Coleman Stove Confiscation
 

I have travelled extensively using Coleman stoves since unleaded petrol is universally available. The single burner I have has been very handy on my world travels, so I was most hacked off the other day when customs officials confiscated it at Perth, Australia airport. There was obviously no fuel in the tank and my offer to fill the tank with water didn't cut any ice. They said I would have to use special solvents to flush the tank and with two hours to my flight wasn't an option. Is this a common practice amongst the customs fraternity ?


Regards


Boycie

Common, though by no means universal. People have been complaining and scheming about carrying liquid fuel stoves in airplanes, on-line and off for at least several decades.

First time I remember being asked at check-in was the late 1980's--long before the World Trade Center attacks, when airport security was almost nonexistent by current standards. I'd been camping and was carrying the usual gear in a backpack. Stoves were being confiscated. AFAIR, I merely lied and said no; no one checked, and I kept that multi fuel MSR stove for many, many years and quite a few airplane rides. But if they know you've got one and that it's ever been used, they're more or less obliged to confiscate it.

I used to have pretty good luck carrying those MSR stoves naked, without fuel bottles, which I'd buy locally on arrival. But security personnel, especially at American airports, increasingly seem deficient in basic common sense. These days I stick to propane/butane/isobutane stoves, purchasing canisters locally on arrival. That seems to work pretty reliably, since there's no fuel residue left in the stoves themselves. They don't work well in cold weather or at high altitude, so that leaves local purchase of the whole works as the only realistic option in such cases.

Maybe there are other workarounds. In any case, YMMV.

Mark

My MSR was confiscated for the same reason in Halifax NS so it can happen anywhere.

The present 'rules' mean you need written permission to carry them as checked luggage from the airline. And you still need them clean (not smelling of fuel), packed in absorbent material inside a sealed plastic bag. How security enact these 'rules' and how you handle it ... :helpsmilie:

Written permission from the airline? I'd want that before purchasing my ticket.

Cleaning? I found normal 'flushing' fairly useless! The best method I found was to remove as much fuel as would come out .. then fire up the stove and let it burn it off .. this removes the fuel from the small tubes and jet .. something that flushing did not do.

The sealed plastic bag... if security examines the stove .. then the sealing at lest has been damaged ... you may need some more tape and another plastic bag to restore it.

Hi Boycie:

What you have run up against is a long-standing IATA (International Air Transport Association) DGR (Dangerous Goods Regulation) rule that prohibits carriage of camping fuel, etc. on board an aircraft. It is a sensible rule - I say this as a retired aircraft pilot - because as the aircraft climbs to a higher altitude, fumes can escape from the empty bottle and present an explosion hazard in the aircraft.

Your proposal to fill the tank with water made a lot of sense, and if I was the aircraft pilot or the cargo acceptance agent, I probably would have agreed to that, provided that you washed the tank out with detergent prior to filling it with water. Unfortunately, you happened to be dealing with an official in Australia, which my experience has taught me is the ultimate nanny state with the least possible consideration given to common sense when you encounter officials. Hence, the official determined "this is the rule and I am going to enforce it", and he or she had no motivation at all to assist you in transporting your tank.

Having said all that, it is unfortunate that you were not aware of the IATA DGR rule about camping stoves before you set out on your trip.

So, for the benefit of anyone else reading this thread in the future: If you plan to take a camping stove along with you on an aircraft, be sure that it is the kind that accepts a disposable fuel bottle (and also be sure that you can buy that kind of disposable fuel bottle at your destination). Alternatively, and probably better all around, don't take a stove with you on an aircraft - wait until you get to your destination, then buy one there and plan to give it away to someone else before you next get on an aircraft.

Michael

Standard Policy
 

It's pretty much standard policy for airlines. No used or filled fuel tanks allowed. Heck we technically didn't even allow them on our Greyhound buses when I drove for them a while back.

Some airlines allow a tank which has never been used ...but try getting an airline employee who has never used a camp stove before to take your word for it. Better safe than sorry.

I have taken new Primus or MSR fuel bottles in my checked luggage, after confirming with the airline, with no problems but it's a bit of a lottery. As others have said, if you can, buy a local bottle and get rid of it at the end of the trip. I wouldn't want to be responsible for a packed flight being delayed after the luggage x-rays spotted the bottle in my luggage. When going to a country where your fuel bottle may not be available I'd get the airline to confirm in writing if I'm allowed to check a brand new bottle or not.

...Michelle

Think out of the box...
 

https://youtu.be/rfAiisSoDVU

This is the collapsible high performance Hobo Cooker "Magic-Flame Next-Generation" from the Swiss manufacturer "Kuenzi Creative Concepts". The video clip shows different configurations and applications of this sophisticated wood burning stove.


No worries at airports...., on planes, or at borders....

Years ago rosa del desierto and I translated Kuenzi.com(previous web site) into Spanish for Roland, the Swiss inventor of the Magic Flame Next Generation, in exchange for ten of his stoves. We have used these Swiss engineered hobo stoves on three continents and sold 8 to friends with only positive feed back.
see video

These stoves are available in Europe at major outdoor stores.
xfiltrate

maybe the stove is good but the video is totally rubbish... :rofl:

What about storing these USED empty multi fuel stoves in a Pannier when getting the bike shipped (either by sea or air)

.., so far all the comments are relating to 'checked in luggage on passenger flights'

- Surely a different set of more flexible / less stringent rules apply when the Used (but emptied) Multi Fuel burning Stove and Screw top Canister is shipped 'with the bike' ?

Just another reason to have a little gas stove :)

I'd think not. Still 'dangerous goods' .. they would fall under the same kind of regs.

I'd still apply the same process - clean it out so it doesn't smell of fuel. Wrap in some absorbent material and then inside a sealed plastic bag.

Hi Warin, I agree wholeheartedly with your cleaning advice.

I did mention though - How i can't understand why a (cleaned) multiple fuel stove stored being inside a pannier should be the cause for any concern with Customs / shipping / and or Aviation regulations (including the Nanny State of Australia)

My reasoning (and asking why it is 100% permissible or not ) ..,

- is that the motorcycle itself: is classed as Dangerous Goods while being shipped .., and AFAIK that bike is allowed up to one litre of fuel in the bikes fuel tank just as long as the battery is disconnected ?


- therefore I am guessing that a (cleaned) multiple fuel stove stored inside the pannier of that same shipped bike should not be raising any safety concerns while the bike itself is being classed as Dangerous Goods ?



I am seeking the nitty gritty info these stoves , as I would like to buy this one - https://www.optimusstoves.com/us/us/...th-fuel-bottle
.., as it seems like a great all round product and so convenient because I am always carrying fuel in my tank.

So far (on a bike) when travelling SE Asia, I have not bothered with camping stoves & tents etc - because the street food (and accommodation) is so cheap to buy.
I also have a cheap electric, small and super lightweight plastic JUG for boiling water (for cuppa's & noodles etc) and have been using that when I go on trips, and If I need to cook, (as I tend to stay at spots longer), many places also allow me to use their kitchens if needed.

.., but I am making plans now to go to further places where camping out each night will be my only affordable option.., hence the stove questions ? bier

Having a DGC for the motorcycle does not permit you to add dynamite to it :rofl:

The 'Dangerous Goods Declaration/Certificate' would need to be for;
the motorcycle (fuel tank, battery, oils, compressed gases in suspension)

AND

the stove

Each one might have a different reg number too so they might need to be on separate certificates.. Each one would need to be checked. Note: these are international regs - applies to things transported between countries. What happens inside the country? I'd imagine something similar.


Don't know the Optimus .. I have a Coleman. I chose it as it simmers well - less burn meals. It also burn petrol too. One thing on the petrol burning - carry a length of fuel tube so you can get the fuel out of the tank.

.., make sense .

I'd be devastated to have a stove confiscated when there was no chance of a spark or an explosion - based on some overzealous customs officer - in that case - maybe go to this trouble ...,

- after burning of remaining fumes in the burner with fuel source
disconnected,
- washing the fuel bottle in soapy water really well to remove fuel smells,
- dismantling the parts of the pump and burner , then maintenance clean
them,
- and then (without reassembling the burner) , store those loose burner parts
separately in a clear plastic bag away from the fuel bottle

All these safety rules... and I just had two Africa Twin used fuel tanks air freighted respectively from Greece and Ireland. ;-)