Crusader Cooker

[Dave]

The Zulu pouch looks nice, but the scruffy one would suit me fine. If it fits em all in that is......?

EDIT: Never Mind. After a search of the site, found an answer.

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21007&page=1

Nice Review JonathanD.

 

[Fin]

As a (still!) serving soldier and amateur bushcrafter, I've always found the Crusader system a very frustrating product in that it is nearly there but not quite. The mug is excellent - can't be bettered IMO and the way it all nests around the 1ltr bottle (black plastic - no algae bloom - a godsend in the jungle!) and fits in a compact webbing pouch - is top notch. If only they had made the stove base about an inch and a half higher to accommodate most commercial alcohol stoves and possibly an emergency twig burning option? (and lose the stupid fuel cup in the base). There would have been plenty of room to do this and still have the system fit in its pouch. Also the placcy lid that BCB do should be withdrawn from sale immediately and replaced with a decent stainless version (with strainer) - then they would have an outright winner!

I continue to be grateful to Warthog and all the other makers on this site for manufacturing the ally lids for the crusader mug - i still count my purchase from Warthog as amongst my best value kit buys and it slides down the back of my webbing pouch with room to spare.

 

[rik_uk3]

One of the forum members here was involved in the design of the 'cooker' unit and admitted they were extremely limited in terms of machinery and I suspect budget as to what they could produce as the finished product. The concept of burning a pool of alcohol gel was a poor idea that said I would have thought round blocks of hexi/triox could work better if supplied. The Hexi type cooker however has been around in one form or another since WW1 IIRC and used by various armies.

Poor as the Crusader cooker is, its rumoured replacement with self heating bags is even worse, they are a waste of time, certainly in colder conditions.

 

[Woodcutter]

I did a similar cooker comparrison test/competition. Link HERE over on BB.

 

[FGYT]

Tryed the Crusader etc with meths and stoves etc but its to much cold metal and sucks the life out of meths green slime is oks one does a brew 2 does a boil in the bag and the brew water (even replaced the wire stand with one to lift the cup higher and fit a stove in with flame room )

meths is far more efficient in a pop can burner and a wire pot stand

on using it over a fire I did a quick bit of bending on a weld rod and and interlocking in the butterfly handles gives this

 

[crazydave]

just sticking meths in the tray works well enough though not as efficient as making a can stove 20mm high and filling with rockwool as it gives a nice focused blue flame. or even just filling the tray with rockwool then meths as just like sand it slows the fuel and stops it boiling away (if that makes sense).

I've happily used the cooker unit with proper sized pans as well without issue or complaint.

if you have lots of patience and are a cheap skate then try it with a nite light