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Needs -
One litre of boiling water, so pot that can take a litre and stove that can boil in around 5 mins? It's basically for 3 cups of tea for the wife, nipper and I as tea out a flask just doesn't cut it.
Doesn't have to be mega lightweight, just no massive, no jetboil for this reason.
Cheers!
I use an MSR Pocket Rocket.
Spotty Dog IMHO.
Should meet your criteria?
A Trangia kettle & a titchy burner with a small gas bottle?
Iv'e got a Vau De burner with a piezo lighter & a titchy bottle (about £28 the pair?) for when I'm bothying. Takes about 30 seconds more to boil a kettle of water than my mates £90 Primus affair.
tea out a flask just doesn’t cut it.
Tea with milk out of a flask goes sideways quickly IME. Take the tea in a flask but the milk in a separate bottle.
Also, I've got the previous version of this, it's ace and weighs nowt.
http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/oex-sola-x-cookset-p362177
Nipper in tow?
Honey stove. Trangia burner/Pine cones/Twigs etc.
No really a nipper now, she's 11 and loves a cuppa. I've tried all iterations cougar, tea only, hot water only, it's just not got it.
That set looks good, I have a couple of whitebox stoves that I could use, but I'd prefer the ease of gas tbh.
I have an MSR Pocket Rocket, it boils up really fast!
If all you want to do is boil water then a jetboil or Alpkit version will be fine.
Whatever the modern version of an epigas/ Coleman alpine stove is. If you want to wait a bit longer then the modern equivalent of the backpacker or micro stove.
Edit - seem to now be called Coleman Firepower, Fyrelite or Fyrestorm backpacker, micro or alpine.
You'll need to take your own pot though
Just grab one of the Alpkit Brukits. We use that for walking tea all the time (and we have a stupid number of stoves to chose from!). Good value and compact.
Buying cheap will leave you frustrated in inclement UK weather. Waiting on a brew whilst you freeze and really want to get moving again is no fun. It will be found in the cupboard next to the food processor shortly afrerwards. Spend wisely and you will have a companion for life. I would recommend anything from MSR. I think you are specifically asking for the WindBurner. Check out the range and you can find one that suits your requirements .Really dependable kit .A joy to use .FYI, I use Dragonfly for everything . Just change my pot/kettle as the activity requires.
Cool, thanks, lots to look at.
jetboil sumo for simplicity if you really need a litre. Or how about a kelly kettle?
Trangia, you're having a laugh on a windy hillside trying to boil water.
This is perfect use-case for jetboil. Very good if all you have to do is boil water. Consider some kind of stove stand as well so you have somewhere a bit more secure to plant it.
I agree with buying cheap isn't worth it (though contrary to popular opinion the Alpkit works well with integrated wind protector, like the jetboil), but also worth remembering that the gas has a huge influence on the brew time. Always look at buying something like the Primus 4-season, as cheap stuff is awful in cold weather .
Molgrips I don’t think anyone suggested a trangia (it would fail the not bulky Test long before its capability as a stove would be an issue - although someone has suggested a kelly kettle so it’s not the most ridiculous day pack suggestion) but rather the trangia kettle, which is just what it sounds like a small kettle! I’ve only used one with an actual trangia but it does seem to be a useful “pan” for boiling water. I’m not sure outside the nesting system of a trangia it’s a particularly useful pack size.
personally I couldn’t be bothered with the faff and carrying of a stove system on day walks. The other half is unable to go four hours without a cup of tea though and is happy enough with a flask (milk separate) IF you have the right mug - have you considered that could be part of the issue. Personally hot chococlate or tomato soup are better uses for a flask in the mountains.
+1 for jetboil or the alpkit copy, it’s perfect for boiling water, as that’s what it’s designed to do quickly.
having used a pocket rocket, along with half a dozen other stoves, the jetboil type absolutely blows them away out in the wild, especially if there’s a breeze.
i have the alpkit copy, I don’t take it if im going on an overnighter as it is a little bulky, but for a quick cuppa it cant be beaten.
ymmv of course.
Re milk,
i use coffee mate, more convenient, doesn’t go off.
If all you want to do is boil water then a jetboil or Alpkit version will be fine.
This. Without a doubt. It's a glorified kettle by any other name. The Alpkit one isn't as slick as the bona fide Jetboil version but does the job fine. The Primus one is too small. If you're likely to diversify into glacial snow-melting, mountaineering lunacy, the MSR equivalent is incredible, but for what you want, a JetBoil-type is ideal. Less good for cooking, but for brewing tea, it's spot on. No teetering pots. Less need for a windshield. Super easy to use etc.
Sorry, I just re-read the OP and realised the JetBoil is out. In which case, just a lightweight gas stove of your choice. A pan of your choice. Cups, Gas canister etc. But it won't actually end up being much smaller than a JetBoil. If you want something that works really well and all folds together in a self-contained case, Primus stoves are lovely, but expensive. Anyway...
Fold up tiny gas stove like this:
> https://www.alpkit.com/products/kraku <
plus 100g gas bottle and trangia kettle.
Bit of stiffened foil as a windshield will speed things up.
<span style="display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Molgrips I don’t think anyone suggested a trangia</span>
Someone did suggest Trangia burner. Just wanted to nip that ridiculous suggestion in the bud.
Jetboils aren't massive are they? It all depends on how long you want to wait for your brew. Pocket Rockets etc are ok unless it's windy, then you need a wind shield, which is more faff, and they aren't the most stable things so you need something to put it on and it needs to be pretty level since the arms are so weedy.. so it's more faff than Jetboil.
Jetboils aren’t massive are they? It all depends on how long you want to wait for your brew. Pocket Rockets etc are ok unless it’s windy, then you need a wind shield, which is more faff, and they aren’t the most stable things so you need something to put it on and it needs to be pretty level since the arms are so weedy.. so it’s more faff than Jetboil.
No they're not massive, particularly if you store the gas canister inside the pot with the burner when they're basically the size of the cooking pot when packed away. If you think about it, a jetboil or similar is basically a canister-mounted burner with a clip-on pot incorporating a heat-exchanger. The only big saving in weight/bulk is if you use a finnicky lightweight stove that'll most likely be quite unstable with a one-litre stove on top. It's the obvious solution if you just want a super convenient portable kettle alternative.
As for Trangia... slow, bulky, hard to see whether it's lit or not in daylight, requires liquid fuel(meths), soots up the base of the pot. No thanks. The best you can say about it, is that it's simple.
Just buy a 1000ml titanium pot and an ultralightweight gas stove. Get one that folds and fits in the concave base of the gas canister then sitck it in the pot along with tea supplies and fold up plastic suport legs that clip to the bottom of the gas canister.
Kelly Kettle?
JetBoil if you want to boil water. I use a couple of 1 litre Healthy Human flasks in the arctic winter and fluids are too hot to drink after 4 hours at -20C - you have to decant them then let cool in a mug.
Despite saying 'no Jetboil' I think that given your other criteria a jetboil or similar would be the way forward. Pack size is slightly bigger than a 1l titanium pot, but for that you get quicker boil, more stability and better weather resistance. The only downside of all-in-one stoves is that they can be limited for real cooking but it looks like you won't be using it for that anyway.
I've used lots of different stove options for hillwalking/camping and now basically only use my jetboil because it's so good. I also don't know anyone who has gone back to something else after a jetboil (or other all-in-one).
A good comparison of the stoves available here:
http://thenextchallenge.org/camping-gas-canister-stoves/#allinone
Have a look at the MSR Reactor. Its a bit pricy but it is awesome. It uses a strange sort of gas fueled element instead of a flame.
It packs up Jetboil style. But i think ends up a bit smaller and lighter. It also boils much quicker and uses less fuel. Ive had a play with one but i already have a Jetboil which is still going strong after 8 years.
You can, of course, boil water in a plastic bottle using whatever heat source is to hand.
I’m not recommending this BTW 😀
What i actually suggested was a honey stove. With the option of using a trangia burner or twiggs or pine cones.
Sometime stopping and taking in your surroundings while your water boils is the best bit.
Carrying a diddy wee cannister of gas is a recipe for dissapointment in my experience. You either end up with lits of less than half full cannisters or a luke warm tea because the cannister you swore was full is actually not.
Anyway... It works for me* but i'm a bit of a tramp not out for a recordbreaking tea brew. And i also find its faster in a honey stove than an actual trangia.
How about a petrol stove *waits for molgrips to bit*
*As does a pocket rocket when i'm sure i have fuel...
Lots of ways to solve this, all have their pluses and minuses.
In your situation I'd go along with @conkers' suggestion: An Alpkit 650 MyTiMug, their Kraku stove and a couple of collapsible mugs. The smallest size of gas cylinder (100g) and the stove and plenty of tea bags (in a ziplock bag) fit inside the mug. You might want a windshield as well - Alpkit do one but I don't know if it fits in the mug - but easy enough to make your own from thin aluminium sheet.
Minuses? Other than weighing the cylinder before heading out there's no way of knowing beyond guesswork just how much gas is left in there. Unless you want to take a spare then you're quite likely to end up with a few nearly empty cylinders. 😉
These days I use either the above or a homemade alcohol stove, so long as you keep it out of the wind it's fine, in fact a windshield is essential for an alcohol/meths stove. It's not that much slower than a gas stove. They do take a bit of getting used to and aren't for everyone.
AGA
or one of these?
Carrying a diddy wee cannister of gas is a recipe for dissapointment in my experience. You either end up with lits of less than half full cannisters or a luke warm tea because the cannister you swore was full is actually not.
You can get adapters which you can use to refill little canisters from big ones.
Surprised that you don't like a (good quality) thermos doesn't work for you
my zojirushi keep hot drinks hot for hours and it's quite small, continually amazed BB it, bigger flasks work even better
have a look at the bulin t4 folds up small i use it while fishing it is really powerfull, got mine of fleabay from china
Cougar
do you have a link to such an adapter?
do you have a link to such an adapter
I have one. To get the last bit out of a cylinder, put the receiving one in the freezer for 10 minutes, and warm water in the concave bit of the donor. It's important to never fill a cylinder to more than the weight of a new one; if you fill brim full the gas expands with temperature change and can burst it.
Solid fuel tommy cooker and a tin mug?
Not quite as sexy as all those lightweight gas stoves but only costs a few quid.
Turns out I've misjudged the jetboil, researching it a bit more, it's not quite the one trick pony I thought it was, my bad.
To that end, the alpkit one looks a far better buy, I like the idea I can cook with it a bit too, and far cheaper than jetboil. Once packed down they ain't that big either.
Ta.
Those little adapters for switching gas across canisters, are they any good and worth having?
I had seen some cheap little gadgets that did the same job but they looked utterly dodgy so I gave them a miss. The ones in the link up there look pretty tempting though
cheers
I use a Trangia (with the specific bio fuel, seems a bit quicker than meths) all the time. If its that windy and we can't get out of it we aren't hanging around on the hillside to be honest. I don't have any 5 minute boil requirement and am a tight wad.
Kids love Kelly Kettles. Bulky? Yeah but I suspect you aren't walking the Crib with them on a regular basis? Great on the (quiet) beach and woods, probably not enough fuel on the hills though, granted.
If time is of the essence though, JetBoil or probably any 'hiking' gas stove would do the job with the Trangia kettle.
Supplementary question for the house. I'm partial to a mid-outing hot chocolate, courtesy of Alpkit Brewkit and a ragbag of various travel mugs. The mugs take up more space than the rest of the stuff put together. Any nice stacking/collapsible sets of 4 that don't cost a fortune or look like a dog bowl and still give that all important mouth feel?
Tea on the hills is always rank. Plastic cups & sweaty milk. No ta.
The answer, yet again, is ...
Perfect at any temperature.
Can also be combined with Benedictine, Vodka, mushrooms or Benylin as an effective temporary memory suppressant.
I’ve just ordered one of those little adapters, ta.
A mate just blogged about his trekking cooking system: https://aye.tf/2018/04/16/cooking-with-alcohol/
Flask of boiling water? My wynster (sp?) flask which is 25 years old will make a good cuppa up to about ten hours.
does mav12's linked adapter allow filling from larger threaded canisters, or just from the butane cylinder type? It's a lot more appealing than 25 quid!
I'd like a mug sized JetBoil for a cuppa on the go.
does mav12’s linked adapter allow filling from larger threaded canisters, or just from the butane cylinder type? It’s a lot more appealing than 25
think it just for the butane type cylinders which are dirt cheap £1 each, but they dont burn aswell in the cold as they dont have propane in them,
also the blueones think they are camping gaz ,i used to refill them directly with lighter gas but they are not threaded
+many,Alpkit Brukit.
Ghillie mKettle?
Holds about a pint, fuel either sticks/pine cones etc or tangia burner fits in there and is sheltered from wind inside the fuel pit
sticks/pine cones etc
Half an hour cleaning soot off your kit when you get home.
Obvious answer is a witch's cauldron. It's made from cast iron so very robust and will easily hold the one litre you need. Mine has lasted for centuries. A lot lighter than some of the solutions suggested above too.
Supplementary question for the house. I’m partial to a mid-outing hot chocolate, courtesy of Alpkit Brewkit and a ragbag of various travel mugs. The mugs take up more space than the rest of the stuff put together. Any nice stacking/collapsible sets of 4 that don’t cost a fortune or look like a dog bowl and still give that all important mouth feel?
+1
The cups issue is more critical. Lots of "camping" sets have awkward handles or don't stack, so taking four mugs takes up as much space as the flask or cooker.
Any suggestions for a set of stacking heatproof mugs so the family can all have a drink very welcome.
I sent my Brukit back, once the canister got down to less than 1/2 full it took about 20 mins to boil a litre. Alpkit said that was about right but refunded me anyway so fair play to them.
I'll bear that in mind, thanks Spin.
Aye, what cups is a good question too!
So, the Brukit had it's first outing last thursday, wifey's 40th, she loves a hill, but we had sorta limited time, as the wee one was at school.. Took the short drive to Carsphairn and up Cairnsmore of Carsphairn, for the 2nd time this month. Brukit is awesome, didn't take up too much space in my bag tbh either.
There's talk of summit macaroni cheese in the very near future... 🙂
Great bit of kit, very happy.
I guess that you could do 'proper' tea in it, with the leaves.
But it's got a plastic lid, so you might have to be careful about your choice of fire.
https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/psa-is-dis-da-shizzle-french-press-content/
Theres still some Stanley cook sets on amazon (only 0.7 litres) for a tenner?
some people use these as a heat source
the idea is to fill it with twigs etc. There's videos on YouTube under 'hobo stove'.
personally, I'd avoid cutting into it, and use skewers/ old tent pegs to support the flask.
the 13.5 cm version will be wide enough to support the 'solo pot 900', up to the bottom of the handles.
The refill gadget reduces the half a can of gas issue and primus winter gas also helps in lower temps
The jet boil also has a french press attachment which only weights 8 grammes
As for mugs - after trying almost everything on the market I have gone for old school enamel tin mugs. Plastic tastes horrid, ti burns your lips, alloy dents. A bonus is that a pack of oatcakes packs well into the mugs so you don't get oatcake crumbs
This will hold the ikea thingy, above.^^^^
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00IDCW9Z6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_6U15Ab7N30X2T
...you've got to wash and rinse them properly a few times to get rid of the metal polish.
Thanks gbo, but I've done the bodge type cooking set up, white box stoves, penny stoves, twig pots etc, I wanted something that is a sure bet on a windy summit, hence buying the brukit.
Thanks tho!
Tea on the hills is always rank. Plastic cups & sweaty milk. No ta.
Which is why my choice is a £4 Morrisons On The Go Travel Flask, no milk, green tea bag and just off boiling water, hot enough to burn your mouth after an hour, still hot anought to drink after eight hours. Just flip the top back and sip from whenever a stop presents itself, regardless of ground conditions.
Thread resurrection... Has anyone got one of the latest AlpKit BruKit stoves? Have the early "issues" been fixed now?
No, but I can highly recommend the Alpkit Flask, we use them on all our walks now...
Alpkit Brukit, job done. Next?
Elshalimo, aye, I bought one after starting this thread, it's awesome, great for what I wanted it for - tea - but also very good for cooking too, which I wasn't expecting tbh.
Summit one pot mac cheese is a joy.
@Nobeerinthefridge - thanks. I was thinking of getting one for winter walks and some overnight trips
How long are you going to be out for?
I'd use a JetBoil myself, but also consider just taking boiling water in a flask because it will still be hot enough for quite a while. Needs a really good flask though.
The advantage is that it is instant.