View Full Version : Kelly Kettles
jackrim1
20-11-2004, 00:00
First off hi everyone! Really glad i found this site - hopefully this will be my first post of many to come :biggthump
I am interested in the Kelly Kettle design but would like to hear others people's experiences of the two sizes available. The marketing jargon states that the 1ltr version is specifically designed for backpackers, however I own a Berghaus Vulcan and I was wondering whether it would be wise to opt for the larger 2.5ltr? This bigger size has the added bonus of the accessory kit being designed within mind.
What do you guys think - is the smaller one plenty enough for a brew and a cook on or is the larger better a better all round piece a kit?
:chill:
If you do a search for them you will find a fair bit of info on them. It seems to be a bit of a love hate thing with them. I have no knowledge of using them so wont say anything more about them
http://www.bushcraftuk.co.uk/reviews/kelly_kettle.html seems as good a start as any.
They are 1pint and 2.5pint not litres IIRC
Hay jackrim1 welcome to BCUK..
The kelly kettle is a really well designed bit of kit, and does its job really well.. the bigger one i think is a little big to be practical!
however IMHO you are better of getting a nice Zebra billy it boils water and lots more :biggthump the kelly kettle is just to specilised a bit of kit and is also a little on the heavy side..
my tupence!
I only have the 1 pint Kelly and consider it very good for one and adequate for 2 people. Any more people and you either all get a tiny cup of tea or you drink in boil-up series. My one pint makes a 600ml mug of tea but splitting that to 300ml for 2 always makes me wish for the larger Kelly or maybe the medium sized Eydon.
I love the Kelly as a water boiler, but unless you only need hot water for your food prep I do not recommend this as a stove or cooker. The grill and frypan kit might work depending on your food prep, but I consider a Kelly to be a boiler primarily.
While the kettles are relatively light in weight they are pretty bulky so that may be a consideration too. Watch the advertised volumes, I found all sorts of quoted volumes, but Kelly's come in 1 pint---20 oz or 600 ml and 2.5 pint which I believe should be 50 oz or 1.5L (but I have not confirmed with my own beedy eyes these volumes).
One pint over here is 16 oz....apparently thanks to King George III who decreed the change so taxes on our pints of beer would increase by Kingly order rather than requiring an act of Parliment....myth or reality I do not know for certain, but we have inadequate pints in the pub.....however I digress.
The BCUK review noted by Andy is a good start and I also have an article over at JM's magazine if you are interested:
http://outdoors-magazine.com/s_article.php?id_article=126
steven andrews
20-11-2004, 12:36
I have a one pint Kelly, which I love but I would not recommend the Kelly kettle for cooking on.
The Kelly Kettle is quite bulky although the one pint version easily fits in a Vulcan side pouch.
You may be better with a stove for cooking and a little Trangia Kettle to brew up with
http://www.ultimateoutdoors.co.uk/images/plu/22.jpg
P.S Schwert's review is spot-on!
Hi Jackrim1!
I like the Kelly Kettle I have (1 pint) but do myself wish at times I had the bigger version. The main advantage of a Kelly over, say, a Zebra billy or Trangia kettle is how efficient it is at heating the water and how little fuel you need to do that. I find that one hexy tab is more than enough to heat 1 pint and it does it quickly and if you are moving through areas that might not have an abundance of natural fuel then this could be a major advantage in that you can combine natural fuels with man made ones. Another point not raised so far is that the Kelly contains the fire, whereas with a billy you need an open fire.
That's why I like the Kelly Kettle ... it's efficient, pretty much all weather and lets me choose between natural fuels, man made fuels and even the Trangia meths burner.
Welcome aboard Jackrim1! :biggthump
Wonderful peice of kit whatever size you go for and we have had our for over 11 years and lives in the back of the pickup so it has had one hell of a hard life as is used daily.
But what a lot people don't realise there is in fact another company that produce them as well ( a different name of course) and I believe that they have been making them longer then Kelly Kettle have and this is the model we use:biggthump
Paganwolf
20-11-2004, 16:32
Hi Jack and welcome,I love my Kelly kettle for 2 reasons one its great for a bru very theraputic i use mine in the back garden all the time and the other because a very dear friend gave it to me :wink:
I've got one of the large ones. It's superb at getting water boiling quickly but it's far too bulky for someone who can't drive, if I have it in my rucksack I can fit in my fishing gear.
Anyone with the 1 pint version want to swap?
Realgar
mojofilter
21-11-2004, 16:44
Welcome aboard Jackrim1! :biggthump
Wonderful peice of kit whatever size you go for and we have had our for over 11 years and lives in the back of the pickup so it has had one hell of a hard life as is used daily.
But what a lot people don't realise there is in fact another company that produce them as well ( a different name of course) and I believe that they have been making them longer then Kelly Kettle have and this is the model we use:biggthump
Any chance of the name or a link please Jack?
stuarty
jackrim1
21-11-2004, 16:59
Thanks guys, great replies.
Adi007 - good point about the alternative fuels. Could be very useful for me in the future!
paganwolf - Your comment about the theraputic values are spot on - the fact that you don't have to rely upon a specific fuel and coupled with the fact that you're basically boiling water over a fire are what drew me to the kelly kettle in the first place. :chill:
I understand what many of you have said about the suitability of it to be used as a stove. At the moment I'm saving up to go backpacking around the world and I am looking for a suitable stove, the mini trangia looks appealing but meths is hard to get hold of outside of western europe. Thats why I was considering using the kelly kettle...Any suggestions?
Thanks for the warm welcome as well!
Any chance of the name or a link please Jack?
stuarty
These links came from a quick search of this site .........
http://www.kellykettle.com/
http://www.eydonkettle.co.uk/index.htm
http://www.thermette.com/
http://www.wiggys.com/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=100&CFID=1124215&CFTOKEN=50185847
beachlover
22-11-2004, 00:24
Did you get my first mail?
We have a 1 Pint version and happy to swap for the larger one.
Kev and Bev
I've got one of the large ones. It's superb at getting water boiling quickly but it's far too bulky for someone who can't drive, if I have it in my rucksack I can fit in my fishing gear.
Anyone with the 1 pint version want to swap?
Realgar
bambodoggy
22-11-2004, 11:58
I have a one pint Kelly and find it great for boiling a brew while out in the woods. I like the multi fuels I can use in it. I have the grill/billy attachments but haven't used them yet....they look a bit small for my liking...I like to eat loads!
If off travelling I'd recommend the Coleman Duel Fuel Stove as it runs on Coleman fuel or plain petrol and lets face it, if nothing else you can always get a drop or two of petrol....it does stink a bit but that doesn't effect the food.
Phil.