Expedition One Geri Cans

[Bostonian1976]

I thought these were cool - Expedition One brought a few to the FJ Summit that I run in Ouray Co - seems like a great idea that Rover owners would be interested in as well...(no, I don't work for them or benefit from this :)

http://expeditionone.biz/Geri_intro.htm

http://expeditionone.biz/picts/geri_intro.jpg

[greenmeanie]

How do you store these on the outside of a vehicle?

[xsbowes]

According to the website the carrier is not available yet. Also they only hold 4 gals.
http://expeditionone.biz/picts/Geri_stc.jpg

But if it is integrated into a spare tire carrier then add it to the list.

[LaneRover]

It can also be used as a backboard for midgets!

[greenmeanie]

I could see myself using them as waffle boards at some point. Their shape is just too convenient not to. It'll take 800lbs after all.

Maybe it's just me but I don't really see an advantage over the standard NATO shape can or their modern plastic equivalent. If it was able to mount flat against the back of the truck behind the spare maybe but why bother?

It seems to lend itself to be used to store fuel inside a vehicle or on a rack but those are two places I don't like. Inside for obvious reasons and up top it adds a lot of weight.

I guess I just need to see their justification for the shape.

Cheers
Gregor

[SafeAirOne]

Maybe it's just me but I don't really see an advantage over the standard NATO shape can or their modern plastic equivalent. If it was able to mount flat against the back of the truck behind the spare maybe but why bother?

I'm with Gregor--It was really slooooooow at work today so I spent a fair amount of time thinking about how these cans would be advantageous and how I'd store/haul them....I also thought about how I need to bring something to do on slow days ;) .

PROS:--------------------------

Thin--Can be stacked like slices of bread

Flat--Er...can be used if you need something flat

CONS:--------------------------

Holds only 4 gallons. You need to buy 5 to hold the same as 4 NATO cans

Expensive--$20 more per can than the Scepter cans I have (which I thought were expensive). $30 more expensive per can using the non-introductory price.

Requires custom storage rack

Not thin enough & too short to be efficiently used as a sand ladder

Not strong enough to be used a bridging ladder



Surely I must be missing some advantages (and probably some disadvantages) here....

[Momo]

To my mind there really is no surpassing the original Jerry can. They are basically unchanged from the Thirties design.

I like that they:

Do not leak, even when stored on their side or upside down.

Require no tools to open or separate spout to pour.

Pour smoothly without surging.

Float even when full if you drop them in water.

Can be carried easily two at a time in one hand.

Cannot be overfilled.

When I rolled my 109 on its side, four full jerry cans were thrown out with no leakage.

They are great to use as a step when working under the hood or as a stool when working on axles/brakes/hubs/etc. or can be sued to build temporary saw horses or tables.

For those who wonder where the name "Jerry" can came from- "Jerry" was the British nickname for German soldiers during WWI. The cans were a pretty closely guarded piece of technology when first developed in the Thirties and helped speed Hitler's Biltzkrieg into Poland and France. The Allies used far inferior (leaky, flimsy) designs, but they officially appropriated the German can after the war- which is why they are often called NATO cans.

I have a fairly old pair (dated 1954 and 1955) that still work perfectly. The only part that really needs attention occasionally is the gasket, which is easily replaced. My other two are not dated but they are probably only about 25 years old. I think I paid $50 for all of them and expect they will outlast me.

These new "Geri" cans (makes me think of geritol or geriatrics) have none of the really clever design features of a real Jerry can. I think they only advantage would be the thin profile if you have storage challenges.

[xsbowes]

Float even when full if you drop them in water.



Reminds me of when I first came in the Navy, you could tell when the AOs (aux. Oilers) were full of fuel because they would float higher in the water. They used a salt water displacement system, so the tanks would fill up with salt water as the fuel was removed.

[EASTTNROVER]

Surely I must be missing some advantages (and probably some disadvantages) here....

One advantage is that everyone can have their one personal dinner table around the camp...as for me I would just stick with what has worked for the last 60 odd years.

[greenmeanie]

For those who wonder where the name "Jerry" can came from- "Jerry" was the British nickname for German soldiers during WWI. The cans were a pretty closely guarded piece of technology when first developed in the Thirties and helped speed Hitler's Biltzkrieg into Poland and France. The Allies used far inferior (leaky, flimsy) designs, but they officially appropriated the German can after the war- which is why they are often called NATO cans.



Oh how I try and hold my tongue. Jerry cans and their history seem to have a more enthusiastic following that most vehicles!

It is difficult to lump the 'allies' into one group here. The British used the 4 gallon Flimsy at the start of the war through to about mid way. They were notorious for splitting at the seams and leaking and posed serious logistic problems due to fuel loss. Their one big benefit wa that they could have the top removed, filled with sand and a bit of petrol and you had a great desert stove. The German pattern Jerry can became popular as they were captured in the desert.

The US pattern Jerry can came about because an example of the German one was provided to the war department who then came out with a new design more suited to the mass production capabilites of the US. It is generally considered a good but inferior design tot he orignal due to the potentially leaky seam around the bottom.

Interestingly the British, being the lazy buggers we are, just copied the German design and actually produced more of them in WWII than the German's did. If you are looking at really old stock cans in Europe you will often find they have the British MOD arrow marking stamped into them.

Someone will no doubt be along in a minute to add to that little lot but you get the idea. The sum total is that I agree with Momo - the original NATO cans have been proven over decades under the most extreme testing. Why change?

I hate being negative about new stuff and they are not a bad idea but I just do not see the need.

Cheers
Gregor

[jp-]

I was thinking with all the holes that you could use them as a leg splint in an emergency.

Or back/neck brace...