Kettles....why?

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Lister

Settler
Apr 3, 2012
992
1
37
Runcorn, Cheshire
If I'm hiking on my own i make do with hexivision and a crusader mug, if I'm running a CP for a group hike then the Kelly comes along, If i'm hammocking in a place that doesn't allow groundfire then the base of the Kelly comes along
 

Karl82

Full Member
Oct 15, 2010
1,707
12
Leicester
Should this not be under Kit Chatter ? i use a kettle as you can brew up while cooking in your pot or brew up while your mate is cooking in his pot.
 
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demographic

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Apr 15, 2005
4,694
711
-------------
Are you the type that bungs a tea bag in a mug at home? Utterly barbaric practise, just because one is 'roughing' it does not mean one should lower ones standards Andy.....where will it all end? We already have one or two seemingly sensible members here using 'sporks' good gosh alive the whole country is going down the pan.

Meh, I use my titanium spork to pull my teabag out of my insulated mug. I use hot water from my flask to make the tea.

That's when I'm at work admittedly but is it barbaric enough for you or should I mention that I put powdered milk into it as well?;)
 

Home Guard

Forager
Dec 13, 2010
229
0
North Walsham, Nelson's County.
I've never used a kettle over a fire, but always use it over a trangia or gas cooker.

To me, kettles seem like a safe, clean and efficient way of boiling/treating water. Although as mentioned before, they're bulky and hence why I never use one when bushcrafting, only camping. :)

There are some pretty cool kettles available though, the traditional british army ones are well cheap and said to be almost indestructable. :)
 

tamoko

Full Member
Jun 28, 2009
281
16
Zuerich
bushcraftru.com
Why?
For me Tea Kettles, like kuksa, not really necessary but make good feeling.
With mug only, like army or survival think.

Most important gear for Siberian Tungus Hunter "1912".
Rifle, Ax and Tea Kettles.
1912TungusHunter07.jpg
 

rg598

Native
Now that tamoko posted the above picture, thinking back to my childhood, we used to use tea kettles a lot instead of pots. I think the reason was that whenever we went into the woods, we never cooked food, certainly not in the way we do today. No one ever brought dehydrated anything, not even rice or beans. The food was always bread, unions, and maybe something in a can. The kettle was just used to heat up water.
 

Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,186
1,557
Cumbria
Check out GSI Outdoors Ketalist kit. There are some who take a kettle like that one to cook food as well as boil up for a brew. Mind you, most who use the ketalist are likely to be dehydrated food eating ultralighters. I believe kettles like this one have a following in USA among those doing the likes of the Triple Crown trails. You can even cook proper one pot meals in kettles too you know but unless the opening is wide enough cleaning is an issue. Some are actually supposed to be more efficient with boiling water than pots with lids. Since most lids I've seen used leak as they are not that close fitting I can see where a kettle lid can be an advantage. I use a pot BTW never used a kettle until a week ago on a family camp on a site on a two ring stove with a grill.
 

ReamviThantos

Native
Jun 13, 2010
1,309
0
Bury St. Edmunds
I used to agree that a kettle was superflous, however i recently purchased an MSR 1 L kettle for our recent meet and am now a convert to the kettle cause, boils quicker, you can boil water whilst using billy can for other uses and you can cook in it. Also as has been said above it just feels a little bit more civilised.
 

Greg

Full Member
Jul 16, 2006
4,335
259
Pembrokeshire
Now I know that many are very fond of their kettles (and some I know are particularly fond of their Eagle kettles from Norway..).

And far be it for me to criticise anyone loving their shinies, or packing unnecessary stuff!

However, I do wonder why there is this love for kettles. It is a sole purpose piece of kit - ie boiling water. A pan with a lid is just as efficient, and has other uses besides. (a preliminary list would include bowl to eat out of, mixing bowl, cooking pot, using the lid as a cutting surface/plate, makeshift oven etc etc etc)

Can someone explain it to me?

I have a 4pt SS Billy Kettle that can do everything you have said your standard billy does but I can pour the water alot easier and safer especially when my Son is doing it.
It goes everywhere with me!
 

Squidders

Full Member
Aug 3, 2004
3,853
15
48
Harrow, Middlesex
It is a sole purpose piece of kit

Must all kit have many uses? Aside from being a container for boiling water, a kettle is just as useful as a rain collector and a safe place to transport things in your pack so don't let a lack of imagination limit you :p

All the uses I can think of for my boots, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, gloves, torch, matches, first aid equipment, and a great many other things really stop them from being used for their original function. I just don't see types of uses fitting in anywhere in my kit selection.

I use this process:

1. Is the object useful?
2. Can I carry the item without getting annoyed with it?

From experience, it is of great benefit to have two containers that you can use for water. Especially when you need one "dirty" container for collecting and boiling suspect water and one for actually doing stuff with after. The fact that a kettle has a nozzle and a handle at the top is useful.

As for packing unnecessary stuff... bushcraft should not restrict you to what you need to survive, good bushcraft goes beyond the simple continuation of life and provides for comfort and relaxation. You should take a kettle with you and make a very civilised drink in the woods, it far outweighs the few g placed in your pack.
 
Depends on what I'm doing...

I have an Outwell SS kettle which comes with me on anything more than an overnighter. It always sits above the fire at varying heights and is always topped up for when I want a quick, base camp, brew, a shave or to dilute a stew going on the cook pots (Tatonka "kettles" mostly). I love the bomb- proofness and pour-ability of the thing, that and the fact that it comes to the boil quicker and, more importantly, retains the water temperature for longer, means that it will always find a place in my big rucksack.

That said - for overnighters it definitely stays at home!
 

Miyagi

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 6, 2008
2,298
5
South Queensferry
I take my wee Tesco kettle and two mugs with me, whether its a day bimble or an overnighter.

Boiling up in a can or zebra in a semi public area, to my mind, makes me look like a bit down at heel, desperate and on the run.

Boiling up in a gently steaming kettle looks much more civilised, pleasantly relaxed and inviting - hence the spare mug.


Liam
 

Imagedude

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Feb 24, 2011
2,004
46
Gwynedd
Why? Because they can only be used to boil water, therefore you will always have a water boiling vessel available. If you use a pot instead there is the serious danger that some lollygagger will sully it with food and you won't be able to make a brew without first cleaning the pot. The ability to make tea at short notice is what distinguishes us from the animals...
 

Cap'n Badger

Maker
Jul 18, 2006
884
5
Port o' Cardiff
I have a five and a half litre kettle for large meets and the moot...but normally take a Kelly wi me fer smaller groups. (Don't get out much by mesel anymore)....the Kelly's great for quick brew plus it means I don't need t take any fuel wi me and I cook on it.
 
We're a conservation group in Cardiff. Once upon a time, before anyone can remember, some bright fellow welded a pot stand to a bunsen burner.

Kettle.jpg


We did use the triple S storm kettle for about 3 years but then it started to leak water and let smoke into the water chamber.
The tea started tasting foul so we went back to the trusted gas burner.
 

Dave

Hill Dweller
Sep 17, 2003
6,019
9
Brigantia
I got one of these enamel jobbies. I like it. Think it was Rik who posted the link? they were cheap anyway. You can take out the coffee perculator and use it as a kettle.

blue_enamel_cofeepot.jpg


My Kelly kettle sprung a leak on the seam and is now useless
 

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