compact Volcano Kettles

[AFSOC]

Good to hear the capacity is adequate. Are there any gripes in function that you wish were different? I still haven't ordered one yet.

[AeroNautiCal]

I've followed the development of the excellent Backcountry Boiler, inspired, designed and made by Devin Montgomery, ever since it was first discussed on Back Packing Light.com.

The simple fact is that the guy that started selling the Mkettle deceived Devin into sharing information on his (Devin's) design, he then had the manufacturer of the Ghillie Kettle's produce the Mkettle. It is believed that the 'M' signified Montgomery, the original designer!

All this is detailed on BPL.Com.

When I first saw Devin's design I offered to pay upfront to secure one, and I have serial 002 of the first production run. Devin put in a serious amount of work into his design and even taught himself the art of metal spinning to build his pre-production prototypes, he then had to advise a metal spinning facility how to manufacture his lightweight 'Boilers as they'd never worked with alloy of this gauge!

And he hasn't stopped innovating... The current version of the Backcountry Boiler is now a one piece construction and has increased capacity, there's also alternative fuel options, a pot stand and a separate grill option.

I heartily recommend Devin and his excellent Backcountry Boiler, and I say that as a supporter and customer from the start, he's developed his design into a proven product and built a company to supply and support it and his customers. I'm buying my second 'Boiler in January.

Backcountry Boiler website, here.





Edit: The Maxpedition Bottle Holder pouch works with the Backcountry Boiler, as do Lowepro Lens Cases, both also work with the JetBoil SOL Ti.

[Ray Hyland]

Hi folks, just noticed the chat and want to confirm that yes, the Stainless Steel Version of our extremely popular 'Scout' Kettle is now available. So all 3 of our existing models 'Base Camp', 'Scout' & 'Trekker' models are now available in either Stainless Steel or Aluminium. All our cook sets are in Stainless steel and the Pot-Support is Aluminium.

You might also be interested to know that we will be launching a compact new 'Ultralight' kettle in summer 2013 along with a number of other pretty cool items (Hobo Stove, Water filter/purifier, etc.) Will update our websites as these and other new products are launched.

The 'ultralight' suit anyone who wants to keep their pack small and light...backpackers, cyclists, mountaineers & military personnel (as it should be able to hold and re-heat a military ration pack!)

New product launches will also be popped up on our facebook page as well. Thanks

Welcome to ExPo! I have a Kelly Kettle, and love it. It has been used from the Sonora desert to northern Canada, and everywhere in between. One question, what is the best way to get all the creosote-like crud off the inside of the boiler chimney?

[Kelly Kettle]

Hi Ray,
Personally, I have never cleaned my own kettle as we tend to use solid wood sticks which burn nice and clean. However pine cones/sticks can leave a sticky cresote-like build up which need a little bit of elbow power to be removed.
Customers have provided the following tips: 1) Oven Cleaner, 2) Spray WD-40 (or similar) and leave to soak for a while before wiping off, or 3) Good old fashioned wire wool and hot soapy water!
A preventative tip used by Scouts is to coat the chimney with liquid soap and the soot will stick to the soap. The chimney will still look messy & black, but when it comes to clean-up time the soot will wash right off with the soap!

Hope these help.

[will]

I really like my Kelly Kettle, and I have inspired others to get them, and also bought one for a gift. I would like to see a product comparison of various volcano kettles just to be informed of the features of each. Perhaps the OJ writers are working on one?

[Ray Hyland]

I really like my Kelly Kettle, and I have inspired others to get them, and also bought one for a gift. I would like to see a product comparison of various volcano kettles just to be informed of the features of each. Perhaps the OJ writers are working on one?

Hmmm good suggestion.

[kevint]

How practical are these really? I guess they work great, given the reviews I've seen, but they seem like a fairly specialized piece of kit (pretty much just boils water) that takes up a fair amount of space.

[Ray Hyland]

How practical are these really? I guess they work great, given the reviews I've seen, but they seem like a fairly specialized piece of kit (pretty much just boils water) that takes up a fair amount of space.

Agreed, but you'd be surprised how often it is useful to have hot water around camp.

Plus with kids, they love being able to have a useful task, and gathering grass and sticks, lighting the fire in the chimney, and feeding the fire is a task they really enjoy. If it was up to them we'd be boiling water all day...

[AFSOC]

How practical are these really? I guess they work great, given the reviews I've seen, but they seem like a fairly specialized piece of kit (pretty much just boils water) that takes up a fair amount of space.

Fair point. I resisted purchasing a full sized volcano kettle for the reason you raised. I've had the same concerns with the JetBoil units.

As Ray stated, one thing I like about volcano kettles is the "feeding with found fuel factor".

[Beowulf]

I can actually say that is all I ever do for food in the backcountry, boil water for the food I take. This would be like a jetboil with natural material for fuel. I don't do Iron Chef in the desert. I'd need a bigger fridge for that.