The Hard Anodised Ghillie Kettle range

Adventurer = Capacity 1.4 Litres = 0.9 kg

Explorer = Capacity 1.0 Litres = 0.8 Kg

Maverick = Capacity 0.5 Litres = 0.6 Kg

I've just weighed the complete package of Ghillie Adventurer Kettle + Large Cook Kit (Comprising Sauce Pan + Fry Pat + Grill + Pot Lifter + pot support) + Trangia Burner + Full Trangia 500 ml of Methylated spirit bottle + fatwood + Tinder + Fire steel + Carry bag = 2.0 kg.

http://www.freewebstore.org/GhillieKettl...86_5017663.aspx

Domestically we have the Kelly Kettle:

Kelly Kettle at Beprepared.com

Same thing I guess.

I've never used either a Dakota pit fire or a rocket stove, but building a rocket stove is on our To Do List for the upcoming winter. Thanks for the info.

I have tried a few times to get a so called Dakota fire pit to work without any real success.

I suspect the problem was that the wind was not blowing from a consistent direction.

Well, Be Prepared won't ship to Alaska, like so many other distributors I have given up on. So I went direct to Kelly Kettle USA and order a big base camp model. Unlike my Scottish friend's Ghillie Kettle, the Kelly Kettle either comes in stainless steel or plain aluminum. No anodizing.

I got the big base camp model kit, with all the accessories. I also grabbed one of the scratch and dent models on the same order. When they came in, the scratch and dent had only a couple small dings in the outer wall. That's a huge discount for what is essentially insignificant.

So I walked the neighborhood today with the wife. We've had rain for the past couple weeks here, so all the duff is damp, but I scrounged up half a grocery sack full including a dozen or so little spruce cones that were surprisingly dry. So here's the video of me testing it out.

Kelly Kettle test

It took 8 minutes to get 1.5+ liters boiling. Please note the big mistake I made when setting the kettle on the firepan. The heat coming up out of that chimney took the hair off my hand instantly. But I did not burn myself.

This stove gets two big, singed thumbs up from me. I highly recommend getting one.

Very nice! I would love to pick up a Kelly Kettle myself. A little heavy for hiking but great for car camping or a base camp.

Actually, the pots aren't that bad on weight. Even in stainless it is not all that heavy, but they are bulky. They have a much smaller version that will hold 19 oz of liquid. If you get that one in aluminum, it is pretty lightweight, but still a bit on the bulky side depending on how small a pack you wanna use.

Kelly kettles are interesting gadgets, and I will probably get one someday. But they are hopelessly heavy and specialized for backpacking. NOthing beats the versatility of a simple pot and lid.

The Kelly Type Kettle in Hard Anodized Aluminium i.e. the Ghillie Adventurer which can boil 1.4 Litres in a similar time to a high power gas stove really isn't to heavy for backpacking. i.e. The Kettle with cooking pots etc weighs around 1200 grams.

Even a lightweight gas stove with a 450 gram cartridge will weigh around 750 grams. Add a Titanium Pot of a similar capacity will weigh around 140gms. 890 grams. With a 450 gram cartridge you can typically boil around 30-35 litres, with a windscreen, such as a titanium foil one @ 70grams you are now @ 960 grams.

The Kelly type kettle can also double up as a water sterilization device and as a water bottle so you can leave that 300 gram water filter and that 140 gram stainless steel water bottle behind as well. If fuel is easily available i.e. small twigs, feathered sticks, pine cones are readily available the Kelly type kettle would be very useful for wilderness trips greater than 7-10+ days. i.e. a longer term bug out situations let alone for home emergency and vehicle or even bicycle adventuring.

Good video. I'm tempted to pick one up and try it out this fall.