Important - Mailing Stove fuel

imported
#1

I’m posting these from an email I received today. Anybody have suggestions. Post here. Thanks!!

My father is hiking the Appalachian trail. I am supposed to be sending their mail drops. The first two went off no problem. This time I got in the line of the most meanest employee at the United States Post Office. (Imagine that) He asked me what was in the box and I explained that it was supplies for my dad who was hiking the trail. He proceeded to open the box and find that there was rubbing alcohol in the bottom which of course is their cooking fuel. They refused to send it. What am I supposed to do? I don’t know who to ask and my dad is not supposed to call again until next week. Do you have any advice for me? I did not know who else to ask.
Thank you,
Larissa Grimes

ZipDrive

#2

Try again-- ask if you can perhaps send the rubbing alcohol HAZMAT, or in the very least send esbit tablets HAZMAT if you want to send some sort of fuel (a hiker can fashion an esbit stove using 3 tent stakes and some tin foil). Also, hikers can be resourceful and alcohol is not too hard to come by along the trail, so I think it will not be the end of the world if you send the box without the fuel. -Matt

Sweeper

#3

Has the PO been given permission to open packages at thier option? I thought they couldn’t do that unless they had probable cause and/or a drug sniffing dog was used.

Bushwhack

#4

Actually the post office has the right as a shipper to inspect the contents of any package they ship to ensure that they are not transporting hazzardous materials, bombs, etc. Most of the time they are too busy to check but occasionally they do. The rules about it are sort of complex about when and who can open or ask to be open a package, but they can ask you to do it, and refuse you if you fail to comply. On the other hand a police agency needs probable cause and/or a warant - and then they have to have a postal inspector open it for them.

At one time I was trained for shipment of hazzardous materials, and If I remember correctly you can ship alcohol by ground as long as it is a small quantity, it is package correctly, and is marked. Then it is legal for shipment, but the Post office may also impose a rule about ground shipment only or such. But if I remember correctly you can ship denatured alcohol in the original container as long as you mark it with the appropriate hazzardous material stickers that you get from the post office.

SGT Rock

#5

Sorry, I had this problem in 1999 before all the latest national security issues. Impossible to ship especially by air. You MIghtbe able to get it shipped by a ground express company.Or arrange for a local shuttle driver or hostel manager. Explain the situation to person calmly and you might have some luck.POST,Fedex,UPS are all off limets. Taxi and livary drivers may be the way to go good luck.

Wyoming Skateboarder

#6

FYI - REI sends gas cartridges by UPS. So, I guess that must be OK.

Old Man

#7

Alcohol of various types is freely available at towns and outfitters along the trail. Hardware stores, pharmacies and grocery stores all carry it, in one sort or another. Also most hostels, many motels, and even WalMarts sell it. (Coleman fuel is probably a bit harder to get, but still plenty available.)
UPS and others should be able to ship it as a HAZMAT material.
I wouldn’t bother with the USPS, especially since 9/11.

FYI:
wood/denatured alcohol = methyl alcohol (or methanol)
liquor/moonshine = ethyl alcohol (or ethanol)
rubbing alcohol = isopropyl alcohol (or isopropanol)

Get as close to 100% alcohol as you can, if you want to use it for cooking/burning.

Scamp