[pct-l] mailing alcohol

[Alan.Rintoul at starwoodhotels.com (Rintoul, Alan)]

hi mountain goat,
thanks for your reply and the advice.
i'll be on the trail either 2005 or 2006 for a pct thru hike (ideally 2005).
i was aware that at least some alcohol products could be shipped via ground
mail, but after trawling through the usps hazmat guide (several hundred
pages) i am still unclear as to which can and which cannot be sent this way
(and what labeling is required if permitted). 
for example, grain alcohol can (i think), but i'm not sure about denatured
alcohol (or others). i will inquire with staff at various post offices. my
concern is that they may also be unclear and i'd not get the correct answer
(either they say yes incorrectly and my box doesn't show up, or they say no,
when in fact i could have sent it).
there are always alternatives, but given the large standard container size
of denatured alcohol containers it would be nice to pre pack it before
departure.
i converted to using soda can stoves about a year ago. their simplicity
amazes me. as long as you don't stand on em or block 'em with grit you're
golden. i love 'em.
i'll test HEET out over the summer to see how it compares. 
cheers,
alan
 
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: The Mountain Goat [mailto:themtgoat@yahoo.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2004 2:31 PM
To: Rintoul, Alan
Subject: Re: [pct-l] mailing alcohol



This may be more info than you want, and I didn't have the USPS info for the
exact regulations....but...
 
You will probably get a lot of emails, or maybe not, since it was much
discussed within the last 8 months. In case nobody repsonds here is the
short, on what I have gathered.
 
1. You can only send ground if sending with snail mail.
2. It must be marked properly as Alcohol is flamible.
3. I don't remmeber if you can send it UPS.Fed-X.
4. There are two types of Heet, the normal one supposable works fine, there
is another type that works less-well...
 
5. I have switched to the Pepsi can stove and tested on a 9 day trip. Works
good. Please note that you need 2 oz of alcohol for every ounce of white gas
you would have used. but the pepsi can stove is much lighter (.4 oz) instead
of the whisper lite (16 oz) and the simmer lite (8 oz). So on shorter trips,
it would be lighter.
 
If the fuel discution comes up, according to my calculations, it is better
to take a butane or white gas stove if your trip is 1. at least 7 days long,
if there is 1 of you and you have the litest white-gas/butane stove
availible or if there is several people, alcohol may not be the best choice
due to weight.
 
Alcohol is reported to be availble at most of the reuspply points on the
PCT, according to several accounts. I have personaly verified it is availble
as heat or quart size cans at Kenedy meadows. Vermillion valley also sells
it by the ounce when I was there in 2003.
If you on the trail in 2005, see you there! 
 
www.geocities.com/pct_2005
-Mountain Goat-

"Rintoul, Alan" <Alan.Rintoul@starwoodhotels.com> wrote:

is anyone up to date with mailing denatured alcohol and such like through
ground mail for pick up along a thru hike?
specifically, can it be mailed, if so, how much can be mailed and is any
special labeling required?

alternatively, how have people found HEET (or equivalent) in terms of
availability and performance?

cheers,

alan


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