Field test: Backcountry boiler

The backcountry boiler is made by boilerworks through the kickstarter website (www.kickstarter.com). I ordered mine quite a while ago and it has finally made its way across the Atlantic. For those of you that are familiar with chimney kettles, the backcountry boiler can be basically classed as a very lightweight modern version of the traditional kelly kettle (wood burning kettle). Chimney or fire kettles such as the these work on the principle of a double walled chimney to heat up a chamber of surrounding water. I reviewed another version of the chimney kettle 'the mkettle' a while back, but this version is like the Mercedes of chimney kettles. The main structure is kept very light by being made of hard anodized aluminium and weighs in at just over 220g (8oz.). One of the main advantages for using wood burning kettles like these instead of gas stoves when backbacking is that you obviously do not need to carry gas cannisters with you which cuts down of the weight carried. All you need to do is gather some combustible materials while on your trek.

When using, fill the firebase with combustible materials (e.g twigs, small sticks, dry grass, pine cones) and then light a small amount of fuel with the inlet hole turned away from the wind. Once ignited you should turn the inlet into the wind and feed extra fuel through the chimney. You can blow into the inlet hole to increase oxygen if needed and continue to add fuel until water boiling point is achieved. Boiling point can be reached in around 5 minutes if the fuel is dry. The whole structure can become extremely hot when the boiler is in action but it can be easily handled due to the neoprene sleeve. Once the water is boiled remove the kettle from the base and let the fire naturally extinguish itself. The backcountry boiler also comes with a silicone stopper for carrying water from place to place.

Backcountry boiler specs:
Composition: Hard anodized aluminium

Weight: 220g (8 oz)
Capacity: 500 ml (16 oz) About 1 Pint
Dimensions: 19cm (7 1/4”) Tall by 10cm (4”) Diameter
Pack: silicon-impregnated nylon stuff sack

Field test: mKettle (mini wood burning kettle)

Most of us are familiar with chimney or fire kettles such as the Kelly Kettle that work on the principle of a double walled chimney to heat up a chamber of surrounding water. However, these kettles tended to be quite bulky and heavy and less than ideal for lightweight backpacking.


Recently a couple of lightweight versions of this old design have come on to the market, the more readily available 'mKettle' and the 'Backcountry Boiler' which is available through advanced ordering via http://www.theboilerwerks.com/about/ . These new wood burning kettles are of a very similar design with the Backcountry Boiler coming in lighter at around 230g in weight and the mKettle at around 370g. When using, fill the firebase with combustible materials (e.g twigs, small sticks, dry grass, pine cones) and then place the kettle on top of the firebase. The mKettle can boil approximately a pint of water (500ml) in around 5 to 8 minutes depending on conditions and the source and dryness of the kindling. The mKettle is very robust and light enough for backpacking and is ideal for making hot drinks and rehydrating backpacking meals, it kind of looks like a wood burning 'jetboil'. It also comes with its own stuffsack and a stopper to contain carried water. When stored in the stuffsack the firebase fits inverted into the kettle allowing you to store your firelighting material. Here are the specs:

Composition: aluminium

Weight: 370g (13 oz)

Capacity: 530 ml (18 oz) About 1 Pint

Dimensions: 17cm (7”) Tall by 10cm (4”) Diameter

Pack: Fitted Rip Stop Nylon Carry Bag with D-Rings