I've one of the Jerry can style gas cans. I put a pad underneath it and
it is laying in my luggage carrier. I tied it down with my standard
adjustable straps so it is secure up there. Sticks up a little bit, so
it is noticable, but as it is laying on its side, it is only barely
visible. Note, this is the german style can with the tight sealing
spout, so it can lay on it side like this without spilling.

On Dec 4, 2005, at 10:31 PM, John Lavery wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I'm interested in bringing along a 5-gal gasoline can on an upcoming
> road trip in which gas may not be readily available.  Most "official"
> sources say put the can in the bed of your pickup or in the trunk of
> your car (and only for limited periods).  Of course, the vanagon has
> neither a pickup bed nor a trunk.  So, I'm tyring to come up with a
> safe and easy-to-implement solution.
>
> The easiest thing would be to bring the can inside the van and strap it
> somehow so that it doesn't slide around or tip.  I understand that the
> can would need to be of high-quality, with a cap that does not allow
> fumes to escape.  As long as the can is secured and no fumes are
> leaking, this SEEMS like it should be safe, provided that I pratice
> common sense (and I don't smoke, so that takes care of one obvious
> hazard).  Am I crazy to think that this would be safe?
>
> Alternatively, I could mount the can outside somehow, or maybe strap it
> into the luggage rack.  Is there an easy way to mount the can?  I've
> already seen:
>
> http://www.telusplanet.net/public/gary2a/rack/gascan/gascan.htm
>
> This is a clever solution, but I don't want to deal with the whole
> ladder assembly.
>
> Any thoughts would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks.