DIY alcohol storage bottle with substitute 'filler cap' with tube. It makes filling with small charges of ethanol efficient, quick and clean.

Spill free alcohol fuel bottle

This free fuel bottle makes it easy to pour small quantities of alcohol cleanly and safely without waste. It is good when using the smallest stoves such as whisky top burners. A wide range of compatible bottle sizes makes the backpacking load very efficient.

A tiny whisky top alcohol burner that only requires 5-7g of alcohol to boil a mug of water. It only requires a small alcohol fuel bottle to carry the fuel. "While refuelling such little stoves, it is annoying and hazardous to spill as much fuel as you use when tipping from a normal alcohol fuel bottle."
A tiny whisky top alcohol burner that only requires 5-7g of alcohol to boil a mug of water. It only requires a small amount of alcohol to be carried. “While refuelling such little stoves, it is annoying and hazardous to spill as much fuel as you use when tipping from a normal bottle.”

A spill-free alcohol fuel bottle

For years I used big commercial fuel bottles to carry backpacking fuel. Now I use tiny wood-fueled stoves such as my KISS tent stove that converts to an outside fast cooking blower stove and also serves as an alcohol stove that uses a tiny 9g alcohol burner. This means that I often only need to carry a small fuel bottle as a backup fuel option.

A PET drink bottles make a versatile alcohol fuel bottle (when suitably labelled). A DIY modified lid with a soft ‘filler tube’ fitted tightly through a cleanly drilled hole makes an excellent and cheap stove filling device.

Such a lid can fit on many drink bottles of different capacities. This means that an appropriately sized bottle for the trip can be taken. The filler tube eliminates spillage, waste and greatly improves safety. As a bonus, the little filler tube is great for dispensing a small targeted quantity of alcohol to help with fire starting.

An alcohol fuel bottle with a standard lid and a lid modified with a spill-free pouring tube. The lids will fit many bottles with a wide range of sizes. "Ooop, I have not put my 'appropriate label on it."
An alcohol fuel bottle with a standard lid and a lid modified with a spill-free pouring tube. The lids will fit many bottles with a wide range of sizes. “Ooop, I have not put my ‘appropriate label on it.”

Tim

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2 Comments

  1. Hi Tim, thanks for the outstanding website, my head is reeling from the many low cost and effective ideas. A quick qustion about the soft filler, I assume it is a cut off straw?
    Thanks Steve

    1. Author

      Hi Steve, Thanks for your interest in my website and I am kind of glad that your head is ‘reeling’. What do you like the most?
      A drinking straw would do, but not ideal. Will probably fall out in time. I use soft PVC(ex craft shop many years ago) so that it gets gripped tightly once pull through the hole by the pointy end. The tube from a ballpoint pen is a bit stiff but would work OK. The plastic insulation that can be slipped off the inside conductors on house electrical wiring will also have the right texture to work well. I hope this helps. Tim

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