quote:

Originally posted by salmo99:
Or a pack of matches.

Don't take those either...

No matches/lighters/sharpened car keys allowed on airplanes these days.

To be fair, nobody above advocated bringing along camp fuel.

The simple answer would be a stove that burns alcohol. No parts that work with pressure, and no fumes more dangerous than that bottle of wine I know you're all sneaking on too. And only idiots bring fuel on board a plane, regardless of the kind of fuel.

quote:

Originally posted by oswiu:
Obviously a full fuel bottle wouldn't be permitted, but how about an empty but used bottle and/or the stove itself?

I have travelled many times with my whisperlite. I check in both the stove and bottle. Before departure, I empty the bottle, rinse it out with water and soap and let it dry out a night. Then it doesn't smell anymore. I read it in the small manual that came with the stove. Quote from the msr website:

"Carrying flammable fuel on passenger aircraft in carry-on or checked baggage is forbidden. Before transporting a MSR fuel bottle on an aircraft, safely empty all fuel from the bottle, wash inside with soapy water, rinse thoroughly, air dry, and stow uncapped"

I managed to get ahold of someone at Air New Zealand (funny that it took me so long to get around to that) and he filled me in on their policies.

Stoves themselves are fine, no problem.
Refillable fuel bottles are okay, but only if new and unused, and you also have to fill out a form at checkin, attesting to the fact that they are so.

This strikes me as reasonable (if, perhaps, a bit over-cautious, since they let you bring up to 500ml of acetone on board, which is even more flammable than kerosene... an empty, cleaned-out bottle can't be worse than that.)

Anyhow, with all this in mind, I'll probably buy the stove in Canada and pick up a fuel bottle in NZ, thus striking a balance between cost and hassle-avoidance.

quote:

Originally posted by mina olen:
stove fuel is pretty dag pricey in Hawaii... NZ too for the same reason, I'd imagine...

Luckily, in NZ you can find one-liter bottles of white gas. Much more convenient for the average backpakcer than the one-gallon size that is common in the USA.

You can bring matches with you, but they can't be checked- they have to be carry-on and I think you're limited to two packs and they can't be those "strike anywhere" matches. But those are US rules, not sure about NZ.

I just flew from Alaska to California no problem with matches in my carry on and a stove (no fuel or fuel canister) in checked baggage.

I see no reason why a STOVE shouldn't be allowed, since they themselves do not cause fires or explosions.

A nearly empty white gas bottle, on the other hand, is a genuine bomb. Vaporised gasoline and air in and enclosed space is an extremely combustible mixture.

Emptied, opened, and cleaned MIGHT past muster. Propane containers most definitely will not.

Still, be ready to have the container confiscated, and keep the stove separate so a frustrated or angry TSA official doesn't get tired of being tested, and take the entire apparatus.

BTW. Many of us cannot afford to buy a new stove and canister everytime we go overseas.

You cannot trust the regulations that are posted on the net, either, as things change faster than even the Airlines can help. Caution is always the best policy.

I bought a carry on bag that fit the requirements on the British Air website, only to find out they'd changed the rule a few days ago.