In times gone by, I used to work in a shop that sold a lot of camping equipment. It was only a matter of time before the camping bug bit me. Having the advantage of reports of equipment used by customers gave me the opportunity to make sure I had the best kit for what I needed.
Often I would cycle, so that would mean space and weight would play a major part in making sure that my camping experiences could be as pleasurable as possible.
Part of the camping experience is cooking food outdoors, apart from having an open fire (something that most campsites do not like or allow), you will need something to cook food on. Now that leaves three main choices Solid Fuel - Normally either a fuel block that you light or a gel in a can. Bottled Gas - This is usually Butane gas stored in a pressurised container. Liquid Fuels - Normally Methylated spirits, Petrol or Paraffin.
Each has its own use.
Solid Fuel is often the domain of the serving soldier, it will be used to make a quick brew and is the lightest choice, however is burns at quite a low temperature and that makes it a poor choice if you want to cook a meal.
Bottled Gas is usually used by families who travel by car, this means that weight is not an issue, so spare gas bottles can be brought along as required. However it does have a couple of downsides. When the bottle is getting low it tends to burn cooler and therefore it takes a long time to cook. Also it is not so good at higher altitudes or in cooler weather.
Liquid Fuels is a varied choice, from Methylated spirits, Petrol to Paraffin. They have different uses, Petrol for instance is often much better at higher altitudes and colder weather, Paraffin needs to be pressurised and go through a preheater but then acts very much like gas, Methylated spirits has a flame that is difficult to see, but once working cooks quite quickly. The only downside to these tends to be carrying the fuel, the containers that fuels normally come in are really not much use when it comes to putting things into a rucksack
My Choice.
Apart from the Solid Fuel cookers generally the Liquid Fuel cookers offer the best when it comes to term with weight and space saving (for instance the Trangia range of Methylated stoves come complete with pots and a frying pan which all store one inside the other and take up very little space), add to this the versatility that they offer and it is of no surprise that I have used Liquid fuel cookers of various types.
The only downside (especially when using a rucksack, leaks, contamination and fire risk) is the fuel needs to be kept in a sturdy container, this is where the Optimus Fuel bottles come into their own.
What are they like?
Optimus make these to work with their own range of cookers, however they really are the best on the market for storing fuels for all types of liquid burning stoves. They come in three sizes 0.4 litre, 0.6 litre and one litre. The man body is in one solid piece of aluminium, once you feel one you will realise just how strong they are, because they are made of aluminium they are very light the one litre bottle only weighs 159gms and that is including the cap. The cap itself is made of solid plastic and comes complete with a rubber washer to make sure of an airtight seal. The top of the cap has a ring that is big enough to get a finger through, this makes it ideal to use if you wanted to strap the bottle to the outside of a rucksack (I have done this on more than one occasion, without any problem). The overall dimensions of the one litre bottle are Height 27cm and Diameter 22cm.
How do I find the bottle?
I have only used the one litre bottle and to be honest I would not use a smaller one as the capacity would not be enough. Although I use the one litre bottle I never filled it completely, preferring to fill it with about ¾ of a litre of liquid. I have used them on numerous occasions, dropped them and generally mistreated them and they have never leaked as much as single drop of liquid. Also even when I have left fuel in them for an extended length of time I have not lost any liquid due to evaporation. I paid about £6 for a one litre bottle, but this was quite along time ago.
Any downsides?
Two main downsides, the first being availability, you could ask your local camping store to order one for you (although they are available on Amazon.com at a cost of less then 10 dollars, plus postage and packaging). The other downside is when I have stored these away after use the lid can become very stiff and difficult to undo and do up. I think this is probably due in part to oxidisation of the aluminium after it has been in contact with flammable liquids, but as I am not a chemist I cannot be sure. However one thing I have discovered is that when storing these away, if you put a small amount of Vaseline (petroleum jelly) around the screw part of the lid then this problem does not occur.
Overall
Provided these are used with care they should last a good number of years and therefore offer great value for money. When it comes to camping I have found it is best to get the best that you can possibly afford, simply because this will help in any trip being a positive experience, these bottles offer the camper precisely that. One word of warning these bottles are for the storage of flammable liquids and should never be used for drinks, other bottles of a similar nature exist for this.
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