Denatured Alcohol Banned in California - Backpacking Light (2024)

Apr 27, 2020 at 4:46 pm#3643447

David Gardner

BPL Member

@gearmaker

Locale: Northern California

Maybe it was mentioned here on BPL and I missed it – wouldn’t be the first time – but I just got back from my hardware store after trying to buy a gallon of denatured alcohol. Didn’t see it on the shelves, or even any labels on the shelves, so I asked and was told it has been banned in CA effective 1/1/2019! Can’t get any ethanol here over 75% pure either. Damn.

Guess I’ll be taking a detour through Oregon or Nevada on my way to my next backpacking trip….

Apr 27, 2020 at 5:58 pm#3643466

Ken Thompson

BPL Member

@here

Locale: Right there

Back to canisters for me now as I’m saving what I have left for shellacking

Apr 27, 2020 at 6:09 pm#3643468

Bob Shuff

BPL Member

@slbear

Locale: SoCal

I don’t think this effects Heet sales, and maybe someone will re-market the paint stsripper as marine stove fuel (I thought I heard that somewhere). I’ve also heard about something called Culinary Solvent, which is non-denatured ethanol, essentially Everclear, which is also banned in CA. I’m sure this would be expensive compared to the stuff you used to get at Home Depot. Next time I venture out of state I may get a bottle of everclear and try that.

Apr 27, 2020 at 7:16 pm#3643494

Denatured Alcohol Banned in California - Backpacking Light (4)Anonymous

Inactive

sigh. Why do I keep living here.

Apr 27, 2020 at 8:10 pm#3643518

Ken Thompson

BPL Member

@here

Locale: Right there

Was so cheap by the gallon.

Apr 27, 2020 at 8:16 pm#3643520

David Gardner

BPL Member

@gearmaker

Locale: Northern California

I have always supported California’s environmental standards but I’m having a hard time with this one. Supposedly banned because of VOC’s, but what we use instead – butane, propane, white gas, kerosene, etc. – are full of VOC’s too and no one’s banning them. Double damn!

Apr 27, 2020 at 8:19 pm#3643522

Apr 27, 2020 at 8:46 pm#3643529

Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear

BPL Member

@jonfong

Locale: FLAT CAT GEAR

David,

Hone Depot use time have racks of this stuff and people generally use it as a solvent. In Southern California it was heavily regulated in Industry due to VOC by AQMD (?). Writing in the wall. I’ll have to see if REI still carries DA. If not, it’s a road trip to Nevada.

Apr 27, 2020 at 9:05 pm#3643534

W I S N E R !

Spectator

@xnomanx

Damn…I ran out this weekend…

Apr 27, 2020 at 9:11 pm#3643535

Paul S

BPL Member

@commonloon

You can still get “Klean-Strip Green” via that big online retailer w/ the name beginning w/ A, shipped to CA. It has less of the bad bits. Not as cheap as it should be but…

Apr 27, 2020 at 10:11 pm#3643542

David Thomas

BPL Member

@davidinkenai

Locale: North Woods. Far North.

Our backpacking use of denatured alcohol is a de minimis use. Mostly, it is used as a solvent and there are aqueous options that work as well with far fewer emissions.

Will there be an underground market for NV or OR denatured alcohol? Sure. Will it effect our costs to backpack? Not much at all. Pennies per mile, if that?

And HEET? which is sold to be combusted in your car’s engine? I expect that will continue to be available.

Apr 27, 2020 at 10:56 pm#3643552

David Gardner

BPL Member

@gearmaker

Locale: Northern California

Citing the 5th Amendment, I can’t say that I might be testing virtual availability

Apr 28, 2020 at 3:34 am#3643562

Nick Gatel

BPL Member

@ngatel

Locale: Southern California

and maybe someone will re-market the paint stsripper as marine stove fuel (I thought I heard that somewhere).

Nah, a lot was already marketed as just fuel.

Denatured Alcohol Banned in California - Backpacking Light (14)

REI no longer sells it either — even online.

In addition to the ban on alcohol stove fuel, we can no longer buy mineral spirits here in The People’s Republic of California either. A lot of people dilute silicone with mineral spirits to seal the seams on shelters using a brush. I use mineral spirits for a lot of things around the house, especially during our just completed 4-year remodel.

We can no longer buy methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) solvent here anymore, which I use as a two part process for repairing or attaching things on my inflatable boat, such as this number plate I installed a couple months ago

Denatured Alcohol Banned in California - Backpacking Light (15)

The next boat task was to refinish the paint on the boat’s floorboards. First problem was paint removers that are legal in Cali don’t remove paint.Deciding a quality bilge paint would work best (after the paint was removed and the marine plywood sanded) which would require thinning the paint to apply several coats, I found neither the paint nor the thinner is allowed in the sunshine state. Readily available in Nevada though.

Last month I installed mud guards on our new truck. The mud guards came with 3M adhesive film. The film is applied to the outer edge of the fender where the guard will fit against the metal.

Denatured Alcohol Banned in California - Backpacking Light (16)

The printed instructions recommend cleaning the fender to remove any grime or wax, and only two cleaners are recommended to do this: 3M Brand Adhesive Cleaner or DuPont Prep-Sol Brand Solvent Cleaner, because these two products work best. But in California products that work best always seem to be banned. As are these two.

We camp several times a year in southern Nevada — probably average a couple months a year, and I backpack there often too. So if I need things that work, I go there. Denatured alcohol is on my shopping list, as I am down to less than a quart left. Plus gasoline is cheaper, sales tax is less, and you don’t have to pay an extra 10 cents to get a bag to carry out your purchases.

Apr 28, 2020 at 11:07 am#3643632

David Gardner

BPL Member

@gearmaker

Locale: Northern California

I need to remember when I’m in OR or NV to pick up some ammo that isn’t the expensive pure copper that is required now in CA also.

Apr 28, 2020 at 11:19 am#3643636

W I S N E R !

Spectator

@xnomanx

Yeah, that’s illegal as a CA resident…

Apr 28, 2020 at 11:28 am#3643641

David Gardner

BPL Member

@gearmaker

Locale: Northern California

I know

Apr 28, 2020 at 11:39 am#3643646

W I S N E R !

Spectator

@xnomanx

Ah, living on the edge… ; )

Apr 28, 2020 at 11:54 am#3643651

W I S N E R !

Spectator

@xnomanx

I guess it’s HEET for me…never tried it.

“…Plus gasoline is cheaper, sales tax is less, and you don’t have to pay an extra 10 cents to get a bag to carry out your purchases….”

Yes, but more importantly, the surf sucks.

Apr 28, 2020 at 11:55 am#3643652

Ralph Burgess

BPL Member

@ralphbge

I don’t know if this ban is sensible, but it’s hard to take anything California does seriously when you see so many ridiculous Prop 65 warnings. It completely undermines their credibility.

Apr 28, 2020 at 12:18 pm#3643656

Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear

BPL Member

@jonfong

Locale: FLAT CAT GEAR

David,

You really want to go back to lead bullets? Just saying

Apr 28, 2020 at 12:27 pm#3643672

David Gardner

BPL Member

@gearmaker

Locale: Northern California

Jon,

Only for range use, where the lead is gathered and recycled. If I hunt I’ll use the pure copper bullets so there’s no risk of the lead getting out into the environment.

Apr 28, 2020 at 3:20 pm#3643727

David Thomas

BPL Member

@davidinkenai

Locale: North Woods. Far North.

I know lead bullets were banned for all hunting (final phase in 2019), but can’t you buy lead bullets for use at the range? I looked online at Cabela’s and it seems Bass ProShops is selling traditional FMJ ammo in rimfire and centerfire out of CA stores.

Apr 28, 2020 at 3:35 pm#3643731

W I S N E R !

Spectator

@xnomanx

It’s been banned for hunting for some time, but CA is in the process of potentially banning all lead ammo use, on the range or otherwise.

AB-3071: Lead ammunition, shooting ranges.

Apr 28, 2020 at 4:04 pm#3643738

bradmacmt

BPL Member

@bradmacmt

Locale: montana

What a fugged up state…

Apr 28, 2020 at 5:15 pm#3643768

Nick Gatel

BPL Member

@ngatel

Locale: Southern California

Yes, but more importantly, the surf sucks.

We’ll a while back I saw someone suggesting a water park at Lake Mead Recreational Area complete with a wave making machine. Will the NPS go for it? We’ll they’ve installed Wi-Fi in all the campgrounds…

Denatured Alcohol Banned in California - Backpacking Light (2024)
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