I love how kit that is marketed as 'emergency/survival' kit is always exactly the sort of thing you wouldn't want to rely on if you were going through an emergency or survival situation. They're made by the sort of people that would market a ball of string as 'compact ultralight survival rope'.

My two cents is that there is a big difference between ultralight gear and "going ultralight". The former is a marketing term, and the latter has more overlap with bushcraft than a lot of people think. "Going ultralight" has a lot to do with simply carrying less stuff-- the lightest gear in the world is still heavy if you carry enough of it. Like Mors Kochanski said, "the more you know, the less you carry". The absolute essentials are generally the heaviest, and what I'll pay a bit more for to keep from cutting corners. If I want to shed as much weight as possible, I'll start leaving out things that aren't necessary. If I don't want to bring my axe or saw, I'll rely on knowledge by processing wood with a knife and breaking logs with leverage between trees, or not have a fire and stay warm with proper campsite selection and planning ahead to pack appropriately. In short ultralight gear is things that are lightweight, but being ultralight is carrying more knowledge than gadgets, which is not mutually exclusive with bushcraft. They benefit from each other.

Hey there, French soldier here. The little metal sheet/bar you mentioned is actually to grab onto the side of the ration metallic box. You fold that and it makes a clamp to grab the lip of the can so you don’t burn yourself when you’re done cooking. O7

I’m at an age where I prefer that little bit of comfort/peace-of-mind, to the UL stuff. It comes with consequences but I sleep well, eat well and enjoy my time out. I use gas on overnighters and meths/denatured alcohol when in winter or longer hikes - btw remember that drop of water in your alcohol burner to reduce soot build up. The solace of a slower, quieter cooking experience over the volcanic roar of a gas burner can also have its charms. Keep it up Nick. I also have a collapsible twig burner for ‘company’ or cooking, too.

This is an awesome channel. Having ego free advice from an experienced warrior is priceless. I am just getting into prepping in UK and your advice will literally save lives. Thank you 🇬🇧

Just a quick point about Alcohol stoves they can be filled and the lid put on because of the o-ring and a smaller bottle to refill a couple of times depending on how long you will be in the field for and how many meals and drinks you will need. A full fill will give you at least 30 minutes burn time bringing water to a boil in 10 minutes where as a gas stove small canister gives you about 1hr 20 mins bring water to a boil in half the time but there is no way of knowing when it will run out unless you have jotted down the times of every cook on that canister. I learnt to cut my teeth on the hexi burners when in the army I don't use them any more even though I still have 3 of them but keep them for sentiment reasons. Hope this helps anyone who reads this. Take care and stay safe 👍

I could watch new uploads weekly.. Knowledgeable, no BS reviews, recommendations of equipment, great demonstrations of bushcraft and camping.

The energy efficiency vs weight is pretty close. Gas fuel has about twice the energy available per kilogram (around 50.3 MJ/kg for gas, and ethanol is about 25). The kicker though is the gas tank itself will add another 1/3rd or more to the total weight, where as an alcohol package can add little to none (you can always stick the alcohol into the stove before you leave). Personally I prefer a titanium flattening wood mini stove, with the trangia as a backup.

What occurs to me about that French "folding stove" is that it could be used as an ultra-thin layer inside one of those military-style "pocket survival tins," as a way to use the tin itself, the lid, and/or the included candle for emergency water-boiling. It certainly seems to belong to the same category of last-ditch, emergency-use gear.

I was lucky enough in the late 80's to be browsing in an Army Surplus shop in Sheffield and came across a little stove that looked a little like an anti-personnel mine, 2 hemispheres which houses a little regulator and a gas tube, you fitted each half of the shells back to back. It was a god send. I'd have brewed up, drank it and packed up while the other lads were still farting about with their hexi-stoves. I loved that thing.

The ‘Hungarian’ cooker is the Swedish army meths cooker and part of the Swedish m40 or m44 cook set and windshield. Some surplus companies selling spare windshield and cooker with Hungarian mess kit. I enjoyed your video thank you

Thanks for an honest evaluation of the various kit. Candor is always appreciated. Cheers

Great video. Really appreciate the straight up approach you have

When I was in, it was all hexi's with ali mess tins which blackened when cooking on them. A prolonged wipe over grass cleared up most of the soot. Wasn't long before I bought a small camping gas stove. Cooking was a delight, well as far as a delight from compo rations, the tinned stuff you can get from the 10 man ration pack. All in all, no regrets. Loved the lessons learnt.

I just loved this video full stop! Well put together and saves me buying crap! Thanks a mill 👍👍

This was my first video ive watched on your channel, it was very informative and well done. Thank you

As always, fantastic content, very much appreciated!

I have to say, after viewing all of your videos, just brilliantly done. Really informative and very very honest which I like more than anything because your not promoting what you get paid for. Great content as always. 👍

Great video as always good honest reviews on tools and kit you no love the videos mate keep up the great work

Excellent review - kind thanks mate!!!

Great show as always Nick. I enjoy your straight forward, no BS presentation! I've had a Pocket Rocket for years. One can buy a three leg folding gas cannister support that makes it much more stable. There are several versions on the market but the MSR one is best imo. It works very well and is inexpensive.

James Hall summed up very nicely what i was going to try to say. Thank you Mr Hall. Anyway , thank you for sharing your comprehensive knowledge , i wish you continued success and a very prosperous new year, Scott, Somerset

Nice advice Nick. Thank You.

Great video Nick really enjoyed it thank you

Thanks for this video. Really appreciate it.

Thank you Nick👍👍👍

For making the Jet Boil into a Billy pot you don't actually have to drill holes. You can take a thin steel cable and loop it through 2 ferrules. When you crimp them only crimp one side of each. This then allows you to slide the cable along creating an adjustable pot bail that can fit different sized pots/cups, so long as they have a lip like the Jetboil. Lonny of Far North Bushcraft and Survival has an excellent tutorial on making one.

Informative, excellently presented as always, keep it up Nick, many thanks, Chris in Somerset

I use my almost 30 years old ESBIT Stove everywere before, during and after my time in the army. Solid, light and reliable. If necessary runs with Wood. Thx for a really interesting Video once more. 👍👍👍

Always helpful which ever way you travel so again top vid top bloke and keep it up pls. Helping me with all my questions and decisions.

Just discovered your channel. All I can say is 'Brilliant'. Keep up the good work. 👍🏻👍🏻

Definitely going to add a few bits from this video into my kit.

Nice review mate!

Top vid as ever Nick. You just reaffirmed how much I hated hexi cookers back in the day. The sticky residue was a devil to clean off mess tins. I swore by a Coleman multi fuel however it was ‘Ultraheavyweight’ with the Sigi bottle of fuel.

Cool Video 👍 Thank U for the Info and the Links 👍

Great run down mate

just mewly found your channel and loving it...cheers buddy.

Hi. Thank you for a load of information which I have to agree with. Keep the vids comaing and stay safe. ATB. Nigel

Wow. There are many innovative goods for the easier camping. Thanks for sharing the nice video with useful information.😀👍👍

Top Video Mate ! Keep Em Up ! Best Wishes !!!!

All depends on context. In most cases, ultralight stuff is overkill, but in some cases (alpine, running the OMM etc) it makes sense. All useful tools, just got to consider what is appropriate for your use case.

You are such, a great human being Nick!! Keep it up, Sir! :)

i love your videos and i recently bought myself a laplander over a silky pocketboy and one of the main reasons was your priase of the saw, and i must say its one of my favourite saws ive ever used keep up the great content its amazing

About the saws, I have the nordic pocket chainsaw, silky and the laplander: In a scenario where I had to only choose one, for years and years of use, it'd be the laplander. Easily. The blade is so forgiving - it's slower, but reliable. In camping trips, overnighters or short use, it'd be the silky because it requries much less effort than the other two saws but is more prone to snapping if it gets caught. The pocket chainsaw is a great bit of kit, you will find yourself burning a similar amount of calories to the laplander, but I love that it's compact and highly durable.

as i obsessed about getting the trangia cooker for many months- and not using amazon ever- i happened to be at a thrift store and found a classic fondue pot with stand that holds a can of good ol’ fashion Sterno. same size as a trangia it fits right in the stand and comes with its own fuel gel. one can lasts 3-4 hours. i put a strip of thick aluminum from a disposable roasting pan and wrapped it around the legs of the stand as a wind-break. the stand also fits securely on my pocket rocket and holds any kind of cooking pot/pan from the Stanley nesting cup to a small cast iron skillet. Takeaway: i got into the DIY mindset thanks to these vids. Thanks, Nick!

Caused me to do more kit collecting shopping. Keep the vids coming.

Thank you for field testing all these pieces of kit for us all, you have saved me lots of time and money, light weight isn't always the best, the one thing none of the others mention is top heavy cooking mugs or pots on top of stoves, I've seen some precarious cooking in the wilds, you have to constantly watch what you are cooking and a watched pot never boils! : )

Just ordered my first hike backpack since I was in scouts 40 years ago .. because of your videos . I love camping and have done it all my life . I’ll take stainless steel over cheap aluminium every time . A berghaus , trailhead 65

Very good and instructive video. I remember my first "EDC" bag, weighing like a couple of tons ... than I went to ultralight, slept cold and have now kinda found truth in the middle. :)

Hi Nick, another absolutely superb insight into bushcraft and I personally love seeing / hearing ex-military kit and terms because I can relate. Even better when you drop a gem like "travel light, freeze at night" (I actually hit someone with this recently too 😂). I am constantly running the trade offs between cost, lifespan, usability and such when looking at kit and it's reassuring to know that I am not the only one who does this. I did see those light weight, foldable stoves and my first thought was in fact "that'll break sharpish", so thanks also for proving my thoughts on that. Thanks again for the effort and information you put into your material and I look forward to watching more. Take care and all the best, Bryan.

As always , wonderfull vedio.

Great video thanks.

Great review, personally I rate the British hexi but very interesting seeing the different options. Thanks for your time.

Hi, I commented on one of your videos that I'd prefer a trangia than a gas bottle because of the no noise while burning. Got to say this is a really good video, you make a lot of sense highlighting safety before going light as possible. Thank you

The Stanley Adventure Camp Cook Set, which consists of a 24oz kettle with 2 nesting mugs, can be had for 15 US Dollars. It’s a well designed piece of equipment at a modest price.

When I was in the mob we never had crusader mugs, however I did buy myself a metal black mug that fitted my issue water bottle and pouch still have this and it's bombproof. Initially when I was in basic and we went on adventure training I bought myself a miniature camping Gaz stove that came with 2 little pans that you put the stove into when not in use, it was good however quickly realised not that tactical. After a few years came across the alcohol gel burners and bought one with a clip on attachment that a mess tin or my metal fitted on really good, lit easily every time quiet and got hot quick. Much better than hexy blocks which I agree I will never forget the smell! One thing I would say is ultra light has its place but generally from experience is more expensive and doesn't stand up to hard use. Just my opinion for all you climbers, good video bought back some memories take it easy.

Have to be honest it's my 35 year old Trangia all day long for me, with the BCB Mk2 Crusader cooker. I find 150ml of fuel will easily last me 24 hrs, and on the couple of occasions it hasn't the Mk2 doubles as a stick/hexi stove (or cow chips on one trip) It's worked in blizzard conditions when gas has failed and at the end of the day, which of those other stoves will still be going in 35 years?

Good video Nick, thanks. Only thing that I could see being a major variable with the stoves is the effect of wind on the flames.

Thanks for another excellent video. The Kevlar saw message about the energy wasted using less efficient kit is fundamental; you could add complex and unstable (vs intuitive and secure) as another no-no for anyone tired, cold and wet and with brain and fingers not working properly. I'd be interested to hear your views on possible weight savings in the choice of shelter and sleep systems, where the major pack weight is.

Great content, the hexi block is made to work on surface area… so break a block in to 4 and it provides half as much more heat than a single block. And of course more black crap to clean off. Cold tea bag.. if you know you know

Found your channel a couple hours ago, watched several videos, and just clicked subscribe and the bell to get notifications of all your videos. I'm in the process of going from car camping with the family to solo canoe camping, and maybe a bit of backpacking. With car camping, weight was never an issue. I love my Coleman 2 burner liquid fuel stove. One tank of fuel does several mealse. But now I'm looking at reducing both size and weight. This video gave me a lot to think about. I'm really liking the idea of a liquid or gel fuel. Far cheaper than tanks of gas, and a lot more environmentally friendly.

Great video, thanks. I was very lucky to find a Trangia Triangle in a camping shop that was closing down, and its rapidly becoming my favourite set up. Can use it with the Trangia meths burner or with a little pot insert if I'm burning fuel tabs. I dont know why but I've never really been into using gas stoves, think it's probably because I spent so many years as a kid with my Dad's old army Hexy stuff.

Nice vid as always mate. I also had some pronlems with my jetboil clicker, I just use matches or a lighter to light it.

love the french cooker its perfect as a one time use emergency item to put in a edc pack

I saw the UL gel fuel burner just the other day and being an engineer, immediately thought that the sides would break if you tried flattening it and re-assembling it! Thank you for saving me the £5 shippers 😉😎 Another great vid. super stuff chap! I also have a slighty (read: much) larger gas stove (which fits inside my Zebra billy can) which has a hose but i have an adapter that allows me to use the cheap Campingaz Isobutane 220g cans - the sort you get for one of those cheap single burner camping stoves from Halfords! They seem to last well and being a bigger burner ring, heats my pot, cup or billy quite rapidly and is not that much extra weight!

Thanks Nick. I use a bit of a mix of each; UL gear if I'm on an overnighter and aren't going to be in cold weather, I take a gas & titanium cook set. Longer or colder and its the Trangia 25 and more solid gear. One thing that never changes in the load out is tools. If the spam hits the fan, tools can help keep you warm and safe, and I've never seen someone make a saw or a knife in the field.

Mate, I've watched a few of these bushcraft channels and yours is by far the most practical, informative and pragmatic I've seen. Keen it up mate. Let me know when you're in NZ for a look around :-)

AND I love seeing some reviews that aren't all love this is great. Call a piece of kit that's no good, no good. Too many on you tube edit and work video magic to make whatever they are selling this week look good even when they fill on know they would never carry it or use it. U tell it like ya see it and I for one respect that a ton. Good on ya sir.

Thanks for the review. I learn something like a beginers like me. From philippines. Subscribed

Excellent review of the cooking options Nick, thank you. My preferred kit for a day in the woods, or even a longer trip, is my Firebox Nano stove with a Trangia burner. It gives me the option of a small wood fire, or spirit stove. All topped off with the Crusader mug. If I’m on a multi day hike, I’ve done the coast to Coast a couple of times, I take an Asoto Windmaster gas burner and Fire Maple pot. It’s similar to your Jetboil pot with the flame spreader, but smaller in height. You can get tempted by all sorts of options, like all outdoor kit, but keeping it simple and reliable is the best idea every time, would be my suggestion to anyone starting out. I certainly agree with your RM adage about lightweight kit. If you need to save ounces on your stove, are you fit enough to be out there in the first place! 😉🤔

It's nice to see that I cary many of the same items as you :) Regarding the alco burner they work better in cold climate and you can always use a smaller container for your fuel (handy for solo trips). I would recomend you try out the Bushbox Ultralight it can handle gel fuel solid fuel, will fit an alco burner and it will work as an twig stove. it is very light and robust if you can keep it safe when not assembled.

Another winner with this one! George W Sears "Nessmuk" might disagree with the freeze at night bit! He was the king of ultralight over 150 years ago! That being said, I really appreciate your assessment of the pocket chainsaw. I've often wondered about those but you are the first ive seen take it seriously and actually do a demo with it! That Kevlar Saw was terrible! As I said, another great video, thank you so much for your time!

Hi mate, I know you have probably heard this a million times, but the pathfinder canteen cup lid fits the crusader cup almost perfectly, cheer!

Great video. I use gas when cooking for two at camp, otherwise its a Trangia all the way for me with some sort of pot stand and a 10cm Zebra Billy can. I also have the Dutch army kidney mug and love it. I agree though, those flimsy ultralight French things won't last long imo.

nice video, thanks

Nice video 👍, fabulous advice & information. I use the folding fox stove myself. I Was a Lance Corporal in Royal Artillery England, in my younger years, Teaching cadets survival skills . Now I live in B.C 🇨🇦 😃. The training & skills I learned really helped me, got thow hard times. Obtaining food & resources from the, surrounding areas. When cash 💸 flow is low . Salmon, Crayfish ,trout , Mushrooms. If it's fresh & Free 👍😋😋😋. They should really teach kids at school about self survival skills 🤔.

I would like to thank are video host Nick, for his expertise, and straight forward presentation. As an ex Squaddie, I was and still, are trying to find that prefect solution to the equation of weight v practicality.. Each item shown is useful in its own setting. The French stove for instance, looks similar to the Russian folding stove found in Russian food ration's. I'm not sure if the French have bothered to put their flimsy stoves in their rations or not. For me this French stove is for an escape and evasion kit, where size and weight are crucial. If you add a bottom tray bellow the stove, you can get away with using natural materials, to boil a cup of tea. Regarding cups, the Crusader Cup, is a copy of the American GI cup, used in WW2. I use to use the original metal made cups that were created for our water bottles, back in the day, that had lids you could fry food on.. I still use this type of cup on long hikes, with the Belgium and French style stoves, sometimes known us NATO stoves. It fits round the bottom of the cup perfectly for storing, and is lighter than a lot of others solid fuel stoves. Having used, most of the stoves presented, I shy away from fueled stoves, such as gas and fluids, unless in very cold snowy conditions. However it must be remembered for those climbing heights, some pressurized stoves will not operate at certain altitudes. In the end, I personally, use small folding stoves, for survival boxes, Esbit or NATO stoves for general use, and "adjustable" pressure stoves, for winter and altitudes. If I was to pick one stove for the extreme long term use, it would be a solid fuel stove, either the British Army stove, the Esbit, which is the same design but half the size and weight, or the NATO stove. These are my personal views through years of experience. I know there are many different ideas out there, and depending on price, lighter materials. Once again, I thank our host for his presentation, and allowing old war dogs to talk about such subjects.

Interesting how it was no problem lighting the pocket rocket w/a lighter but you were willing to scrap a Jetboil because the piezo igniter was faulty. If you turned the French mini cooker 90 degrees the little bit of extra length should stabilize the Crusader cup a little better. I can see that this unit should be a last alternative as you said it is not built for durability. Bic lighters now make a lighter w/a plastic 1 inch extension for the flame. It makes lighting alcohol stove, solid fuel and folding box stoves ssssoooo much easier. Great vid. Thanks!

Cooking tip I learned from a study. The study was through a scientific study on size of pan, fuel efficiency, burners, materials of cookware, and which is better. Of the ultimate answer was the same as always... it depends. An answer we as consumers are used to. But the study did answer the... WHY it depends. Fuel efficiency came up with matching the size of the ban bottom to the width of the flame, as they used the tern flame splash. Any flame that splashes beyond the bottom of the pan or up the side of the pan reduces fuel efficiency. Wider pan cook faster because you can use a larger flame without flame splash. And if it has a guide or ridge to catch the heat, it increases both speed of cooking as well as fuel efficiency. It also saves fuel to cook slower with low simmering flame because the heat has more of an opportunity the be transfered into the cold water/food, rather than splashing outside into the atmosphere. This is the answer to the question of which is better. The best is the flame you can control with a valve. Otherwise you are carrying wasted energy. Then you have versatility with many options of pan size and materials for cookware. And some cookware is better than others but varies for your needs.

Really enjoyed the video. Here in the states we can get Heet in the yellow bottle. Its cheap and burns well without a residue so I use that in my several alcohol stoves. However, I prefer to cook over fire, as do you. I love the Firebox Nano because its light and very compact and can also be used with the alcohol stove. Keep up the great vids, mate.

I have used to hexamin stoves on top of each other as a wood/twig burner for years,works great,upgraded to a wood Gas burner,stuck with my old mess tins though.

My light carry option for short hikes - especially in the winter when I might want to possibly make a tea (but nothing more complex), is an Esbit. A folding wind screen around it and a couple of small blocks do the job. Closer to the British issue size than the French option. Hadn't heard of the fire gel. Might have to look into that. :)

Helpful review Nick 👌. I thought the French stove looked like it was meant to stay set up, since it looked very fragile. Where cooking and carrying is concerned, I would prefer extra weight if that meant more reliability.

Glad I'm not the only one who's tried hand gel! Current lightweight hobo option is washed out small tin can (with half inch slot cut to one side for air) as stove & windshield, empty tealight case with a couple squirts of alcohol hand gel inside Boils a cuppa in no time But 25 year old trangia set or cheapie JetBoil copy if not going light

Sempir fi buddy super video from a United states Marine..thank you for your service

Amazing gears

Thanks for an interesting and thought provoking video. I am 100% stainless steel for cooking. I have a trangia and various folding stoves for a heat source and carry a Silky folding saw.

Cracking video as always, for my short bimbles ,overnighters, I tend to go with the crusader mug and heavy cover lid or my pathfinder mug and lid, paired with either the msr pocket rocket/primus windshield/msr gas canister feet or trangia and trivet system with a foil windshield, for a pairs overnighter or some guests, then gsi stainless Steel kettle or pathfinder bushpot, over a woodstove/msr pocket rocket/trangia triangle meths stove, but as two is one ,one is none, I always have either the older hexamine stove or the new bcb version, for ghe lightweight/proper stealth/really bad weather, I turn to my stormin norman cone meths stove system, 68 grms without fuel, used with a 900ml alpkit mytimug, super stable, the cone shield supports the lip of the mug, so the cone system is specific to the mug, brilliant bit of kit, unfortunately the guy who made these passed away, perhaps I'll make a video on these different systems, loving your videos, good health and safe travels, cheers craig

Hello Again. I have the same fold up stove you put the Crusader cup on. Had the thing for several years now. Again, while Hiking, Camping or hunting, I use the crap out of it for a hot beverage and making soup. In my Canteen Cups. The U.S. Canteen cup fits very well also. I mix Denatured alcohol with hand sanitizer, burns for a spell in that Trangia and very hot.

That last burner is Swedish, some were made by Trangia, others by SVEA. They are from the Swedish Army cookset, I think the reason you think it’s Hungarian is because they are getting rare and some sellers have found the Hungarian mess tin fits in the wind shield- the Swedish mess tin is oval in shape. Anyway, these are basically a larger version of the commercial Trangia burner.😁

Really good comparisons, thanks, and lots of useful info here in the comments too! I always try and carry at least a Victorinox knife with a saw - not as easy as the nordic or bahco saws but definitely better than that dental floss keyring contraption... cheers 👍

Another Xcellent vid brother thanks for shareing ..northern ont. Canada

Like the test nice to see a more realistic style. I have a laplander and love it but I also have an opinel folding saw which is smaller and works well so this is a handy option as they come in different sizes.

I bought some Spanish ration packs to try on walks last year and they came with the little super light foldable stove things. Interestingly it was a slightly different design. No hole in the centre and came with solid fuel blocks. So it is much more versatile in terms of fuel than the commercially available one. They are all still going strong. But absolutely feel flimsy and I’m sure will break once they’ve been used a few more times. But at that weight and size you can afford to carry a spare. When used with the small tins of food in the ration pack they worked well. The Low centre of gravity worked well with the flat long tins. But would be very tricky with anything large or tall unless on anything but the flattest surface. Ultimately quite fun and easy to carry. I’ll use them till they break but wouldn’t consider buying them separately.

Thanks for some great information. I would say that I have found that Fire dragon lights easily with a sparking rod, and in stoves it may be the best way. Have not tried one of those French ones though.

Thank you

It’s a triad. Functionality vs weight vs price. For any given price point, you have a choice between the functionality of the kit and its weight. For all those gramme Nazis on through hikes it’s all about weight. But imagine throwing their rucksacks on and off a 4-tonner a few times. My Karrimor SF 60-100* weighs the same as a small car even when empty, but it’s bombproof. The pro tip with the hexe for your viewers is to wipe off the mug/mess tin with either a used damp tea bag or even just wiping it across grass. * A replacement for my earlier Berghaus Cyclops Roc which eventually died after 20 years of abuse over many different projects. I don’t think many of those ultralight bags would have survived that.

Excellent review. The take away seems to be, have the lightest kit available that is 100% reliable and fit for purpose.

Hi mate. About the French army cooking kit, that little metal piece is to connect on the meal cans that are issued inside the MREs. That way you can pick up your food without burning yourself

⛺️🔥🤠👍, great set of comparisons 👏👏👏. Good observation about the jetboil cup - 'cooling fins' on the bottom of it 🤔, it's a quality build though......