Selecting a Camp Kettle for Hiking

Hot water for making a warming drink, adding to a dried food mix, washing or cleaning cooking utensils really is an essential for any enjoyable camping experience.

When its cold the best way to get warm is from the inside out and a hot comforting drink can reenergise and boost moral. A warm sleeping bag and waterproof tent are important, but when you still have several miles walking ahead of you before reaching camp you really can't beat a hot drink and snack for warmth and comfort. Once you reach camp you can go about preparing a meal, but you need to consider that you are going to need food and drink long before you make evening camp.

Within this lens discuss the best use of a camping kettle and present a selection of kettles for your consideration.

A Hot Drink when you need it

I started this lens off by talking about the benefits of a hot comforting drink and I reiterate the important of a hot drink, but as any backpacking will tell you carrying a pack around will give you a challenging appetite and you need to meet this challenge with some nourishing and appetising food.

One of the problems with cooking outdoors is that small gas cookers seem to take forever to cook and hard fuel cookers burn so hot that you need to take care not to burn your food. I am normally so hungry after a days trekking that I find it hard to be patient whilst waiting for my evening meal to cook. However a hot cup of tea (I'm English by the way, and we love our tea) and a chocolate snack takes the edge off my hunger and means that I can cook away whilst nibbling and replenishing my fluids.

Apart from a hot drink you can use the hot water to rehydrate a dried food mix, or to transfer the water to a pot to cook rice, pasta or other similar food. I often place a pre opened tin of food into a pot of hot water and heat the contents within the tin. This keeps your pot clean and leaves you with hot water after the tinned food has cooked.

Tip: - Always pre open the can before placing into the pot because pressure will build up within the can if unopened and will erupt once you open it, and trying to open a hot can isn't easy. Leaving the lid loose on top will help retain heat and once you have finished with the can take the other end off, place both lids in the middle and squash flat.

Warning: - Please take care with sharp edges and please take all your rubbish with you once you leave.

Single person trekking can be rewarding but two or a team is far more enjoyable.

Even numbers always works best and the buddy - buddy system has proven itself as the safest and most effective method of trekking. Consider everything you need just to make that hot drink . Coffee, tea, sugar or perhaps a soup sachet, a water bottle, a cooker and camping kettle. Dividing the weight of the items between 2 will decrease your carry load.

I really like this Halulite 32-ounce kettle, because its holds a quart of water (more than enough) and only weighs 5.8 ounces. Its very light because Halulite is a proprietary aluminium alloy and is as light as titanium, and importantly it heats quickly.

I really like the coated bail handle, which make handling safe and secure.

Personally I prefer a kettle with no detachable lid, but provided the lid fits securely then I have no problems with a kettle of this type. The lid is well fitted and has a coated lifter for comfort.

Constructed from extremely light, hard-anodized aluminum.

Lid and kettle with hinged grips.

Fits inside CS2350HA Alcohol Stove & Camp Cookset (E-CS2350HA).

Dimensions-packed: 3" x 5.9" (7.5 cm x 15 cm)

Weight: 4.9 oz. (140 g)

• It boils water faster than any other camp kettle I have ever used
• It only weights 0.74kg / 1.62lb (Made in Aluminium)
• It has a half litre capacity.
• The base can be used as a separate camp stove once the water has boiled
• You can use dry sticks, pine cones or just about most dry fuel

• The filling cap is on the side which makes filling the kettle slightly different to normal
• It’s easy to pour more water into the kettle than you intend because of its unusual filling cap
• You MUST follow the instructions as to how you lift the kettle of the heat and how you use the chain to pour water from the kettle
• You can use most dry wood or pine cones but don’t rely on free fuel, because if the ground is wet your free fuel is also going to be wet. Even if there is plenty of dry fuel available I would recommend using a piece of a hard fuel block to get the fire going
• The Kettle really is an excellent piece of camp kit, but you Must practise and become familiar with it before taking it on a hiking trip

All four considerations are important, but please vote for your primary consideration in order to provide a rough guide for less experienced back packers.