The main problem with the chimney stove has already been mentioned, the kettle is just too quick to the boil. You have to plan your meal carefully and have it ready to cook before you light the kettle. I have both an aluminium version of the three point and a stainless steel Kelly Trekker which is the one pint. This little kettle gives me about four minutes to cook unless I deliberately control the fire and slow things down. I wouldn’t want to continue cooking after the water was boiling, even with a stainless steel Kelly Kettle. A second problem is that the kettle needs to be very stable before you add the top weight of a pan and contents. The latest version of the cross (see above) fits into the chimney and doubles as a tripod - but then you need two of them: one under the fire base for stability and one in the chimney to cook. The best answer for cooking with these superb bits of kit is the Kelly Hobo stove accessory. It is a simple cooking ring that fits directly into the fire bucket with the kettle removed. I wouldn’t want to clean inside my kettles but there is a legend from Margaret River, W Australia. The kettle was left outside in a thunderstorm. Lightning hit a clothes pole close to the kettle. Afterwards the chimney was factory clean. A bit extreme perhaps.
KELLY KETTLE HOBO STOVE. I’m writing up this little stove as an accessory to the Kelly Kettle even though it is sufficiently useful that in my opinion it deserves its own thread. I love using it and I’m surprised that so few campers seem to know about it after ten years in production. So: The Hobo stove is a delightfully simple addition to the Kelly Kettle system but is in fact a complete game changer. Cooking on a Kelly Kettle has always been just about possible using a pot stand mounted in the flu. (See my post above this one). However the speed with which the Kettle boils water means that you must have everything ready before lighting the kettle and only cook food that can be finished in a very short time, possibly only four minutes on a windy day. That’s all it takes before the Kettle is boiling. The solution: The Hobo ring fits over the Kettle fire base to create a traditional Hobo twig stove. Hobos are available for both sizes of Kelly Kettle. The larger (for Scout 1L and Base Camp 1.6L) weighs in at 163gms The little one (for the Trekker 0.6L) just 73gms. Neither take up any significant space in the kit bag. Other accessories that would normally fit into the base such as cooking kit and mugs still do. I probably use that little stove more than anything else of my camp cooking kit. As can be seen at the top of this post, you can use any pan with this system including your favourite cast iron frying pan. Fuel economy is not a high priority when a few minutes is sufficient to collect enough wood for a days cooking but for comparison with other open fire cooking systems: two quarter logs will last more than a day depending upon the meal being cooked and the amount of washing up you’re going to be doing. While the Kettle will burn anything, I would recommend sticks for cooking. And it’s still a storm system. No need to carry a windshield, it loves a gale. Big Coffee Little Coffee Enjoy!
Thank you for the clear and descriptive review @Pattree , although I'm wary of the phrase , along with 'to the next level'..... Which seems favourites of AI! Fortunately having met you I can vouch you're human. A very versatile bit of kit, and saves bulk over carrying an additional TLUD or twig stove.
Hobo Bakery. Baking bread in a 16cm Zebra pot sitting on the Kelly Hobo stove. A portable fire produces a crusty top to the loaf. QED.
