Pocket Bellows - Telescopic, Light Weight

[thehomeofDob]

Every time I go camping I spend longer than I would care to with my face stuck inches from a fire blowing in life giving oxygen, having a beard this sometimes proves troublesome! Whether it's raining or just damp wood sometimes it just takes too long to get a fire going. Every time I come back from an overnight-er or a weekend trip I end up looking for some sort of bellows that's portable, well I finally found something!

Enter ... Pocket Bellows!

So the idea is fairly simple, it's an aluminium tube that extends similar to a rabbit ears antenna. The rabbit ears fail to "lock" in the open position when you cut the ends off to allow air to pass through. So these guys re-engineered it. I bought three, one for me, and two for presents.

I haven't had a chance to test them out, but I've a week long trip planned for the week of New Years and I'm sure there'll be no dry wood available! I'm hoping to get some snaps and maybe a video or two of it working on the trip, if I do I'll post up a review.

http://www.pocketbellows.com/ You can find them online, though international shipping is only available via their eBay page. Have a look at their wet wood video showing it used in anger. I can't wait to try it out.


Has anyone else used one of these? or anything similar to it?

Oh yeah, not affiliated with these guys, just a customer, hopefully a happy customer, but we'll see !


~Dan

 

[John Fenna]

It looks like a good old fashioned blow poker - I use various ones made from old arrows and Elder, though, admittedly, none of mine are telescopic...

 

[ozzy1977]

Neat idea, can you get them over here?

 

[Shewie]

A fancy blow poker

I use the Air Grill with good results, noisy but it saves the lungs

 

[Big Stu 12]

Neat idea, can you get them over here?

Yeah.. its callled an old Car or Radio airel

 

[thehomeofDob]

Ozzy - you can get them shipped internationally, though maybe a group buy would be more cost effective. http://www.ebay.com/usr/pocketbellows

I really wanted something light weight and portable, as I generally carry too much anyway. They recommend not to use it as a poker, but I'm hoping it's robust enough to hold up to a bit of abuse.

 

[John Fenna]

Ozzy - you can get them shipped internationally, though maybe a group buy would be more cost effective. http://www.ebay.com/usr/pocketbellows

I really wanted something light weight and portable, as I generally carry too much anyway. They recommend not to use it as a poker, but I'm hoping it's robust enough to hold up to a bit of abuse.

I never use the blow pokers I have to push wood around, only to push air into the fire - my wooden ones do not even get too close to the fire (for obvious reasons!)

 

[thehomeofDob]

I never use the blow pokers I have to push wood around, only to push air into the fire - my wooden ones do not even get too close to the fire (for obvious reasons!)

How much difference does it make in wet conditions?

 

[Big Stu 12]

Have you seen how much they want for one ......

$24.99 then $12 post and $12 import charges...... dam near $50 thats about £30...

As I say a telscopic arial from the Motor Factors

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2pcs-Auto...arParts_SM&hash=item5d45bf0bda#ht_7870wt_1023

and you get two take the ends off and away you go....

or with some mods..

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Extendabl...s_Monopods&hash=item19d589af72#ht_3629wt_1254

 

[didicoy]

Even cheaper and wider bore. Telescopic magnet. Some come with a pen clip for easy storage on your person.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/1506...ff11=ICEP3.0.0&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=95&ff19=0

 

[ozzy1977]

Think I will waite to find an aluminium arrow at the club

 

[ex-member BareThrills]

Think I will waite to find an aluminium arrow at the club

knock yourself out for 2 quid. cut mirror off and good to go

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/360-SWIVE...t=UK_Hand_Tools_Equipment&hash=item2ec9d86b5c

 

[John Fenna]

How much difference does it make in wet conditions?

Lots and lots!

 

[tombear]

Off to liberate a aerial from the kids box of RC toy controls....

 

[Clouston98]

Off to liberate a aerial from the kids box of RC toy controls....

That's the first thing that popped into my head too! .

 

[bigjackbrass]

Can't recall which book I read it in (possibly Kephart or Rutstrum; I'll have to look), but a different option is to take a short metal tube, hammer one end almost flat and connect the other end to a length of surgical rubber tubing. Obviously the metal part goes towards the fire Less to go wrong than with a telescoping one, perhaps.

 

[Mick721]

I use one of these knocked up out of an extendi-magnet thingy. Works a treat.

 

[tombear]

Just fetling a satchel for when the weather improves , adding a few light weight bits like a 4 layer square of silver paper to go under a twig stove ( protects the ground and once cooled its a easy way to dispose of ashes etc).

Anyroad I recalled this thread and for what its worth I ended up picking up a telescopic backscratcher from a pound shop or B&M and pulled the rubber grip and metal hand off it. Its wider than the radio control aerial and does the job nicely. I can't imagine a pukka Pocket Bellows works any better.

AtB

Tom

 

[tombear]

D'oh! Seams i posted this back in '14!

B&M backscratcher

Waiting to pay for more tindercards I noticed another novelty item for a quid at B&M, a telescopic back scratcher. So I indulged myself and when I got home had a good look at it. The rubber handgrip slides off and the tubes are rather better made than I thought they would be. There's...

bushcraftuk.com

Anyroad, the things are still available on eBay etc although some look narrower and have fixed pen clip ends which won't be so useful/suitable.

Atb

Tom

 

[Danceswithhelicopters]

I do like a good thread resurrection and I am also a latecomer to the pocket bellows advantages. I just bought a designed one in the tube as I felt it was a little bit fatter in diameter and the tube itself was handy to keep it clean to use on my mouth whilst living in a fire kit bag.