Do you still carry fuel cans?

[ALeeL]

Given the extended range of the diesel, even with the smaller 18.3 gallon fuel tank, do you still feel the need to carry extra fuel?

After seeing how little fuel I used versus my friends with 3.6L in their JL's on a recent trip to Moab and Palo Duro canyon(Merus) before that, I honestly no longer have range anxiety when hitting the trails on the weekends . I was able to do three full days of wheeling in Moab to be left with a half a tank while they were at a quarter. In Palo Duro canyon(Merus), the last fuel stop is 40 minutes away from the entrance and I was able do two days of trails and get back to the fuel station with a little less than half a tank left.

I am about to do black gap and other trails in Big Bend with a friend in a few weeks, and I am debating on skipping carrying extra fuel for added water and other gear. I used to have a Rotopax fuel tank that I bought for my old JK, but it got crushed by my careless nephew. I don't want to go buy another one given that it was never used in my old rig and my diesel has over 80 miles more range than my old JK on 35's. The friend who I am going with, his JK is on 37's and gets 13 mpg so I can see why he would need an extra tank.

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[Ratbert]

The 10.2 gallon fuel cell is the only thing I regret getting for my AEV JL370. Didn't even fill it for three days on the Rubicon Trail. It'd be useful for trips to the Arctic Ocean / similar extreme excursions, but not needed for typical stuff.

 

[ALeeL]

The 10.2 gallon fuel cell is the only thing I regret getting for my AEV JL370. Didn't even fill it for three days on the Rubicon Trail. It'd be useful for trips to the Arctic Ocean / similar extreme excursions, but not needed for typical stuff.

I always wanted to ask people that have them if they have actually ever used them. The only person I know who needs and uses extra fuel is a co-worker who regularly takes his Gladiator Mojave and tows a small camp trailer at least three times a year to some pretty remote locations. He will stay out for days on end and even then, most of the extra fuel is for the generator, not the Jeep.

 

[R4NS0M]

@Rotsam carries fuel on his jeep, and when I asked him why, he told me it was in case others need it.

 

[Ratbert]

I always wanted to ask people that have them if they have actually ever used them. The only person I know who needs and uses extra fuel is a co-worker who regularly takes his Gladiator Majave and tows a small camp trailer at least three times a year to some pretty remote locations. He will stay out for days on end and even then, most of the extra fuel is for the generator, not the Jeep.

We've talked about using it for non-potable water. 10.2 gallons of water can come in handy.

 

[R4NS0M]

We've talked about using it for non-potable water. 10.2 gallons of water can come in handy.

Do you already carry water in a tank? He carries water on one side in a white can, and then gas on the other side in a red can. We’ve never used any of that either tho, lol.

 

[Reinen]

Given the extended range of the diesel, even with the smaller 18.3 gallon fuel tank, do you still feel the need to carry extra fuel?

After seeing how little fuel I used versus my friends with 3.6L in their JL's on a recent trip to Moab and Palo Duro canyon(Merus) before that, I honestly no longer have range anxiety when hitting the trails on the weekends . I was able to do three full days of wheeling in Moab to be left with a half a tank while they were at a quarter. In Palo Duro canyon(Merus), the last fuel stop is 40 minutes away from the entrance and I was able do two days of trails and get back to the fuel station with a little less than half a tank left.

I am about to do black gap and other trails in Big Bend with a friend in a few weeks, and I am debating on skipping carrying extra fuel for added water and other gear. I used to have a Rotopax fuel tank that I bought for my old JK, but it got crushed by my careless nephew. I don't want to go buy another one given that it was never used in my old rig and my diesel has over 80 miles more range than my old JK on 35's. The friend who I am going with, his JK is on 37's and gets 13 mpg so I can see why he would need an extra tank.

In the Moab area it's not about how much fuel you use. It's about encountering a rockslide or washout that makes the trail impassible. Suddenly the only way out is backtracking out of the canyon. It can add a lot of distance to your expected route, up to doubling it.

If that happens to you just once you'll find range anxiety starts at a half tank and you'll find yourself bringing all the fuel you can carry and then some each and every time.

 

[jellis4148]

If it's not in the way, it is always better to have and not need.

 

[TEAMSLO]

When I had my JLURD I had them in the beginning but stopped carrying them all together shortly after I realized how little it drinks off road. Different story with the 392 though.

 

[Deleted User 38384]

Given the extended range of the diesel, even with the smaller 18.3 gallon fuel tank, do you still feel the need to carry extra fuel?

After seeing how little fuel I used versus my friends with 3.6L in their JL's on a recent trip to Moab and Palo Duro canyon(Merus) before that, I honestly no longer have range anxiety when hitting the trails on the weekends . I was able to do three full days of wheeling in Moab to be left with a half a tank while they were at a quarter. In Palo Duro canyon(Merus), the last fuel stop is 40 minutes away from the entrance and I was able do two days of trails and get back to the fuel station with a little less than half a tank left.

I am about to do black gap and other trails in Big Bend with a friend in a few weeks, and I am debating on skipping carrying extra fuel for added water and other gear. I used to have a Rotopax fuel tank that I bought for my old JK, but it got crushed by my careless nephew. I don't want to go buy another one given that it was never used in my old rig and my diesel has over 80 miles more range than my old JK on 35's. The friend who I am going with, his JK is on 37's and gets 13 mpg so I can see why he would need an extra tank.

Oh yeah! I currently carry a 5 gallon tank on my roof rack over the cargo area. And then I carry a 3L container on my front passenger side door. Because diesel will last 6-12 months before it starts to go bad, it's always good to have a little extra fuel on you. Can't tell you how many times I've been out doing country drives, and then realize I'm almost out of fuel, and I'm still about 30 minutes to an hour away from the closest gas station. Much easier to be able to dump 5 gallons into the tank and casually make my way to the closest gas station.

Put it this way, you don't have to carry extra fuel, but it's usually good to be safe than it is to be sorry.

 

[Ratbert]

Do you already carry water in a tank? He carries water on one side in a white can, and then gas on the other side in a red can. We’ve never used any of that either tho, lol.

No, it's still sitting back there completely unused doing nothing but making the rear window somewhat useless as a mechanism to know what's behind you.

 

[Zandcwhite]

Even with the 3.6L I don't carry extra fuel. I've never even come close to needing it. Most trails are short. The rubicon is only 18 miles. The dusy ershim trail is only 35 miles. Sure there are dirt roads far longer than that, but there I get better fuel economy than on the freeway as I'm not pushing a lifted brick 80mph into the wind. The mojave road is only 100 miles and there's a gas station near the midpoint that's only 3 miles off the trail. Even if I had to run the Rubicon from end to end and back I'd have enough fuel. When I wheeled a carburated wagoneer on 40s that had a 22 gallon tank and got 9 miles to the gallon on road I carried fuel. The JL and JT are economy cars by comparison. That said, when we are out in the desert I do map out where the fuel stations are. If its less than a 5 mile detour I'm topping off just to be certain I don't need to cut my trip short to look for fuel.

 

[ALeeL]

In the Moab area it's not about how much fuel you use. It's about encountering a rockslide or washout that makes the trail impassible. Suddenly the only way out is backtracking out of the canyon. It can add a lot of distance to your expected route, up to doubling it.

If that happens to you just once you'll find range anxiety starts at a half tank and you'll find yourself bringing all the fuel you can carry and then some each and every time.

I don't know, man. I have been to Moab multiple times and on most trails. In the instance mentioned in my initial post from a few weeks ago, I did trails for three days and only needed a half a tank. The 3.6L Jeeps still had about a quarter of a tank and the one 2.0L in the group was slightly above them. This included coming back into town in the afternoon to eat and partake in some of the local breweries.

I would think that three days of trails would be more than enough fuel even if you had to backtrack. Which we did on the first day at Kane Creek trail because a big group ahead of us was was taking too much time getting winched out of a mud hole.

Now that I have written Easter Jeep Safari off my bucket list, I don't think I will be going back to Moab during this time. Too many people and a lot of the trails were blocked off due to Jeep events. Luckily, I was there with my vendor, Eaton and Dana, so we were able on some of the blocked trails.

 

[Tx_Wrangler]

If you are going to Big Bend National Park, I would say no. If you are going to Big Bend State Park and leave Terlingua full and head to the entrance near Persidio (70 miles round trip) and then go deep into the park and wheel around, I would have some as a precaution. I had mine and never needed it but also have a fire extinguisher.

 

[ALeeL]

If you are going to Big Bend National Park, I would say no. If you are going to Big Bend State Park and leave Terlingua full and head to the entrance near Persidio (70 miles round trip) and then go deep into the park and wheel around, I would have some as a precaution. I had mine and never needed it but also have a fire extinguisher.

Thanks for the heads up. We are staying in Terlingua, but heading to do the black gap trail so he can get his badge if honor. I am not really big on getting those, but my friend is dead set on getting as many as he can. Maybe next trip we can hit up the state park. Although I would much rather go back to Palo Duro due to the better scenery.

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