I was asked to do some tests on the MKettle a small, lightweight variation on the Kelly/Storm/Ghillie Kettle format. As these are now being released for sale it seems like the ideal time for a public review.
First off the technical stuff. The home site for MKettle is http://www.mkettle.com/ The site is very much in its infancy so few details at the moment but more information is being added all the time (earlier this evening the site was completely bare
)
The Kettle comes in a nylon bag. the one I have closed with a zip but the production ones have a draw string as it is more robust and less able to fail. The kettle, base and bag weigh 412g on my scales including the soot from use
The bag with kettle inside stands about 18cm (7.5 inches) high with a diameter of 11cm (4 inches). The capacity of the MKettle is about 0.5l (1 pint). This is a good crusader mug full or two normal cups.
The MKettle is 100% British made. this includes the bag as well. It is also made to be watertight and guaranteed to be so.
Okay so on to using it in the real world. As with other kettles of this type the firebowl nests inside the kettle for storage. I store the kettle upside down in the bag as I keep some strips of rubber tyre and a lighter in the base for use when lighting the fire. I now also store something else in this recess but more of that later.
Instead of a cork the MKettle uses a silicone bung to seal the opening. As always you need to remove the bung when boiling the kettle to stop it being fired out and boiling water being sprayed about.
I had worried that the small firebowl and the size of the MKettle would mean that it was more fussy fuel wise or hard to keep going but these were unfounded concerns. My only problem was that I kept putting too many twigs and fuel in and had a lot left to burn when the kettle was boiling.
The MKettle is fitted with a neoprene cosy. this both increases the insulation and also provides you with the means ti lift the kettle when boiled. This is way more convenient than the messing about with the Kelly/Storm/Ghillie Kettles. Just lift and pour.
In the picture below it is not pouring very well but that is just because I am pouring with one hand while trying to take an action shot with the other. It is a surprise the water is even going in the cup
I have in testing the MKettle come up with some modification to the kit and also a really handy discovery. First of all lets talk boil times. On my initial tests I forgot to time the boil. On subsequent tests I frequently forgot to time the boil times
One reason for this is it seemed about the same time as my other kettles of this style and fast enough. When I did time the boil it varied from about 8 to 10 minutes. Darren at MKettle has quoted 6 minutes to me and this seems entirely possible. As i say I tend to overfeed the kettle and was using freshly gathered twigs that were often damp.
What I have added to speed things up is a small blow poker. This is an old arrow shaft cut down to 20cm long and stored in the side of the bag. Once the fire is established you use this to blow in the air hole in the firebowl when there is no wind to add a turbo boost. using this method I may have got boil times below 6 minutes but like I said I forgot to time it. but it did seem quick.
Now for a real discovery. It was one of those "I wonder if" moments. In fact I was talking to Warthog1981 about the MKettle when i found myself saying "I wonder if the Trangia burner fits in the firebowl"
It does. The next question is of course how does it perform. The answer is like MKettle is what Trangia burners have been looking for all these years. I had worried that the airflow would not be right or something but no the trangia performed brilliantly. Perhaps to well as it manages to put a flame a good 4 inches out the top of the kettle. From a cold start with cold water the Trangia will bring a MKettle to full rolling boil in just under 8 minutes.
From looking at the fuel used I would say you would get at least 3 boils from a trangia full of fuel at the start.
So now I have a trangia with a full fill of fuel in the base of the MKettle with the strips of tyre and lighter on top and a blow poker down the side in the bag. With this set up I am good to go even if there is no twigs of the like to burn. you can take this a stage further by having the MKettle full of water. This may be of more use if you are hiking with it but as I am paddling on water and it is going to get boiled I tend not to carry the kettle full.
With the trangia, MKettle, blow poker and bag the size is still as listed at the top but the weight has gone up to 650g. not bad when this is in the worst case scenario 1.5l of purified water or infinitely more if there is any sort of wood/twigs etc to burn.
What I have not done yet is explore the potential of the MKettle firebowl as a pot stand for the trangia. I imagine it will take no more than a couple of tent pegs to allow you to heat your beans and sausages in your crusader over the trangia then put the kettle on for a brew, then pegs back on so you can heat up dessert.
In summary
I am very pleased with the MKettle. the size is just right for slipping in the pack. Much as I love my Kelly Kettle I have tended to leave it behind a lot as it was too bulky, especially for a solo outings. The MKettle has found its way into a permanent spot in my pack.
I am also quite excited about the possibilities of using this with the Trangia. for day trips there is no need for more fuel than the trangia holds so this makes a superb compact cooking system with boil times that must be faster than any comparable pots.
So in summary I highly recommend these. British made and guaranteed watertight.
How Much?
The MKettle is £45 with £5 postage in the UK or £10 postage worldwide.
However as an introductory offer Darren has said that the first 100 sold to SongofthePaddle or BushcraftUK members will get a £5 discount. To get this you need to email the contact address from the MKettle site an include your username and which forum you are from. Darren will then send you payment details etc
First off the technical stuff. The home site for MKettle is http://www.mkettle.com/ The site is very much in its infancy so few details at the moment but more information is being added all the time (earlier this evening the site was completely bare
)The Kettle comes in a nylon bag. the one I have closed with a zip but the production ones have a draw string as it is more robust and less able to fail. The kettle, base and bag weigh 412g on my scales including the soot from use
The bag with kettle inside stands about 18cm (7.5 inches) high with a diameter of 11cm (4 inches). The capacity of the MKettle is about 0.5l (1 pint). This is a good crusader mug full or two normal cups.
The MKettle is 100% British made. this includes the bag as well. It is also made to be watertight and guaranteed to be so.
Okay so on to using it in the real world. As with other kettles of this type the firebowl nests inside the kettle for storage. I store the kettle upside down in the bag as I keep some strips of rubber tyre and a lighter in the base for use when lighting the fire. I now also store something else in this recess but more of that later.
Instead of a cork the MKettle uses a silicone bung to seal the opening. As always you need to remove the bung when boiling the kettle to stop it being fired out and boiling water being sprayed about.
I had worried that the small firebowl and the size of the MKettle would mean that it was more fussy fuel wise or hard to keep going but these were unfounded concerns. My only problem was that I kept putting too many twigs and fuel in and had a lot left to burn when the kettle was boiling.
The MKettle is fitted with a neoprene cosy. this both increases the insulation and also provides you with the means ti lift the kettle when boiled. This is way more convenient than the messing about with the Kelly/Storm/Ghillie Kettles. Just lift and pour.
In the picture below it is not pouring very well but that is just because I am pouring with one hand while trying to take an action shot with the other. It is a surprise the water is even going in the cup
I have in testing the MKettle come up with some modification to the kit and also a really handy discovery. First of all lets talk boil times. On my initial tests I forgot to time the boil. On subsequent tests I frequently forgot to time the boil times
One reason for this is it seemed about the same time as my other kettles of this style and fast enough. When I did time the boil it varied from about 8 to 10 minutes. Darren at MKettle has quoted 6 minutes to me and this seems entirely possible. As i say I tend to overfeed the kettle and was using freshly gathered twigs that were often damp.
What I have added to speed things up is a small blow poker. This is an old arrow shaft cut down to 20cm long and stored in the side of the bag. Once the fire is established you use this to blow in the air hole in the firebowl when there is no wind to add a turbo boost. using this method I may have got boil times below 6 minutes but like I said I forgot to time it. but it did seem quick.
Now for a real discovery. It was one of those "I wonder if" moments. In fact I was talking to Warthog1981 about the MKettle when i found myself saying "I wonder if the Trangia burner fits in the firebowl"
It does. The next question is of course how does it perform. The answer is like MKettle is what Trangia burners have been looking for all these years. I had worried that the airflow would not be right or something but no the trangia performed brilliantly. Perhaps to well as it manages to put a flame a good 4 inches out the top of the kettle. From a cold start with cold water the Trangia will bring a MKettle to full rolling boil in just under 8 minutes.
From looking at the fuel used I would say you would get at least 3 boils from a trangia full of fuel at the start.
So now I have a trangia with a full fill of fuel in the base of the MKettle with the strips of tyre and lighter on top and a blow poker down the side in the bag. With this set up I am good to go even if there is no twigs of the like to burn. you can take this a stage further by having the MKettle full of water. This may be of more use if you are hiking with it but as I am paddling on water and it is going to get boiled I tend not to carry the kettle full.
With the trangia, MKettle, blow poker and bag the size is still as listed at the top but the weight has gone up to 650g. not bad when this is in the worst case scenario 1.5l of purified water or infinitely more if there is any sort of wood/twigs etc to burn.
What I have not done yet is explore the potential of the MKettle firebowl as a pot stand for the trangia. I imagine it will take no more than a couple of tent pegs to allow you to heat your beans and sausages in your crusader over the trangia then put the kettle on for a brew, then pegs back on so you can heat up dessert.
In summary
I am very pleased with the MKettle. the size is just right for slipping in the pack. Much as I love my Kelly Kettle I have tended to leave it behind a lot as it was too bulky, especially for a solo outings. The MKettle has found its way into a permanent spot in my pack.
I am also quite excited about the possibilities of using this with the Trangia. for day trips there is no need for more fuel than the trangia holds so this makes a superb compact cooking system with boil times that must be faster than any comparable pots.
So in summary I highly recommend these. British made and guaranteed watertight.
How Much?
The MKettle is £45 with £5 postage in the UK or £10 postage worldwide.
However as an introductory offer Darren has said that the first 100 sold to SongofthePaddle or BushcraftUK members will get a £5 discount. To get this you need to email the contact address from the MKettle site an include your username and which forum you are from. Darren will then send you payment details etc
