Kelly Kettle – Any good?

Morning all

I’m thinking about getting one of these for canoe based camping trips:

Kelly Kettle in action.

Anyone one here have one of these? They look very satisfying to use and would be a bit of kit that gets handed down through the family (like my 30 year old Trangia.)

I’d love one, but all adventures are on foot or bike, and they’re kinda bulky!

This is on my Christmas list!

They are bulky, but great bits of kit. We did a SUP tour last year and the lead packed one of the smaller ones with him, all in a dry bag. Boils water super fast.

I think there are 3 sizes now.

I wanted mine for fishing. Pop in the back of the car and brew up next to the bank. I can leave on the bank in a bag then come back to it so won’t be carrying it around far.

and they’re kinda bulky!

Agreed. That’s why the boat, rather than my shoulders, will be taking the strain.

Yup, use one out in the woods a lot, make sure you’ve got a pair of gloves that don’t mind heat, you’ll need them to rejig the wood when you place the kettle back on the fire after pouring and to hold the hot kettle

I like mine.

I’ve even strapped ot to a rucksack for coastal walks before.

The cook set is as bad as i thought it would be.

But the little grill for the base will do a burger or bacon quite happily with the heat after the kettle has boiled

The cook set is as bad as i thought it would be.

Really? What are the flaws? The ability to cook stuff and boil water at the same time looks quite appealing.

Don’t you need a ready supply of dry wood? Which seems unreliable

They are bulky but they double as a water bottle, cup, teabag & fire starting kit carrier (You can usually carry a fair bit of kindling and enough dry sticks for boiling at least one burn inside them).

The chimney gets tarred up incredibly quickly so you are likely to want to carry it strapped to the outside of a rucksack rather than in it or in its bag canoeing. The bag it comes with is reasonably good but you need to keep your kindling/brew kit in something waterproof inside the kettle when packed

Once you get the knack of getting it started its the fastest camping water boiler I’ve ever used (Including the dodgy Russian army surplus petrol stove/bomb I once used). As long as you have dry kindling its fairly forgiving. When its wet I tend to carry dry wood/pine cones and dry the next load around or (if careful) over the chimney.

I have a little MKettle that gets used on the odd outing, it’s a good bit of kit though can be temperamental about staying lit – think the smaller fire base has a tendency to suck the heat away too quickly. When it’s going it’s a great little piece of kit, has often been hauled out for full days sat on a hill on event duties.

We have one for shed brews. Not used it camping yet but it’s great.
I mean. There are cleaner, more efficient ways of boiling water I’m sure but it’s just a really nice thing.

I like how you’re sitting there all casual watching the flames pour out of the top, relaxing, buttering your scone or whatever,there’s a bit of a wooshy water getting hotter sound, then all of a sudden… Aaaagggghhhh! IT’S BOILING! IT’S BOILING OVER AND GOING CRAZY! GET UP! GET IT OFF THE FLAMES! QUICK!
😂 but in a good way 👍

After it’s boiled, it’s also nice to have just the base as a little mini table table top bonfire.
What could possibly go wrong…
Great things. Recommended.

I have a storm kettle (essentially the same thing) and have used a trangia meths burner to great success

We have one. I’m a bit bah humbug about the whole thing – it’s too big and too difficult to use so I usually give up and use the gas stove.

Or perhaps I’m just a rubbish woodsman.

Yeah love it. Otherwise known by my kids as the hot chocolate machine.
Fire lighting, big jets of fire out of the top, a fast boil…and hot chocolate. What’s not to like?

I have a large Ghillie Kettle, same thing. Enjoy using it. Bulky for biking unless local picnic then I’ll stow it in a big pannier.

Would like a small one.

Keep a box or bag of dry twigs/small sticks to get it going

Really? What are the flaws? The ability to cook stuff and boil water at the same time looks quite appealing.

Well for clarity i have the smallest one and the kit didn’t include the bit that goes on the base (its old now thats a newer thing i think) so i am commenting on the bit at the top of the kettle

Its really high up and not that stable. The heat is phenomenal out the top like almost unusable as everything burns on those shiney stainless pans.
The kettle takes no time at all to boil so you don’t really have time to do anything then you are frantically trying to het ot all off because the water GOES EVERYWHERE when it boils. Then you are stuck because you can’t use the kettle dry so its basically useless unless you repeat the process and end up with lots of water. (I have actually used the top to boil bore water before finishing on the base)

The pot stand for the base actually looks okay. But bear in mind while the kettle is huge the base isn’t that big if you are talking about with the family you can only do one relatively small pot at a time and then you can maybe cook 4 sausages much like the trangia but with alot less flexiblity

Trangia and the kettle would be okay though.

Oh…. If you have an aeropress by chopping the corners off you. Can stack that in the cone for woodfired coffee stops.

Another exciting camping stove fir flames is one of these…

https://www.militarymart.co.uk/products/swiss-army-volcano-ranger-stove-unissued

The kettle takes no time at all to boil so you don’t really have time to do anything then you are frantically trying to het ot all off because the water GOES EVERYWHERE when it boils. Then you are stuck because you can’t use the kettle dry so its basically useless unless you repeat the process and end up with lots of water.

I thought that might be a problem.

Don’t let it put you off getting the kettle though.

You can always get the cook kit later on. But you also just use your trangia pots and pans and rig up some sort of stand for the base.

I have one, they are fun, satisfying and novel. I use it for family picnics and occasional take it on canoe outings. Jetboil is better in nearly every single respect, just less rewarding.

Got a bigish one for a tenner in go outdoors, i dont know if thats normal price but i was surprised by how cheap it was. Its bulky and sooty on the inside, but not heavy.
Good to keep in the car/van/adventure box for vehicular based brew ability
Could potentially take on on a ride, if the objective of the ride was to use the kelly kettle, but its too bulky for its limited trick, to use as a cooking solution in my mind.

Also, the water jacket is great, but i suspect it would be crap for everything else, its just wood fire, except now your pan is balanced a foot off the floor on a wobbly base. (or you take the jacket off and use it on the embers tray thing i suppose)

Ours has a whistling water cap that stops the boiling water over spilling.

M-Kettle, Ghillie Kettle, Kelly Kettle, Storm Kettle, Eco-Cooker – all the same thing.

We have a couple at home and 10 at work.

They are bulky, unstable, lethal with the bung or whistle on, slow to faff with, awkward to cook on, require good supply of small wood, melt easily(!), get filth all over your kit, leave burns everywhere etc.

But like a Landrover 110 are wonderful to use, simple, easy to understand and just work. The make you slow down and make brewing up / a fry up a real pleasure, rather than a chore. I take a cheap fire bucket in the winter and lob the kettle onto the coals. I love our little one.

Do learn a few tricks when using them, do remove the bung or whistle before use, do learn to collect dry twigs to take with you in the depths of wet season.

Ghillie Kettle by Matt Robinson[/url], on Flickr

Brews up! by Matt Robinson[/url], on Flickr

Loch Achray by Matt Robinson[/url], on Flickr

Derwentwater Canoe by Matt Robinson[/url], on Flickr

Loch Ard Canoe December 2014 – Ghillie Kettle by Matt Robinson[/url], on Flickr

Lubnaig canoe and walk by Matt Robinson[/url], on Flickr

That’s the exact type of boat / kettle based adventure I had in mind Matt.

The kids are brilliant at it – they can light and heat up a brew in a few minutes now. Another advantage with kids is the speed at which it heats up and cools down. Within 5-10 mins you can pick up the base or kettle, far shorter than a proper ground fire or even our larger fire buckets.

I recently pick up one of these, into which fits the small Ghillie Kettle, implements, wood and more – with a clamping on lid.

Lockdown Adventures by Matt Robinson[/url], on Flickr

In terms of usability, and size, a decent sized ti mug and a wee flat pack ti fire box is a better option surely? I get the ‘want’ for one of these though! :-)

The kids are brilliant at it – they can light and heat up a brew in a few minutes now.

That’s exactly what I was thinking – kids to be in charge of getting the brews on using the Kelly Kettle.

I issued each of them a penknife on our first overnighter and they were over the moon! Non stop stick whittling commenced. Responsibility for the KK would take things to the next level.

Whats the box bbq think Matt?

The box BBQ was a £5 Sainsbury’s clearance box BBQ… We’ve had a few cheap bucket bbq type ones. This one is a bit too small in the firetray – I’ve drilled holes and reduced the legs on the firetray. It’s just nice to have everything in one box, handle tied to canoe.

In terms of usability, and size, a decent sized ti mug and a wee flat pack ti fire box is a better option surely?

The main difference is that the kettles have a proper chimney effect and sheltered from the wind.
Somewhere I’ve a picture of one with a 20cm flame like an afterburner coming out the top. They draw really really well.

I have a weber go anywhere that is pretty good at closing up and soring stuff. Bit bulkier though.

Somewhere I’ve a picture of one with a 20cm flame like an afterburner coming out the top. They draw really really well.

I wish someone had taken a picture of me giving the fire some oomph with a leaf blower, was like a blast furnace

I issued each of them a penknife on our first overnighter and they were over the moon!

Ours all have Mora Field Knife’s. I’m much more comfortable with fixed/locking blades. They’ve all learned the field of safety, how to use them responsibly and with skill.

In terms of usability, and size, a decent sized ti mug and a wee flat pack ti fire box is a better option surely?

I have and rate highly honey (and hive) stove for boiling water the kelly dicks all over it. The kelly on the honey stove works really well too.

The main difference is that the kettles have a proper chimney effect and sheltered from the wind.

Hmmmm…. Weighed up against your exhaustive cons list, no happenin! 😆

We have a couple of Kelly kettles at work – in fact I’m just finished using one tonight for heating up water for hot chocolate on an after school night walk for our Primary kids, followed by marshmallow toasting using the wee fire bucket. As MOAB has already noted, they have all sorts of drawbacks, but they’re great fun, especially with kids and combine well with other activities like learning how to safely use a knife as a tool.

Water??! In hot chocolate? What kind of philistine are you? 🙈

Had the middle sized one for about 10 years, lives in the work Land Rover mostly. Everyone just grabs handfuls of twigs on the way back to break/lunch.
This middle size one is probably the most stable, does 3 mugs worth. Also got a mini dustbin one that will do a dozen mugs when out with a big group.

Not been out yet this winter, still wearing shorts so not cold enough. Also keep working on other peoples sites that keep feeding us coffee and cake to keep us there.

Brew time

Edit – No, that didn’t work either…