White Gas

I have a question about white gas... How long does it last in storage? The last backpacking trip I did was almost 2 years ago. I stored my white gas in my storage shed. There may even be some left in my MSR bottle as well, I'm not sure. Is there any chance it is still good? I am clueless about gas.

I don’t know which white gas you have but here’s something from Coleman’s sight: http://www.coleman.com/coleman/faq/faqreturn.asp?question=19
“An un-opened container of Coleman® Fuel stored in a dry area with no rapid extreme changes in temperature will remain viable for five to seven years. An opened container stored in the same area will remain viable for up to two years though will be at its best if used within a year.

Coleman® Propane Cylinders can be stored indefinitely in a dry area. The propane fuel inside the cylinder will not break down.”

-Barry

Although I would not recommend this, I have a Primus 71L. that had been in storage for well over 20 years with a nearly full tank. I think the last time it was used was when I was in Antarctica in 1968-69. About 3 years ago, I dug it out and, just out of curiosity, primed it and lit it. It worked as well as though it had had a fresh tank of gas.

I have some white gas I stored for 8 or 9 years and when I opened the can, it worked fine. It usually takes me about two years to go through a gallon. Again, after opening it, I don't experience any obvious problems even after a couple of years.

So, although there may be some breakdown of the distillates over time, it doesn't seem to be enough of a problem to make the gas not viable. YMMV.