I wonder what's in that little bag...
A jigsaw piece, perhaps?
Author Archive.
The final piece of the jigsaw puzzle
On Saturday I bit the bullet and parted with some hard-saved cash in exchange for what may well be the one item that completes my outdoors kit-list. The stash has been growing for nearly three decades, some of the original bits expired or were outgrown and have been replaced, some bits are still going strong, some are past their best but still perform adequately, but there's nothing there that I don't trust, nothing that I won't use sometime, and no gaps now that the final item is installed (to be fair, that item still needs to be tried and tested before it gets listed). All I have to do now is keep replacing the stuff that wears out... although if somebody was to donate a Therm-a-Rest NeoAir, I wouldn't refuse to take it 🙂
For those that have a hankering for kit-lists, mine's been updated and posted here. Seekers of bleeding-edge hi-tech or ultralightweight stuff will be generally disappointed. I've not listed the family-camping kit or the stuff that we've bought for the kids.
And that final bit of kit? You'll just have to wait a bit longer before I tell you about it and put it on the list.
Get a grip!
More stuff to try out. Not the most hi-tech bits of kit, but light (106g a pair), simple to use and at £7.90 a pair they're way cheaper than the alternatives available from Petzl and the like. I was so tempted to nab some of the cheap snowshoes at the same time, but managed to resist.
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Bob’s Honey Stove – first test
OK, I found the last of the meths. Only 18ml, but it was more than enough to get the steel glowing and to provide sufficient raging flames to boil 0.5l of water in 3 minutes. I just let it rip, not bothering with the simmering ring, so a lot of heat was lost up the side of the mug, hence I'm fairly convinced that I could have been a fair bit more fuel-efficient. Here it is, sooting-up my nice shiny mug:
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So, apart from the boil-time, what other info did you get? First, I can confirm the information provided in the instruction leaflet - the panels do warp when heated, but they do go flat again after they've cooled. Even when warped, the top grill stayed in place. Second, in the temperate climate of my kitchen, the panels cooled sufficiently to allow handling within 2 minutes. Third, the tea's going down rather well 🙂
So, do you like it? Yes, very much. It's well-made, simple to use and very versatile. There's nothing to compare it with, as there's nothing quite like it on the market at the moment. I reckon Bob's onto a winner here.Any more thoughts? Well, I've never had any need to take a shaving-mirror into the hills, but I'm sure that one of the nice shiny side-panels would suffice. Who knows, in dire emergency you could use one as a signalling-mirror. Oh, and those rows of holes in the side panels - they're ideally-placed for fitting a hanging-kit. I'll test the stove in a different fuel-mode as soon as I can spare the time.
Bob’s Honey Stove – first mods
Right, before we start, I just want to say that these mods weren't necessary - it's just that I like to tinker with things to make them fit in with my personal intended use, and that use doesn't necessarily align with the intended modus operandi for the equipment. The unadulterated stove is clearly capable of being used with a Trangiaâ„¢ burner, Bob's demonstrated that on his site, but I wanted it to work in a different manner, so I went out on a limb and did what I felt was in the best interests of what I wanted to achieve.
Anyway, I've wielded the tinsnips and the file, and now Podcast Bob’s new Honey Stove has been adjusted to suit my needs. Here's a summary of my mods:
What’s changed? I've notched the door panel and two of the five side panels as per the following pic:
Why? To allow the top grill to be removed without taking the sides apart. It can be lifted off quite easily, even when hot if you use a pan-grabber. The top grill had to be modded too.
Tell me more! In order to allow the top grill to sit inside the walls, I snipped off two of the five tabs, it now looks like this:
Will it still fit into the slots as per the original design? Yes, but with only three tabs it'll only lock into three slots. But you guessed that already, didn't you?
So, does it work? Yes. Remove the top grill and it's easy to access the Trangiaâ„¢ burner'. Replace the top grill and it supports the mug. The top edge of the stove is still capable of supporting pans, and I've not altered the bottom edge.
Are there any other benefits? Well, the weight's been reduced by a massive 4g. OK, it's not much, but it means that I don't have to saw the handle off my toothbrush.
What next? It's time for a brew, if I can find the meths.
Bob’s Honey Stove – first thoughts
Podcast Bob's been kind enough to let a select group of folk have test-samples of his new Honey Stove, and I'm one of the lucky ones. These are my first thoughts, and the results of my first attempt at testing it.
What's in the kit? A set of interlocking flat stainless-steel panels, comprising six side-panels (one of which has an aperture for accessing the interior), three grill panels (top, middle and bottom), a foil ash-tray, a cloth pouch and an A4 instruction sheet.
How much does it all weigh? The stove panels add up to 356g, the ash-tray is 10g and the pouch is 44g.
How much pack-space does it take up? Packed in the pouch provided, it's roughly 200mm x 140mm x 10mm.
And when it's assembled? 125mm high, 125mm A/F.
What's it look like? A bit like this:
So, how did it go? Not well. The front aperture's nowhere near big enough to admit the Trangia™ burner. Bob's site has pics and a video where the burner's been put in from the top, and where the top grill is omitted. Fine for pans and large pots which would sit on the top edges of the side-panels, but a mug needs a support. I suppose the mug could be supported by two tent-pegs passed through some of the holes along the top edge, but I'm not in the habit of carrying extra pegs as part of a stove kit. The way around it might be to build the stove around the burner, but that's a faff which throws up more hard choices - sealing-cap off and risk spilling the meths, or sealing-cap on and be unable to reach in to take it off. Either way, if you want to use the Trangia™ simmer-ring, you'd be hard-pressed to access it through the aperture and you'd be at risk of getting blistered fingers.
What next? I was going to try it as a wood-burner next, but I want to get the Trangia™ issues sorted first. Looks like my chosen test combi is a no-no at the moment. I'll post again when there's progress. Now, who's 'alf-inched me tinsnips?
