Thermette Cooking Stove

     Companies are continually coming out with new products for camping and the great outdoors.  I am usually pretty up to date on whatever is "new" on the market, but I had never heard of a Thermette Cooking Stove.  I guess the reason I hadn’t heard of a Thermette is because it isn’t exactly new, in fact, it is quite old.

According to their website , "The Thermette was first invented in 1929 by New Zealander John Ashley Hart but became a cultural icon and found its true home and place in New Zealand’s history during the Second World War. For New Zealand soldiers fighting the deserts of North Africa the Thermette became a standard and treasured piece of equipment and earned the nickname the `Benghasi Boiler’.     

   This old and treasured piece of equipment was used to boil water without using "fuel."  The only thing needed to start a fire for the Thermette is some sort of forest debris such as small sticks or pine cones.  The Thermette can still be used to boil water today and can also be used for camp cooking.     

   The Thermette is about 15" tall and weighs 2-3 pounds depending upon if it is made from copper or tin.  It has a unique cone shape inside that allows water to boil quickly once a fire is built in a compact base beneath it.  If you don’t want to leave a burnt ring on the ground then you can use a the removable fire base.  If you want to cook with the Thermette then you can add the cooking ring to the top of it.      

  The Thermette sounds like a neat product for boiling water and cooking.  It would be nice to not have to carry fuel around and the empty canisters as well.  It would not be able to be used during a fire ban and finding dry fuel after a number of days of rain may be more difficult than finding debris to burn in New Zealand.  Check out their website for more information and to watch video clips of the Thermette in action. 

If you have ever used a Thermette, then let me know, I’d be interested in hearing what you think about it.