Lightweight Foam Gas Bottle Mount by Svnty Offroad
Foam gas bottle mount holder by Svnty Offroad.
In this post we review the EVA foam gas bottle mount (holder) by Svnty Offroad manufactured here in Brisbane, Australia. This foam gas bottle mount (holder) is suitable for the Rhino Rack Pioneer Platform. We have been informed by Svnty Offroad though that this could work on mesh platform roof racks (if setup correctly), as well as in ute trays and the rear of a wagon. For setups other than the Rhino Rack Pioneer Platform, you probably want to check the specifications at the bottom of this post to double check sizes and determine how you would tie down the gas bottle.
If you take a gas BBQ or even a hot water system with you, you need to carry a gas bottle. We carry a gas bottle with us for our Weber Baby Q BBQ. The biggest issue we faced with this was trying to find a good solution for storing our gas bottle that was not going to cause any damage to our 4WD. There are a few storage options in the marketplace that are all made out of steel. As a result they are heavy and if mounting to your roof rack can cause damage. Fortunately Svnty Offroad came up with a great solution that we believe is the best storage option for a gas bottle on your roof rack. Let’s get into why we think this is the case and show you how it all works and why it is such a great option for storing your gas bottle.
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- Old Way in a Crate
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- New Way on the Roof
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- Weber Baby Q in DOT373
Steel Options
The more common options you have in the marketplace for storing or holding your gas bottle was either purchasing a large round steel gas bottle holder frame or the Rhino Rack option (for Rhino Rack setups). They typical round steel gas bottle holders are not just ugly, but they are heavy as there is a lot of steel that goes into making them. These types of mounts can cost upwards from $50 depending on the brand. The Rhino Rack option for the Pioneer Platform is more lightweight than the standard type steel gas bottle holder at around 1 kg but is not cheap at about $139.
All these previous options that you had for storing your gas bottle are all made out of steel and as a result will damage your Pioneer Platform and gas bottle. It doesn’t matter how tight you might have the mount and gas bottle fitted to your roof rack, driving along corrugations and bumpy tracks will still cause vibrations and movement to not only your mount but also your gas bottle. This over time will damage both your roof rack and gas bottle. The Rhino Rack option is lightweight at 1 kg but at $139 it is a fairly big investment to hold a gas bottle. The other steel frame options that you see on trailers and roof racks are far heavier, bulkier, look damn ugly and will definitely damage your roof rack over time.
This is where the Svnty Offroad foam gas bottle mount (holder) is such a good option as it is not made out of steel, won’t rust, won’t damage your roof rack or gas bottle and is super lightweight. When we say lightweight, we mean ridiculously lightweight coming in at 200 grams!
EVA Foam
What is EVA foam? EVA is the acronym for ethylene-vinyl acetate. It is also known as expanded rubber or foam rubber and has many uses in all sorts of products. It is used as a substitute in production for a range of other materials due to a number of benefits gained by using EVA foam over other materials especially in certain conditions. Here are the conditions and benefits of using EVA foam products:
- Impact absorption when experiencing high vibrations.
- High UV resistance for the hot Australian climate.
- Low water absorption with waterproof properties – no mould or mildew.
- High strength and tear resistance.
- Will not rust.
The Svnty Offroad foam gas bottle mount (holder) has been precision CNC cut out of EVA foam sheeting with an 85kg / M3 density. We have been lucky enough to see these EVA foam products by Svnty Offroad in production, check out the pictures below.
Foam Gas Bottle Mount
Impact & Vibration Absorption
As highlighted above, there are many benefits of using an EVA foam gas bottle mount (holder) over traditional steel ones. This includes the ability for the foam mount to be able to absorb vibrations when travelling along corrugations and / or bumpy tracks. Impact absorption means that your expensive Pioneer Platform and gas bottle will not get damaged from any movement or vibrations. For anyone that has driven along hundreds of kilometres of rough corrugated Australian roads, knows what serious vibrations feel like and what these can do to not only your 4WD but also your gear.
Because the foam gas bottle mount absorbs these vibrations and movements, the likelihood of your gas bottle coming loose is extremely low. If you compare this to using a steel mount or bracket, any vibrations will cause the steel to move in some way, this is guaranteed to happen. This will lead to damage to your roof rack, and with more vibrations increasing the chance of mounting bolts or even straps coming loose. This is the last thing that you want to happen while out and about exploring.
Overall, this one feature of the Svnty Offroad foam gas bottle mount is the best storage option as it significantly reduces the risk of something going horribly wrong.
Weather & Water Resistance
EVA foam also has high weather resistance properties. This means that the likelihood of damage with prolonged UV exposure is minimised. This is vital in Australia where the UV levels are extremely high. As a result the foam gas bottle mount should not experience cracking as you would see with other materials like rubber.
Water resistance or the repelling properties of EVA foam make this another great material as you don’t need to worry about water exposure to the mount on your roof rack. Therefore there is no risk of mould, mildew, rot or bacteria. This ensures that the gas bottle mount will last for a long period of time. When you compare this to steel options that will rust and corrode over time and will need to be replaced.
Foam Gas Bottle Mount Features
The Svnty Offroad foam gas bottle mount (holder) requires four eye bolts and two short tie down straps in order to secure your gas bottle safely. The corners of the foam mount have been recessed in to allow space for the four eye bolts. The spacing has been made to fit perfectly between two of the channels on the Rhino Rack Pioneer Platform. However Svnty Offroad have confirmed that you could still use this foam mount on standard mesh roof racks as well. There is also the option to use this foam mount in backs of ute trays or even the back of a wagon, you will just need to work out how you strap the gas bottle down securely.
The foam insert has been precision CNC cut in the centre in order to fit a 4 kg gas bottle perfectly. We have tried our gas bottle mount with a couple of different size gas bottles and it has worked perfectly for both (you can see the pictures below confirming this). The internal dimensions allow for a gas bottle with a base ring diameter of 224mm – any standard gas bottle will fit. Once you place your gas bottle on the foam mount, and you have added your four eye bolts, you simply run two short straps through the top of the gas bottle and two of the eye bolts on each side. Tighten the straps and you are done, your gas bottle will be safe, secure and will not move.
Having the foam insert has ensured that we get no damage to our Pioneer Platform. Any vibrations, movement and rubbing have not caused any damage. Movement has also been reduced significantly due to the vibration absorption of the foam. We have tested this out on rough 4WD tracks, corrugations and general bitumen driving with no issues.
Another benefit is the weight of the product. This EVA foam gas bottle mount (holder), only weighs 200 grams. Compare this to other steel mount options and it is a massive benefit. Especially when weight is such a key factor when setting up your 4WD to ensure you are within GVM as well as just keeping your weight down for fuel consumption. A few kgs might not seem like much, but when you save a few kgs in lots of different areas it all starts to add up.
Securing the gas bottle to the foam mount only takes a couple of minutes, if that. Removing the gas bottle only takes a few seconds. We ensure we store the gas bottle on a section of our Pioneer Platform that is easy to access. So either at the rear, where we can stand on the rear bar and easily get access to it. Or on the side, where we can stand on the side steps of the Cruiser to get easy access. With the use of eye bolts, it is super easy to move around your roof rack when needing different storage options depending on what you are carrying.
Another great feature of this foam gas bottle mount is its overall size. As it is fairly small, when not in use it is super easy to store and pack away. If setting up camp somewhere, you can either put the foam mount into one of your drawers, or even just sit the gas bottle on top of it. When storing at home, we simply sit the gas bottle on top of the mount on one of our shelves in the shed. Easy access when we need to grab it when heading out for a day trip or weekend camp.
You will need to purchase, if you don’t already have these, four eye bolts, slot nuts and washers. Plus you will need two short straps for securing the gas bottle to your roof rack. If you after some black powder coated eye bolts, Svnty Offroad sell a kit of these that comes with four eye bolts, slot nuts and all the washers you need. With straps, we just use the shortest ones you can get from Bunnings, each strap is 25mm by 1 metre and they cost about $6 for a pair and work perfectly.
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- Black Eye Bolt Kit
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- Black Powder Coated Eye Bolt
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- Gas Bottle Foam Mount / Holder
Feature Summary
Here is a summary of the features of this Svnty Offroad foam gas bottle mount (holder) for the Rhino Rack Pioneer Platform:
- Australian made, in Brisbane.
- Safe roof rack mounting.
- Can be used on ute tray beds and in boots of wagons.
- Protects your roof rack from scratches and rub marks.
- Impervious to mildew, mould, rot and bacteria.
- Superior petrol, oils, chemical and grease resistance.
- High strength and tear resistance.
- High shock absorption and impact resistance – anti shock and vibration.
- No corrosion as per steel products.
- Super lightweight weighing only 200 grams.
- High UV resistance.
- Tested in Australia’s weather and outback road conditions.
- Costs $48 for the foam insert.
- You need four eye bolts, slot nuts and washers.
- You will also need two short tie down straps – we use 1 metre straps.
Foam Mount Specifications
These are the foam gas bottle mount specifications as provided by Svnty Offroad:
- Material: EVA foam 85kg /M3 density.
- Precision cut with CNC.
- External size: 280 x 280 x 40 MM (L X W X H).
- Internal size: 224 x 26 MM (W/D x H).
- Eye bolt provision / recesses: 230 x 230 MM (L X W).
- Base: 14MM thick.
- Weight: 200 grams.
Overall Verdict
To put it simply, we would only ever use this foam gas bottle mount on our Rhino Rack Pioneer Platform. For all the benefits we have discussed in this post, it is a no brainer for us. The Pioneer Platforms are a great product but are super expensive and as a result we will do what we can to ensure we protect it so that it lasts for a very long time. On top of all of the benefits it only costs $48, plus a few extra dollars for some eye bolts and a couple of straps. Overall this is not just a great option but a fairly inexpensive one when you compare it to the other products in the market.
For more information on the Svnty Offroad foam gas bottle mount then check it out on their new webstore here. This link is for the kit, you can also just get the foam mount if you don’t need all the fixing hardware here. If you want to see our review of the Svnty Offroad Maxtrax mount then check it out here. If you have any questions or comments about this foam gas bottle mount then please comment below this post and we will respond.
Use discount code 4WDADV for 10% off any Svnty Offroad products.
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Thanks for reading legends.
The thoughts of Peter.
