Questions about the BCB Crusader kit...Anyone?

[Ridge Runner]

I just discovered the BCB Crusader kit online and I have a lot of quesitons about it.

Who here uses one? How do you like it? Can it only heat for coffee and tea, or could you use it to cook other foods? How well would it cook soup?

Can you pour denatured alcohol into the cooking unit?

Can you put a second Crusader cup and cooking unit on top of the Crusader canteen so you have two metal cups and two stoves (instead of the plastic cup)?

How much room do you have inside the ZULU carrier for the entire system? Space on the sides? Extra space on top?

 

[deeps]

Have a look at http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=mFVoA3-9sag and http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=deaCAjYxaZM which should answer your questions.

Big pot and you can cook up most of your slop in it not just tea/coffee.
You could put alcohol into the tray and burn it but it would be inefficient. Better to make a small coke can type burner.
You probably can puta second stove/cooker unit on top of the bottle but it is likely to be a bit rattly.
Beware of buying cheaper water bottles which are similar but a slightly different size because they rattle about a bit inside the metal cup.
Can't answer on the Zulu question.

 

[widu13]

If you are a one pan person the crusader is excellent. It's stainless steel (don't get the non stick- they flake) so will go on an open fire. The cooking unit is ok- a penny stove or similar will fit in it, but it won't hold enough liquid fuel by itself to do a good job. It's designed as cup, bottle and stove. Anything else will make it rattle as already said. The waterbottle has a very wide neck/opening compared to the US Army bottles, but that's not a bad thing. Buy original bottles as also said.

 

[Peter_t]

the mug is stuf of legends! awsome bit of kit. the cooking unit on the other hand is completely useless imo. it is slower than a standard hexi burner when useing blocks and the jell is just messy and expensive.
i HIGHLY recomend u getting the mug thow. get the plain steel mug not the black one as its not non stick as the paint gets scratched and peels easily but it does give it charactor lol. if u want to use hexi blocks scrape a hole in the ground that the mug can rest on and light them underneeth. trangia burners are good, aparently the tanoka one is the best also it comes with a stand. u can buy or make a pot hanger that clips onto the lip of the mug so u can hang it over fires. u can also buy a lid but there made of plastic and usualy melts, especialy over a fire. i made one out of aluminium (stainless steel would be better but harder to make)

hope this helps
pete

 

[Treemonk]

The mug is nice and solid - heavy but pretty much unbreakable. Would agree with other posts - don't get the non-stick as the finish chips very easily.

The black NATO waterbottles are great too, they work well, are strong and work well with iodine treated water.

The black plastic mugs are OK but I've found that the bases tend to split (hey I'm rough on gear) and so have never really used them any more

The cooker is awful and very heavy. I would steer well clear. The green gel is pretty bad too.
If you are looking for a good alcohol stove, the vargo models are very nice, I've got another make called a whitebox which weighs 30g and kicks out an awful lot of heat for such a tiny thing.
Have you considered a titanium set? you could get a 1 litre kettle, a mug and the stove all for the weight of the crusader. Fire safe/sterilisable too.

 

[Jared]

Does anyone know if the Zulu is an actual NATO item, and its NSN code?

http://www.bestglide.com/nato_water_bottle_holder.html