In the market for a brew/cooking kit

[Tommyd345]

Hello chaps!

So iv decided to retire my old army surplus kit and I'm in the market for a new one.
I'm not sure if I can get all my desires in one, however I can try!
So ideally I want to be able to use it with an open fire (such as the solo stoves) but also be able to stick a meths burner underneath at the right height.
-Not too big, it would only be for boiling 1-2 cups water/boil in the bag meal.
-Maybe the most important for me is stability. I see a lot of pots 'balancing' on top of stoves. and I'm not the most careful of people, if it's able to come off easily, it will.
-Material doesn't matter too much, but I want it to be robust, and potentially not pay the premium for titanium, unless it's a good price.

I really love the look of this one but it's too big and a little out of budget.

https://wildstoves.co.uk/product/ezystove/
Also liked the solo stoves

Budget around £40 or less, I don't mind second hand or even third hand. If it gets the job done I'm all for it!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Quixoticgeek]

That ezystove is 2.8kg. My overnighter kit weighs less than that...

I would look at the Honey stove or Pocket stove by Backpackinglight. Both are light, stable, and burn wood, and you can burn meths either with a trangia burner, or a lighter (and cheaper) zelph starlyte burner.

J

 

[redandshane]

This is a good stove at a great price https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lixada-Por...qid=1464787911&sr=8-2&keywords=wood+gas+stove

 

[Quixoticgeek]

I've got one of the lixada wood gas stoves. I would say it's a bit of a faff to use, you have to make sure your wood is quite small (in length), and the balance point between feeding enough in to keep it going, whilst not smothering it nor starving it is quite a fine line.

J

 

[Hammock_man]

No way I am trying to start a flame war but if you have 40 quid to play with, why not make your own. I accept that you may need this tool or that tool which you do not own but a dremel and wilkinsons and / or 99p store is not a bad start. I still have my home made £6 honey stove made from pound shop oven trays.

 

[Tonyuk]

A Swedish army mess kit would probably work well for you. Can be used over an open fire or with a trangia burner in its own windshield. Cant say i've ever knocked mine over.

Heres a quick thread on them;

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=98007

Plenty of info out there.

Tonyuk

 

[Corso]

I've got one of the lixada wood gas stoves. I would say it's a bit of a faff to use, you have to make sure your wood is quite small (in length), and the balance point between feeding enough in to keep it going, whilst not smothering it nor starving it is quite a fine line.

J

blimey that is a good price most of these when I last looked were around the £50 mark -

 

[Nomad64]

blimey that is a good price most of these when I last looked were around the £50 mark -

Thats the Chinese Lixada "knock-off" version - I have one and my experience was much the same as QG's.

I'm a big fan of these Lixada plus size version of the Emberlit stove for £11 though.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LIXADA-Stainless-Steel-Folding-Wood-Stove-for-Camping-Cooking-Picnic-AY-6V30-/131620185095?hash=item1ea52ca407:g:XWIAAOSw4HVWEknT

 

[Quixoticgeek]

The lixada copy of the emberlit stove looks very similar to the Pocket stove by Bob Backpackinglight. I would venture that his is more versatile (it'll work with a trangia burner for example). As well as supporting a British company. Its worth noting that Bob the designer is a forum member (podcastbob), who puts a lot of work into the design of said stoves, and I think we should encourage this with our purchasing.

J

PS wrt to my lixada woodgas stove, I've used it once and am seriously considering selling it, the only reason I haven't is that it would cost £2.80 just to post it, making it very hard to make back much of what I paid for it.

 

[Nomad64]

Can't argue with the sentiment but there seem to be various people on both sides of the Atlantic claiming credit for the original design of these stoves.

http://emberlit.com/emberlit-original-stainless-lightweight-backpacking-stove?__hstc=223022532.e02243fc02dab6013ebd95b7a2506ff3.1464793753342.1464793753342.1464793753342.1&__hssc=223022532.1.1464793753342&__hsfp=907954327

http://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/wood-burning-stoves/RD104.html

FWIW Lixada make lots of different types/sizes of stove (probably all knock-offs of someone else's design) but you look at dimensions of the Lixada (Emberlit? copy) stove I linked to, it is about twice the height/width of the Backpackinglight stove. No problems fitting a Trangia burner in it (can't use the simmer ring though) and the size of the stove and opening means I've found it very easy to keep going for several hours at a time to cook stews etc. using quite large (and once its going), quite damp wood.

The lixada copy of the emberlit stove looks very similar to the Pocket stove by Bob Backpackinglight. I would venture that his is more versatile (it'll work with a trangia burner for example). As well as supporting a British company. Its worth noting that Bob the designer is a forum member (podcastbob), who puts a lot of work into the design of said stoves, and I think we should encourage this with our purchasing.

J

PS wrt to my lixada woodgas stove, I've used it once and am seriously considering selling it, the only reason I haven't is that it would cost £2.80 just to post it, making it very hard to make back much of what I paid for it.

 

[John Fenna]

BCB Crusader Cup MK1 plus the Crusader Cooker MK2 as in http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/content.php?r=801-BCB-Dragon-Cooking-System but minus the bottle and pouch. Less than £30 brand new http://bcbadventure.com/product-category/cooking/cooking-sets/

 

[peaks]

I've been using one of these for a while - couldn't get on with the Honey/Pocket stoves. Is a true multi fuel, I've used it with meths, hexy/esbit and wood.
http://basecampfood.com/products/tat...4GxBoCrzLw_wcB

 

[EarthToSimon]

I've been using a Stanley adventure set for a while now. Nice pot with two well made plastic mugs.
[http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/182054037363?lpid=122&chn=ps&googleloc=1006607&poi=&campaignid=207297426&device=c&adgroupid=13585920426&rlsatarget=aud-133395220866%3Apla-142405572066&adtype=pla&crdt=0

a homemade Fancee Feest meths stove fits perfectly into one of the cups and a 125ml nalgene for fuel into that. Then if you only take one mug theres space for your brew kit in the pot as well.
Alternativly It'll fit a little 100g? gas bottle in it with a small stove and one of the mugs.

Used it in fires sat in the embers or hanging off a bit of wire attached to the handle, great bit of kit. Paid about £15 for mine from sports direct I think so worth shopping around.

 

[Janne]

You can buy a small Trangia set, plus the Trangia coffee pot, then leave the pots at home.

 

[TarHeelBrit]

Don't know if this is of interest or not but I thought I chuck it in the pot. How about the Swiss Army Volcano stove? Small lightweight take solid fuel, alcohol stoves and wood. Either boil in the cup or remove the cork and boil in the bottle. BUT there alway a BUT. Stability isn't the best, however there are few ways to make it more stable. Use a couple of spare tent pegs into the ground and through a hole on the stove or three small shelf brackets and a length of wire and you're good to go.


[video=youtube;8qzUdhZk_hk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qzUdhZk_hk[/video]

Another caveat to be fair. I have read stories of people melting their cookers but this seems to be only with hot burning hardwoods.

 

[EarthToSimon]

Don't know if this is of interest or not but I thought I chuck it in the pot. How about the Swiss Army Volcano stove? Small lightweight take solid fuel, alcohol stoves and wood. Either boil in the cup or remove the cork and boil in the bottle. BUT there alway a BUT. Stability isn't the best, however there are few ways to make it more stable. Use a couple of spare tent pegs into the ground and through a hole on the stove or three small shelf brackets and a length of wire and you're good to go.

Do these work like a Kelly Kettle with a central chimney through the bottle? Never tried one but heard good things about them.

 

[Pockets]

I've had a pathfinder nesting set for a while now and it does everything I need it too. Might be worth a look.

 

[TarHeelBrit]

Do these work like a Kelly Kettle with a central chimney through the bottle? Never tried one but heard good things about them.

Not really. What you have is three parts. The stove (think a large can with air holes and a larger cut out to feed the wood in) a water bottle with cork stopper and lastly the cup. The stove has a wire handle which locks everything in place for transport. There's also a second wire doo-dad that is used via a small cutout in the side. Slot the wire tab into the hole and it will hold the water bottle above the fire to heat the 32oz (about 800ml) bottle full of water (make sure you remove the cork first ). You don't need to use that if you just use the 20oz (about 400ml) cup in the top of the stove.

One thing I do like about the cup is that it's slightly tapered and when you use it in the stove the taper allows the heat to lick up round the sides of the cup and not just the bottom. Heats up faster.

 

[Gaudette]

I think I've got a spare Honey stove if your interested.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Tommyd345]

Wow loads of replies thanks all! I have some researching to do! I do like the look of the crusader kit especially