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Reviews > Cook Gear > Stoves > Ultralight Outfitters Beercan Stove > Chuck Carnes > Field ReportField
Report
Ultralight Outfitters "Beer Can" Cook Pot and Stove Kit by Chuck Carnes Report date: January 20, 2006
Initial
Report
The first trip I took was a two-night stay to a small area in Clayton, Georgia. It has a few trails and a few campsites but is only known by the locals. I am not a local but I know someone who is and he showed me some of his favorite spots. The weather was great for this time of year. The temperature was 75 F (24 C) during the day and 47 F (8 C) at night. There was no precipitation on this trip. For this trip, I wanted to do the easiest meal and the least amount of preparation. The meals that I prepared with the Ultralight Beercan Cook Pot and Stove were normal dehydrated meals. All I had to do was heat the water, pour the dehydrated meal into the cook pot, stir and eat. Both meals were very good; but then again how hard can it be to heat water for a dehydrated meal. Packing the kit in my backpack was very easy to do. It actually fit in one of my side pockets on my pack. My second trip was a two-night stay at Jones Gap near Caesars Head in South Carolina. The weather was a little bit colder than my first trip. The temperature was 62 F (16 C) during the day and 39 F (4 C) at night. On this trip, again, I did not experience any precipitation to test the stove kit in the rain. On this trip I thought I would experiment a little bit to see if I could cook up something more than just a dehydrated meal. I placed the fuel tablet in the tray that is provided on the stove and lit it. After walking away for a few minutes to let the heat build up and warm the water, I noticed some nasty black and brown smoke coming from the stove; and it stunk too. I went to check it out and found out that I forgot to put water in the cook pot. Needless to say, it does not work without water in the cook pot. I have completely discolored the outer surface of the can to a very nice shade of black. Luckily the lipguard was not harmed or discolored. After I allowed it to cool down a bit I was able to continue with my gourmet meal that I was preparing. The fuel tablet heated the water to a good rolling boil and I inserted my noodles for cooking. After the noodles were soft enough, I drained a portion of the water. I dumped a small portion of cut-up chicken and some vegetables and continued to cook my meal. I covered the top of the cook pot with a small aluminum lid that I brought with me to help hold the heat in. The meal turned out wonderful and very tasty. To my surprise, the meal did not taste burnt from scorching the cook pot without water. The next night I had a similar meal but this time I remembered the water first. On both trips I fixed coffee after my meals and had great success with being able to fix the coffee right in the cook pot and was able drink from it also. The small wire stand, for the cook pot to rest upon while cooking, wraps around the cook pot along with the windscreen, as seen above, to help protect it from getting dented while in the pack. So far, there has not been any significant damage done to the cook pot other than small creases from handling the cook pot while eating from it and the discoloration of the outer surface. The lipguard works well in keeping my bottom lip from burning when I drink my coffee but the lipguard does not wrap over the edge to protect my upper lip. I think the solution to this would be to slide the lipguard up slightly to expose more of the guard on the inside of the can and to keep my upper lip further away from the edge of the can. In all cases I have found the stove easy to disassemble and reassemble from pack mode to cook mode and vise versa. I have not experienced any low temperatures with the stove to test in very cold conditions. On both trips the wind has been very mild and the windscreen has done its job to keep the flame of the stove as productive as possible.
Some of the questions that I had prior to testing the stove I have been able to answer during my field testing. The Stove: How easy is this to cook with? So far, the ease of use has come in handy by just unpacking it, setting it up and lighting the fuel tab. I haven't necessarily been able to control the flame for simmering and things such as this but it does a great job at boiling water. How easy is it to set up? As mentioned before, very easy. From packed to setup for cooking is less than ten seconds. How long do I have to wait to start cooking? As mentioned in my Initial report, it takes 7 minutes and 12 seconds from the time the fuel tab is lit until the water comes to a boil. How easy is it to clean? The wire frame is discolored from the flame burning it and it is not cleanable. The cook pot (or beer can) is easy to clean the inside but on the outside I have managed to burn the outside face of the can and it does not come clean. But in the case of cleaning food from the kit, it is very easy with soap and water. How well does it fit with the cook pot when traveling in my pack? Very well, it snugs up under the bottom of the cook pot in the packed position while the windscreen surrounds it. It stays safe from being dented or disfigured. The Cook Pot (beer can): How durable is the cook pot/beer can? So far, very durable. It held its shape and cooking properties even after I tried cooking with no water and basically burned the can. Most of them are very thin, will it constantly get dented? It still has its original shape except for a few creases on the side from holding it. At what point during the test will I have to replace it? So far I have not had to replace it. How well does it heat up my meal? Very well. The cook pot stays hot for at least 15 to 20 minutes after it is removed from the flame. How fast does it heat up my meal? From set up to eating a hot meal it is less than 8 minutes. Is it easy to clean? In the case of cleaning food from the inside of the cook pot, it is very easy with soap and water. Windscreen: How flimsy is the screen? Not so flimsy that it bends and dents very easily. Will it stay upright during a heavy wind? So far I have not experienced heavy wind while preparing a meal. Do the ends lock together to form a continuous circle? No Are the edges sharp? No, the edges are bent to form a smooth edge. Does it have a reflective side and non-reflective side? No, it is the same on both sides. It is relatively shiny, see the picture above. I know I can fold it instead of rolling it but if I fold it a lot, will the creases get weak and break? I have not attempted to fold it yet. It works fine being rolled.
Thank you Ultralight Outfitters and BGT for giving me this opportunity to test this kit. Read more reviews of Ultralight Outfitters gear Read more gear reviews by Chuck Carnes Reviews > Cook Gear > Stoves > Ultralight Outfitters Beercan Stove > Chuck Carnes > Field Report | |||||||||||||
