Ours has been claimed by a farmer (ex staff) who needs firelighters for his multiple wood burning stoves.
Any left over tin stoves will go in the recycling.
OC said it is banned (ref wing fieldcraft officer / staff) , so it will certainly not be going back to the squadron.
Nasty stuff, but i presume that was all there was back in the day, and it was probably cheap!!
I have ordered a Dragonfuel stove plus fuel to try out for myself. Hopefully it will be better than Hexi!!!
Hexi is quite heavy too. 4 boxes would weigh quite a bit, far more than the jetboil. It isnāt have to be a jetboil though, we have a few Ā£15 gas stoves in our stores and they fit in a very very very small box.
What do we think of Kelly Kettles? Iāve been impressed by what Iāve seen of them, but this seems to be a further developmentā¦
https://www.kellykettle.com
They are fabulously civilised for fishing trips, stalking and shoots, and 4x4 safaris, but I really wouldnāt give actual fire to a load of 14yoās!
My sqn uses Alpine gas stoves, they are pleasantly stable, and when itās cold you can hold the canister to get more pressure out if it without the risk of the stove and boiling water tipping over.
The weight argument is utter tosh - a 750ml pan, an alpine stove and four days worth of gas weighs a lot less than a mess tin, a cooker and four days worth of hexi. I can also walk into any garage or village shop and buy gas, my chances of being able to buy hexi are about zeroā¦
My cadets can have a brew ready in 5 minutes, or a cup of fruity porridge or couscous, or a wet pouch meal in 6. No contest.
Iām very firmly in the Gas Trangia Camp, although I also issue any groups on Wild Country a jetboil to facilitate hot drinks mid-day.
Aye, civvie application.
But you donāt exactly take a stroll down from your super secret hidden harbour to the local bazaar for some gas canisters so you can have a brew.
And Kelly kettles are awful.
Biolite stoves? Handy, can charge up your phone to check your Boom Beach while your on sentry.
Given the length of a cadet FTX, it isnāt difficult to ensure that you start with sufficient gas to see you through.
not only is that exercise not really applicable to cadets, but on a technical point, if youāre doing the super secret patrol harbour OP, youāre probably going to be on hard routine anyway, so neither gas nor hexi resupply are valid points.
cadets in my area have done parts - or all - of the Cambrian Way, Offas Dyke path, Owain Glyndwrs way, Beacons way, the Clywdian way as well as bespoke routes. on-route resupply on those tasks has been something to factor in in the planning stages, its not however something that has come up when we do our fieldcraft camps because we have a base from which we work.
I was hoping no one would spot that technicality for my wee story. Never let the truth get in the way of a good dit though.
Kelly kettles are great!! Run on any old s**t. Iāve had one for years and excellent for hot water / brew in remote places (as long as fuel supply around)ā¦
Hexi good for informing āenemyā ref location at night, due to the flaring being spottedā¦also the smell of combustion!!
Canāt beat a good petrol stove , but if in hands of cadets run away!!! Need treating with respect.
Youād be surprisedā¦
In other news, weāve not received any instructions as yet and latest advice re: use and the RA was āHexamine is no longer the only authorised fuel for cookingā and Iāve been on a few weekends this year where use both fuels was taught.
ACTFI 007 was updated in February and specifically covers that we can use either the Hexamine Stove or Operational Ration Heater. Until that policy document changes both are in play for fieldcraft training.
