Three Points of the Compass looks at using a tiny canister repurposed from a gas candle lantern, to make what is probably the smallest possible gas-powered brew-kit for day walks.
A day walk demands a far smaller pack than anything taken on a multi-day hike. Less gear is required and, hopefully, both weight and bulk are minimal. That said, a hot brew, possibly even a hot meal, can be much appreciated. Cafes and pubs can be in short reply on the fells and a dreary wet day demands a strong tea, coffee if you must, mid-walk. Three Points of the Compass will tweak a brew kit according to circumstance and mood. A gas powered stove can be one of the quickest and simplest of options. Chinese manufacturing has produced a handy little gas powered candle that makes a very small and compact brew kit possible, but it is no lightweight option.
One of the most compact of ‘full-size’ gas stoves is the folding Optimus Crux. This 91g stove folds to take up very little space and sits quite well beneath the dished bottom of a 240g gas cart. However it doesn’t fit so well within a smaller 100g cart and if I attempt to fit the two inside my small titanium cup carried on day hikes then it protrudes quite a bit from the top. Not only that, but the little spoon and ferro rod slotted down one side also poke out a bit. It’ll work, of a fashion, but isn’t as neat a package as I would prefer so a smaller stove, and preferably gas canister is required.
Either of the smallest gas stoves on the market are included in my mini-gas-powered brew kit. These are the cheap’n’cheerful 25g BRS 3000-T or the marginally heavier 43g Fire Maple FMS-300T. The Fire Maple is the better stove but for a day hike it doesn’t really matter which is taken. While the BRS is ridiculously cheap it is not quite so frugal with gas. While a small 100g gas canister will allow multiple brews, a more expensive but far more compact option is to carry one of the refillable mini gas canisters that are now coming out of China and Japan. These are supplied with small gas-powered candles. I have the Chinese made Cool Camp version of the Japanese Soto Hinoto gas candle. The Cool Camp canister alone weighs 109g empty and holds just 10g of fuel, so 119g when full. It is a well made canister with brass screw-type lindal B188 valve and can be refilled many times.
Performance with this little set up is modest. Combined with my little Evernew titanium cup I can bring 250ml of water to a rolling boil a couple of times. In optimum conditions I can get three boils. This is for tea, but I can certainly bring three cups to hot enough for coffee or rehydrating a packet meal. It all depends on weather conditions and protection from breezes. The piece of included foil used as a lid helps enormously. If I am taking this brew kit for a weekend walk then I can easily swap out my little 10g gas canister for a 100g cart but as with the Optimus Crux I then need to consider a larger pot to fit it all in and that increases the overall bulk considerably.
There is so much space in my little brew kit that I can also include a 270ml collapsible silicone mug if I wish. Either to make a brew and then heat some more water for a meal, or alternatively, I can make a second cup of tea for a companion.
I find these thin titanium pots/cups horrible to drink from and Snow Peak HotLips go a long way to making it more acceptable and keeping the skin attached to the lips. The collapsible silicone cup is much more pleasant to drink from. A folding spork normally sits in the little Evernew cup but mine has wandered off somewhere so I have a cut down bamboo spoon until it turns up again.
- Gear talk: brew kit #1 the Ration de Combat Individuelle Rechauffable heating kit
- Gear talk: brew kit #3 Toaks Titanium Siphon alcohol burner
Three Points of the Compass 
2 replies »