liquid fuel in luggage?

Yeah it sucks that you are basically rolling the dice with the TSA and on the person working that day.

I think I will play it safe and get a little pocket rocket or something similar. Sucks though - more $$$ to spend, but better than losing my stove!

BTW, anyone know where to recycle used propane tanks?

Like others have said it's a crap shoot what TSA might do. I flew SW not long ago and the downloaded rules said no liquid fuel stoves unless new and unused - so it they find it and want it - it's gone and there isn't much you can do about it - people fly with them all the time with no trouble but ............ Butane types were OK but be sure where you are going you can find the canisters you need - that's not always easy to do. I ended up with a Coleman single burner model that uses the green propane canisters that you can find "everywhere" here in the states. But that's only an option if you are car camping - it's about a foot square. It was pretty nice though in that the burner head is big and the thing simmered down for easy cooking. It's certainly a problem though - but if the issue is simply not wanting to buy and waste some white gas - I think you're making too big a deal of it.

I fly for free so I've taken hundreds of flights with stove and fuel bottle.
I use gasoline - who cares if it burns less clean? Way more convenient.

I pour the extra gas out into my car - take the pump off of my bottle (MSR WHisperlite) and let air dry while I am packing. First few minutes bottle is upside down. I pack the stove separate from the bottle.

I put the bottle and pump both loose in a closed ziplock bag.
No problems on hundreds of flights.

I always check that in luggage (free for me)

Chris Rice wrote:...but if the issue is simply not wanting to buy and waste some white gas - I think you're making too big a deal of it.

+1
Angst about wasting maybe as much as $10 worth of fuel on a trip that involves hundreds of dollars worth of airfare and (likely) car rental just seems like wasted energy.

White Gas is available in 32oz sizes, so you don't need to get a full gallon.

Removing the odor in empty fuel bottles:
White Gas (Naptha) contains a range of lighter hydrocarbons, some evaporate readily, some linger. A lot of people describe using vinegar or soapy water to remove the gas smell from fuel bottles. I recall having good success rinsing a few times with rubbing alcohol. Acetone might also be a good solvent.

For a few reasons, Coleman fuel can not be used as a substitute for gasoline in a car engine, so it's not recommended to pour the unused portion into a gas tank. But, I see no problem if it's dilluted by 10 gallons of gasoline.... and it's a rental car.

I've flown almost countless times with a Wisperlight in checked luggage, usually tucked inside a nesting pot. I always clean the fuel bottle with soap and water, let it dry and pack it with the cap off. Never had a problem.

If I have extra fuel on the way home, I'll drop it off where I think someone can make use if it - the local gear store, with a campground caretaker - the ACC Climbers Ranch in the Tetons had (has?) a cabinet with 1/2 empty fuel canisters and white gas leftovers free for the taking, other popular palaces may have the same.

I typically stress more about where to get the right fuel upon arrival than figuring out how to not have fuel on the way back...

Have fun out there. -Jeff

mark felber wrote:Along with the TSA website, check the airline's website and find out what their rules are about backpacking and camping stoves. Some of them are ridiculously strict, others are pretty reasonable. Then print out a copy of the rules and have the copy with you when you check in. Don't use gasoline if you can help it, it doesn't burn as clean and it will smell up your stove, which will piss off TSA and the airline people. White gas/Coleman fuel is available in quart and gallon containers, just buy a quart if that's all your going to use. Sell or give away the leftover, it's not that big a deal.

You can buy a quart of it at walmart (i hate walmart, but there is one everywhere and REI might be a drive). comes in a red plastic bottle. Give it away at the end of the trip. It's less than $12 I think, and it's really not a big expense. You can also buy coleman butane/propane tanks at Walmart.

Marc801 wrote: +1 Angst about wasting maybe as much as $10 worth of fuel on a trip that involves hundreds of dollars worth of airfare and (likely) car rental just seems like wasted energy.

I'm kind of OCD like that. There is also the risk of losing a perfectly good stove because of some TSA jackass decides that he wants to ruin your trip.

Turns out some climbing shops have white gas for sale by the oz, like Elevation in Lone Pine, for example.

O.L.D.S.A.G. wrote: I'm kind of OCD like that.

Well, recognition of the problem is the first step in treatment! ;-)

O.L.D.S.A.G. wrote: There is also the risk of losing a perfectly good stove because of some TSA jackass decides that he wants to ruin your trip.

Yep, that's a whole different issue. One of the reasons I went to propane and butane stoves when traveling by air. Plus, they're just a whole lot easier to deal with overall (assuming they work well in the environment of a specific trip).

Seeing as how canister stoves are used on both Everest and the Presidential Traverse in NH (low elevation but extremely cold), I'd guess they work anywhere. I personally use mine to melt snow using a hanging stove in the tent.