19 ms·

The jerrycan design goes back over 80 years (2020)

101 points by louis-paul 5y ago

djaychela 5y ago
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.
- hef19898 5y ago
  A funny side note on that: I'm German, we call those things Benzinkanister. My wife is French, they call them jerrycan. I never understood what she meant (ultimately I figured it out, and then I took me again a long time to connect "Jerry" to the Germans in WW2). And yes, those things are handy!
unixhero 5y ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwUkbGHFAhs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwUkbGHFAhs A nice historical and engineering walkthrough of the Jerrycan.
- omegant 5y ago
  I was going to post this video, it explains the differences and advantages of the original (and british copies) one vs the american. Also how most modern reproductions fall short of the original. I would say that it is better than the article.
throw0101a 5y ago
Another discussion of jerrycans (pointing to the Wikipedia article) from early January: * https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29787251 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 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/ https://www.scepter.com/products/consumer-products/ Comparison discussion between the two: * https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/scepter-mfc-vs-wavian-nato-fuel-can.211616/ 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/ https://armysurpluswarehouse.com/wavian-jerry-can-nozzle/ Also do a search for "shaker siphon" and "pump siphon".
- bradstewart 5y ago
  Thank you for this. I have not been able to find a usable nozzle for any of my cans--they always break and/or leak everywhere.
- 83 5y ago
  It should be noted that Scepter MFC's are unavailable in the United States because they lack the safety features that apparently the average American needs. It's a shame, since they appear to be far superior to our "safe" gas cans/spouts. I've also seen multiple reports of the Wavians developing some surface rust inside which makes me question how good the interior lining is, not sure how prevalent that is though.
  - throw0101a 5y ago
    That's why I liked to the "consumer" products, which are probably more available to the (US-centric) HNers: * https://www.scepter.com/products/consumer-products/ https://www.scepter.com/products/consumer-products/ Non-US folks (EU, UK, CA) have access to the "military" products as well AFAICT: * https://www.scepter.com/products/military-products/ https://www.scepter.com/products/military-products/
throw0101a 5y ago
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-victory-by-paul-kennedy/ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/91616/engineers-of-... * https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13132847-engineers-of-victory 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.
bryanrasmussen 5y ago
I posted this about 9 days ago https://beachpackagingdesign.com/boxvox/inventor-of-the-wehrmacht-kanister-visited-u-s-in-1938 https://beachpackagingdesign.com/boxvox/inventor-of-the-wehr...
bognition 5y ago
“ 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.
- specialist 5y ago
  > I love how good UX crops up everywhere. Me too. Empathetically. These deep dives feed my soul. The Donald Norman books, obviously. I've read similar accounts about forks (the utensil), pencils, shipping containers, etc. One organizational detail that pops out is the German government sponsored a design competition and then seriously reviewed everything. Another data point in favor of broadly applying X-Prize like strategy to encourage innovation. DARPA and a few others are (sometimes) smart this way. The book Design Rules: The Power of Modularity uses economic logic (based on net present value, aka NPV) to also make the argument in favor.
  - chaorace 5y ago
    Something that I took away was that "good design" can only go so far in terms of strategic advantage. The Germans invested considerable funding, research, and testing into their cans... only to have them copied. Sure, they enjoyed a few years of genuine advantage, but that probably stemmed just as much from the woefully underdesigned state of allied gas cans. My takeaway here is that they should have iterated until they had a "great, but not perfect" design. That way, when the design inevitably gets aped... there's still room for the opposing side to introduce their own improvements which you can steal right back.
rob74 5y ago
"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...
- otherme123 5y ago
  Maybe a bit more info here: https://www.thefabricator.com/thewelder/blog/arcwelding/the-design-and-fabrication-of-the-jerrycan-part-ii https://www.thefabricator.com/thewelder/blog/arcwelding/the-...
aaron695 5y ago
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-servicemen-carry-jerrycans-in-the-village-of-bugas-credit-itar-tass-news-agencyalamy-live-news-image462876344.html 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-toward-combat-ready-force/ 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.
- chrisseaton 5y ago
  You're mistaken - we still use basically the original jerry can design in the Army today. The first photo I'm not sure exactly what they are - but I'm guessing they're 'norgies' - food containers. The second photo shows water containers, not fuel cans. They literally say 'water' on the side.
  - aaron695 5y ago
    > we still use basically the original jerry can design in the Army today. But no one has a photo? How mysterious, I'm still running with Dead Internet Theory. Jerrycans used to hold water, they had it stamped on the side. This is a bad idea. Color coding or a more explicit design is much safer. Here's another photo from 2020 for fuel - https://twitter.com/sceptercan/status/1275507062898860033 https://twitter.com/sceptercan/status/1275507062898860033
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
- hef19898 5y ago
  The US Army ones are single yandle, plastic versions. Same dimensions so from what I see on the picture, 30 litres. So yes, still, mostly, the same design. Obviously those plastic ones are cheaper then proper steel / metal ones. Ukraine, well, for sure they use different stuff. The western allies used jerry cans after North Africa, which continued with NATO. Ukraine is, for rather obvious reasons, using Warsaw pact spec gear.
dghughes 5y ago
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. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2bkHVIDjXS7sgrgjFtzOXQ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2bkHVIDjXS7sgrgjFtzOXQ
samatman 5y ago
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=TLPQMTkwMzIwMjIDLfDa2cG9Ag&index=5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwUkbGHFAhs&list=TLPQMTkwMzI...
ransom1538 5y ago
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. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003PGRR5W/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003PGRR5W/
- zbrozek 5y ago
  Man the inflation is real: https://camelcamelcamel.com/product/B003PGRR5W https://camelcamelcamel.com/product/B003PGRR5W
- oceanplexian 5y ago
  You can actually just buy the real thing on Amazon or eBay, but they’re labeled not for gasoline use in the USA due to environmental regulations (https://fee.org/articles/the-epic-failure-of-the-government-gas-can/ https://fee.org/articles/the-epic-failure-of-the-government-...). It was really important the EPA saved the planet from the world’s number one environmental threat… minuscule amount of gas vapors escaping fuel cans, thus they haven’t legal since 2009. I have 4 original NATO cans and have thrown them around, dropped them, had them slide around in the back of a truck and bang into things. They have never once leaked a single drop or stopped working.
throwawayffffas 5y ago
I just got why they are called jerry-cans.
lproven 5y ago
Since the site has gone down, here's Google's cache of the text: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:D38zJ4xn3-4J:https://www.hagerty.com/media/automotive-history/jerrycan-design-80-years-no-signs-retirement/&hl=en&gl=cz&strip=1&vwsrc=0 http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:D38zJ4x...
formerly_proven 5y ago
> Wehrmacht-Einheitskanister (Armed Forces Unit Canister) Einheit means standard here
- tialaramex 5y ago
  Hence, "Einheitspreis" was the codename for a bombing raid on, I think, Wolverhampton because Woolworths was initially a fixed price store (everything 5 cents) although modern Brits probably remember it as something rather different before it ceased to exist. World War II is about the last point where "clever" codenames are allowed before the burgeoning use of signals intelligence means everybody realises that you should pick codenames randomly so that the codename doesn't reveal anything and so you will get shouted out at if anybody can guess what your thing does from the name. It's also the last point where people who have three military units number them one, two and three, because it sure makes life harder for intelligence if your third tank group is named group twenty-six... Manhattan was a pretty good codename by modern standards, but Sea Lion is not very subtle at all, and Ultra is hardly subtle either (it is referring to being even more secret than Most Secret, even if you can't guess why the Ultra secret is so secret it's pretty obvious this is important)
Archelaos 5y ago
"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?
- hef19898 5y ago
  This guy was concerned with more details then was good for him, or anyone else involved. Accidentally, he also created one of the biggest traffic jams in the early days of the offensive against the Caucasus and Stalingrad.
- usrusr 5y ago
  Recent events suggest that if stuff like that isn't considered at the top, a hierarchy of yes-men won't fill that gap. Note that "made ... a priority" does not necessarily mean "got involved in actual decisions"
  - Archelaos 5y ago
    > Note that "made ... a priority" does not necessarily mean "got involved in actual decisions" But it means, he and nobody else made ... a priority.
    - usrusr 5y ago
      Not really, because in a hierarchy like that, credit falls upwards to the highest level that didn't actively ignore the problem. Even if a leader just signs off a suggestion to prioritize it's still him making it a priority, not the person suggesting.
      - Archelaos 5y ago
        > if a leader just signs off a suggestion ... This is what I was asking for: whether there is evidence that he himself made a deliberate decision or at least consciously acknowledged it. Such details can be of importance. When Ernst von Weizsäcker was tried in the last Nuremberg trial, one of the most important pieces of evidence was a document countersigned by him on the deportation of French jews to Auschwitz. Without this evidence it would not have been possible to proof his knowledge. And even in the light of this evidence it was still debatable to what extent personal responsibility arose from this. The presiding judge wanted to acquit v. Weizsäcker, but was overruled by the other two judges.
senotrusov 5y ago
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.
everyone 5y ago
Calum just did a video on this a month ago... https://youtu.be/XwUkbGHFAhs https://youtu.be/XwUkbGHFAhs
NDizzle 5y ago
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.
wodenokoto 5y ago
As someone who had absolutely no idea what a jerrycan is, I found the Wikipedia article much more approachable: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerrycan https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerrycan
mschuster91 5y ago
German here. I had no idea that Americans call them "jerry cans" for what is likely a bungled "german cans"... thanks!
- riffic 5y ago
  yeah it's an antiquated slur.
- hereforphone 5y ago
  It's not bungled, it was an intentional, lightweight slur. Whoever downvoted you is ignorant. What were some slurs the Germans used for Americans in WW2?
  - mywittyname 5y ago
    Yeah, long refused to use the term as it seems like a slur. Most people consider military jargon used for enemy combatants to be offensive in a civilian context.
  - usrusr 5y ago
    Emphasis on "lightweight". My impression is that Americans in ww2 used up all their slurs and disrespect on the Japanese and acted towards Germans almost as if they ("we", I'm German) were civilised people, politely agreeing to disagree. Even American caricatures of Hitler himself seem strangely benign compared to those about ww1's Kaiser.
josefresco 5y ago
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 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.
jcadam 5y ago
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 :)
- masklinn 5y ago
  “original” jerrycans don’t have that distinction, because the purpose of the extra handles are even more so for water: carrying two empties in one hand doesn't change, but the ability to share one can between two people is even more useful when carrying 20L water (20kg) than 20L gasoline (15kg).
  - jcadam 5y ago
    Wonder how many mix ups occurred before they added that additional safety factor :)
syngrog66 5y ago
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
yeetsfromhell 5y ago
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.
rflec028 5y ago
I wonder if they call it a "Jerry" can over in Germany...
- heleninboodler 5y ago
  It's called a "Wehrmacht-Einheitskanister" because the Germans aren't into the whole brevity thing.

101 points by louis-paul 5y ago

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.

hef19898 5y ago
A funny side note on that: I'm German, we call those things Benzinkanister. My wife is French, they call them jerrycan. I never understood what she meant (ultimately I figured it out, and then I took me again a long time to connect "Jerry" to the Germans in WW2). And yes, those things are handy!

unixhero 5y ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwUkbGHFAhs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwUkbGHFAhs A nice historical and engineering walkthrough of the Jerrycan.

omegant 5y ago
I was going to post this video, it explains the differences and advantages of the original (and british copies) one vs the american. Also how most modern reproductions fall short of the original. I would say that it is better than the article.

throw0101a 5y ago

Another discussion of jerrycans (pointing to the Wikipedia article) from early January: * https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29787251 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 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/ https://www.scepter.com/products/consumer-products/ Comparison discussion between the two: * https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/scepter-mfc-vs-wavian-nato-fuel-can.211616/ 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/ https://armysurpluswarehouse.com/wavian-jerry-can-nozzle/ Also do a search for "shaker siphon" and "pump siphon".

bradstewart 5y ago
Thank you for this. I have not been able to find a usable nozzle for any of my cans--they always break and/or leak everywhere.
83 5y ago
It should be noted that Scepter MFC's are unavailable in the United States because they lack the safety features that apparently the average American needs. It's a shame, since they appear to be far superior to our "safe" gas cans/spouts. I've also seen multiple reports of the Wavians developing some surface rust inside which makes me question how good the interior lining is, not sure how prevalent that is though.
- throw0101a 5y ago
  That's why I liked to the "consumer" products, which are probably more available to the (US-centric) HNers: * https://www.scepter.com/products/consumer-products/ https://www.scepter.com/products/consumer-products/ Non-US folks (EU, UK, CA) have access to the "military" products as well AFAICT: * https://www.scepter.com/products/military-products/ https://www.scepter.com/products/military-products/

throw0101a 5y ago

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-victory-by-paul-kennedy/ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/91616/engineers-of-... * https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13132847-engineers-of-victory 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.

bryanrasmussen 5y ago

I posted this about 9 days ago https://beachpackagingdesign.com/boxvox/inventor-of-the-wehrmacht-kanister-visited-u-s-in-1938 https://beachpackagingdesign.com/boxvox/inventor-of-the-wehr...

bognition 5y ago

“ 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.

specialist 5y ago
> I love how good UX crops up everywhere. Me too. Empathetically. These deep dives feed my soul. The Donald Norman books, obviously. I've read similar accounts about forks (the utensil), pencils, shipping containers, etc. One organizational detail that pops out is the German government sponsored a design competition and then seriously reviewed everything. Another data point in favor of broadly applying X-Prize like strategy to encourage innovation. DARPA and a few others are (sometimes) smart this way. The book Design Rules: The Power of Modularity uses economic logic (based on net present value, aka NPV) to also make the argument in favor.
- chaorace 5y ago
  Something that I took away was that "good design" can only go so far in terms of strategic advantage. The Germans invested considerable funding, research, and testing into their cans... only to have them copied. Sure, they enjoyed a few years of genuine advantage, but that probably stemmed just as much from the woefully underdesigned state of allied gas cans. My takeaway here is that they should have iterated until they had a "great, but not perfect" design. That way, when the design inevitably gets aped... there's still room for the opposing side to introduce their own improvements which you can steal right back.

rob74 5y ago

"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...

otherme123 5y ago
Maybe a bit more info here: https://www.thefabricator.com/thewelder/blog/arcwelding/the-design-and-fabrication-of-the-jerrycan-part-ii https://www.thefabricator.com/thewelder/blog/arcwelding/the-...

aaron695 5y ago

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-servicemen-carry-jerrycans-in-the-village-of-bugas-credit-itar-tass-news-agencyalamy-live-news-image462876344.html 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-toward-combat-ready-force/ 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.

chrisseaton 5y ago
You're mistaken - we still use basically the original jerry can design in the Army today. The first photo I'm not sure exactly what they are - but I'm guessing they're 'norgies' - food containers. The second photo shows water containers, not fuel cans. They literally say 'water' on the side.
- aaron695 5y ago
  > we still use basically the original jerry can design in the Army today. But no one has a photo? How mysterious, I'm still running with Dead Internet Theory. Jerrycans used to hold water, they had it stamped on the side. This is a bad idea. Color coding or a more explicit design is much safer. Here's another photo from 2020 for fuel - https://twitter.com/sceptercan/status/1275507062898860033 https://twitter.com/sceptercan/status/1275507062898860033
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
hef19898 5y ago
The US Army ones are single yandle, plastic versions. Same dimensions so from what I see on the picture, 30 litres. So yes, still, mostly, the same design. Obviously those plastic ones are cheaper then proper steel / metal ones. Ukraine, well, for sure they use different stuff. The western allies used jerry cans after North Africa, which continued with NATO. Ukraine is, for rather obvious reasons, using Warsaw pact spec gear.

dghughes 5y ago

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. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2bkHVIDjXS7sgrgjFtzOXQ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2bkHVIDjXS7sgrgjFtzOXQ

samatman 5y ago

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=TLPQMTkwMzIwMjIDLfDa2cG9Ag&index=5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwUkbGHFAhs&list=TLPQMTkwMzI...

ransom1538 5y ago

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. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003PGRR5W/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003PGRR5W/

zbrozek 5y ago
Man the inflation is real: https://camelcamelcamel.com/product/B003PGRR5W https://camelcamelcamel.com/product/B003PGRR5W
oceanplexian 5y ago
You can actually just buy the real thing on Amazon or eBay, but they’re labeled not for gasoline use in the USA due to environmental regulations (https://fee.org/articles/the-epic-failure-of-the-government-gas-can/ https://fee.org/articles/the-epic-failure-of-the-government-...). It was really important the EPA saved the planet from the world’s number one environmental threat… minuscule amount of gas vapors escaping fuel cans, thus they haven’t legal since 2009. I have 4 original NATO cans and have thrown them around, dropped them, had them slide around in the back of a truck and bang into things. They have never once leaked a single drop or stopped working.

throwawayffffas 5y ago

I just got why they are called jerry-cans.

lproven 5y ago

Since the site has gone down, here's Google's cache of the text: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:D38zJ4xn3-4J:https://www.hagerty.com/media/automotive-history/jerrycan-design-80-years-no-signs-retirement/&hl=en&gl=cz&strip=1&vwsrc=0 http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:D38zJ4x...

formerly_proven 5y ago

> Wehrmacht-Einheitskanister (Armed Forces Unit Canister) Einheit means standard here

tialaramex 5y ago
Hence, "Einheitspreis" was the codename for a bombing raid on, I think, Wolverhampton because Woolworths was initially a fixed price store (everything 5 cents) although modern Brits probably remember it as something rather different before it ceased to exist. World War II is about the last point where "clever" codenames are allowed before the burgeoning use of signals intelligence means everybody realises that you should pick codenames randomly so that the codename doesn't reveal anything and so you will get shouted out at if anybody can guess what your thing does from the name. It's also the last point where people who have three military units number them one, two and three, because it sure makes life harder for intelligence if your third tank group is named group twenty-six... Manhattan was a pretty good codename by modern standards, but Sea Lion is not very subtle at all, and Ultra is hardly subtle either (it is referring to being even more secret than Most Secret, even if you can't guess why the Ultra secret is so secret it's pretty obvious this is important)

Archelaos 5y ago

"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?

hef19898 5y ago
This guy was concerned with more details then was good for him, or anyone else involved. Accidentally, he also created one of the biggest traffic jams in the early days of the offensive against the Caucasus and Stalingrad.
usrusr 5y ago
Recent events suggest that if stuff like that isn't considered at the top, a hierarchy of yes-men won't fill that gap. Note that "made ... a priority" does not necessarily mean "got involved in actual decisions"
- Archelaos 5y ago
  > Note that "made ... a priority" does not necessarily mean "got involved in actual decisions" But it means, he and nobody else made ... a priority.
  - usrusr 5y ago
    Not really, because in a hierarchy like that, credit falls upwards to the highest level that didn't actively ignore the problem. Even if a leader just signs off a suggestion to prioritize it's still him making it a priority, not the person suggesting.
    - Archelaos 5y ago
      > if a leader just signs off a suggestion ... This is what I was asking for: whether there is evidence that he himself made a deliberate decision or at least consciously acknowledged it. Such details can be of importance. When Ernst von Weizsäcker was tried in the last Nuremberg trial, one of the most important pieces of evidence was a document countersigned by him on the deportation of French jews to Auschwitz. Without this evidence it would not have been possible to proof his knowledge. And even in the light of this evidence it was still debatable to what extent personal responsibility arose from this. The presiding judge wanted to acquit v. Weizsäcker, but was overruled by the other two judges.

senotrusov 5y ago

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.

everyone 5y ago

Calum just did a video on this a month ago... https://youtu.be/XwUkbGHFAhs https://youtu.be/XwUkbGHFAhs

NDizzle 5y ago

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.

wodenokoto 5y ago

As someone who had absolutely no idea what a jerrycan is, I found the Wikipedia article much more approachable: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerrycan https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerrycan

mschuster91 5y ago

German here. I had no idea that Americans call them "jerry cans" for what is likely a bungled "german cans"... thanks!

riffic 5y ago
yeah it's an antiquated slur.
hereforphone 5y ago
It's not bungled, it was an intentional, lightweight slur. Whoever downvoted you is ignorant. What were some slurs the Germans used for Americans in WW2?
- mywittyname 5y ago
  Yeah, long refused to use the term as it seems like a slur. Most people consider military jargon used for enemy combatants to be offensive in a civilian context.
- usrusr 5y ago
  Emphasis on "lightweight". My impression is that Americans in ww2 used up all their slurs and disrespect on the Japanese and acted towards Germans almost as if they ("we", I'm German) were civilised people, politely agreeing to disagree. Even American caricatures of Hitler himself seem strangely benign compared to those about ww1's Kaiser.

josefresco 5y ago

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 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.

jcadam 5y ago

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 :)

masklinn 5y ago
“original” jerrycans don’t have that distinction, because the purpose of the extra handles are even more so for water: carrying two empties in one hand doesn't change, but the ability to share one can between two people is even more useful when carrying 20L water (20kg) than 20L gasoline (15kg).
- jcadam 5y ago
  Wonder how many mix ups occurred before they added that additional safety factor :)

syngrog66 5y ago

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

yeetsfromhell 5y ago

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.

rflec028 5y ago

I wonder if they call it a "Jerry" can over in Germany...

heleninboodler 5y ago
It's called a "Wehrmacht-Einheitskanister" because the Germans aren't into the whole brevity thing.