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Advice needed on portable cookers please

nuphoria · 131 · 16635

gb Offline nuphoria

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Advice needed on portable cookers please
on: January 07, 2010, 07:22:09 PM
I want to throw a small, cheap cooker in to my car emergency kit and wanted to see what you lot thought of that idea. All it will be for is to boil a couple of cups of water for tea and heat up some beans or similar.  :)

So far, I have considered a hexamine folding one and the Swiss gel ones with a lid. Are either of these worth getting and do you have other ideas along the same lines?

Also, I'm assuming a steel or enamel mug would be suitable for doing the boiling in?

Cheers in advance for your thoughts  :tu:
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england Offline Benner

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Re: Advice needed on portable cookers please
Reply #1 on: January 07, 2010, 07:35:57 PM
What kinda money you looking at?
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um Offline Mr. Whippy

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Re: Advice needed on portable cookers please
Reply #2 on: January 07, 2010, 07:37:45 PM
Make your own alcohol burner.  Works great.

Mine has traveled all over the country, and has functioned well in ALL situations I've used it in.

I use 200 proof Ethanol (since it can be transported on airplanes--it is consumable afterall...).

Easy to make, but you might have to alter which coin you use...


england Offline DaveK

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Re: Advice needed on portable cookers please
Reply #3 on: January 07, 2010, 07:38:32 PM
I have a Trangia set that is absolutely brilliant, but cheap, it ain't!

The hexamines are great, and probably ideal for what you describe.

They work, have little to go wrong and are cheap. I think the local surplus place sells the fuel blocks for 2 quid!

For boiling water, you might be best to pick up a cheap saucepan or billy can. Anything you put on the hex or Trangia is likely to get sooted up, and of course very hot, so being able to pour the water into a mug for drinking might be better. You can get a little trangia-style kettle for under a tenner which is ideal. And of course more civilised :D
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gb Offline nuphoria

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Re: Advice needed on portable cookers please
Reply #4 on: January 07, 2010, 07:41:23 PM
Maybe a fiver or so Ben, which is why I thought those two were good options. I'm leaning towards a hexi one ATM.

I thought about making one of those Mr.W, but didn't want to carry flammable liquid in the car (any more than's in the tank already of course!).

A small billy can also sounds like a good plan... hmm.... more shopping now :D
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england Offline DaveK

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Re: Advice needed on portable cookers please
Reply #5 on: January 07, 2010, 07:43:10 PM
I used to come here a lot.


um Offline Mr. Whippy

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Re: Advice needed on portable cookers please
Reply #6 on: January 07, 2010, 07:48:10 PM
Maybe a fiver or so Ben, which is why I thought those two were good options. I'm leaning towards a hexi one ATM.

I thought about making one of those Mr.W, but didn't want to carry flammable liquid in the car (any more than's in the tank already of course!).

A small billy can also sounds like a good plan... hmm.... more shopping now :D

Wot are you gonna use for fuel then?  :think:  Gas fuels can be much more dangerous in a hot car...

There is one other choice...

If you could pick up a ZZstove on ebay, they work very well (I used one of these before switching to the beercan stove)

Other than that, I really like the classic Svea stoves


it Offline sardauker

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Re: Advice needed on portable cookers please
Reply #7 on: January 07, 2010, 07:53:42 PM
Make your own alcohol burner.  Works great.

Mine has traveled all over the country, and has functioned well in ALL situations I've used it in.

I use 200 proof Ethanol (since it can be transported on airplanes--it is consumable afterall...).

Easy to make, but you might have to alter which coin you use...

+1 with the alcool stove :)


england Offline DaveK

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at Offline Woz

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Re: Advice needed on portable cookers please
Reply #9 on: January 07, 2010, 08:23:59 PM
The Swiss Army Cooker 71 is great for the money. Basically it is nothing but a can of gel with a ring that is used to put the pot on. Cheap, simple, reliable. But: Slow!

Cheap to, but still good working: German army ESBiT cookers. Esbit (Erich Schumms Brennstoff in Tablettenform, Erich Schumms combustible tablets) is very easy to store and use, it is safe and reliable. But even slower then the Swiss gel cooker. There is a large and a small foldable ESBiT cooker, cheaper than dirt! The German and French army (sometimes the Austrian too) use it to heat the MRE.

Sweden has a very cheap version of the great Trangia system. Again, it is an Army version. Maybe the best army cooker out there. See here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpzHLic1A0Y

ESBiT (see above) offers a Trangia-Style cooker but improved it by adding a better ventilation system and reducing the price. See here: (german, sorry)
http://www.odoo.tv/Esbit-Spirituskochset.442.0.html
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gb Offline Mike, Lord of the Spammers!

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Re: Advice needed on portable cookers please
Reply #10 on: January 07, 2010, 09:04:16 PM
I'd go down the alcohol/meths route too :)

A bit over your budget, but I've used one for years and it's superb :tu:

http://www.surplusandadventure.com/shop/camping-outdoor/cooking-eating/cooking/trangia-stove-mess-kit-330662.html

The Stove has NEVER leaked! not one drop, so no worries keeping it in the car :)
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Offline Magnus

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Re: Advice needed on portable cookers please
Reply #11 on: January 07, 2010, 10:07:29 PM
I would go with a hexi one too, simple, easy, and compact too.

I have a Trangia set that is absolutely brilliant, but cheap, it ain't!

The hexamines are great, and probably ideal for what you describe.

They work, have little to go wrong and are cheap. I think the local surplus place sells the fuel blocks for 2 quid!

For boiling water, you might be best to pick up a cheap saucepan or billy can. Anything you put on the hex or Trangia is likely to get sooted up, and of course very hot, so being able to pour the water into a mug for drinking might be better. You can get a little trangia-style kettle for under a tenner which is ideal. And of course more civilised :D

What! No tactical teapot too! bloody philistines!  ;) :D
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england Offline DaveK

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Re: Advice needed on portable cookers please
Reply #12 on: January 07, 2010, 10:09:26 PM
I don't drink tea.  :-\
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england Offline Benner

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Re: Advice needed on portable cookers please
Reply #13 on: January 07, 2010, 10:15:48 PM
I don't drink tea.  :-\

Coffee though right?!  :pok:
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england Offline DaveK

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Re: Advice needed on portable cookers please
Reply #14 on: January 07, 2010, 10:18:19 PM
Oh yes. A lot!

My Trangia setup is essentially the civvy version of what is in Mike's link, and has the non stick pans. It's excellent, especially when assisted by a multitool for turning your bacon :D

The kettle is simply convenient!
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um Offline Mr. Whippy

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Re: Advice needed on portable cookers please
Reply #15 on: January 07, 2010, 10:50:16 PM
Are those solid fuel stoves effective?  Hard to believe they are all that efficient in heating  ???

Never actually seen one though...


gb Offline nuphoria

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Re: Advice needed on portable cookers please
Reply #16 on: January 07, 2010, 10:52:11 PM
LOL... yes, tactical beverage making is definitely what you need in times of crisis.


Mr.W, they seem to be very good for the size and money. The fuel tabs are cheap and easy to replace too, hence being army issue for a looooong time here.

Thanks for all the opinions thus far chaps, lots of food for thought :)
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england Offline DaveK

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Re: Advice needed on portable cookers please
Reply #17 on: January 07, 2010, 10:54:34 PM
They're not bad.

They are British squadie issue I think, so are abundant in outdoor / surplus stores and cost a few dollars a go.

They aren't as good as the trangia / liquid fuel setups obviously, but they work just fine, are generally easy to transport and cheap. Probably just about ideal for car-boot emergency option tbh.


EDIT: Nuphoria beat me to it!
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gb Offline nuphoria

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Re: Advice needed on portable cookers please
Reply #18 on: January 07, 2010, 11:24:59 PM
They're not bad.

They are British squadie issue I think, so are abundant in outdoor / surplus stores and cost a few dollars a go.

They aren't as good as the trangia / liquid fuel setups obviously, but they work just fine, are generally easy to transport and cheap. Probably just about ideal for car-boot emergency option tbh.


EDIT: Nuphoria beat me to it!



:)


That's the thing, I'm unlikey to actually need it but it should stand up to the small tasks it's needed for in an emergency situation - spending the night in the car for instance.

I do quite fancy a trianga set up but I'm just reluctant to leave anything worth more than a few quid in the car.
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england Offline DaveK

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Re: Advice needed on portable cookers please
Reply #19 on: January 07, 2010, 11:26:24 PM
If it helps, I have the Trangia set, and yet I have a hexamine and replacement fuel block in my car :)
I used to come here a lot.


gb Offline nuphoria

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Re: Advice needed on portable cookers please
Reply #20 on: January 07, 2010, 11:45:34 PM
If it helps, I have the Trangia set, and yet I have a hexamine and replacement fuel block in my car :)

That makes perfect sense, thank you :)
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us Offline Spork, Lord of Lime Jello!

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Re: Advice needed on portable cookers please
Reply #21 on: January 08, 2010, 12:11:54 AM
For your stated purposes I would go for the solid tablet stove. While they are slow (10-12 minutes for a pint of water) and may not always bring water to a boil on a single tablet...they are adequate for making hot drinks and heating a can of food.

I've actually been doing a lot of boil tests over the last month with various setups and different fuels...gel, tablet and alcohol...recording boil times. It's a project to fine tune the various cup stoves and brewkits I have.

I would suggest using a pot with a wider base (a small kettle is ideal) and using some sort of windscreen for best results. A strip of foil from a disposable Turkey pan will work, you want to surround the pot with about a 1/2" gap around the sides.
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england Offline DaveK

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Re: Advice needed on portable cookers please
Reply #22 on: January 08, 2010, 12:33:46 AM
Some good stuff there as always Spork!

I took some snaps of a Hexamine (with a UKPK for scale :D)

Cooker with box of tablets inside, plus two spare boxes of tablets (in case you're there a while  :P)



Cooker Wrapper:



Instructions on fuel tablet box:



The cooker - folded:



The cooker and contained fuel tablet box, ready to go  :)

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us Offline Spork, Lord of Lime Jello!

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Re: Advice needed on portable cookers please
Reply #23 on: January 08, 2010, 12:51:53 AM
Is the MOD cooker larger than an Esbit? I have one from years ago that I'm certain was made in the the UK. It's stamped "Pyrochem"
esbit02.jpg
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scotland Offline Gareth

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Re: Advice needed on portable cookers please
Reply #24 on: January 08, 2010, 12:53:45 AM
Oh yes. A lot!

My Trangia setup is essentially the civvy version of what is in Mike's link, and has the non stick pans. It's excellent, especially when assisted by a multitool for turning your bacon :D

The kettle is simply convenient!

Something like this you mean? :D




I probably wouldn't bother buying a Trangia just for keeping in the car (although the one in Mikes link seems a great deal), but if there is even the slightest chance you'll want to use the cooker outside of emergency situations then I'd heartily recommend them.

It's been years since I tried using a hexi-stove but I don't remember liking it much. :-\  IIRC it was very susceptible  to any kind of light breeze, and even in good conditions took a long time to heat anything up.
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us Offline Spork, Lord of Lime Jello!

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Re: Advice needed on portable cookers please
Reply #25 on: January 08, 2010, 12:57:00 AM
A Leatherman for bacon tongs ??? >:(  Don't you have a Spirit?... :D


england Offline DaveK

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Re: Advice needed on portable cookers please
Reply #26 on: January 08, 2010, 12:57:28 AM
Haha - that's it Gareth :D

Is the MOD cooker larger than an Esbit? I have one from years ago that I'm certain was made in the the UK. It's stamped "Pyrochem"

Well, I can tell you that the Hex I have here is 12mm x 95mm x 30mm in the folded position if that helps :tu:
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us Offline Spork, Lord of Lime Jello!

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Re: Advice needed on portable cookers please
Reply #27 on: January 08, 2010, 01:01:46 AM
Haha - that's it Gareth :D

Is the MOD cooker larger than an Esbit? I have one from years ago that I'm certain was made in the the UK. It's stamped "Pyrochem"

Well, I can tell you that the Hex I have here is 12mm x 95mm x 30mm in the folded position if that helps :tu:

Did you mean 120 mm? Mine is 110mm x 95mm x 25 mm


england Offline DaveK

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Re: Advice needed on portable cookers please
Reply #28 on: January 08, 2010, 01:10:25 AM
Haha - that's it Gareth :D

Is the MOD cooker larger than an Esbit? I have one from years ago that I'm certain was made in the the UK. It's stamped "Pyrochem"

Well, I can tell you that the Hex I have here is 12mm x 95mm x 30mm in the folded position if that helps :tu:

Did you mean 120 mm? Mine is 110mm x 95mm x 25 mm

Indeed I did - 120mm!
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us Offline Spork, Lord of Lime Jello!

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Re: Advice needed on portable cookers please
Reply #29 on: January 08, 2010, 01:32:55 AM
I just ordered a Trangia 27-7 Hard anodized with Primus burner...didn't need it but I've been wanting one for a long time  :P

...besides I already had the teakettle for it...

...I wonder it it comes with bacon?...


 

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