Thought this would be a great topic what are the pros and cons of Ghillie stoves (Kelly kettle, Ghillie kettl, MKettle etc ) vs alcohol stoves (trangia , BCB canteen burner, penny stoves etc) Ghillie Kettle pros: - burns anything you can find - paper, pine needles, fat wood, pine cones, grass, dried shrubs, cattails, wood, sticks, cardboard, oil/diesel/gas/kerosene/alcohol soaked sawdust , wax scraps, newsprint, etc - you can carry water in the kettle in between stops. - boils quickly depending on materials used as fuel - often has lots of cooking accessories, boil water and cook food at same time - burns hot - can used at any altitude or weather condition Ghillie Kettle cons: - can't be used during campfire bans - bulky / can be heavy - expensive - smoky / stinky - depending on fuel material, can be labour intensive feeding the fire (although that can be a pro too....it's enjoyable) Alcohol burners pros: - almost weightless - tiny/compact/ takes up little room - burns hot - silent, odourless, invisible (if shielded). Good for stealth camping - can be used for cooking or boiling - can be used during campfire bans Alcohol stove cons - sucks in winter - reduced performance - needs flame shielding - requires one to carry a bottle of alcohol fuel (heavy, takes up lots of room) - once you run out of fuel your outta luck - doesn't provide as much ambient heat as a Ghillie kettle more to come after I'm done work
Down here in my area, alcohol stoves are just for fun. The ghillie stoves are useful for a pot holder, but they are optional here as well. I have almost ordered a folding stove, but just don't have a need for one.
I didn't mean to kill the thread, I was interested in hearing more. I just don't have a need for a stove personally. We don't do burn bans, they would just be ignored.
We get burn bans and the Tx Game Wardens or NFS are deadly serious about them. They will zero your location via drone or satellite overhead and descend on you like the hammer of Godly vengeance. If you were just wanting to boil some water for rehydrating a meal or some tea an alcohol burner (Trangia) would work fine. The stove, cross bars, windscreen, and alcohol bottle would add up to less than a pound and it’s a stove or cooking flame. Acceptable in the eyes of the law. A twig fire wouldn’t be. Depending on conditions you might or might not could use the mounted bbq grills in public spaces. And they differ in use of wood vs charcoal. You could use the ghillie kettle as long as it was alcohol fired. As soon as you start putting out woodsmoke you’ve stepped in poo. I like the design but it seems like overkill for just the quick “tea & noodles “ walks.
Looking forward to more info mainly on the kettle. Always wanted one but never got around to making the purchase.
I started to build a rocket stove from scrap at work, but haven't felt like finishing it. Rocket stoves interest me, just because of the way they work. Alcohol stoves are interesting too, but they are more suited to use indoors during power outages for me.
I like the idea of a ghillie kettle and am not opposed to using an alcohol stove or trioxane/hexane tabs to fuel it during a burn ban. One of these days I'll get around to making one.
Basically a water jacket surrounding a chimney , with a base for the fire and a big hole for incoming air. flames go up the chimney and boil the water. the more you use it, the more creosote builds up and when hot starts burning off . I use nothing but fat wood in my Ghillie kettles - the creosote buildup in the chimney is epic this is the only chimney you want a fire in VIDEO
I don't have one yet, but I think it's a fantastic Tool. A guy on YouTube did boil times on 7 alcohol stoves. With 200ml of water in a canteen cup, the fastest boil times was 6.08 min. Water capacity of MKettle is listed as 530ml, over a US pint. From what I can find online the boil time is about 6-7 minutes. So in about the same time the MKettle boils 2.65 times more water than a fast alcohol stove. I think that's significant. Some say it's too heavy, lets compare: MKettle listed as 13oz. HC Tti canteen is 5.55, Tti cup 3.55, Tti Lid 1.25 = 10.35oz Add in X-Boil,FS 105 2.4oz= 12.75 0z Total If math is right, MKettle is .25 oz heavier. Insignificant. MKettle Wins!!
I have a kelly kettle and the trangia. If I'm car camping I use the kelly kettle and if I go hiking or backpacking I use the trangia. The kelly kettle heats up a lot faster, both work great for what I use them for.
