Let’s get this out of the way first: if you’re buying your gasoline on Craigslist, maybe you’ve been making some decisions in your life that are worth re-evaluating. I’m not saying this is a universal, just a sign that’s perhaps worth looking at. What’s also worth looking at is this particular Craigslist ad from Denver, where you could buy 33 gallons of “old but goodish” gasoline! In bags!
Yes, bags. It’s the bags that are the real punctum of this ad, because the existence of gasoline in bags is always something that brings up questions, so many complicated questions. Questions like, why the hell is this gasoline in bags? How did it get into these bags? Who thought this was a good idea?
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Here, look at these gas-bags:
Based on that picture, maybe there should be some written assurance that you’re not looking at bags of urine, too.
So that’s three bags of 11 gallons each. The seller notes the gas is premium, 93 octane, so that means, based on Denver gasoline prices, we’re looking at about $122.20 worth of gas! That’s a pretty good deal, for free gas! Well, again, free “old but goodish” gas, which itself brings up all kinds of questions.
Questions like, was this person just storing 11-gallon bags of gas in their house or garage somewhere? Jammed behind the hot water heater, maybe? In the living room, using them as additional seating?
Are those bags just zip-tied shut? Are they even double-bagged? I don’t think so.
Also, how did Waste Management goof up here? Maybe they didn’t want to take huge bags of gasoline?
So, so many questions. And gotten to the most interesting question here: what the fuck are you supposed to do with these bags, should you decide to toss them, sloshily, into your hatchback? Most places that make the peculiar choice to distribute liquids in unstructured plastic bags rely on some kind of extra, more substantial support structure to decant that liquid.
Take the Canadians and their weird love of bagged milk:
See what’s happening there? You need that plastic pitcher to handle that floppy milk bag. Otherwise it’d be like you’re trying to get a shaved badger to vomit badger milk into a bowl.
But an 11-gallon plastic bag of gasoline? How the hell are you going to get that into your car’s fuel tank, should you acquire these bags? I guess you could put a big funnel in your fuel filler, then wrap your arms around one of those bags, and, what, cut off a corner, like a Montreal milk bag?
Then where would you be – wrestling that big sloppy bag of gasoline, desperately trying to point that pulsing stream of gas –which, I imagine, must resemble the urine stream of a healthy adult rhino – into the funnel, where maybe, what, half a gallon out of the 11 actually makes it in? Have you ever tried holding a big bag of liquid like that? Or even a smaller bag? It’s like wrestling a jellyfish.
Maybe you could wet-dry vac the gasoline out and into a more suitable vessel, if you’re comfortable running a possibly sparky electric motor around a blob-shaped mass of gasoline constrained by a thin plastic membrane, which maybe you shouldn’t be.
I’m so baffled by all of this. I reached out to the seller to get some background or more information or even an exciting possible lie, so I’ll update if I get a response.
There’s also just something so funny about substances or objects in unexpected containers. A basket of mustard. A can of shrimp cocktail. A satchel of chili. A pitcher of meatballs. A can of hoagies. You get it.
If there’s an answer that makes me think, ohhh, that makes sense, I’m going to be very excited.
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Everyone knows shrimp cocktail belongs in an EV Frunk
Not that this whole situation needs even more reason for astonishment, but it is worth noting that gasoline weighs around 7 pounds per gallon, so these flimsy plastic bags of high vapor pressure flammable solvent also weigh just shy of 80 pounds each.
I don’t know if you invented the adverb ‘sloshily’, Jason, but you certainly just popularized it, and for that I salute you!
Hmmm. . .so how does one get the gasoline into the bags without making a mess?
Just saying, these bags of milk are not exclusive to Canada. Or weren’t. We had them in Germany, both East and West. We had some of these hard plastic pitchers in this house, but I think we disposed of them at some point.
This reminds me of an Always Sunny in Philadelphia episode when Dennis, Charlie, and Mac went around town selling gas stored in trash cans.
“We’re just a couple oil men, in from Dallas, and well, we’re a’ itchin’ like a hound to give you a’ sommin you want.”
The Gang Solves The Gas Crisis is one of my favorite episodes! I too thought exactly of that when seeing the article!
Wildcard, bitches! YEEEHAW!!!!”
Craigslist Tags: “hazardous material,” “arson,” “insane”
You’d have to swing by with a very large portable gas container. I looked them up online, you can apparently get a 52 gallon portable gas container on Amazon (of course) made by the brand….King Chao Foo
Or just a large trash can.
No thanks. If I want a bag of gas I’ll go to Taco Bell.
Now I’m craving a pitcher of meatballs with a side basket of mustard for dinner. Thanks, Torch…
Also, I feel sandwich bags of salsa from taquerias needs to be up there with bags of milk. First time you get one as a gringo you are so confused….
“It’s like wrestling a jellyfish.”
New Autopian idea:
Jellyfish Wrestling
“AND IN THIS CORNER…”
“LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE!”
Hey! Canadian geniuses are putting milk in bags. As a New Yorker with family in and around Kingston, Ont that spent significant amounts of time in Canada as a kid I can tell you first hand that bags of milk are the bomb. Must less plastic waste. I wish we would bring that to the USA.
“How much to ship to New Jersey?”
I wonder how long it took to turn in this article. I can picture DT dropping hint after very pointed hint as Torch puts the finishing touches on the list of substances or objects in unexpected containers. Definitely worth it to end on “can of hoagies.”
Probably the same person that drilled my cousin’s GX460 gas tank, broad daylight right in his driveway in Denver last spring.
“Montreal Milk Bag” is now my new favourite insult.
All we need now is a sketchy van, an oil tycoon, and a fire breather to sell gas door to door.
Wild card b*tches! Yeee-hawwwwwww
I would 100% use that in my lawn mower.
No, you would get <10% into your lawn mower. The rest would be on the lawn mower.
Hard to believe that’s 93 octane. Premium in Colorado is 91. Did he bring it to CO from somewhere else? The mystery just gets bigger.
Serious question, anyone know how long 93 is actually good for? I know the shelf life is generally fairly short, but in a sealed container does it every actually go so bad it won’t burn?
I don’t know what’s in Sta-bil, but if you put the recommended amount in a red gas jug it’ll still be good months and months later. Used to use it for left over 87 we’d buy for like the tractor and snow blower back in the day.
Depends on the gas
Grab bags of gas, place on ground far from house/garage, cover with yard waste (branches, dried leaves, off cuts of wood, etc.), light on July 4th. Stand away and wait…
Better yet, you place an artillery shell beneath the bag and light that off. It vaporizes the gas and then you get the big mushroom cloud. People around here do that on the 4th by the sandpit lakes. They electronically detonate the explosive under the bag so it’s slightly safer.
Please tell me where you live so I can never go there.
Please tell me where you live so I can
nevergo there.Fixed it…
Finally a similarly sketchy way to gas up that sketchy Twingo from yesterday 🙂