A new mess kit choices...update.

[TarHeelBrit]

Listen up and listen good, lifes too short to be forced to make decisions like this on kit. Buy both and be done with i bet there is not a person on this forum with one of everything... i think my stove count is up to 19

btw do you have a link to Russian kit where to buy?

Very true, I have more stoves than mess kits, at the moment at least. I'm pretty sure that I will end up getting both. It's just I'm trying not have so much kit here that it becomes a pain when we move. I felt guilty when we moved from the US so I gave away a fair bit of kit. International freight is damned expensive, at least in country it won't be as bad.

Here's where I found the VDV cheapest.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Soviet-Ru...3685?hash=item2107e7d1 55:g:b1oAAOSw5dNWhyjB

Just to complicate matters I was wandering the net and put "mess kit" in a search. One that came up was a British WWI mess kit. 25.00GBP or with the cotton cover 35.00GBP.

I'm my own worse enemy.



[video=youtube;g1CsXrSJNUE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1CsXrSJNUE[/video]

 

[spiritwalker]

Love the video although he looks too clean

 

[TarHeelBrit]

Agreed, he's way to clean for the trenches.

 

[topknot]

I have a VDV one top bit of kit, have a look around before you buy one some are better than others.

Topknot

 

[TarHeelBrit]

Noticed that. Some come without the canvas pouch or have a plastic canteen.

 

[forrestdweller]

Cheap aluminium pots are usually "raw" aluminium, so the surface can easily react, particularly with acidic foods such as tomatoes. This not true of hard anodized aluminium, which is very much less reactive, and stick resistant (definitely not truly non-stick) .You should check if equipment is hard anodized if you will be cooking rather than just boiling water.

the messkit I was issued was made of cheap raw aluminium--I guess anodized aluminium is considered too expensive for an (infantry) soldier in certain central european country.....our potatoes came in bags labelled "" for pigs and army(only)""......( mind you I did not volunteer to go there!)

once of the reasons I avoid aluminium.....

 

[TarHeelBrit]

Cheap aluminium pots are usually "raw" aluminium, so the surface can easily react, particularly with acidic foods such as tomatoes. This not true of hard anodized aluminium, which is very much less reactive, and stick resistant (definitely not truly non-stick) .You should check if equipment is hard anodized if you will be cooking rather than just boiling water.

Is there a way to tell the difference? My British Army mess tins (current issue, I think, from TOC) have had canned ravioli, meatballs spagbol etc all in tomato sauce in them and haven't showed any reaction or staining.

 

[santaman2000]

Is there a way to tell the difference? My British Army mess tins (current issue, I think, from TOC) have had canned ravioli, meatballs spagbol etc all in tomato sauce in them and haven't showed any reaction or staining.

Anodized aluminum is black.

 

[forrestdweller]

Anodized aluminum is black.

sorry that I ask....: how can you tell if its anodized or just painted black?! and could it be anodized in another colour (like blue or red) as well?!

 

[TarHeelBrit]

Anodized aluminum is black.

Really? now that I did not know. Thanks mate.

 

[MongooseDownUnder]

You can actually anodise aluminium in any colour, it can even be done at home.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[santaman2000]

sorry that I ask....: how can you tell if its anodized or just painted black?! and could it be anodized in another colour (like blue or red) as well?!

Yes, it can be anodized in other colors (think of the various colors of Maglites; they're all anodized) but I've never seen cookware any other color. Without knowing for sure I assume the colored ones require something in addition that might not be food safe. Paint is paint; anodize is an electrical process.

 

[santaman2000]

You can actually anodise aluminium in any colour, it can even be done at home.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah you can anodize at home. A bit messy with the acids though

 

[forrestdweller]

Yeah you can anodize at home. A bit messy with the acids though

I doubt im going to do that myself....
as already stated: I avoid aluminium for cookware wherever I can! but I'm tinkering with the idea of storing small items in my edc bag inside a container which could double up as EMERGENCY "" pot""--- it would have to be nonmagnetic because of my compass.....