Ghille or Kelly Kettle

[mowerman]

Sorry its a bit of an old thread but I love my ghillie kettle.
I have made a few adaptations and can quite happily knock up a full breakfast and then a stew on a handful of fuel.

 

[dewi]

I've bought the KK Base Camp version with the Hobo stove attachment today. Going away at the weekend, and I was still sat here umming and arring... and doubtful I'd get the Ghille (or anything else) in time... so I whizzed up to the local place and bought it.

Way I look at it, I'll give the KK a good test this weekend... I can always buy the Ghille at a later date for another trip, or one of the smaller ones for when I go off on a hike.

Someone mentioned putting a porcelain ball into the KK so you know when its boiled.... I can't for the life of me find who said it and where (must be going blind or something) but my wife works with clay every day and can easily knock up a porcelain ball for me... does it need to be bisque fired or glazed does anyone know?

 

[mrcharly]

Well - I wouldn't feel comfortable going far from any fire, even a contained one in a KK. And it is easy to tell when the KK is boiling - you can hear the water and see the steam shooting out. Wouldn't bother with a porcelain ball myself.

 

[Pete E]

Well - I wouldn't feel comfortable going far from any fire, even a contained one in a KK. And it is easy to tell when the KK is boiling - you can hear the water and see the steam shooting out. Wouldn't bother with a porcelain ball myself.

Not sure what a porcelain ball would actually do? Anyway, I agree with the above in that its easy enough to see/hear when the water is boiling..

I had mine out the other morning while fishing...from stopping the car to drinking a cup of tea was 8 minutes without rushing...

As far as cooking goes, I think the issue will come down to finding suitably sized fuel. The kettle reaches a boil very quickly and with what amounts to just a handful of kindling, however such fuel is just as quickly is reduced to ash. The problem I anticipate is generating enough coals to cook over..

Not sure what others use for frying on the base, but I like the look of http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINERS-20...OR-FRYING-INDUCTION-GRIDDLE-PAN-/400977812921

There are similar griddle pans which are even cheaper but they are made from cast aluminium with a non sticking coat, and the reviews suggest that coating soon starts to flake off...

 

[Goatboy]

Pete, the ball will rattle around as the water starts to boil so alerting you to the fact. A bit like the flat pot/milk savers that you can pop in a saucepan that not only rattle but the action of them moving also stops te pan boiling over.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[Pete E]

Cheers for that..Just thinking what else would work as a fry pan for use on the base, and was wondering about the American GI two piece mess tins which are stainless steel?

 

[dewi]

Porcelain ball testing this weekend then. Not really intending on leaving it unattended as such, but I was thinking of getting it going and getting the hammock up while I'm waiting for it to boil.

Can't sit there watching it... it'd never boil!

 

[dewi]

No porcelain ball, but blimey you can tell when its boiled!

In North Wood for the weekend, been brilliant and the kettle works like a dream. Thoroughly enjoying it. Going to try the hobo stove tomorrow. Cooking on bbq at minute.

 

[sunndog]

but blimey you can tell when its boiled!

Yup, cant see why you'd need a porcelain ball or whistle unless you leave it burning out of sight somewhere
Glad you're happy with it anyway mate. For car camping and such they are brilliant little piece of kit

 

[sandbag47]

I'm guessing the porcelain ball is just to help you know when it's boiling. The whistle has two uses.the first is the whistleing obviously and tge second is it helps heat the water faster. And unfortunately you can't leave the cork in the KK or you would likely end up in casualty with injurys from when the kettle exploded

I love my Ghillie Kettles, I always take one camping with me or even on TA camps. My mkettle always get some intersting looks.

 

[Idleknight]

I love my Ghillie, when I was looking into getting it, from what I saw the Ghillie and the kelly kettles are made in the same factory. The reason I went for the ghillie is the whistle, as I heard the cork was rubbish for holding water in the KK. While its fairly obvious when it has boiled, it is nice to have the sound of the whistle (retro?), also its a extra precaution to make sure it does not run dry. They are very solid bits of kit, about the only way to break them is to boil them dry.

Mine is very much just for brews, fun with the kids and marshmallows, I don't use it for cooking.

If you are not sure what to get, try to get to an event to see some up close.

 

[tombear]

This week I've been teaching / supervising the middle son about cooking on a bed of embers. As part of this he's been using the thermette for brews and I'm inordinately chuffed with discovering how good the flame that shoots out of the top is at lighting the 13.5" clay I was smoking. You couldn't do it safely with a briar or a short clay but if your going full hobbit it's even better than a spill out of the fire.

I'll get my capote.

Tom

 

[dewi]

I'm about to test something I was told recently... I have been collecting pine cones... lots of them. I want to see if a stick fire or pine cones boil the Kelly Kettle faster.

Going to use an electronic thermometer to ensure the starting temperature and boiling temperature are the same, and use the same lighting method for both.

I'll post up the results when done.

Sort of similar to you Tom, I was wondering whether I could light a cigarette from the flame that was pouring from my KK...

 

[Chiseller]

why do folk concern themselves with boil times ? fuel efficiency i can understand.....nature doesnt rush....she prepares .

i too was once curious about boil times.....i nearly ruined a perfectly good stove by foloowing that curiosity. then i grew a beard and stopped to smell the pines

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

 

[dewi]

Reason I want to know isn't really about the time... its about the efficiency... if pine cones will boil the kettle as effectively as sticks, I'll add pine cones to my kit... they're light, they're happy looking... and depending on the number needed per boil I can store them inside the kettle until I need them.

Only way I can see to measure efficiency is to monitor the time it takes to boil. I could do it by guess work, but I want to test it a few times... measure it as accurately as I can, then decide what to put in my kit bag. As has been pointed out on every trip I've ever made, I tend to go kit heavy as I take every method of fire-starting and cooking with me... and more food than I'd need for a fortnight. Reducing that down, I'm starting with the fire-starting/cooking... no way I'm reducing food!

 

[Chiseller]

sounds like youve an idea of where you want to be at. imho a quicker boil time doesn't indicate bettet efficiency. just for the record. ...hawthorne twigs are my preferred fuel for my kk. starting with the thinnest and adding a few pinky finger thick ones....

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

 

[MartinK9]

It's all about the cones man.....

My precious....................

 

[Goatboy]

It's all about the cones man.....

My precious....................

Your like a broody hen sitting on all those pine eggs there.
Along with pine branch stubs out of a rotted tree they're some of the nicest fuel around.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[dewi]

It's all about the cones man.....

My precious....................

We will see

 

[Pete E]

In a bit of a pickle... I want something to make a brew on the go without using a gas cooker, and I liked the look of the Kelly Kettle and was about to go and buy one.

The Ghille kettle was mentioned and after a quick search I found....

£73 for all of that :yikes:

Has anyone tried both, or do you have a particular opinion or benefit for one or the other?

For me the deciding factor was that I can now buy KK in stainless steel. If weight is not critical I would highly recommend a stainless model. With the aluminium versions, I've seen the firebox suffer quite badly from repeated use..