Spending time in the wilderness and remote locations takes a lot of effort and planning. There's many things to consider like: Navigation, accommodation, transport, first aid, personal safety, emergency procedures, environmental factors and food. Most of these elements have other sub-elements of course and careful planning must be invested, depending on the length of trip and remote nature.
One also needs to consider what type of trip is being undertaken; Is it vehicle-mounted, bike, hike, canoe or kayak, ski, snowmobile, horseback, boat, motorbike...There's so many ways to get out and about and all come with their own challenges and equipment requirements.
Most of my equipment is specific and targeted towards a particular use. Having said that though, I always look for items that can serve more than one purpose which saves weight, room and cost. The item pictured is one such item as I use it when I travel to remote locations and for picnics and day trips when shooting.
This is a Jetboil system. Essentially a gas stove. This lightweight, compact bit of kit is one of my most-used items and I'd be lost without it.
I keep this small unit in my truck and when deployed and combined with water and coffee has the ability to turn any frown upside down, as coffee tends to do. But I use it for more than coffee!
Above you can see it in its transportable format on the left. It all packs neatly within itself and can throw into a back pack easily. The second and third images show it unpacked prior to assembly which takes about fifteen seconds.
It consists of gas cylinder, stabilising feet, gas burner/regulator, cooking cup, and eating bowl.
Here above, you can see it assembled. The burner/regulator simply screws onto the gas cylinder and is ready to go into action. You can make out the regulator handle, and jutting out from the left side is the piezo igniter...Simply turn the regulator a few turns and click the igniter and it's burning.
Below you can see a closer view of the gas regulator/burner unit. The burner itself delivers a very intense and hot flame which makes for very rapid boiling designed to save gas. The middle image shows the regulator control and piezo igniter a little clearer. The right hand image below shows the bottom of the cooking cup...The vents, (FluxRing) around the bottom distribute the flame and heat which is why it is so quick to boil water.
Once the cooking cup is fastened on, (it twists on securely), it's ready to be filled with water, soup, sauce, stew or whatever it is I want cooked.
It holds about 500ml of fluid, ample for three cups of coffee or a hearty soup for 1-2 people. You can see it below boiling 350ml of water which took just over a minute. Pretty fast huh? I know speed isn't always needed but with this unit its super-fast boiling time means it conserves gas and in extreme cold conditions will get some hot fluid or food inside a body in only minutes: Soup, coffee, hot chocolate, stew etc.
I have a Jetboil skillet, also with the FluxRing on the bottom to evenly spread heat, so I can make eggs or fry up meat, vegetables and make pancakes as well. It's a complete stove-solution really.
Yesterday Faith and I took it on a picnic to boil water for coffee as it was quite a cold day and as always it performed flawlessly. It is safe as it has fold-away handles for easy handling when hot, and contains the flame so there's no chance for it to get out of control and start a wildfire. It is very light and packs away into a compact little unit.
There's a few other accessories available for it however I have all I really need. The cook pot would be good to have but in truth I don't really need it as I'm getting by with what I have quite comfortably.
I've used this thing a lot since getting it a couple years ago. It goes almost everywhere I go and never lets me down. I have taken it to shooting events, day-trips, to the farm culling and of course hunting, hiking, kayaking and picnics; It's a perfect size for Faith and I, or me alone. but for families there are slightly bigger units if required.
For the couple hundred bucks this unit cost me, including the skillet, I reckon it's awesome value considering how much I use it and how multi-purpose it is.
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default - Tomorrow isn't promised.
Be well
Discord: galenkp#9209
