This new little hard anodized SAS beauty little beauty came our via a customer Warren Sanders who thought it would be right up our street, and he was right, many thanks Warren!
I contacted the UK company and got some background about the product, which is basically a lightweight, British made aluminium twin wall chimney kettle, with the added advantage of being able to use a Trangia and Evernew Meths Burner as an heat source option.
The Kelly Kettle is a well known very functional and effective item for boiling water. However it does have one drawback of being huge, heavy, hot to touch and cumbersome. Okay that's 4 drawbacks, but you get the picture. Great idea, but not within the realms of practical use for us 'lighter' types.
So the designers of this little cracker had the same feelings, and went off to the drawing board and returned with this under their arm.
Weighing a few grams more than an full gas canister, you simply remove the stopper, then light a small fire in the bowl and keep it fed through the top, and then hey presto the water is boiling in no time. When you need to remove it from the heat, the Neoprene cover insulates it beautifully and allows a good grip.
Naturally I tested this out myself and with a fist full of twigs on a very cold, below freezing day, it took just over 6 minutes to boil 500ml of cold tap water. I just started it with some Hammaro Card and half a dozen damp twigs. Then placed the cylinder on top and dropped a few more down the spout. Simples!
To complete the test I then emptied it all out, and left it for half an hour to chill properly. Then I put another 500ml of cold tap water in and fired up my Evernew Titanium Meths Burner to see how long this would take.
Sure enough just over 8 minutes later, we had another rolling boil. (Which just goes to indicate how much heat a few twigs can give off!)
My conclusion is that we all have different needs and expectations from stoves. Some don't mind weight and bulk, other object strongly. However if you enjoy the organic approach as I do, and perhaps you have a little more space in your pack, Bushcraft Bag, Fishing Bag, Kayak or panniers this gives you a great option. It does what it does very well and adding the Meths option, give you two heat sources in any given situation.
It is designed to boil water as efficiently as it can and by tough enough and durable to stand every day treatment.
It is British made, and that in itself like the Honey Stove, makes it a very ethical product.
Specifications
Composition: Hard Anodized Aluminium, British Standard ISO10074:2010
Weight: 370g
Capacity: 530 ml Approximately 1 pint
Dimensions: 17cm Tall by 10cm Diam
Pack: Fitted rip stop nylon carry bag with D-Rings
Fuel: Solid, eco-friendly, no gas-canisters required; Successfully paired with Trangia (Sweden) and Evernew (Japan) Alcohol Burners
Is it possible to cook in pans placed above the mKettle? Yes, is you use the Evernew or Backpackinglight Trivet, you will be able to support a pan above the outlet chimney or over the base cup.
Specifications:
Composition: Hard Anodized Aluminium, British Standard ISO10074:2010
Dimensions: 17cm (7”) Tall by 10cm (3.75”) Diameter
Pack: Fitted Rip Stop Nylon Carry Bag with D-Rings
Fuel: Solid, Eco-friendly, No Gas-canisters Required; Successfull
Boil Time*: About Six to Ten Minutes, Six If You Are Good!
Transport: Use Stopper to Carry Water
Storage: Space for Matches Fire Starter Inside Firebase
Origin: mKettle, Nylon Bag, and Neoprene Sleeve all MADE IN THE UK
Weight: 418g (13 oz)
Capacity: 530 ml (18 oz) About 1 Pint
Can be paired With Trangia (Sweden) and Evernew (Japan) Spirit Burners
FAQ from the manufacturers:
1. Why is there an mKettle? We looked far and wide but could not find an outdoor kettle that was light enough and compact enough for our needs. We designed and made it, gave it to a bunch of geologists and outdoor enthusiasts to try it out and feedback was good. As a small company committed to quality we made mKettles available to everyone October 2010.
2. What comes in the box? Inside the custom tube (which can be used for long-term storage) are the mKettle and Firebase, Neoprene Sleeve, Nylon Bag, Stopper, and Manual.
3. Where is mKettle made? The mKettle is handmade (spun) in the UK using new stock aluminium. The Fitted Rip Stop Nylon Bag with D-Rings (which gives over time) is made by tailors in the UK with a long history of tailoring and working with specialty materials. The Neoprene Sleeve is made with higher grade neoprene (yes, not all neoprene is the same) and is made by one of the UK’s last custom wetsuit manufacturers. Why manufacture in the UK? Quality. Yes, it would cheaper to manufacture overseas.
4. Tell me about the Stopper. The translucent silicone food-grade non-toxic Stopper is usually only supplied to the pharmaceutical industry. Biologically neutral and chemically inert the Stopper is able to withstand temperatures up to +250°C. The Stopper is a remarkable autoclavable (dishwasher safe) engineering achievement. Only insert the Stopper when transporting water.
5. Is there any Warranty? Because of our engineering and testing for this product we give the mKettle a one year limited Warranty to the original owner. We know nothing is worse than a leaking outdoor kettle, which is one of reasons we made our own. Every mKettle is water tested before leaving our workshops. However, if an mKettle is faulty or leaks, we will fix it, replace it or send your money back. Simple. Please do not boil it dry as we will not warranty this.
6. There are many different outdoor kettles, what makes mKettle special? Some larger outdoor kettles serve different purposes. However, if you want a simple, compact, and ultralight outdoor kettle that is PROVEN to work in the field, the mKettle might work well for you.
I have several of these volcano type stoves and this one did not dissapoint. The fill hole/spout is directly on the top and this feature along with the kettles squat size makes it very packable. It's meant to be used with twigs but I tried it with a hexy block and wow did it boil fast!! The fire base is a little narrow though, so feels slightly wobbly unless on a flat surface, which is why it didn't get a 5 star rating from me 👍
A lovely little kettle. It is sturdy and well made. It is very light and its ability to carry half a litre of water is very handy. It then takes up hardly any more space than a Nalgene bottle
Thanks for swift service Bob. used the mkettle on 4 successive day walks in Conway valley N Wales (damp April). made coffee on 3 out of 4 days. took a long but fun half hour each time, to get to boiling. im a townie and the wood was damp gathered at beginning of walk + used fire lighters. great joy to see fire and steam coming out of the top such a long heating time is less practical. hope to get the the boiling time down as i learn more. would need the meths insurance if solely relying on mkettle. it is well made, and although great fun would like it to become more than a toy as experience is gained.
I have been looking for a 'small' chimney kettle (let's call them that) for a while. This holds, and boils, .5ltr of water in minutes. Very compact; the base fits into the bottom of the kettle, and will hold some dry kindling/tinder, as will the 'chimney'. It worked best with small (1cm thick) twigs, larger twigs seemed to suppress the 'chimney' effect. The supplied bung fits perfectly and was water tight when I filled the kettle. The neoprene sleeve allows the kettle to be picked up when the water has boiled. The only drawback is that the kettle needs to be on level ground; as I found it a little unstable. On the whole, I love it: fast boil, solid yet light, and comforting on a foggy river bank.
Excellent, very light, compact and portable, only snag is that it is a little unstable on rough ground due to its narrow base so you have to place it very carefully
This is one of my favourite bits of kit. Really light and will boil 500mls of water in 3-5 mins with the Trangia burner. Have not used it with wood fuel so far, but will do so to save fuel. The sound of the roaring flame coming up through the middle warms you up just listening to it! Put a sheet of thin cloth between the separate pieces when travelling to avoid the sound of metal on metal - this worked very well whilst running with the mKettle in my backpack
An excellent piece of kit, principally because of it's compact size. I've only given it 4 stars because you will get a tiny bit of seepage from the bung if you store water in it. Not a problem as far as I am concerned but for future purchasers, something to bear in mind. It saves carrying a stove AND pot so as long as you want hot drinks but not hot food, it's all you need. Oh, and a mud of course.
Have used it two weeks cycle camping and it was invaluable. Kettle is very efficient we used it with twigs and meths on the supplied base and also on the meths burner on a trangia and both worked well. The stability on the trangia meant we could also heat more water on top or cook porridge using the separate pot stand. Also when using twigs used the pot stand on the base to cook small amounts of food. Great design
A very clever and neatly-designed product, and great service from BPL. It works excellently with a Trangia burner and with solid fuel tabs. However, I hadn't used a Kelly-type wood-burning kettle before, and there is a definite knack to getting it to work with twigs - if you put the top part on too soon, it seems to starve the fire of oxygen, and the flames die back (to be replaced with a lot of smoke). Finally - I wanted something to store tinder etc. in the base - a John West 'Infusions Tuna' tin with re-sealable plastic lid fits perfectly (it's even got the right taper - and weighs just 12g!).