Replies to This Discussion

NewbiePermalink Reply by Talbert de Jong on July 20, 2010 at 10:58

I' have a colemans all fuel presure burner which i use for camping its a tad heavy to bring in backpack I reckon,
I've made a hobo stove with pots that have not been tested yet but I will soon.
I love the idea of using this as my main cook machine, using wood as fuel instead of petrochemicals.

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ShrafterPermalink Reply by Oshadhi Maha Thantrige on September 13, 2010 at 18:05

US ARMY all the way for me. I use a US army aluminium canteen cup with the aluminium stove stand with a pop can stove. Being able to make tea, heat canned soups and cook 2 minute noodles in 5 minutes ( In the bush thats outstanding preformance) it's cheap, light and effective.

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TohungaPermalink Reply by Neil Clarke on September 13, 2010 at 20:34

Depends, out with the family two man Trangia, out for a few days on my own one man Trangia, out for the day or going light canteen cup, Hexi stove. The other bit of kit i take is a Trangia mess tin which holds my moblie kitchen ie oil, spices, seasoning etc. Its useful to use when cooking wild edibles when i find them or if i what to do something different with fish like a fish stew/curry. Means you can have a cup of tea with your evening meal. Generally i use freeze dried meals which means i can get away with just a canteen cup and stove.

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AdminPermalink Reply by Ryan Johnson-Hunt on October 15, 2010 at 7:34

Check out the Cooking page (under the KIT menu) for some very good resources on two types of stoves to build, the Super Cat Alcohol Stove and the Fire Bucket Stove System. Both of these are from jwbasecamp.com and Jim Wood has kindly allowed me to share them with our members.

Definitely check it out, both articles go into detailed discussion on materials and construction, with plenty of pictures

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TohungaPermalink Reply by Frank Williams on November 9, 2010 at 18:22

If you're keen on making a Super Cat Alcohol Stove this is one option.

Pak'n'Save stock these at $1.16. They are definitely Aluminium, which is what you need. The cans are marked in imperial and in metric so you can see that they are 3 oz in weight.

I used the exact measurements in the drawing in the pdf ( see Kit tab, then go down to "Cooking Kit" i.e. http://bushcraft.org.nz/notes/Cooking and download the pdf.)

I don't have a hole punch ( $9.95 at Wharehouse Stationery ) but got good results by drilling the holes first with a 2mm bit, then up the sizes to 6mm.

It'll take about 50-60mls of Meths. Burns for 8 min and boils 2 cups of water in just over 5 min when out of the wind. ( Not bad I think ). However, outside, wind protection is important.

I'm very pleased with it because it adds a lot of meal options to the menu because it's now so easy to cook with multiple billies.

One consideration is that it needs a good flat surface to stand on ( away from kids because the billy can topple easily ).

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TohungaPermalink Reply by Te Hopo on January 3, 2011 at 10:32

I made on of these recently to the plans in the PDF and found  it work really good.

Also a standard tin fits on top to make a great small billy and the cooker and a bottle of meths fit inside it for transport.

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TohungaPermalink Reply by Te Hopo on November 6, 2010 at 19:28

Out in the bush on my own I carry a canteen and aluminium cup along with a small billy with lid, one of those hexamine stoves and a spoon.
Takes care of all my needs.

When out with my family, it's at least two billies with bowls, cups, forks, spoons, the whole lot

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ShrafterPermalink Reply by antony smith on January 3, 2011 at 0:32

hey all i use army issue hexi stove found useing non issue hexi blocks a real ball ache as they blow out in mild wind where as issue blocks do not blow out.

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TohungaPermalink Reply by Te Hopo on January 5, 2011 at 15:25

Now that is one top notch idea!!!

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TohungaPermalink Reply by John Pilgrim on July 11, 2011 at 6:42

That's interesting, Some of you prefer US military cook gear but here I am a Yank and I prefer English kit. I own two Crusader cups and canteens and use the rectangular cooksets like Antony Smith shows in his picture. Mine are the tinned steel WW2 type rather than the current issue aluminum style. I really do not like aluminum. It transfers heat so fast it tends to burn cooking food and my lips when drinking hot liquids. Steel for me even if it is a bit heavier to carry, My "billy" is just an old steel coffee tin with a wire bail added. I do most of my cooking over a wood fire and rarely use liquid or solid fuel stoves, although for a quick cup of tea, a "tommy cooker" solid fuel stove is great. I think mine is West German issue. I found it in a wooded area in Germany during military manouvers and has been with me ever since. During that tour of duty, we sat around railheads a lot waiting to upload or download tracked vehicles. I mean, we sometimes waited several DAYS for the trains. So I made what I call a "Railhead Ruck" to pass the time more comfortably. In a gas mask pouch I assembled the tommy cooker, fuel, crackers, jam, candies, packets of dry soup, noodles, peanut butter. (We Yanks love peanut butter like Australians love Vegemite. Maybe more so.) coffee, tea, hot chocolate, potted meat, etc. When I needed a cup of coffee or hot soup, out came the railhead ruck and soon, I was doing much better. It was a real morale booster. I still carry a lighter version when I go to the wild places for a few days. In a hypothermia situation, being able to quickly make a hot beverage can be lifesaving.

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ShrafterPermalink Reply by new caveman on January 6, 2012 at 10:54

Meths is making a come back. I use a Trangia T28 (the smallest one meant for multi-sporters) for day walks and fly fishing tho it can and has been used for w/e trips. One fill (50ml) will do 2 boil ups  (3 if you use a windshield and don't overload the pot) or one dinner cook and everything you need (full burner with simmer ring that actually works, pot holder, small Bic lighter, burner stand, tinfoil swatch for wind screen and a couple of packets of cup-a-soup, coffee mix, what ever) in one neat little bundle. The lid doubles as a non stick fry pan, just big enough for an egg and some bacon or a fat boy burger patty. Easily packed not to rattle. Starts good with a sparker. The down sides, if you can call them that, is it will be affected by a cross breeze, hence the tinfoil, and the disgusting taste of meths, tho this last is no worse that hexi and not nearly as poisonous.

For longer trips or bigger cook ups I use an Optimus 77a which looks and works just like a big Trangia but is slightly lighter and IMHO a better cook set, it can safely be stacked for split level cooking. 2 Pot meals are easily doable. No wind screen needed and plenty of room for spare fuel. Very good wind tolerance, windy river beds are seldom a problem and the crudest wind break (log, pack, small boulder etc) seals the deal.

Meths is cheap, quiet and very easy to find. And yes, it will so too work fine in snow with just a small amount of organization. Also the 'greenest' of fuel, for those give a rats about such things...

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ShrafterPermalink Reply by Craig McGregor on January 29, 2012 at 1:21

I'm a bit surprised that I've never seen anyone in the NZ hills with a Penny Stove or derivative there of. Not only is it the cheapest the stove I have ever owned, but it also came with two free beers and runs absolutely silently!

Anyway, speaking of Cooking Kit - all up I'm carrying 265g plus some meths for fuel for a complete system with no expensive titanium nor any tacky breakable plastic sporks etc. This system is robust, reliable and is as functional as it is easy on the wallet. 

Item	Brand	Weight
1 litre anodised aluminium billy	Old and has no labels	117g
Plastic smiley mug	Generic MIC from the Red Shed	30g
Pot lid	DIY (from base of a large Milo tin)	30g
Beer Can Stove	DIY (from two aluminium beer cans)	11g
No6 wire pot stand	DIY (some orange paint to prevent losing in grass etc)	13g
Fire-steels	Light My Fire	26g
Anodised aluminium spoon	Sea to Summit	14g
Knife	Victorinox (+ inner tube sheath)	18g + 8g
Total	weighed together (2g lighter due rounding)	265g

 

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