Yes! In New Zealand!

I thought the 2-pack can openers sold by Coghlan's were P38s but the real one is about 2/3rds the size (at about 38x18mm). It is stamped "US Shelby Co."

I think they are rejects as the blade won't open out to 90 degrees to the body. I can see why- I will need to file off a tiny amount of excess material at the start of the curve of the hinge.

I also bought a tiny Hexamine stove, German issued, it measures 73x20x98mm, which is just over half the size of the last one I bought. Inside is a cardboard box containing heat tablets in two sealed foil packs. This is going to go into my BOB, but I'll now need to add a small billy.

To keep the stove, matches and other grubby stuff from contaminating everything else I found a small two-part aluminium box 93x182x25mm, which I can hold together with ranger bands. The stove would almost fit inside a tobacco tin, but it is fractionally too big for the one my PSK is in.

Also, I think I'll remove my stainless steel knife/fork/spoon/bottle/can opener and replace it with a polycarbonate spork. The steel set can go in the car.

It's a lot of fun putting this stuff together, but I really hope I never need it.

A

I have a bunch of P-38's, including one that I have carried for about 37 years now. Most came right out of a case of C-rats, so I doubt that they were rejects. Most open to 90 degrees, but not all. As long as you can use it I would not worry about it. It may open up more with use...

I bought two and neither of them opened past about 30 degrees, so I couldn't have started to use them. If I forced them then they started to 'unwrap' the rolled portion that forms the hinge. 10 seconds with a Dremel and they're fine. Now to test them on a tin...

Oh, and just so you know, I paid NZ$2.50 each (about US$1.72). Some things are expensive on this remote island.

A

"...Some things are expensive on this remote island..."

Yeah, but you have those great beaches!!!

Aloha Ame,

I would suggest testing your little stove. I have an Esbit, which I would bet is similar if not identical to the one you bought. And I have found it doesn't get water to a boil. I have been using a Primus kettle with a pint of water and while it gets hot, no boil.

Let me know if yours works better.

or should I have said "Kia ora"

Personally speaking, I always keep some kind of heavy duty metal spoon. It has a myriad of uses besides eating. I like the Hobo knife because of the small items that are apart of it. The plastic spork has one very light duty application only!

Surely the ability to boil is dependent on the fuel, not the stove as such? I am reluctant to open the fuel pack as it is sealed, but I did buy a packet of different fuel tablets, which are not sealed. Perhaps I will pack both types.

The larger folding stove is in the car, and I did manage to heat up a tin of tuna with curry sauce in about 4 minutes with half a tablet.

Anyway, the reason I bought the small stove was it was sooo cute. Functionality was far from my mind at the time, but in the harsh light of reality its capabilities must now be evaluated.

A

You have to try all your gear out. Sometimes you get a big unpleasant surprise. It is tempting to buy only what you need or look at "training" as a waste of money. A survival situation is not the time to find out that you can't understand the directions for your equipment.

I totally agree. I have tried most things out, and I will test this too. I really I have no idea what situation I might find myself in. I actually expect to be in a government shelter 100kms from home because home is flooded or has tipped into the dirt due to liquefaction. I do not expect to be in a field with just my bag. But then, I don't expect the Spanish Inquisition either (although in either of those situations the comfy chair would be most welcome).

The P38 test is scheduled for Monday. We only use the occasional can here, so I have had to wait, so the Coglan's can opener is what stays in the BOB for now (and yes, that was tested).

Now I need a small billy. I was thinking of a travel-sweet tin. They are about 10cm diameter and 4cm high, so should easily hold 1 cup of liquid. The lid of these tins is usually a reasonably tight fit, and I can put stuff inside it. I will have to keep the billy in something though as the outside will get blackened from the stove.

Thanks for the great comments (I'm still very excited that I was able to get hold of a genuine P38. It's really no big deal, but it helps to ground these discussions in reality and I can actually see, touch and hold the same items as you all talk about).

A

I just reviewed my BOB and LO & behold!!! I found my P38 & handcuff key that I misplaced 1 year ago !!!!! I guess I need to review my equipment more often.

Ok. Both P38s work. One was tested on a tin of chickpeas, the other on a tin of tomatoes. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I have now removed the Coghlans can opener from my PSK and replaced it with the P38. Significant weight savings from the Coglans at 8g to the P38 at 3g. I was also able to pack some Potable Aqua that I had had elsewhere (but only by rearranging- not due to the smaller size of the P38).

On to the stove. I have found out it is identical to the small Esbit stove, and the fuel tablets are the same 'lego block' style in a sealed foil pack. They are probably quite old now, being marked 'Made in West Germany', which of course no longer exists. I am not looking quite so hard for a smaller container to put it in- I like the rectangular Aluminium box as it can be used as a stable base and windshield.

A

Glad they the P-38 worked, If you ever have to open a really large can, like a three pound coffee can, your fingers will get sore, but you will get it opened...

If I am not mistaken, the Coghlan's are P51s...the larger cousin of the 38.
I have a two pack that I've never opened. I have used the P38s, and being very inexperienced at the time, I didn't know they were supposed to open to 90 degrees...and I had to...persuade them. I agree though, most will probably open easier with a bit of use.

I used an esbit stove extensively, and it never brought water to a boil with one tab. It would almost always take 2-3. Although, I have sinced learned a great deal more since then, I would suggest placing heavy duty tin foil around the stove, reflecting the heat back towards the cup. worth a shot!

Yes, you could be right about the P-51. There is an entry for the P-38 in Wikipedia which also mentions it Wikipedia: P-38 can opener

A

Thanks for the comments on the Esbit. Testing is scheduled for next week (when I am on vacation). Of course it's summer here in the Southern Hemisphere, so the test results will have to be normalised for other locations and seasons.

References on the web indicate that one tablet will boil one pint of water in 8 minutes. I will try one tablet with 500ml (2 metric cups) of water and no shielding and report here.

A

What altitude though?

Thanks for the inof on the Esbit. I haven't been able to bring two cups to a boil in every attempt I have made. I have tried:

1 esbit tab with tin foil to focus heat - it got the water hot but not to a boil. Then I added some wood kindling. Total burn time was about 15-20 minutes. No boil.

1 esbit tab plus several pieces of fatwood - hot but no boil.

1 esbit tab plus fatwood plus a bunch of kindling sized wood - hot but no boil.

Elevation was about 300 feet above sea level.

When you used 2-3 esbit tabs and got a boil, was it in succession or together? And was it one cup or two?

Does your pan have a lid? That can make a big difference. You need a lid.

I just did some indoor tests, in close to ideal circumstances (no wind etc, although I had a door open for ventilation). 500ml of water, small Esbit-style stove, in a pan with a lid at 150ft above sea level. The genuine Esbit fuel took about 6 minutes to boil. (The temperature measured over 99C).

My preferred fuel is the army stuff which is flat, squarish waxy blocks about 1.75" wide. I usually break them in half and on this occasion I was using odd-shaped fragments which added up to less than a whole brick. They took about 8 minutes. (In the UK you can also get fuel as round tablets, which I find an inconvenient shape and they leave more of a residue, so I avoid them.)

I have both sizes of stove. The big one takes up more space, but the space isn't wasted as you can fit more stuff inside it. It should come fully packed with fuel, but I take some of the fuel out and replace it with a lighter and some tinder and a tea-spoon. The small one holds less stuff but will fit in places the big one won't. In particular, it will fit inside a Trangia mess tin with plenty of space left over, and together they form a nice little system for hiking.

I normally use the stoves for making coffee in the evening and morning, and sometimes noodles in the evening, when camping solo. Although this is outdoors there is usually no wind at those times, and they perform in the wild much as they do in the above test. I once tried to use one on a beach in the afternoon, and there was wind and I basically gave up (it started to rain and I was with other people who wanted to go home).