What’s a Scrunnel?

The simple things in life are often the best.

There’s a whole lot of great new accessories being built, released and for sale in the 4X4 world these days – and it’s mighty exciting to be a part of!

Often though, simple things that make your life easier are the ones that add the most joy. Enter the Scrunnel.

I came across a video late last year demonstrating a funnel – pretty bland right? Not in this case. You see this was a funnel that you didn’t need to hold in your fuel tank filler neck. It screws in tight to the filler neck, acting almost like an extension rather than something you jam in to allow you to pour fuel in to. A screw-in-funnel? You mean The Scrunnel!

20 Litres Poured in One Minute

A single plastic moulded piece with a locking nut, The Scrunnel means you have both of your hands free to focus on manoeuvring a jerry can without spillage or strain. Yes, I know most jerry cans come with the attachable flexible hose. I don’t know about you, but I find those a little painful – sure I’ll use it if I don’t have anything else, but it’s like balancing a kid in your hands whilst eating a pie – it’s going to end in some sort of mishap.

Speaking to Newts, the owner and inventor, he walked me through the history of the unit and the R&D that went into pulling it together which was impressive in itself. I decided to put it to the test and was instantly impressed with how light but strong it was. Where with a traditional funnel you’d be worried about it flexing, moving, or falling out and having to anticipate which way it’s going to go, the Scrunnel sits tight when it's locked in place.

The Scrunnel Locks Into Your Fuel Filler Neck

The thing that really got me was the pour rate – the neck is smooth unlike some funnels that are designed to have some flex, but the design allowed the funnel to take a huge volume of fuel incredibly quickly. In fact, I was able to pour an entire 20 litres in a skerrick under a minute. Now I did get some light splashing, but nothing like missing the top of a traditional funnel and having a few hundred millilitres down your paintwork. I have also since been told that if you hold the jerry in a certain way, you get a consistent flow – a rookie error unfortunately.

The Scrunnel will work with diesel or unleaded fuels (unleaded attachment insert for unleaded vehicles available soon) and the word on the street is they will soon be releasing one that can be used to fill water tanks in caravans!

It’s always nice to support Aussie ingenuity and manufacturing, especially a piece that’s been developed by an ex-serviceman. At a sticker price of only $35 I reckon everyone should have one of these in their kit!