Refueling On The Run: Revisited

Not long ago I produced a video on "refueling on the run."  This video outlined how difficult and time consuming the task actually is when you are refueling your whole gas tank on the side of the road.  Most folks only own 2.5 gallon gas cans and those are for the lawn mower.

Very few of you have probably used a gas can to fill up your vehicle as it can be more time consuming than you might imagine.  If you have had to put gas in your vehicle with a gas can it's likely because you've ran out of gas and had to hitch a ride to a station, purchase a gas can and some gas, hitch a ride back and put the 2.5 gallons in the vehicle to get you to the station for a fill up.

Here is the video on how my first Refueling on the Run trial went down (not as fast or easy as I thought):

As you can see in the video, I ran into a few problems.  I didn't close the cap on the can tight enough and leaked gas all over my hands.  The 5-gallon cans are very heavy to hold for an extended time and they take forever to empty into the tank (with the new unsafety nozzles) Another problem is that both of my hands and my attention are absorbed into the task of filling up the tank.  This opens me up to all sorts of hazards if someone is watching and wishes to attack me for my fuel and supplies.

I look like a pretty lucrative target with those big red gas cans on the side of the road preoccupied with the fill up.  To recap, here are the problems I wanted to solve during my "Refueling on the Run: Part 2" video:

1. Save time
2. Have both hands free for self-defense purpose during this vulnerable period
3. Not spend a lot of money
4. Not have to hold up heavy 5-gallon gas cans for minutes at a time
5. Not have the high vis 5-gallon cans readily visible to those looking from a distance

I was able to accomplish my goal and you can too if you watch my video and pay attention.  My last video brought a lot of feedback about "finding a better spot to refuel" and "don't use those cans, use the older model."  The video was not intended to show you the best spot to refuel, it was intended to show you how difficult filling up your entire tank on the side of the road can be.  The next video will show you how easy it can be if you take the time and do your research.

The essential item that I acquired to be able to do this cheaply is the Super Siphon.  I picked two of them  up on Amazon for $16.95.

Super Siphon, (1) for $8.95, made in the USA.

I have one for the bug-out bag and one for the truck.  They have more uses than fuel only.  Your imagination is your limit for survival applications.  The Super Siphon works on a simple principle.  Of course, a garden hose works too, but I don't like the taste of gasoline in my mouth so I opted for the modern version of what many call the "poor man's credit card."

Survival Think Tank Warning (STTW):  Stealing is wrong.  I have the Super Siphon for survival application only.  Stealing gas is not condoned or sanctioned by the Survival Think Tank.  There is nothing funny about stealing another man's possessions and it could possibly get you killed or injured in a survival situation if you are caught stealing gasoline.  Please don't do it.

The best way to explain how the Super Siphon works is to just paste the information from the website.

"The "Super Siphon" hose does the dirty task [of siphoning] for you. Just drop the "pump" end of the hose into the liquid you want to siphon and raise the hose up and down a few times to start the flow. The "pump" end contains a stainless steel spring and marble ball that creates a simple one-way value to let the liquid into the hose but not back out."

Yup, that's how it works.  Now let's see the video on how it all worked out:

I hope that this information helps you if you should ever find yourself in a situation where you will need to do a roadside fill up to get yourself home.

TRW