I have a Trangia methylated spirits cooker. In europe 1L (one litre) bottles are the standard. My next trip will be over the pond in the USA... Is there a standard size that methylated spirits is sold in (I assume there's no problem finding it "everywhere"... right?)

Next question: Apparently it's not allowed to carry aluminium fuel bottles on flights (even empty and uncapped!), so I guess I'll have to buy a new one in LA... any bottle recommendations? preferably one that fits a bottle cage?

Thanks

I live in San Francisco and I can find "methylated spirits" in most hardware stores and REI (sports equipment store with lots of backpacking and biking equipment). I'm told you can find it in places that sell car parts (called HEET) but have never looked there.

When I was in France, I found methylated spirits pretty much everywhere. I don't think there is that kind of availability in the US.

Assuming you are starting in a big city, you should have no problem. But, don't assume that you will be able to find it within walking distance of the airport or wherever you are staying on your first night.

As for containers, the only ones I seen are squarish metal liter (quart) containers ($6.95 here):



As for aluminum bottles, those you should be able to find in any sports store.

Ray

I will add that the Heet you need is in the yellow bottle, not the red one. I think the bottles are 10 ounces. I carry the original 10 ounce bottle in a pannier. Also, it is fine in almost any kind of plastic bottle as long as it is well enough marked to prevent someone drinking it by mistake.

I bought mine at the local hardware store as denatured alcohol, and it was a plastic quart bottle, much like a quart of oil. I believe you can get it at the big box stores too (Walmart, Target), and even some grocery stores that have a 'hardware' aisle. I believe I paid $7 USD. It is non-corrosive, so any bottle will do, provided it is marked as staehp1 said. I would bet, however, that if you find a place that sells a good fuel bottle, they will sell fuel too, so that will at least get you started on your way.

Thanks for the advice people... this puts my mind at rest

Now here's a little addendum (is that the right word?) question about the white bread in the USA (I didn't want to start a new thread, it seems a bit silly, but...) The last time I was in the states was 30 years ago, I was a vegetarian and lived mainly on bread, cheese (and budweiser Now I'm a vegan and am wondering if all, or some, or none, of the standard american loaves of white fluffy bread contain milk, egg or animal fats? Anyone care to check the ingredients in their pantry? cheers!

It depends. I'm a vegan myself (and a German dark, seedy bread fan) and if I'm buying bread for the first time I always check the ingredient list. I'd say the chance is 50/50 that any particular bread will contain some animal ingredient. I've seen baguettes that had something called eggwash, I've seen bread with lard, with fish-derived ingredients, etc. When you're on the east coast, bagels are a good and safe choice. Other parts of the country could be more tricky. On the other hand, the stereotype that Americans only have fluffy white sponge bread is probably less true than it was 30 years ago.

Ah thank you vgXhc! This sounds promising. You get pretty good at reading ingredients as a vegan don't you? A 50/50 choice is about the same as I have at home, and often the darker the bread the more chance of it being animal-free (In sweden we get imported german bread 'though it can't match freshly baked "Schwarzbrot" in Germany *drools* I'm not a great fan of fluffy white bread, though will eat it gladly if that's all to be had...Great to hear that there is some choice in the US nowadays... *wonder what else has changed??* hihi

I think methylated spirits are called denatured alcohol over here. Buy it hardware stores by the quart or gallon, or buy HEET in an auto parts store. HEET is used to de-ice and dry out automobile and truck fuel systems, it might be easier to find in parts of the US that have a real winter climate (not LA, in other words).

I've been told that methylated spirits/denatured alcohol will corrode aluminum fuel bottles, do you know anything about this?

Who told you that you couldn't bring empty fuel bottles on flights? I've brought empty fuel bottles on quite a few flights, I just cleaned them out very thoroughly before I got on the plane. Check with whatever airline you're traveling with before you leave. In the worst case, you could clean out an old fuel bottle, and if they stopped you at the airport you could just throw it away.

Re bottles - mouthwash bottles work well. I have a 200ml round bottle that I use on short trips.

For longer trips aren't you better off using the bottle the metho comes in? Surely cheaper that way.

Can't comment on availability in the US... it is available everywhere in Australia, Greece, Vietnam and UK...

Yes, that is true although it does take some time ie it won't happen on a week tour but if you keep the same bottle it will eventually go through. I have had this happen to me with an original Sigg bottle with no internal coating. I also had an Optimus meths stove that had the burner made from thin aluminium and that soon developed a leak from corrosion by the meths.

I realize I must be VERY lucky, as I've been taking my fuel bottles along with me on every flight, just like my stove itself.
I never cleaned them out, just emptied them the day before flying.
Now that I think about it, I've always taken along a full eyewash bottle of spirits to preheat my xgk (I find it easier / cleaner than using kerosene to preheat).
Never had any problems.
Must be my blue eyes??

Thaks for all this great advice... I read about the restriction "somewhere" while searching for aluminium bottles, and didn't get into it any deeper... so it is very possible that this is simply not true, sorry if I misled anyone... when I get time I'll research this more and get back with my findings... but just a few minutes ago my boss rang and wants me to cycle back to the campsite I work at and fix an acute problem with a lock... so I get an extra 10 miles riding in this lovely swedish spring evening (not to mention the overtime wages

cheers all!

Heet is available just about everywhere, it may be under different brand names so read the label to see what is in it. I checked and the corner stop and rob store nearest me has it on the shelf and I don't live in a particularly icy or cold part of the country.

Aaron