Tag Archives: Day Trip

Kelly Kettle In The Snow

I received a new (large size) Kelly Kettle at the back end of 2008. We just missed out on taking this on our October 2008 trip down the Wye (see the trip report for more info on this!). Anyway, itching to use the Kelly Kettle, I decided that the garden in January, with plenty of snow, was the right place to give it a good test :) For fuel I had a small amount of card (and I mean small), a few twigs (mostly dry) and a bit of kindling that I chopped up with a hatchet.

Firstly, lighting the Kelly Kettle with a fire steel is straightforward, the base protects your spark from wind and lets you build the fire a little. I used a small cotton pad to take the spark, and added the card and twigs on top. After about a minute I added a few small bits of kindling and put the top kettle onto the base. This is the crucial point, if you don’t keep enough air going into the fuel/air hole on the side then there’s a chance the flame will go out. Solve this by either blowing into the hole or turning the hole to face into the wind. Once properly alight there is little chance of it going out.

Some people use barbecue lighters/fuel but I prefer to keep it as natural as possible and will only use pure cotton wool as a tinder to help start the fire. Extra fuel is added through the top chimney, or the side hole – but make sure you only drop small pieces in.

The water boils in minutes – honestly, our house kettle is slower! I was surprised too as there was enough water for 3 large cups easily, probably 4. As far as gear goes this is a must have for any trip (for us anyway!).

Also check out our March 2009 4 day trip (being added real soon), where the Kelly Kettle was not only used for water boiling but also cooking. Enjoy the pictures. We are also thinking of doing a Kelly Kettle video review soon – watch this space!

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Wye River – October 2008

We’ve just returned from our Autumn Season canoe trip on our favourite UK Southern River, the River Wye. A four day trip took us from Herefordshire, past Ross on Wye, through the Spectacular Symonds Yat limestone gorge through to Monmouth, making camp on the river bank along the way. We caught the last of the year’s fine weather, though it was just starting to get cold at night. A fine fire took the chill away as the evenings got longer and smouldered through most of the night, making outdoor ‘Tepee-Livin’ perfectly comfortable: as Ray Mears says – “if you’re roughing it, you’re not doing it right!”.

Gear on trial included a Old Town Discovery 158 (15’8″ canadian canoe), Wychwood Rogue Shelter, Australian Swag (bivvy) bag, Vango 2-man dome tent, Swedish Army “FireSteel” fire starter, Marmot Coffee Press steel mug, Beechwood beaver-tail canoe paddles, Brando LED head-light (clips onto hat) and Musto Fleece.

A Full Report will follow, but here’s some highlights:

A lunch stop…

1st night’s camp site…

Moonlit night…

Symods Yat Gorge Campsite