While sludging around the internet today I spotted that the MOD is buying some new stuff to replace the dreaded Hexamine.
BCB will be distributing it. A website reference is firedragonfuel.com.
So… no more sooty mess tins, stink of burning hexi and taking ages to heat things properly (yes, I am biased and prefer to use petrol or gas).
There again, it will probably be at least ten years before hexi stocks are exhausted and cadet units are allowed to use something else. By that time the H & S mob may have concluded that Hexi isn’t very nice and will have banned it anyway!!!.
It was exciting to use when I was a cadet as it was just another part of the game and cadets still see it like that. But personally give me a gas cooker of some description any day of the week.
I also don’t understand why they aren’t going down the self-heating route. Someone must have shares in firedragon.
i guess too many self heating options self ignite…ie can be cooking in a bag/webbing without the wearing being aware it has been “lit” and as such poses a risk…
Self heating normally uses calcium oxide (quicklime) mixed with water to provide the exothermic reaction and should be designed to give a solution (or at worse residual paste) of calcium hydroxide. The reaction will only carry on until one or other is exhausted and anyway the heat is absorbed by the food. The chances of it self igniting are remote in a contained environment like a self-heating can/pouch and less likely in an open environment. If it ‘popped’ in a pack it would warm up, potentially surprising the wearer.
If they use a powdered metal mixture again the reaction is with water giving metal hydroxide solutions and there will be production of some hydrogen, but this will require the self contained unit to leak to give sufficient pressure and source of ignition, if the reaction is in an open environment the gas would diffuse to atmosphere and be harmless. I’m sure we all remember the ‘squeaky pop’ experiment from school, as such self ignition is highly unlikely.
Given that self-heating food is openly available to buy and store, if there were any massive risks, you’d need a licence to buy and keep them at home, let alone use them.
Any sort of gel regardless of soot production or toxicity still has the potential to be messy. I had a can of a fuel gel, it was expensive for what it was, impractical imo for camping and it took ages to cool down, so didn’t bother again. Worked well for bonfire lighting, like hexi.
However the Corps’ H&S mob having so little commonsense and being non-practical box tickers will get all excited about chemicals.
An irony about using a flame is that when you look at any '‘tactical / field manoeuvres’ manual, light is to be avoided, so something that gives off light (flame) should be a no-no, as such self-heating should be the no brainer solution for field conditions.
my use of “self igniting” was a generic term for “turning on”/getting the chemical reaction to start rather than catching “alight”
my point. self-heating routes are normally fairly easily “started” and can happen accidently without warning until the chemical reaction has reached its hottest level…ie too late to stop the cooking process and ruining the hot meal when you want it.
they have their uses and i am sure can be used very well, but in the ACO, known to be risk adverse, i can see it as being too “risky” for that reason.
