Annoyed.

[Home Guard]

I really can't seem to find a decent Brew kit or cooking kit combination.
I started of many years ago using a little hexi stove with standard mess tins, and found this to be too primitive and really limited what I could cook to boil in the bag stuff. So I started using a Zebra billy can ontop, and this proved slightly better. But I'm not 100% sure on the hexy/esbit stove.

I then daddled in using my billy can above a fire, and this proved quite succesful when at a proper camp, otherwise it was time consuming to set up a good fire just to make a brew.

Recently I purchased the Highlander copy of the Trangia burner and it is great, it was low priced and had good build quality. I've managed to make my own simple pot stand/trivet out of two interlocking pieces of narrow steel sheet, although I plan on purchasing the Tatonka pot stand.

This has worked fine on the few occasions that I've used it in the past two weeks although today I was unpacking my kit after leaving it in the garage for a week and it seems that the meths has decided to leak out, most probably because I left it quite full, I find it hard to judge how much meths put in for a brew etc.

So I'm rather annoyed that I cant find a simple, lightweight and cheap cooking system.

So what do you gents use?

 

[Shewie]

If you like a fire what about containing it in something like the Honey Stove, then add a simple meths burner for when a fire is not an option.

I use a Bushbuddy with a Minibull Design Mini Atomic meths stove, I'll use a Jetboil if I want quick boiling water for dehydrated meals, or a MSR Whisperlite burning Aspen fuel for cold weather trips.

Lots of options

 

[Home Guard]

The honey stove seems like a great design, but I hate the idea of using anything but Meths as a fuel, as anything else leaves pots dirty etc.

That minibull atomic stove looks great. I've just spent a few minutes looking at reviews on the net and they've all been positive. It looks perfect for a brew kit, I just worry that it doesnt give off enough heat to get my 12com Zebra up to temperature? Shewie, do you think it will?

Aswell as boiling water, I like to cook by stewing etc, so roughly an ounce of fuel for 10-15 mins seems quite good If I'm cooking for long periods.

Is there a distributor in the United Kingdom, or is it just our cousins across the pond who both manufacture and sell them?

Thankyou

 

[Gray]

Usually jet boil for me for a quick brew, there not cheap though.

 

[Miyagi]

If you prefer meths and like to boil, fry and stew have you considered a Swedish Army Trangia cook kit?


Liam

 

[udamiano]

Meths I've found attacks the rubber seals on Trangia burners so best not to leave it in the burner. A small bottle is better option, and is less likely to leak in your kit.
Replace the seal every so often as well and you should not have any problems.

 

[bilmo-p5]

Clas Ohlson Asaklitt-Spirit-Stove

Cheap; £13,

Light; c.600 grams

Versatile; 2 pots and a frypan, burner offers excellent control from a very low simmer (ideal for stewing) thru' to a good boiling flame. Easily adapted to use other burners, eg. gas

More or less windproof;

What's not to like?

 

[ateallthepies]

If you like Meths as a fuel I would say the Trangia style burner does everything you need? Other than that a wick stove that has a donut ring around the central wick core would do both a fierce boil or gentle simmer. You would then be in remote feed stove territory which enables you to control your cooking to your needs and also allows you to use just the right amount of fuel without waste.

Something along the line of an M2 stove from Minibulldesign would be ideal for you? https://www.minibulldesign.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=139&idcategory=3

This type stove is however very easy to make yourself if you like DIY. All the stuff can be bought on the linked site and usually comes well within the import charge threshold so no pesky fees to pay!

As for what I use, well I have settled for the last year on this cook kit...

I usually just boil water and use freeze dry pouches or bring whatever muck I'm eating to a boil and let sit in a pot cozy before scoffing. My stove won't simmer but it suits me OK. I bought wick string, carbon felt wick, nipples and tube from MBD so have loads of options to explore!


Steve.

 

[Jackdaw]

Another for the Jet Boil. Well worth the money, although I got mine for about £45. It is definitely the best "in the bottom of the bag" stove out there.

 

[Chiseller]

Another for the Jet Boil. Well worth the money, although I got mine for about £45. It is definitely the best "in the bottom of the bag" stove out there.

+1.......but.....I'd become disciplined .....not annoyed ......and live with a bit of sooting.....then you could use a woodgas stove. With the right wood, you won't get much soot anyway, thanks to the secondary burn.
lights in seconds....as I've just done with a fistful of Hawthorne and a couple of coils of birch bark. I lit this seconds ago....

And within....5mins? .....ready to brew or cook...

 

[PDA1]

Allthe pies has a really nice brew kit. I would say that as my brew/overnight kit is almost identical. However, I use a really cheap 1 litre aluminium pot which cost less that USD 2 from Walmart (IMUSA 10cm pot) into which the burner, screen, stand etc. fit and they all go in the double cosy. Total cost less than USD 5. Bery good for dehydrated meals and brews. Not so good for simmering and frying.

 

[sasquatch]

Clas Ohlson Asaklitt-Spirit-Stove

Cheap; £13,

Light; c.600 grams

Versatile; 2 pots and a frypan, burner offers excellent control from a very low simmer (ideal for stewing) thru' to a good boiling flame. Easily adapted to use other burners, eg. gas

More or less windproof;

What's not to like?

+1 to this. Been using mine on a regular basis for a couple years and just can't fault it for my needs. Fire and dutchie for big meals and this for myself. Big bang for no dolla...

 

[spiritwalker]

i had similar problems crusader kit hexi stove etc i have somewhere in the region of 10 stoves but recently i have just started using my ghillie kettle yes its a little bulky but its not heavy i dont have to worry about fuel i can light it even on a windy beach so its win win and now my main user. This year i plan to use it more for cooking too with the grill set. I have the maverick model, must admit though when sheltered the crusader kit is also good with a wee vaseline pot meths burner.