Having seen them on the "MREmpire" web site, I thought I would treat myself to a new stove. This is been touted as the new issue stove for UK forces Rat packs and is designed to fit a Crusader metal mug; using gel blocks as fuel.
It comes as a fold flat package some 20cms square, cardboard slip with instructions, heavy weight poly bag and a thick Aluminum foil cooker.
In use it opens out to a 6 sided tube which fits the issue Crusader Mug. There are a number of air holes, a cutout to fit the mug handle and a strip across the bottom on to which the gel block (2 Max) sits. I wanted to keep mine clean so I put my gel block in a mince pie foil base. ( Yeah, that time of year!)
This shows the cooker after its second use and there is hardly any markings on the walls. There are a number "extensions / buttresses " to help open it out and add stability but the walls are firm and it never showed any tendency to fall or collapse. I don't have a crusader mug so I made use of a steel 1 pint (558ml) tankard. Not an exact fit but the handle rested in the cutout and the backwall supported it just as it would with an issue mug.
I had made 2 hot chocolate's for my Grandaughter and I so 2nd time round I went for a Rat Pack. The gel block did its thing and the water was up to the boil in no time. As there was a rat pack taking up most of the room in the mug there was only about half a pint of water to heat, however a single gel block had brought 500ml to a rolling boil before.
Not a great image but here you can see the flame licking the bottom of the Mug. There are also holes in the sides below where the gel block sits. On a video I have seen the flames did come out of the side holes but in both my runs this was not the case at all.
When it was all done I left the Rat Pack in the hot water for a while. By this time the cooker itself had cooled right down and was read to be folded down flat ready for another day.
A few points I did not photograph but can be seen on the instruction card. There is a big tab on the top back outside to pull on while you remove the hot mug and another tab on the bottom of the strip that holds the gel block to help set it up.
The cooker folds flat so would be easy to store; weighing next to nothing; and while it is "only" made of aluminum foil it is a good thick foil, thicker then the "Christmas Turkey Cooking" style foil. Will it last, don't know many times it can be used but I think I will last longer then the old issue / BCB hexi stoves. (If only because I have no intention of losing this.)
In short, a very well made, absolutely made for purpose, reusable, convenient cooker, perfect for Tea and Rats.
It comes as a fold flat package some 20cms square, cardboard slip with instructions, heavy weight poly bag and a thick Aluminum foil cooker.
In use it opens out to a 6 sided tube which fits the issue Crusader Mug. There are a number of air holes, a cutout to fit the mug handle and a strip across the bottom on to which the gel block (2 Max) sits. I wanted to keep mine clean so I put my gel block in a mince pie foil base. ( Yeah, that time of year!)
This shows the cooker after its second use and there is hardly any markings on the walls. There are a number "extensions / buttresses " to help open it out and add stability but the walls are firm and it never showed any tendency to fall or collapse. I don't have a crusader mug so I made use of a steel 1 pint (558ml) tankard. Not an exact fit but the handle rested in the cutout and the backwall supported it just as it would with an issue mug.
I had made 2 hot chocolate's for my Grandaughter and I so 2nd time round I went for a Rat Pack. The gel block did its thing and the water was up to the boil in no time. As there was a rat pack taking up most of the room in the mug there was only about half a pint of water to heat, however a single gel block had brought 500ml to a rolling boil before.
Not a great image but here you can see the flame licking the bottom of the Mug. There are also holes in the sides below where the gel block sits. On a video I have seen the flames did come out of the side holes but in both my runs this was not the case at all.
When it was all done I left the Rat Pack in the hot water for a while. By this time the cooker itself had cooled right down and was read to be folded down flat ready for another day.
A few points I did not photograph but can be seen on the instruction card. There is a big tab on the top back outside to pull on while you remove the hot mug and another tab on the bottom of the strip that holds the gel block to help set it up.
The cooker folds flat so would be easy to store; weighing next to nothing; and while it is "only" made of aluminum foil it is a good thick foil, thicker then the "Christmas Turkey Cooking" style foil. Will it last, don't know many times it can be used but I think I will last longer then the old issue / BCB hexi stoves. (If only because I have no intention of losing this.)
In short, a very well made, absolutely made for purpose, reusable, convenient cooker, perfect for Tea and Rats.
