Swap'n'go, or own your own?

I would've thought that so long as the bottle is in 'test' there shouldn't be a problem.

Hard to imagine that the Swap'n'go people could avoid testing their bottles - hence they should be safe.

Only consideration might be that you don't know what the bottle has been used for in the past, where it has been and what stresses and strains it has been exposed to.

My family and I traveled for 4 months and had no trouble filling our bottles. Most caravan parks have refill stations.

I think there is a lot of misinformation getting around regarding swap'n'go and the derivatives... I have had difficulty getting them filled and have been shown information regarding fillers being liable for a fine for doing so... We had a fella on here who worked for Swap'n'Go and he discounted this and offered up quite a bit of useful information... Just can't remenber his name off hand, search should reveal it but I guess it comes down to how much reading you want to do... I think(could be wrong, I usually am... ;-p) Swap'n'Go have a supplier list on their website.

Main reason I avoid 'Swap and Go' (that is a brand name; there are a number of companies with the same business model), is it costs more.

I can fill at the local camping store for about 20% less than with swap and go.

They will tell you that it is a safety issue why service stations are getting out of filling bottles. Main reason is staff reduction. Many service stations run with one or two operators on duty at a time. Can't be serving customers and watching security while out filling a bottle.

I think it is a good and simple business model. I congratulate Swap and Go (and others) for their 'innovation', but as long as there is a place available to fill and it is cheaper; that's what I'll do.

Matt,

Soner or later you will have to look at swap n' go. But there are other players now entering the market. I recently changed a 9kg bottle at Bunnings. The price to fill was only .50 cents cheaper than to swap. The price I paid for the swap was $22.50.

I had previously paid $20 or there abouts to fill.

The other advantage is you always get a tested bottle so atleast if there is an incident you may have someone else to blame!!

Cheers,
Lyndon.
Immaculate Discovery Td5

I too have found it harder these days to get bottles filled..
Bunnings does it here in Melb, but apparently not for long - even though they sell em!

Went to Big W for a stir one day, asked the pimple headed 12 yr old 'camping expert' where to get bottles filled. His answer was "ANY SERVO".

Told him I'd give him $100 if he could go to any of the 7 servos on the main stretch where we live there and then and get one filled - NOT swapped... he declined but swore blind you could. I asked about return for 100% refund if I could not get it filled at any of the shops, he again declined, not that I think he would have had much choice. Its Big W FFS, you can take anything back! Broken camping chairs are a speciality!

I travelled for 3 months and when my 1st 4kg bottle expired (out of gas and out of date) I tried to get hold of a swap'n'go but I couldn't find a 4/3.5kg bottle anywhere. Lots of 9kg though.

As I had a second bottle already I wasn't checking every single servo, but still popped into enough to frustrate me into buying one.

Matt.

In my experience, Swap and Go is more expensive than refilling your own. Hang onto yourown bottles, partuicularly if you know they are in good condition have no leaks, etc. I did a swap recently ended up with a leaky valve and had to fight tooth and nail to get some bastard to replace it with a non leaky bottle.

I am also finding that the swap and go outlets have all dropped the volume of their bottes, but not the price.

I've never had a problem finding a refiller. The most honest refiller I found was in the servo at Birdsville. Weighed the bottle before and after and only charged me for the gas put in.

Lisa

Matt,

I get mine refilled most of the time. But have used the swap n go system allways check the date on your bottle and the swap. I have swaped a bottle nearly out of date for one with a long date no questions no extra charge, and also swaped an out of date bottle for one in date for an extra charge but less than buying a new bottle and getting it refilled.
hope this helps, ALLWAYS CHECK THE DATE

Scott

Matt,

I have found the swap and go bottles the way to go. Simple and quick.
The bottles are checked before they are filled, they would have to be. Could you imagine what would happen if there were bottles out there that were not safe.
I always have 2 x 9kg bottles on the roof rack when I go away. I can't afford to run out of gas. When one bottle is empty, and I mean completely empty then it gets swapped.
I have jet to come across some one that will weight a bottle and charge for the gas you use.

It may cost a little more but I don't always get the gas bottles from the same place every time. The gas bottle I got from Penrith was swapped in Jindabyne. That bottle will probably get swapped in Alice Springs.

Wayne

swap n go costs more but convenient and available, lots of servos stopping cos only 1 staff on etc.

However you can still get a swap n go filled yourself

Ron

Hi Matt, I have two 9kg cylinders on the front of my 4x4 trailer, I have one in the upright position and one inverted. I use the upright one to run my hillbilly camp oven and my two burner stove and the inverted one to decant into two 1.5kg cylinders to run my LPG mantle lights and my two burner stove. A refill of a 2kg cylinders is about $12 so its worthwhile to decant into smaller cylinders. Australian made 9kg bottles at $39 each from Kmart, no need to have them checked, just replace them after 10 years. I have my bottles filled in Sydney at $18 each. Two 9kg bottles is more than enough gas for the longest trip.. Michael

Thanks for all the advice. The two bottles I have are in very good nick, so I guess I will keep them and try to refill them where we can. The swap'n'go I use for my home BBQ is fine, but I know that the local garage is just up the road. Not always the case when travelling.

Thanks again,

Matt.

One thing about "swap and go" bottles noted on some of the caravan forums is that some of the bottles are of a slightly different size to what the retaining clamps are on the caravan "A" frames and some vanners complained the bottles either wouldn't fit the clamps or the amount of thread adjustment on the clamps was insufficient to hold the bottles in place. It was quite easy to swap the offending bottles for one the correct size but was annoying in having to take the gas bottle back.
Regards Andrew.

Matt M

Like LYDS I do not think you can get 4kg bottles "Swap and Go" only 9Kg at this stage.
We should also be aware that some of the S&G bottles are marked Eight(8) Kg not the original 9.
eerfree