Category Archives: Camping/hiking gear

Pathfinder Canteen Trail Kit

Camping/hiking gear

I recently bought the Pathfinder Canteen Trail Kit. Which is basically the Pathfinder 39oz or 1.153 litre wide mouth stainless steel canteen, and 25oz or 739 ml stainless steel nesting cup (with bat wing handles).

This is primarily something to take on the longer walks with Dolly.

The just over a litre capacity is better for Dolly and me than the nato/osprey canteen. Which is a litre. That 153ml is massive! Ok maybe not. But having that little bit more water is handy. I am finding a litre tight for the two of us.

I could have bought it with the canteen stove and canteen cup lid.

To be totally honest I forgot about the lid which would have been handy to have. So I have ordered one separately.

However I’m not a big fan of the canteen stove. The Boundless Voyage Titanium Cookware Set has a similar stove, which is fine as a pot stand and windshield for a stove like a Trangia. But I’ve seen YouTubers use twig fires with this. Which it’s clearly designed for. But not a way I’d want to use it. There is nothing to stop the fire damaging the ground and leaving a scar.

Now this trail set does fit nicely in the BCB Mk2 Crusader cooker which I just so happen to have.

The Mk2 Crusader cooker obviously has one or two advantages over the Mk1 (which I do like, a lot).

The main one being it’s better suited for use with a Trangia.

I think it’s also a better option for use with this trail set than its intended stove.

The options for fuel to cook with are greater.

I actually used just the canteen during a two day training course. I can’t believe how much I drank. Nearly three litres in total. Which is very unusual for me. Naturally it was not plain ol’ water I was drinking. I need a bit of flavour so I was using Crystal Light on the go packets. Which are basically powdered squash. I’ve used them a lot in the past on backpacking trips.

Look I’m not a bushcrafter. So this single walled canteen being able to use boil water on a heat source of some description is not a major selling point for me. A “useful” feature. But for sure not something I think I’ll be doing.

The wide mouth is more important to me. It makes filling the canteen from a water source much easier.

Yes it’s heavier than a Nalgene bottle, or a plastic water bottle. But it’s robust, and for me the weight is not an issue.

BCB Crusader Mk1 Cooking System

#28MilesInFebruary, #backtothehills, Camping/hiking gear, charity, Cooksets, fund raising, hiking/backpacking/camping, outdoors

Here we are with my second new setup for making a brew whilst out on a walk or even a meal. But this is equally at home on a backpacking trip also.

The BCB Crusader Mk1 Cooking System isn’t the lightest cooking system by a long shot.

There are two versions of the cook system from BCB. The main difference between the two are the crusader cooker and cup. The Mk1 crusader cup has a capacity of 750ml, whilst the Mk2 has a capacity of a litre. I also think the Mk2 crusader cup is lighter. The crusader cookers are also very different. The Mk1 is much shorter and meant to be a solid fuel only stove. While the Mk2 is taller, more ventilation, and can use multiple fuel sources. Whether that’s solid fuel, alcohol burners, or even a fire.

I’ve gone with the Mk1 version because it is a shorter form factor compared to the Mk2.

A brand new Mk1 cookset from BCB comes in at £95. However you can pick used ones (army surplus) much cheaper. For your money you get the following: “Plastic Mug & Water bottle (Osprey / NATO), Crusader Cup Lid, Crusader Cup, Crusader Cooker, Zulu Belt pouch, Fireball Flint and Striker” (plus some solid fuel blocks).

It is possible to use a Trangia with the Mk1 Crusader cooker if you use an alcohol stove cross stand (see the photos below).

How the crusader cup would be used with the crusader stove
The plastic Osprey water bottle, plastic cup, lid, and ferro rod
The Crusader stove
How the Trangia can be used with the Mk1 crusader stove
Everything inside minus the Trangia
How the Trangia can be used with the Mk1 crusader stove a better shot
The inside of the pouch showing the little pocket
The belt pouch
The official plastic lid and the third party (eBay) metal lid

Ok the water bottle has a capacity of a litre, and its companion plastic mug has a capacity of 500ml.

Compared to the Boundless Voyage titanium cook set in the previous post this is heavier. For starters it has the water bottle and mug which the other set doesn’t have. Oh and the handy ferro rod. And to be fair you would need to have if using the other set. Otherwise I don’t think the difference in weight if considering just the cooker and crusader cup, although heavier is too big.

The advantage this has over the Boundless Voyage setup is you can use just solid fuel tablets with it, with no need for a meths burner. Saving a bit of weight there. Granted not a great deal. But still.

For the record I also have the Mk2 crusader cooker. So for me that is also an option. But also shows you can just buy the bits of this system that you want quite easily. It’s also possible to replace the plastic crusader lid with a third party (usually custom made, see photo above) metal lid.

What I like also about this setup is it’s literally bombproof. After all this is designed for use by the British Army. It’s meant to be able to take a lot of abuse.

Well that’s the brief look at the BCB Crusader Mk1. I think I have at least one other newish one to share in another post. So more to come.

Boundless Voyage Titanium Cookware Set

#28MilesInFebruary, #backtothehills, Camping/hiking gear, charity, Cooksets, fund raising, hiking/backpacking/camping, outdoors

This is the first in a series of posts where I will look at recent purchases that can be used as a cookset for backpacking/camping. These are cooksets for a single person, not intended for cooking for multiple people.

I think any of these cooksets covered in this and future posts would be great in a day pack for a walk, or possible backpacking trip.

Yet again a YouTube video got me ordering more gear.

This time it was the Boundless Voyage Titanium Cookware Set.

What do you get for your money? For starters you get an 800ml canteen cup aka a pot, a mesh storage bag, a lid for the pot, and what they describe as a wood stove. Like some of the canteen sets out there this cooker allows you to have a fire to do your cooking. However for me that would be a last resort.

The problem for me with using this type of cooker/stove with a fire is the scar it would leave behind. Not very leave no trace. Yes you could use something to place this on to try and avoid that. But I think it would still leave a mark on the ground.

Everything inside
Wood stove
folding titanium spoon, and a BCB Fireball Flint and Striker
Goshawk OP-100
800ml canteen cup aka a pot
800ml canteen cup aka a pot
Goshawk OP-100
Wood stove
Lid
Mesh storage bag

My preference for heat source would be a Trangia or some other alcohol/solid fuel stove. The stove then acts like a windshield and pot support.

The lid itself for the canteen isn’t very tight fitting.

What I like about the pot is that you have the handles on the side plus the handle to hang it with. Although to be fair I’m more likely to be using this handle to remove the pot off the heat than hanging it over an open fire.

I’ve not weighed it but it is listed as weighing in at 230g.

To this cook set I’ve added the Goshawk OP-100 alcohol stove, a folding titanium spoon, and a BCB Fireball Flint and Striker.

Plus at just shy of £38 (from Aliexpress) this isn’t bad value for a cookset.

This is a nice compact cook set that doesn’t take up much space. The only thing I’d need adding to this is a cup of some sort.