I'm wondering what the height of this box is, minus the lid:

BCB mini mess box

The height is given as 1", but it looks like the lid is a significant portion of that. If the dimension of the box-less-lid were as given, the volume would be around 9.7 fluid ounces, which means one might be able to use it to boil a cup of water.

Meat:

I have a couple of those boxes. I use one for my airline travel kit.

As I measure the box, the complete unit is 1-1/4 inches tall; the box without the lid is 1 inch tall.

So your dreams may be coming true.

By the way, it's a GREAT little box. Just a handy size, and there's a gasket lining the lid, so it's completely waterproof. And, yes, I'll bet you could boil water in the tin.

Bear

Ah. Good to hear. Thanks for the reply.

-Meat

I have a couple of these also. Very well made.
Somewhere on the web is a how-to that talks about adding a removable handle to these boxes, and using it for boiling water/cooking. I have seen it once, but didn't bookmark it.

If you should happen to stumble over a link, please post or PM me. I've found that searching for mini, box, aluminum, latched, etc., etc. gives a whoooole lotta' irrelevent hits. Thanks,

-Meat

That, is an asian lunchbox. It should be available at your local asian market at much less than $23.

it's always intersting to find reference of these boxes as well as billycans as lunch boxes in asia.

I'm asian, and have yet to see a person with it...

I've got some vague recollection (and anyones welcome to jump in here) that, back in the 1800s, miners or railway workers (many of whom were Chinese) carried buckets with which to eat their lunch. Might be where this notion came from.

*Edit* Correction: I found a thread from about 5 years ago that mentions "Bento" boxes that are apparently a Japanese thing. There are a bunch of them on ebay, mostly plastic and decorated.

The thread's here for the curious or bored.

Look here for the aluminum sigg containers (small and large), plus bento boxes. They also have aluminum and stainless water bottles, which are handy for those of us for whom winter is a real season. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I've looked at the SIGG boxes (at that very site as a matter of fact) and decided that the lower profile BCB box would be easier to slip into a jacket pocket.

But now you've raised an eyebrow... I just recently started carrying a gallon of water in the cab of my truck in the form of 4 quart-size polypropolene (Nalgene) bottles, realizing that they will be 4 cylinders of ice for 3 months of the year. Are you saying that aluminum bottles would have been preferable because one could apply heat to them directly to thaw them out? I was afraid that the ice would have bulged out the aluminum bottle, possibly splitting it.

Any bottle that has ice in it will split. Melting ice for drinking water is an exercise in frustration. Only way to do it is: Build a fire. place ice block on a stick next to fire. Position tin under block to catch water. I'm afraid that you will have to carry water in a thermosflask.

Bugger. <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

When most people say direct heat, they think fires, but there is another way if you have a car, but it needs to be a metal container with a really good stopper, and you need space under your hood.

Using wire or clamps, SECURELY attach your bottle of ice to something under the hood of your vehicle. (I can't stress a secure mount too strongly- having a metal water bottle full of ice loose is BAD.) If it is running, or even recently off, that will thaw your bottle.

Or if your radiator is hot and the engine is off, just wrap the bottle in a rag, and wedge it between the radiator and the hood. Make sure you wipe it down with something like ethynol (NOT DRY GAS; bur prep pads from the FAK are ok) to get any gunk off of it.

I carry my water in my bag, so it comes in with me, but what my brother does in winter is partially fill and then without the cap on freeze his bottles before they go in his truck box. Capped, of course. He's a furnace tech so he keeps water in metal bottles year round- 2 minutes with the blow torch on low, and he's got water to make coffee. :P

Thanks for the "heads up". I'll experiment with the aluminum bottle under the hood this winter. Even though it will still be frozen some percentage of the time, it would be nice to at least have a chance of having liquid water.

FWIW, I sacrificed one of the Nalgene bottles to the Norse God of Ice last night by filling it and sticking it in the freezer. Seems to be holding up ok, but there's still a small bit of water. If I keep the Nalgene bottles in the truck, they'll be in a plastic bag just in case...

I've been freezing bottles of water all summer (it's been too hot!) with no problems. All you have to remember is not to fill them to the top. I've got quite good at filling Evian bottles about 2/3 - 3/4s and freezing them solid - no leaks, no splits, no problem. The plastic has a bit of give in it. Then they thaw with ambient heat during the day. I'd think engine heat, or heat from a fire at a distance would be OK too.

Just remember, your milage may vary.

Also known as: If your mount loose, it's not my fault! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> In most modern vehciles, the tucked next tothe radiator while off trick is much safer.

<grin> Yeah, I know... It'd be a real drag to bash the hell out of the radiator. Thanks for the warning.

I think I've got a small fire-extinquisher metal quick-release bracket hiding in the garage somewhere that, with a little work, might do the trick.

Found this little nugget in a FAQ at ReusableBags.com

Well, that advice is good if the bottle is over-filled.

My solution (and I have done this with 2-liter bottles) is to fill about 2/3 full and place in the freezer with the lid off. After the ice expands, it should come close to the top. Then, you can add a little more and let that freeze. Finally, after everything is frozen, you can add the lid. Then, you should be able to do whatever you want to with the bottle.

But... if you cap a frozen bottle and let it thaw, there will be a slight vacuum on the bottle. The lid might be difficult to get off. And, if you open the bottle be sure to freeze it again before re-capping.

But you're talking about "plastic" bottles, right? I'm not sure what happens with thin aluminum when it's thermally stressed (and especially when it goes through many freeze/thaw cycles). The FAQ states that it's possible that a bottle could crack just from being in contact with ice, on the outside, the contents presumably still being a liquid.

This is probably something I just need to try. Kinda' hate to make scrap out of a $20 bottle, but heck, this is SCIENCE! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I've never tried the Sigg, but the stainless Kleen Kanteen ones are fine if you half fill them and freeze them. Just remember to cap them AFTER they are frozen. Same with the old USGI aluminum canteens.

Thanks IR, and thanks to everyone else for the suggestions. I'll put the Kleen Kanteen on the list of things to try, it's steel as opposed to aluminum so probably behaves differently. I also picked up 4 Wenger equivalents to the Sigg bottles fairly cheap on good ol' ebay, so I can sacrifice 1 or 2 without feeling too badly.

Put the polyethylene (Nalgene) quart bottle through a couple of freeze/thaw cycle, filled and capped before freezing (yes, the "wrong" way to do it). Bulges at its weakest point, the middle, when frozen as expected. Didn't split, but its ability to "give" most likely degrades with age, so I didn't expect to learn anything more by cycling it some more.

Just to recap: Ideally, I'd like a container that can just stay in a vehicle holding water year round and be heated in the winter to get some liquid out of it. Year round, in the glorious upper midwest, means one has to expect temps that can range from -25 deg. F to +100 deg. F. The "leave it in the vehicle" part means that "properly" filling and freezing water in any kind of container is not an option, it's going to be subjected to freeze/thaw cycles all on it's own. It could be, say, 20 deg. F overnight and 40 deg. F the next day. I really like IRs idea of keeping it under the hood, which means that liquid water will be available some percentage of the time, but this also would seem to make necessary the use of a metal container as plastic would melt; and residual engine heat is only going to keep it warm for so long, so were back to the freeze/thaw cycling again.

Soooo... Again. I'll be experimenting this winter (aluminum, steel, full, half-full, etc.). IR says this can be done and, dammit, he's never lied to me in the past! <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> Thanks again to all.

-Meat

Well, I was thinking you'd just put it under the hood to thaw as needed. I wouldn't store it there, no way. Otherwise, you've got to worry about a much wider range of tempuratures, and a lot of stuff getting on it that I just wouldn't put my lips on. Not to mention one good pot hole and you just fired a water bottle through the radiator and took out the fan and who knows what else.

Whether one stores it in the cab and puts it under the hood to thaw or just keeps it under the hood, I think the conditions that the container's sujected to are pretty much the same. I was really thinking about doing this just for the winter, going back to the 4 quart bottles in the cab for the warmer temps.

As for the flying bottle syndrome: not if one makes a secure enough bracket.

I don't think the under-hood environment is as nasty as one might think. After all, your cooling, brake, exhaust, oil, etc. systems are all supposed to be closed. In PerfectWorld, the casual observer stuffed under the hood would notice (besides being darned uncomfortable): air being sucked into the engine, heat, a lot of noise. Also, I'm pretty sure that metal bottles have much less of a tendency to absorb chemicals than plastics.

Some years ago, there were a couple of books out about cooking food on your engine block (while driving). Usually, the food was just wrapped in foil and placed in the appropriate spot for the desired temp (top of the exhaust header, between the air cleaner and intake manifold, whatever).

By the by, I went back the reusablebags.com FAQ (link in previous post) to see what they had to say about freezing a KleenKanteen stainless bottle. They say it's not recommended, but can be done.

I freely admit I drive an imperfect car- it's old enough to drive itself. And has the health issues to prove it. :P

And actually, I would think that it would get quite a bit warmer over the long term under the hood. I've lifted the lid in the rain and had the drops hissing and sizzling when they hit stuff- I haven't fried yet in the driver's seat. Arm has gotten sunburned a few times, but thats it.

Sure it's warmer under the hood. That's why we want to put the bottle there. If you're thinking it's too warm, well, water at , say 150 deg. F, is pretty much the same as water at 70 deg. F. It only becomes hornery at 212 deg. F. It's a matter of placement under the hood. Your plastic windshield wiper fluid bottle doesn't melt, does it? Why? Because its located far enough away from the sizzling bits. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Several years ago, I split a Sigg aluminum bottle. I partially filled it, left the cap off, and placed it at an angle in the freezer, so that when the water froze, it would not exert pressure all the way around the bottle. I thought doing so would prevent a split. I was wrong. The local store where I bought it sent it back to Sigg for me, & they replaced it.

Now, plastic bottles, on the other hand...I've used Nalgene polypro & Lexan bottles both, freezing & thawing with no problems. The plastic bottles that water comes in (such as Aqua Fina) withstand a lot of freeze/thaw cycles. We keep a couple of 1 liter bottles filled, capped, & frozen solid in our big freezer. They're used as extra ice packs that double as cold drinking water when they thaw.

I typically leave several in my truck, year round. The worst thing that's happened to any of them is that the frozen AF bottles are slightly swollen, & won't return to their original contours. They also have the advantage of being "free" (sort of...if you're buying bottled water anyway, reuse the bottles!), and easy to replace when necessary.

David

Zebra stainless steel lunch box - official zebra site

You may be able to email them to see if there are any importers in your area.

At a sporting store in Paris, I saw these boxes yesterday.
But even if it is called a "popote" (meaning a mess tin), on the box itself, the label warns against using it over a flame .....

Hi,

it seems to be some confusion around the boxes used for the last models of survival kits by BCB in the UK...

Just to clarify; these boxes are indeed modern Japanese lunch (bento) boxes. Have a look at this link;

http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/virtual/bento/box.html

The exact country of origin still remains unknown however:-)

Kind regards from the Artic:-)

Bjarte

Plain ol bottled water in a insulated sak will stay liquid for quite some time in a cold climate. And if they freeze, no biggie. In the summer we freeze them for ice for the cooler and freeze/thaw numerous times without problem.

Body heat to thaw or near the heater vent in your car if it is running.