Bens Backwoods: Ghillie Kettle Review

Last year I borrowed a Kelly Kettle from a friend to give a test run. It was one of those things that I wanted to try but really didn't want to buy at the time... Well we tested it out and used it quite a few times and really really liked it. We used it in areas where we didn't want to start a camp fire and most of the time we had our kids with us and the kettle was quick and easy...it was also really cool.

I decided I wanted to stock some type of kettle and finally got around to doing some research on them. I ran across the Ghillie Kettles that I have never heard of, they looked identical to the Kelly Kettles but had a cap with a whistle instead of a cork. This made a lot of sense to me so I emailed them for some info.

It turned out that these were made in the same factory that makes the other British kettles on the market, and that the Ghillie was the only kettle to have a cap with a whistle.

The Kelly Kettle I had borrowed was the large model and I really wanted to try the small one to see how it does..

These are the three models Ghillie makes.

As of right now I have only used the small model several times and really like it! Its a little larger than a 2 liter bottle and light enough to carry in a day pack easily ...here is how they work..

Add water to the spout on the side and put the cap on with the whistle...

Add tinder and small size fuel to the base..

Start fire in base and set kettle on top.

The chimney effect will start working and the fire will flare up, you can then add larger fuel from the top.

I had to add a few floats under the base as it was sinking down into the snow..Putting it on a small base of sticks makes having a small fire quick and easy even in deep snow.

When you have good dry fuel these will boil water in 3-5 minutes. You will hear the whistle and see the steam coming out of the cap when you reach a boil..this seems to be safer and more efficient than other kettles. Lift the kettle off the base as shown so you don't burn yourself!