It was back in September 2010 when we discovered Clear View Propane Tanks. In a nutshell, Clear View Propane Tanks are translucent composite fiberglass propane tanks with a protective outer plastic casing. The major shift from holding and transporting propane in an old steel cylinder is that Clear View tanks are lighter weight, more portable, resistant to corrosion and explosion proof. In addition to all that, the best part about these propane tanks is that you can actually see the level of propane inside so you’ll never have to guess how much propane you have left.
Since Clear View Propane Tanks were new to the United States in 2010, a limited quantity was available and in limited sizes. We received numerous emails from people saying they loved the Clear View tanks but were hoping to get them in a more “tailgate friendly” size. The Clear View tanks available at that time were the full size cylinders that were comparable to the 20 lb. steel tanks you normally find at those propane exchanges. Tailgaters wanted something smaller, more compact and lighter than the full size but also wanted the benefits of being able to tell how much propane is left before needing to refill. The folks at Ragasco, the distributor of the Clear View Propane Tank brand, heard the tailgaters loud and clear. They recently introduced the smaller and even lighter 10 lb. tanks and we got one of the first tanks in order to review it.
As you can see by the above photo, the 10 lb. Clear View tank is shorter than the 20 lb. tank we reviewed over a year ago. Even though that is main difference, it makes a big difference to us tailgaters. The 10 lb. version is much lighter and allows for more room in your car. Honestly, the 20 lb. tank was great for the peace of mind of knowing that no matter how long you cooked in the parking lot you wouldn’t run out of fuel. The 10lb. little brother provides the same assurance. If you are cooking for such a long time that you are using up 10 pounds of propane at one tailgate, your grill must be cooking up a ton of food for a lot of people. Take a look at this video outlining the benefits of using the Clear View Propane Tank.
Seeing how we got ourselves a 10 lb. Clear View tank, we had to test it out. It performed just like the 20 lb. version that we still have from over a year ago but just in a smaller package. It was lighter and fit in the back of my SUV better taking up less room. I took it tailgating the previous weekend and used it to fire up the grill before a college baseball game. I enjoyed the peace of mind knowing that I was not going to run out mid-cook and also could see the level of propane inside as the grill was burning. I have a three year old boy and a five year old daughter who sometimes go tailgating with me. At that age they are eager to help with lots of things and the 10 lb. Clear View Tank was one of those items I had confidence was not too heavy for them to help take out and later pack away.
All in all, if you read the review from over a year ago of the 20 lb. Clear View Propane Tank, you would think they couldn’t have improved the product in my opinion. They did and by making it smaller yet still holding plenty of propane, they improved the product with us tailgaters in mind. We would highly recommend the 10 lb. Clear View Propane tank to any tailgater that prefers cooking with liquid propane gas while out in the parking lot.
The price on either the 10 lb. variety or the 20 lb. size is the same; $109 plus $10 flat rate shipping to within the continental United States. To get your own Clear View Propane Tank, click HERE.