Keeping Alcohol Warm in Winter; a Great Old Print

[Haggis]

I'm suspicious of spirit burners in winter, more so when it is "50º below miserable". Here is a great print showing how the Swedes kept their spirits up, and their spirits warm, in winter. I'm going to try this once the bottom falls out of the thermometer again. Wood fires are nice for warming me, but a quick boil-up over a spirit burner is quicker, easier, and cleaner.

 

[cottonwoodroot]

Cool looking rig!! Where did you digu up the photos?

 

[Haggis]

Cool looking rig!! Where did you digu up the photos?

I was looking at various reviews of the Swedish Mess Kit and photo these photos on a web site. They seemed too informative to not be passed around a bit,,,

A picture, a 1000 words, and all that,,,

 

[Toddy]

I found one of those kits in the shed last week
I knew I had it.....somewhere

Can't say that I've ever been so cold that I needed to keep the alchohol warm, right enough, though.

Neat prints

cheers,
Toddy

 

[John Fenna]

Swedish Survival School pictures - not from their handbook though (see downloads on this site ) - I have a set of their training posters somewhere .. the style is unmistakable
I think the book may still be current...

 

[Haggis]

I really enjoy looking at old posters, wood cuttings, or photographs. There are many things people do that are so common place that no note is taken of them. A writer, governed by editing editors will leave out what is "common knowledge" at his/her time in history, but fast forward a few decades and such "common knowledge" has frequently vanished. An artist is not so governed as a writer, an artist looking for details will include them if possible.


Toddy
I think I have just purchased a Swedish Mess Kit. I sent the money, and if it shows up I have one. It's aluminum though, and I have in my mind I ought to have a stainless steel version as well. I'm eyeing a couple of stainless kits for sale just now, and suppose I will have to wait until the last moment before doing what I ought to be doing now.

 

[Toddy]

The aluminium one's the better cooking post. The stainless steel one sticks.
I know folks say the stainless steel one's the better set....I reckon it's just 'cos it doesn't bash so easily...but it's horses for courses.
The aluminium set is a bit lighter to lug around too.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Didgeridoohan]

Of course, back here it has the nickname "filth can" ("snuskburk" in swedish)... Derives from the difficulty with cleaning it in the field and the unavoidable odor that follows.

 

[Haggis]

The aluminium one's the better cooking post. The stainless steel one sticks.
I know folks say the stainless steel one's the better set....I reckon it's just 'cos it doesn't bash so easily...but it's horses for courses.
The aluminium set is a bit lighter to lug around too.

cheers,
Toddy

Thanks Toddy. I've paid for an aluminum kit; perhaps once I've used it, I'll not want its stainless sibling? Still though, I'm doing my best to spend my children's inheritance before the long sleep. It better suits me to think they will be fussing over who gets what amongst my belongings than to coldly dividing my money down to the last shekel.

 

[ged]

If I'm not mistaken that's an AK5 assault rifle in the lower picture but I'm blessed if I know what the rocket launcher is.

I've never taken either camping.

 

[Toddy]

Funnily enough, me neither.

M

 

[mrostov]

That rocket launcher looks like an AT4.

I've done the make your own alcohol stove thing, but when it gets that cold I invariably bring one of my pressurized stoves, usually either MSR Whisperlight International or my MSR XGK.

The Whisperlight is lighter and more pleasant to use, plus it's more miserly on fuel, but the XGK burns literally anything, even diesel. Both use the same pumps and the same fuel bottles. In weather like that I save the alcohol I bring for internal use. Fortunately, I haven't had to burn Jack Daniels or rum in the XGK yet, but it's an option.

 

[Haggis]

A rocket launcher when camping,,, ? Odd thing is, here in America there is probably some joker(s) with "permit(s) to carry" such a contraption camping.

 

[rik_uk3]

Those Swedish sets make great door stops

Toddy is right, the aluminium sets are better for cooking with but still not as good as real Trangia's.

 

[Haggis]

The Swedish Mess Kit seems to have quite a group of devotees, and I've been looking closely at what it has to offer: 2 steel or aluminum pots, a pot stand/windshield, a plastic-ish cup, a spirit burner w/lid and simmer ring, and a bottle for fuel. If one were to proceed on the premise that that was the "end all be all" of mess kits, it isn't too difficult to construct a variety of SMK clones in an array of sizes and weights using bits of other mess kits. Must remember to keep my alcohol bottle inside my coat in winter though or no fire, and no tea.

 

[jimbo75]

What are those things in the cooking pots? they look like ammo shells??

 

[Haggis]

Canned rations perhaps?

 

[mrostov]

I've never found any of these pre-made mess kits to be a one size fits all solution. Quite a while back all of our camping and military surplus stores were filled with German and Swedish mess kits, and myself, I never did take a shine to them.

What do you really need? You need a cup (the #1 most used item) which is metal that you can heat liquid up in, and a pot you can cook or boil a larger amount in than the cup.

A frying pan is nice also, but really, most things you would use a frying pan for you can cook on a stick or a rock. So, if I need to save weight, the frying pan gets on the ditch list.

One of the neater pieces of gear has been the US military canteen. In it's pouch is a stainless steel cup that nests over the canteen with folding handles that holds about 1/2 liter and it's strong enough to dig with. The way it's shaped, it makes a better shovel than one would initially think.

Nested over the cup is a small stove that you flip over and the cup sets into. In the mini-stove you can use fuel tabs, burning sticks, or coals retrieved from a campfire. On the side of the canteen pouch is a mini-pouch that can hold two bottles of water purification tabs, or one bottle and some matches or some other fire starting tool.

The US military canteen cup does have a disadvantage. Because it was curved to fit the canteen, it didn't sit as well upon a round, liquid fuel stove burner as a round cup would.

For myself, I later copied the US canteen kit concept over to a Nalgene style water bottle. I started using the Nalgene style bottle as my canteen due to the fact that my water purifier screws into it. It also has a wider mouth making it easier to clean and to add drink mixes into it to cover up the taste of drinkable but poor tasting water. If ice is available and it's hot out, it's much easier to put ice into it than a military canteen.

Glacier makes a stainless nesting cup (about 1/2 liter) with folding handles made to nest over the bottom of a Nalegene style water bottle. I copied the US military canteen setup and made a stove out of a coffee can that nested over the cup quite nicely. This stove is also large enough and round so I can use a homemade alcohol stove/burner with it. I also found a canteen carrier made for a Nalgene style bottle that will hold it all (minus alcohol burner).

Nowadays, when I'm traveling light, my cooking gear is primarily an aluminum 1.5 liter pot with a bail handle and a lid, plus the cup in my Nalgene bottle kit.

 

[Everything Mac]

I had a US canteen and swiftly shelved it. I think it's sat in the garage at my folks place.

These swedish cook sets have served me very well over the years. I like mine and it tends to be the kit I'll take.

Andy

 

[mrostov]

Here's an old photo of my Nalgene bottle canteen kit out of it's carry pouch when it was newer and prettier. It's held up surprisingly well over the years.

The half liter stainless cup is made by Glacier and the stove is made from a steel coffee can. The one liter Nalgene bottle screws into my Katadyn water purifier. The stove can be used with burning twigs, coals from a campfire, fuel tablets, or an alcohol burner. It works good for a quick cup of coffee, tea, or soup.