Kelly Kettles and an Intro

S

Sparljo

Joined
Oct 20, 2006
Messages
395
Hi guys:

Ive never started a post on BF, mostly just comment on others ideas or post pics of my (hackjob) knives in the gallery.

I'm just another guy that loves the outdoors, gear and especially sharp things.

Does anyone else have and love (or hate) a Kelly Kettle?

In the past I found that boiling water was eating a ton of my cooking propane, not to mention balancing big pots of water and then vicegripping my way through pouring them.... it was a disaster waiting to happen, and a huge PITA.

My brother bought me one of these Kettles last year.... yes its pricy for a chimney made of aluminum.... but seriously these things are GREAT.

A small fire in the bottom boils the water quick, then you use the chain and handle for easy pouring of the critical morning coffee in the bush.

Notice the handle does not rest against the kettle.... this is by design, and keeps things usable. The extra little thought they put into the design really goes a long way.

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My apologies if this has been covered or done to death before....
 
Looks interested, can you explain how it works? Thanks,

Heber
 
Hey Sparljo,

Great intro post! Yes, Kelly kettles have been mentioned once or twice, but that's fine - you take a good photo!

I carry a Kelly in the car, for brewing up on country drives. Once or twice it's made it up the hills with me. They are great for using the minimum of fuel and it much more fun that a gas burner. Well, it's an excuse to light a fire at least!
 
Thanks for taking those extra pictures. It works the way I thought it did. Cool idea. I've seen wood burning stoves with water tanks on the sides for those same reasons. Nice to see a portible verson. :) Might have to look into getting one for backpacking in places that allow fires.

How much do they weight? - Scratch that, I found their website and all the information I need. Thanks.

Heber
 
Thank you for posting this. It's been posted before but definitely bears posting again. I keep saying I'm going to get one but have trouble justifying the price.

I know there's a similar kettle out there, but the name escapes me right now. Has anyone had experience with both that can compare them?
 
I have been wanting one but I remember an old thread that had a comparable boiling kettle that had a more durable lid/not cork, anyone remember it or know the link?
Thanks
 
Looks like they are offering an even larger size on the website as well as a cooking setup. I can probably rig something like that with shelving brackets by the look of it.

Ive never heard of or seen a different boiling kettle, cant comment on that.

The cork is not really all that important if you are not carrying this thing around full of water. You boil water with the cork removed, and use it with the chain as a lever to pour once finished.

Replacing the cork wouldn't be an issue if it wore out either....

Is it pricy for what it is? That depends on what easily boiling water is worth to you. Sure for a day hike it might be pricy. If you are going out for over a week, it might seem a little cheaper.

Justify it with the savings in gas fuels!

(this kettle came from Lee Valley Tools)
 
I bought a Kelly Kettle several months ago primarily for power failures and survival. It boils water in no time. If the water supply is contaminated this is the way to go for a quick boil.
 
i have considered one, but for its size, it isnt very versatile, so it would be hard to justify such a large one-use item (in my opinion at least)
 
For the most part it looks great if I'm not carrying it. Looks good for a vehicle or protracted trip but I wouldn't bother over a weekend. Taking that rather good looking Ghillie kettle foxyrick linked to and even the smallest weighs about 1lb to do a pint of water. Compared to the returns I can get from 1lb butane/propane over a short duration the appeal isn't very high.
 
I dont do much backpacking. If I do, I try and take the lightest things I can. That would be a little big, but if its for a group of 2-3, I think it would be worth carrying.

Most of my camping is done from a canoe, or boat and motor, or remote car campsites. I am usually in a party of 2-4 people. I would love to try this kettle. I would replace it with my cabelas kettle/coffee percolator.

lee valley you say? I may just check that out.

Thanks man!
 
When I saw "Kelly Kettles", I had to check to make sure nobody was posting pics of a porn star here... ;) :p
 
Brian Jones said:
When I saw "Kelly Kettles", I had to check to make sure nobody was posting pics of a porn star here... ;) :p
Click to expand...

Yeah, and I bet you were wondering where the cork, whistle and chain came into the 'picture!' "Kelly Kettle will light your fire, get your steam up, blow your whistle and pop your cork!"
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Phew! After that you'll need a...............
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Humour apart, there's now a stainless steel 3 pint Kelly Kettle, here.
 
Welcome and thanks for your post. I thought these things were a fantastic idea. However, when I ended up doing my research on the Guille kettles above, the volume and weight was higher than it was for my MSR whisperlite with fuel tank and small aluminum kettle. I guess it all depends on how much water you are boiling. I found that my wife and I can get away with the whisperlite and 2 fuel bottles with plenty of fuel to spare over a weekend.

My uses are mostly for cooking dehydrated food and coffee. It isn't for water purification, which I bring my MSR water filter for. I can imagine that if you needed to purify drinking water by boiling in addition to the cooking that this might entail more fuel. When I'm solo, a single fuel canister of white gas serves me for the weekend. I know I should probably factor in the weight and volume of the water filter too. However, with the filter I can treat water at the same time I am cooking food.

Still, I wouldn't mind having one of these for the coolness factor!
 
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