The Primus tea kettle is also a classic design for use out it the wilderness, being lightweight and tough.

http://www.outdoorgb.com/p/Primus_LiTech...amp;country=GBR

For long term use the Simplex No4 Copper Kettle is a classic and has the quick boil heat exchanger base for LPG stove use, which reduces fuel consumption and improves the boil time for domestic use.

http://www.amazon.com/Simplex-Chrome-Ket...8490&sr=1-1

I seem to remember seeing the Simplex kettle being used for Antarctic Expedition use back in the 1980s despite its weight.

The Thermette and Kelly Kettle would definitely be useful for those occasions when access to more conventional fuels is limited although there is nothing to stop any conventional kettles being used with a wood gasifier type stove.

Why I think about adding a kettle to my gear:

virtually unlimited fuel
virtually free fuel
fuel that can gathered rather than transported
efficient use of fuel
potential: not have to carry fuel bottles or cylinders, and spares, redundancy in any event

boiling purifies water directly and by generating steam for “stills”
water filtration will fail when its filters are used up or suffers mechanical breakdown
UV water sterilization system will fail when its batteries die
water treatment pills will run out
potential: not have to carry water filter system, spare filters, UV system, spare batteries, pills; redundancy in any event

much fresh, dried, and freeze-dried food and drink is “cooked” by just adding hot water
much cleaning and some wild-crafting is based on hot water
there isn't much other food that cannot be cooked on / in / around an open fire

I believe I can modify a kettle to securely carry water / tea / soup by adding a threaded cap
potential: not have to carry another water bottle

the “chimney” of a kettle can carry fire-starting gear and supplies
kettle setup inherently protects fire in harsh weather

Personal quirk: I usually carry a wide-mouth vacuum bottle or multiple layered freezer bags wrapped in some insulation used to carry slow-cooking food in liquid as I hike or journey to avoid having to sit around waiting at my next stop. Boiling water is by far the most frequent job I ask of my stoves.

I have a Kelly kettle and have used it quite a bit. It is bulky, but works fantastic.

I am not interesting in cooking with it, just boiling water, and it works fine for that.

I`m a big tea drinker, cider drinker, hot cereal eater and occasional mountain house eater... the idea seems great for long-term camping to me! Just a lil more than I'd like to spend.

Much of the typical camping fare is freeze dried or dehydrated and really doesn't require any real cooking. Most of the 'cooking' seem to amount to: pour in boiling water, cover, allow to sit for a time. French press, or <gag> instant, coffee and tea are easy. In a major breakdown of infrastructure boiling water will be a way of treating water.

Then again these specialized devices aren't doing anything you can't do with a conventional pot. The difference would seem to be a matter of efficiency and speed. And what your willing to spend to save time and fuel.

Of course, there is also the 'gee whiz' and cool factor. Which, for some people, may be, on its own, worth the cost.

Cooking, they all have optional cook sets that can go on top to support regular cooking as well. Cost more but you can still cook in a pan.

Seems awfully heavy for what it does. Still, an interesting gadget.

Smaller sizes weigh about a pound or so. What does your water filter, UV pen, stove, fuel and fuel bottle, water bottle and cooking pot weigh?

Edit: Susan, acorn delivered by oaks near you.

We've discussed the drawbacks of these kettles several times on this forum (and the ways to fix that) years ago. But manufacturers aren't listening. They are using the cheapest technology possible only to cut their costs. To recap: it's easy to make the top lid removable. It's easy to add an emergency vapor valve on the lid instead of that pesky cork. It's easy to add a folding spigot near the bottom to make pouring more convenient. Such a "new" design will simply resemble the proven by ages Russian samovar design.



Sure thing it's much easier to weld 4 plain pieces of metal and sell for hundred bucks.

Alex,

I agree it would be an improvement the replace the cork "lid" with a chain-secured, screw-on stainless steel stopper that would allow leakproof water carrying - and perhaps incorporate a pressure release / tea kettle whistle type feature.

Your suggestion to turn the kettles into samovars by adding folding spigots would seem to introduce new problems of packing and transport, as well as vulnerability to damage.

A removable top lid for the fire chamber "volcano" might make transport of items inside the chamber more handy. A second removable lid that opened the top of the water chamber would ease filling, emptying, and cleaning it - and might allow its use for cooking. A lid that incorporated both features seems possible, though might challenge the stability of the overall strength of design.

Have you sent your suggestions to any of the three kettle companies?