the kelly kettle

[sl1966]

I'm not sure if anyone has heard of this or not yet. A friend told me about it so I picked one up to try out. Turns out I loved it so much that I ditched my beloved jetboil stove in favor of it. I've made quite a few different kinds of meals with mine and am very happy with it's performance. Here's the link where you can find out more about it on your own. There are tons of video reviews on youtube about it as well.

http://www.kellykettleusa.com/

 

[caseyc]

That Kelly Kettle is really slick! I like how it can use simple small pieces of wood or whatever flammable objects you can stick into the thing. I can see how that can be a life saver when propane isn't available or you've run out of it. Which model do you have, the small/medium/large, aluminum or stainless steel?

But wouldn't you want to also keep your JetBoil propane device just in case? What if for example you don't want to leave the comforts of your warm vehicle to scrounge around for pieces of fire wood for the Kelly Kettle? I'd imagine you'd want to use your JetBoil instead. Just wondering.

Casey

I'm not sure if anyone has heard of this or not yet. A friend told me about it so I picked one up to try out. Turns out I loved it so much that I ditched my beloved jetboil stove in favor of it. I've made quite a few different kinds of meals with mine and am very happy with it's performance. Here's the link where you can find out more about it on your own. There are tons of video reviews on youtube about it as well.

http://www.kellykettleusa.com/

 

[Unchained]

Steve, you know I... *looks under sofa cushions*... really, really hate you. *checks pockets in jackets and coats*. How dare you post such an... *empties piggy bank* AWESOME piece of kit... *hefts recycle bag*... when I'm broke!

Just kidding!
I've been considering picking up a natural fuel stove for my bug out kit, and this just might be the one. Thanks for posting!

 

[caseyc]

I'm broke too, but that doesn't seem to stop me, haha.

 

[Unchained]

Wasn't planning on letting it stop me, either

 

[sl1966]

Sorry guys. Trust me when I say I was technically broke when I bought it to try out. After I discovered how awesome it was, I sold my jetboil to recoup the cost. I got the medium sized one. What you save in the long run on fuel makes this stove more than worth it. There is a little effort, and I do mean little, required up front to keep yourself in fuel to use it.

Ok here's how I keep a steady stock of burnable material. When you see gardeners check to see if they've got branches to dispose of. They usually always do. I've also cleared away yards for some extra cash while keeping twigs to burn. The other big thing is checking in with hardware stores for small scraps (they tend to hang onto only the larger ones) and stash them away for later. Between the two you should build up a pretty nice fuel cache. Now this doesn't take into account the areas where you are legally allowed to gather raw material (usually not national parks) and saved for said rainy day.

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Also, mine is the stainless steel verion.

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Also, mine is the stainless steel version.

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Forgot to add this. After using it several times you will realize using a fuel based stove is completely useless in comparrison. Mostly because if we reached a point where the SHTF, finding fuel cans will be much harder to come by than twigs and/or pine cones.

 

[caseyc]

Nice...thanks for the update. Question, can you use the stove inside a vehicle or would it produce too much smoke from the burning of wood and other items?

 

[sl1966]

Don't do that. Really, just don't. It'd be like poking a grizzly with a short stick.

 

[Lifemagician]

Good to see, thanks for posting.

We bought one of those in the early 80's. It was called an 'enviro billy' and we got it from Australia Geographics store. We never did get the top bit though.

I recall well, after walking to the top of Kosciusko (the hightest point on the Australian continent), stopping to make a cup of tea. Even at that altitude, it boiled water in minutes.

It can be used over a butane or propane stove, as well, when you don't want to go outside. (Sorta defeats the purpose.)

Lifey

 

[jeanontheroad]

Awesome! I want one!

Between this to fry some eggs and potatoes and that little electric coil that plugs into the cigarette lighter to heat a cup of water, one has breakfast.

 

[sl1966]

and that little electric coil that plugs into the cigarette lighter to heat a cup of water

You wouldn't need it since the kettle part boils the water while you're simultaneously cooking breakfast. The smallest one they make boils just over two cups at a time.

 

[akrvbob]

Jeanon the road. The water is literally in the double-walled jacket of the Kettle so you can put a pan on top to cook while the water is boiled at the same time.
Bob

 

[sl1966]

Important rules of thumb. Never heat the kettle without water in it, and use twigs no thicker than your finger (index if you had to pick one).

For those interested in the history about it ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelly_Kettle - http://www.kellykettle.com/kelly-kettle-history/. It's an interesting read if you're into that kind of thing. They've been around since the mid to late 1800s, but for some odd reason has only recently been licensed for sale in the US.

 

[Willy]

I've wanted one of the stainless steel ones for YEARS, but I've just got too much stuff and too little cash. It would totally be an appropriate item for the preppers out there. Hmmm.. stick a candle under the base and ya can ditch the ol' clay pot and heat up a veritable !! ..Willy.

 

[sl1966]

I've wanted one of the stainless steel ones for YEARS, but I've just got too much stuff and too little cash.

Time to go thru all that stuff and figure out what you really need to keep and what you can turn into cash sir. It's definitely peace of mind knowing that I've got one ready should I ever hit rough times again.

 

[steamjam1]

I have the Ghillie Kettle which is just like that. Its great performer and I've used mine a coupla times when I had to. My only complaint about these storm kettles is the size. I ended up shelving my Ghillie in favour of a DIY coffee-tin wood gas stove and and an old Coleman pot. The wood gas stove gives off nearly no smoke when used right and takes up a lot less space. Not to mention the wood gas stove cost me about 3 bux to make.

 

[Willy]

See, like yer generic hoarder, I need ALL my stuff. Too bad I can't edit my post, since there seems to be a word missing at the end, and that word is 'mansion'. ..Willy.

 

[sl1966]

My only complaint about these storm kettles is the size.

Too big, or small? The size of the kettle, or the cooking pans?

I've made a few of coffee can stoves myself to see how easy/hard it was. It was a cinch. However I still encountered smoke when using twigs and what not. It's not the construction so much as the raw burning material sometimes. I'm nw in the habit of collected downed branches and storing them in dry places for later. I've noticed this has drastically cut down on the smoke versus using fresh off the ground twigs. Never had an issue with smoke when using manmade fuel sources which you can do with the Kelly. It just takes longer to boil which isn't a big deal if you're not in a rush.

There are videos on youtube where people have modded the stove slightly and gotten great results with it. For example. I'm looking at building a slightly shorter version of what's in the video below. I may also make a modified version of the flue he did to allow for the pot holder.

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See, like yer generic hoarder, I need ALL my stuff.

Ah well. Had I the cash to spare[/code] I'd buy and gift ya one Willy. You're a good guy and know you'd love it!

 

[steamjam1]

Too big, or small? The size of the kettle, or the cooking pans?

I've made a few of coffee can stoves myself to see how easy/hard it was. It was a cinch. However I still encountered smoke when using twigs and what not. It's not the construction so much as the raw burning material sometimes. I'm nw in the habit of collected downed branches and storing them in dry places for later. I've noticed this has drastically cut down on the smoke versus using fresh off the ground twigs. Never had an issue with smoke when using manmade fuel sources which you can do with the Kelly. It just takes longer to boil which isn't a big deal if you're not in a rush.

There are videos on youtube where people have modded the stove slightly and gotten great results with it. For example. I'm looking at building a slightly shorter version of what's in the video below. I may also make a modified version of the flue he did to allow for the pot holder.

I found the storm kettles too big. But I attribute that more to my minimalistic approach to dwell'in rather then not having enough room in my van. I tried some mods to my Ghillie including the one in that Youtube vid and it all worked pretty well. Its just that it was more "stuff" I had to carry around. It came down to the Ghillie kittle set having 9 big pieces when the coffee tin set up has only 4 small pieces.

It took a ton of experimenting for me to get a good efficient coffee-tin stove built. I can burn just about any small wooden chunks/twigs in mine including damp wood and its usually smokeless and is relatively soot-less.

Don't get me wrong here, the Kelly/Ghillie kettles are great and I'm keeping mine. I can totally see why everyone loves them. I think the greatest advantage to them is in bad wet weather. I've used mine in the pouring rain when the power goes out and it will boil/cook like the weather is nothing when my coffee tin will go out due to the rain.....

 

[sl1966]

I found the storm kettles too big. But I attribute that more to my minimalistic approach to dwell'in rather then not having enough room in my van. I tried some mods to my Ghillie including the one in that Youtube vid and it all worked pretty well. Its just that it was more "stuff" I had to carry around. It came down to the Ghillie kittle set having 9 big pieces when the coffee tin set up has only 4 small pieces.

It took a ton of experimenting for me to get a good efficient coffee-tin stove built. I can burn just about any small wooden chunks/twigs in mine including damp wood and its usually smokeless and is relatively soot-less.

No worries at all. I'm kind of in the same boat as you about the size which is why I asked. I got the medium one as a compromise to that issue. I also feel the pain when carrying more parts and pieces which is why I'm making my dogs carry stuff for me now too. lol.

I never considered this until after my reply to you about the coffee can stove. I'm guessing the reason why there's less smoke may have everything to do with the lack of a chimney. The lower profile, like a firepit, and wider mouth I think helps to avoid that. When I lived in TX a lot of ppl had Mexican chimineas in their backyards and the taller ones always gave off more smoke.