[matthackney]

I'm looking to take some long road trips and I'll be living out of my E for most if not all of the trip.

Some pretty good sections will be rural with gas stations spaced out pretty far. Anyone else bringing gas cans with them?

I have roof racks, but no hitch. I was thinking about getting 1 or 2 cans like this:

http://www.hammacher.com/Product/75388??cm_ven=NewGate&cm_cat=Nextag&cm_pla=Datafeed

and then just keeping them covered up top and out of sight. I know they'll be heavy, but I'll have another person to help lift them up.

What do you use and where do you keep them/attach them?
Any ideas for keeping them from being stolen?

 

[scorsone]

If you are truly going to be that far from a gas station than maybe a couple of gas cans would help. You could save yourself a lot of money by skipping those high priced ones and getting the smaller 5-6 gallon cans with the poor spout. Three of those cans will be more than enough to refuel the E and cost you less than 20 bucks for the cans.

 

[MikeQBF]

Hammacher-Schlemmer? They're a great reference for the gadgets of the world, but you will pay 50+% more than the same item would be from any other seller.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MT94QA/191-5908568-6972935

Unless you're figuring on being more than 500 miles between fuel stops, go with scorsone's solution. Also consider the weight and significant increase in wind resistance by putting stuff on the roof and the impact to fuel mileage - you may need an extra 5 gallons merely because you put that gas on the roof.

 

[mkh]

Wow, for almost the price of that H & S gadget, you could get a hitch installed, and then use a hitch cargo rack to carry some $5 plastic gas containers + camping gear, etc..

 

[lil tippy]

LOL Can you lift the weight?

Gas is about 8 lbs / gal, so one tank will be 112 lbs and 2 will be 224 lbs on your roof!!. Try lifting a box that weights over 110 lbs over your head where the contents move and shift the center of gravity.

I live on a lake and work in the marine business. These type of fuel tanks were a big hit initially. You can now buy them used for pennies. People found they were too heavy to load into the trunk of the car.

Not a good solution. One 6 gallon can, if necessary, should get you to the next station.

 

[Rev]

I would agree that a regular ol’ gas can should do you. I like to carry one on top of my Xterra for peace of mind in certain situations.

I picked up mine for $6

 

[hiker chick]

Interesting discussion. Excellent points about how much gasoline weighs per gallon and the consequences of putting that much weight on top of the E, or anywhere on the E.

Where are you doing these road trips?

In the lower 48, I'd think a 5 gallon gas can (100 + miles) would be plenty of precaution so long as you top off the Element's tank when you do see gas stations.

Unless by rural roads you mean Forest Service roads....

Good luck - sounds exciting.

 

[hooptey]

Weight / tank type / thievery

Rev, I'm not sure what makes me more mad about your post- the fact that you have the nerve to invade the EOC as yet another dirty X-Terra owner, or the fact that you're throwing its ground clearance and sure-footed offroad capability in our faces by showing that it's comfy enough over big rocks for a Bichon! ;-)

(Yeah, you caught me... I've spent a lot of time around that kind of dog and my ex-fiancee's X-Terra, and I miss them both.)



My interest was piqued as I started thinking about where the hell you'll be driving that you'll need more than a full tank of go-go juice between rally points...

I agree with the majority of posts. Unleaded gasoline, depending on specific gravity (some slightly vary based on octane level, winter/summer mix) is 6.3-6.5 lbs/gallon. Adding the weight of a fancy wheeled container brings the weight up to about 8lbs/gal, as I think someone mentioned above. Your best bet from most standpoints would be to carry several smaller jerrycan sized tanks, bungeed to the roof and run a cable bike lock through the handles.

If you're worried about managing the tank removal in rough terrain, or just having an accidental drop off the top of the E, you may consider a tank with a spout that you could have on all the time... You could mount the tank spout side down (presuming that it seals properly) and attach a length of vinyl or polyethelene hose to the spout, with a plastic ball valve close to the beginning of the hose. This way you could uncoil the hose, put it down the tank fill line, and just open the valve and let it fill itself.

Of course, I have a penchant for over-engineering everything. If I were going on a big badass expedition, I'd probably do something crazier. Probably something like...

Fabricate a hanger bracket that would mount via the attachment points for the gas tank skid guard and hang a long, skinny tank on the left side of the existing fuel cell. I imagine I'd use a fat piece of high density polyethelene piping with a small remotely-controlled pump feeding a line that goes directly in to the existing fill tube... ...but that's just me.

For what it's worth, just buy the cheapo cans. If you find a 2.5-5gal tank with a handle at the correct height, you even might be able to remove your rack crossbar, run it through the handles, and reattach it. Not the most convenient each time you do an auxiliary fill-up, but definitely the most secure. Have fun!

 

[Jojo]

It a good topic, especially for those of us in Hurricane country. We carried about 15 gallons with us on our way home from Ike.

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[hiker chick]

It a good topic, especially for those of us in Hurricane country. We carried about 15 gallons with us on our way home from Ike.

Where did you carry it?

 

[paulj]

For one vacation trip in eastern Oregon I prepared to take extra gas. I bought 2 2 gallon cans, and figured out a way of storing them in a waterproof bag in side the Sidekick roofbox - an making sure they stayed upright. The last thing I wanted was a for a can to leak and drip on the roof.

Eastern Oregon has some stretches that are as remote as you can get in the US, with possible exception of neighboring Nevada. As it turned out, I never filled the cans, and never felt the need for them. I just made a habit of 'driving the top half of the gas tank'. And since we were camping, there was no need to find gas in the middle of the night in the small town of Paisley.

Now I have to find storage for those unused cans.

Years ago I took a couple of cans on an Alaska trip (on the roof of a pickup). That included one stretch with 230 miles between gas stations. Never needed the extra gas. When I boarded an Alaska ferry, they made me put the empty cans in the ship's paint locker.

 

[Twilightzero]

I wouldn't fret it too much really, a 5 gallon can will more than suffice. I've easily made 300+ miles per tank (13.8 gallons), I don't know of many places with more space between gas stations that E owners will be likely to go to...



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[matthackney]

Wow...

...I didn't think I would get this much of a response so quickly. That tank was just an example, but I guess a couple 5 gal cans would be easier.

One of the trips I want to take is from Cali to Alaska, and the trip through Canada is looking very empty. I'm not sure how much gas I would need to bring, so I thought i'd see what other people were doing.

Thanks so much for the info.

 

[paulj]

I think there was a thread, not too long ago, about driving to Alaska. One of the issues discussed was whether to bring extra gas.

Often in areas where the are long distances between services (100 miles or more), your gas mileage is at its best, e.g. at a steady 50 mph. That's true of a lot of northern Canada and Alaska driving.

 

[LunchBoxDriver]

Or...

With all your travels, maybe invest in AAA or a roadside assistance service...? It's a lot more weight efficient to carry a plastic card in your wallet than trying to figure out if you've reached the 75-lb weight limit of your roof... If you run out, give 'em a call...

Also, I definitely recommend bringing a disposable/pre-pay cell phone of another carrier that may have better coverage than your current phone... (E.g.: If you have AT&T, get a Verizon/Sprint or if you have MetroPCS/Boost, get one of the previous three, etc)... Lots of info available online to see coverage zones...

Good luck in your travels and don't forget to take pics of the E in "action"...!

LBD

 

[Rev]

Rev, I'm not sure what makes me more mad about your post- the fact that you have the nerve to invade the EOC as yet another dirty X-Terra owner, or the fact that you're throwing its ground clearance and sure-footed offroad capability in our faces by showing that it's comfy enough over big rocks for a Bichon! ;-)

(Yeah, you caught me... I've spent a lot of time around that kind of dog and my ex-fiancee's X-Terra, and I miss them both.)

I sincerely apologize hoopty. I should not invade EOC with my dirty X, or remind you of love lost (I’m talking the Bichon at this point I think). I know this might be blasphemy here, but I sort of think of the X as the big brother of the E... boxy, comfortable, Japanese, just a little more rugged and fuel thirsty. Hence the need for gas on the roof! BTW, Spike, yes Spike is his name, LOVES offroading. In every picture he looks ridiculously happy.

Sometimes I'm glad he is not in the truck. Although I'm sure he doesn't care if we are on all four wheels or not.

 

[mkh]

One of the trips I want to take is from Cali to Alaska, and the trip through Canada is looking very empty. I'm not sure how much gas I would need to bring, so I thought i'd see what other people were doing.

I think you will find that though the towns on the way from Cali to Alaska seem few and far-between, there are service station stops about every 40 to 50 miles along the highway.

 

[paulj]

I've been out of cell phone range far more often than out of gas.