Another discussion of jerrycans (pointing to the Wikipedia article) from early January:
* https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29787251
If you want old-school design "jerry cans", checkout Wavian for metal options:
* https://wavianusa.com/collections/nato-fuel-cans
For plastic (HDPE) options in the same design language see Scepter:
* https://www.scepter.com/products/consumer-products/
Comparison discussion between the two:
* https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/scepter-mfc-vs-wa...
A lot of folks don't like contemporary nozzles, in which case perhaps see:
* https://armysurpluswarehouse.com/wavian-jerry-can-nozzle/
Also do a search for "shaker siphon" and "pump siphon".
Having had many vehicles and also done a drive to Banjul in The Gambia from the UK, plus done 10 years of rally driving, I've had a great many jerry cans. They are indeed a great design, and the triple-handle allowing easy carrying of two empties in one hand on either side of the body is only one of their high points.
I'd never given a moment's thought to the name, but as soon as I started reading the article, I realised where it came from... It's funny how we don't always think of the origins of words until prompted by something like this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwUkbGHFAhs A nice historical and engineering walkthrough of the Jerrycan.
Just last night I was watching a YouTube segment on the jerry can. I wonder if OP saw the same video just recently, or if this is my Baader-Meinhof for the day.
Edit: it was this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwUkbGHFAhs&list=TLPQMTkwMzI...
I use Scepter brand cans - different ones for fuel and water. I had to buy them from a forum member in Canada, through the Land Cruiser forum, as they weren't legal to buy in the US for whatever reason. Kind of odd that I had to go black market for a darn jerry can. I wanted something that wouldn't ever leak or have fumes inside the cabin if I ever had to use them other than mounted on my rear bumper. Really odd considering these are the exact jerry cans that were used in Iraq, and have stood the test of time.
You CAN find the water cans in the US - there's a place in Lexington, KY that sells them.
I posted this about 9 days ago https://beachpackagingdesign.com/boxvox/inventor-of-the-wehr...
Related: Bought a "racing" jerrycan or gas can and boy was it terrible. I thought because I had seen it at the track it was superior in some way. Example: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/vpr-3512
The vent it near the spout (impossible to tilt and not spill), and the flexible spout (sold separately) is slow and becomes stiff and unworkable in the cold.
My 20 year old, cheapo can with flexible accordion spout is vastly superior. Live and learn I guess.
The ones usually sold these days with the plastic caps on them are worse than useless, they leak all over and the safety nozzle on them leaks like hell too.
German here. I had no idea that Americans call them "jerry cans" for what is likely a bungled "german cans"... thanks!
> Wehrmacht-Einheitskanister (Armed Forces Unit Canister)
Einheit means standard here
"American engineer Paul Pleiss" - with a suspiciously German-sounding name however, so it might be no coincidence that he was the first to notice this German invention. Unfortunately the only info I could find on Mr. Pleiss online was that he invented the jerrycan, so I couldn't find anything to confirm my suspicion...
Maybe due to it's distinct and utility design I still remember my granddad's Russian-made jerrycan that he used to fill his motorcycle with gasoline, in his remote Siberian village in the 80's.
Since the site has gone down, here's Google's cache of the text:
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:D38zJ4x...
If you like reading about the jerrycan design you may like Engineer Guy videos. He discusses pop cans, coffee makers, inkjet printers. He even has a four-part series discussing Albert Michelson’s Harmonic Analyzer.
modern gas cans are a nightmare in comparison. some genius thought they were building a better mousetrap but its objectively worse than what I had back in the 80s
it certainly solves some problems -- ones I didnt have before
it adds several new ones -- ones I didnt have before
reminder to self: TODO buy an 80s style the moment I can find one. I've had it with this little red 2022 abomination
If! You are in the market this is the best can you can get on amazon. These are the only safe ones I allow in the garage.
As someone who had absolutely no idea what a jerrycan is, I found the Wikipedia article much more approachable:
The water cans are the same size and shape, but only have one handle. So you can tell whether you're picking up a fuel or a water can in the dark. Useful :)
Calum just did a video on this a month ago... https://youtu.be/XwUkbGHFAhs
I just got why they are called jerry-cans.
For a good overview on the key role that enginners, scientists, and 'technologists' had in helping to win WW2 for the Allies, see Engineers of victory: the problem solvers who turned the tide in the Second World War by Kennedy:
> Kennedy recounts the inside stories of the invention of the cavity magnetron, a miniature radar “as small as a soup plate,” and the Hedgehog, a multi-headed grenade launcher that allowed the Allies to overcome the threat to their convoys crossing the Atlantic; the critical decision by engineers to install a super-charged Rolls-Royce engine in the P-51 Mustang, creating a fighter plane more powerful than the Luftwaffe’s; and the innovative use of pontoon bridges (made from rafts strung together) to help Russian troops cross rivers and elude the Nazi blitzkrieg. He takes readers behind the scenes, unveiling exactly how thousands of individual Allied planes and fighting ships were choreographed to collectively pull off the invasion of Normandy, and illuminating how crew chiefs perfected the high-flying and inaccessible B-29 Superfortress that would drop the atomic bombs on Japan.
> The story of World War II is often told as a grand narrative, as if it were fought by supermen or decided by fate. Here Kennedy uncovers the real heroes of the war, highlighting for the first time the creative strategies, tactics, and organizational decisions that made the lofty Allied objectives into a successful reality. In an even more significant way, The Turn of the Tide has another claim to our attention, for it restores “the middle level of war” to its rightful place in history.
* https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/91616/engineers-of-...
* https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13132847-engineers-of-vi...
Lots of references in case you want to dig into more detail on the particular inventions he goes over.
I was a bit surprised to learn that the Americans were quite reluctant to build Merlin-powered P-51s: they were originally designed with Allison engines, but after a test flight the British decide to shoehorn a Rolls Royce engine into one and the performance went from pretty good to astounding.
I wonder if they call it a "Jerry" can over in Germany...
"Hitler made mastery of liquid transport a priority ..."
This is the first time I have read that Hitler himself was concerned with such a detail. Does anyone have a source for this claim?
Funny how I've never seen one like that in the real world, yet I've seen many fuel cans, at home and in the work place.
I guess in the military
What does Google show from Ukraine -
https://www.alamy.com/bugas-village-ukraine-03rd-mar-2022-se...
Looking pretty different here with the USA military too - https://mwi.usma.edu/army-physical-fitness-problem-part-2-to...
I guess HN doesn't have eyes? Does anyone live in the real world?
Even if you have a recent metal jerrycan kinda like those from 80 years ago, cause they are cool, it will be very different if you actually look closely.
No design goes back 80 years. We are not some backwards society that can't move forward.
“ It had three handles, enabling one man to carry two cans and pass one to another man in bucket-brigade fashion. Its capacity was approximately five U.S. gallons; its weight filled, forty-five pounds. Thanks to an air chamber at the top, it would float on water if dropped overboard or from a plane. Its short spout was secured with a snap closure that could be propped open for pouring, making unnecessary any funnel or opener. A gasket made the mouth leakproof. An air-breathing tube from the spout to the air space kept the pouring smooth. And most important, the can’s inside was lined with an impervious plastic material developed for the insides of steel beer barrels. This enabled the jerrycan to be used alternately for gasoline and water.”
Wow, seems like a lot of little design choices went into this can.
I love how good UX crops up everywhere.