My Perfect Stove Kit.

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Wayland

Hárbarðr
That's neat isn't it.

One combination I used to use had an aluminium base which fitted inside the billy in place of the bowl.

Unfortunately it melted in the heat from the meths stove on a windy day so is no more.... :(

I've still got the lid and the small pot it came with though.

It was called a "Hot-Pot" but I haven't seen one for years.
 

Greg

Full Member
Jul 16, 2006
4,335
259
Pembrokeshire
Zodiak said:
Greg. these are a good buy, I bought some for my explorers to keep teabags, sugar bags, coffe etc in at camp, and they do the job well, unless they get crushed in which case the lid becomes a pig to fit.

Luckily In practice you don't want lids that tight for cooking as they would explode. Sorry but I don't know what to suggest as an alternative, maybe make something from ally.

To ease the pressure during cooking you could drill a small hole in the lids!:)
 

Scots_Charles_River

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Dec 12, 2006
3,277
41
paddling a loch
www.flickr.com
I bought the larger £3.99 biscuit tin and the smaller one as it fits perfectly in as a billy. I drilled the holes, in my metakl workshop today - easy with the pillar drill - and I'm trying it out. The stainless steel plate is pretty thin.

A small hole on the edge of the lid will release steam pressure as they do fit pretty tight.

Making a wood stove for my swedish mil. trangia will give both meths and wood options.

Great idea Wayland and cheap.

Nick
 

Pignut

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jun 9, 2005
4,096
12
44
Lincolnshire
Wayland said:
I have spent a lot of time tinkering to find the perfect stove kit over the years.

This is what I'm working with at the moment, It's pretty close to my ideal.

Wayland-Stove-1.jpg
.....
Wayland-Stove-2.jpg


The whole thing fits into the hide bag to keep it from sooting up the rest of my kit and the total weight including the bag is 820g.

Wayland-Stove.jpg


If I go round clockwise from the top, it's based around a 10cm Zebra billy. I didn't like the handle as it was always in the way when packing so I replaced it with a SS wire bail which is more compact.

The lid can be used as a bowl if needed but I usually eat direct from the billy anyway.

The hobo stove is made from a SS container from Morrisons that fits nicely round the billy, there are a couple of slots cut in the sides that you can't see clearly that let the bail fittings nest better.

To make a rest for the pot I used two SS skewers that fit through holes in the top of the hobo stove. They're bent at the ends to stop them workind themselves out while you are moving the pot about.

Next is the bag which I've already mentioned, which is made from a bit of birch tanned reindeer hide. Heavier than it could be but I just like natural materials for some jobs.

To the right is the windshield from a Clikstand . This rolls up and fits inside the billy taking vitually no space at all.

Inside the windshield is a Triad titanium stove which can be used either with meths or solid fuel tablets.

The foil packages are Esbit fuel tablets. I wrap them to keep them from breaking up and also from old habit, I used to just stand a pan on three stones and burn them directly on the foil.

The brown rectangles in front are BBQ fire lighters. They are light and odourless and can be cut up. A small peice makes lighting the hobo a lot easier.

A small light chain for hanging the pot over a proper fire. The ends are cut to form hooks that can be used for adjustment.

Pine cones are great stove fuel. You can tell if they are dry because they open up and if you give them a shake to free the seeds they have done thier job and are now surplus to requirements as far as the tree is concerned. I often have a pocket full just from picking them up as I go along.

Pot handle / grip. This one is a Trangia one that I cut down to fit into the billy, which also reduces the weight a bit too. Useful when you are stirring or eating from the billy.

A folding cup, most uses are obvious but I usually put some water in it while I'm cooking in case somethink starts burning that shouldn't. It's also good for dipping your fingers in if you burn yourself.... :eek:

A film container full of matches. I use an APS type because they are oval rather than round which fits better. Sometimes I just need a light and don't want to mess about. I prefer matches because you can poke them into the fuel better.

The bowl from the Zebra billy. I used to think it was useful for eating from but as I've said I use the lid or the billy itself now.

What I've done is drill holes round the edge of the bowl and it can be used as a steamer or a strainer.

The white bit at the back is something called a "Chef Aid" which is a mini pot scraper made of plastic. Much better than a scouring pad because you can dry it before packing. Usually I use ash to clean the pan if I've got a fire but if not this little thing is dead handy.

So depending on the outing I can carry some meths, food, water and I'm pretty well sorted for any situation.

I'd be interested to see other peoples perfect kits though.

Wayland,

A quick question on the stove, (Not that I am trying to pinch your design ;) )

Are there any other air holes in the SS container other than the large fule hole and double row of air holes at the bottom

Feel free to tell me to S*d of!
 

rik_uk3

Banned
Jun 10, 2006
13,320
24
69
south wales
Wayland said:
If I'm cooking authentically I tend to use these.

cauldron.jpg


I have to admit I'm still looking for the perfect light weight rations.

I'm not much into veggie dishes and most dehydrated stuff is full of onion which I just can't eat.

I use rice, cous cous or pasta as a base quite a bit and I carry various things to flavour them up.

A packet of cake mix that you can just add water to is good too. If you put a foil cup in the steamer you can steam bake them while you are boiling something else in the bottom, which is useful.

Do you dry your own food Wayland? I've had really good results using a cheap dehydrator, all sorts from carrots to minced beef :)
 

Wayland

Hárbarðr
Pignut said:
Wayland,

A quick question on the stove, (Not that I am trying to pinch your design ;) )

Are there any other air holes in the SS container other than the large fule hole and double row of air holes at the bottom

Feel free to tell me to S*d of!

If I didn't want to share the idea I wouldn't have posted it in the first place as I said above.

The air holes at the bottom seem to be sufficient, there is a little bit of gap between the billy and the stove at the top so the heat causes an updraught and pulls air in at the base.

Near the top there are 4 holes to put the skewers through and 2 square nicks for the billy can bail supports when packed.

That's it.
 

Boatswain

Tenderfoot
May 18, 2007
80
0
66
South London
Wayland
I'm really impressed with your kit, but I feel I have to ask why did you change from the Ikea hobo stove to the Morrison's one

Cheers Roy
 

Wayland

Hárbarðr
howe you do it makes no differt when you hungry its doesnot matter what your stoof look like

When you are hungry it's important to have equipment that does the job effectively, which is the first priority for all my kit. This stove is very effective and leaves minimal impact upon the environment which is another preference of mine.

After that I like my kit to look and feel nice, that's a personal choice which adds to my own pleasure in being outdoors.

The World is full enough of ugly things without carrying more around with me.
 

Biddlesby

Settler
May 16, 2005
972
4
Frankfurt
Love the stove kits here! Need to get one together myself, you have inspired me. I will hunt around morrisons. I have made a few mini wood stoves but I usually find there are too many holes, the stove is too far from the heat, and so the fuel burns in an instant with the water cold. Guess its just a case of mucho fiddling.
 

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