter · Aug 9, 2016

gearhead said:
The MWC's are awesome. I have two that have been on many camping and off-road trips. They've handled heat, cold, and rough handling quite well over the past five years, and still have no issues.

And you can macgiver a hand pump through the lid, or use a pressure pump. I set up one of them using a Schrader bike valve, and a simple sink sprayer. Connected the sink sprayer to a long "straw" that goes to the bottom of the can.

gearhead · Aug 11, 2016

I'll have to try that. When we camped in the desert, I left one on the roof rack to warm up for bathing. Sounds like the setup you made will conserve a lot more water!

Camelfilter · Aug 11, 2016

Yah, give it a shot. You can also use a specific type of lawn sprayer pump. I forget the exact model / brand #, but it threads onto the MWC perfect. Amazon still had 'em a few years back. I've got one I'd sell, but your back east.

I'll shoot over to Expedition Portal & get the #.

Edit:

See this thread here over on Expedition Portal.

Tyler's Shower Build - Expedition Portal

Post #7 in that thread shows the type & model of lawn sprayer to use.

I don't think I ever set mine up with the shower head, because I switched to my Macgivered pressure system.

If I recal correctly I used a simple house sink sprayer attached to the end of that lawn sprayer, then stole the sprayer for my macgiver system.

The nice thing on that shower head is you can hang it easier & be hands free easier to rinse off. Mine I'd have to use a rubber band or something, but never bothered getting that advanced...