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Old 05-27-2017, 06:42 AM   #1121
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Len n Jeanne View Post
Let us know how this works for you. I've seen them in mountain shop in Utah, but was reluctant to invest without an endorsement from someone who had actually used one. Lots of dead wood and lake frontage in BC, as well.
So far, I'm optimistic. The water boils quickly, and because the fire is contained to the chimney, it is pleasingly easy to regulate (says the old wilderness camper and fire-builder). It's hassle-free to the point where I can see myself using it, definitely. There will be days when perhaps I will want to fire up the on-board hot water heater - days in which the entire task list is executed at one time (dishes, laundry, and shower) so that the batch of heated water is not wasted. But if I just want to do dishes, this will work. (I won't wash dishes in cold water - it won't cut the grease. Either I wash dishes in hot water or I use paper plates and bowls which I then burn).

One piece of strategy: Suppose one were breaking camp after using the Kelly Kettle several times over the stay. The last batch of water heated in the Kelly Kettle would then be used to wash the Kelly Kettle and the fire bowl themselves (and any of the cooking implements used). It is a chimney, so it accumulates soot. It cleans up easily, but it would not be good to place it back in the carry sack un-washed.

Another piece of strategy: I'm going to sew yet another tarp envelope divided into three chambers for tinder, small twigs, and finger-sized twigs. I won't fill it until I get to a camp site, but then for instance if it starts to rain during the stay, I've got a dry stash of kettle fuel already set aside.

The amount of wood visible here is almost enough to boil 56 ounces of water (this is the Base Camp in stainless steel - I don't like aluminum). I added perhaps another four to six small twigs during the trial. And once the water is boiled, it's very easy to put out the fire and be done with it, because the volume of burning material is so small.

Our dog doesn't quite know what to make of it, as the middle photo shows.


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Old 05-27-2017, 10:48 AM   #1122
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I'm going to put one more chair-related comment here (a) because it's time-sensitive for anyone who is interested in this sale, and (b) because I looked at those other posted chair threads, and many of the suggestions are for HUGE camp chairs that would never fit in any non-EXT Interstate, even when folded. Or they'd have to be stored in the lav and removed every time someone needed to go, which I don't find to be acceptably efficient. Many of them are NOT small-space solutions.

This weekend, REI has a 25% off sale on their house-branded camp chairs. They do have a 250 lb. weight limit and are fairly small and low to the ground, but I find them to be quite comfortable - AND they collapse and pack into something the size of a large loaf of bread, which means that we can store them without hassle.

Chairs are something for which I don't feel like going very high-end because my butt is rarely in them when we're camping. BUT, if we are able to follow through with our Canada property development plans, that'll be a game-changer for us, and we'll begin doing new things like hosting visitors and holding barbecues (!). For that, we'll need some chairs.

On sale right now, these are about $50 each. It did not hurt my feelings that the available colors included the exact same shade of T1N Interstate garnet. They look like they were made to go with our rig.

This weekend I'd love to get a start on my no-see-um drape that I'm hoping to custom-fit to the Interstate awning - the awning beneath which these chairs will sit. However it was already 88 degrees here by 10 a.m. so it'll probably be slow-going. We are officially marking the end of our local camping season and welcoming back the sheer hell of the southern summer.

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Old 05-27-2017, 11:04 AM   #1123
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FYI there is a recent Kelly Kettle thread:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f484...le-163422.html
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Old 05-27-2017, 06:23 PM   #1124
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Originally Posted by InterBlog View Post
So far, I'm optimistic. The water boils quickly, and because the fire is contained to the chimney, it is pleasingly easy to regulate (says the old wilderness camper and fire-builder). It's hassle-free to the point where I can see myself using it, definitely. There will be days when perhaps I will want to fire up the on-board hot water heater - days in which the entire task list is executed at one time (dishes, laundry, and shower) so that the batch of heated water is not wasted. But if I just want to do dishes, this will work. (I won't wash dishes in cold water - it won't cut the grease. Either I wash dishes in hot water or I use paper plates and bowls which I then burn).

One piece of strategy: Suppose one were breaking camp after using the Kelly Kettle several times over the stay. The last batch of water heated in the Kelly Kettle would then be used to wash the Kelly Kettle and the fire bowl themselves (and any of the cooking implements used). It is a chimney, so it accumulates soot. It cleans up easily, but it would not be good to place it back in the carry sack un-washed.

Another piece of strategy: I'm going to sew yet another tarp envelope divided into three chambers for tinder, small twigs, and finger-sized twigs. I won't fill it until I get to a camp site, but then for instance if it starts to rain during the stay, I've got a dry stash of kettle fuel already set aside.

The amount of wood visible here is almost enough to boil 56 ounces of water (this is the Base Camp in stainless steel - I don't like aluminum). I added perhaps another four to six small twigs during the trial. And once the water is boiled, it's very easy to put out the fire and be done with it, because the volume of burning material is so small.

Our dog doesn't quite know what to make of it, as the middle photo shows.


I see you're a true back-to-basics type and use a butane-lighter.
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Old 05-27-2017, 06:49 PM   #1125
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Seems we're sold on this also.

We do mostly no hook ups, okay all, our camping with no hook ups as we don't have our trailers electric ready. (Yet)

We also come from real camping so this is right up our alley and we'll be on its way to our house soon.

Honey do you think 3 small bottles of propane is enough for this weekend.....doesn't matter we can still cook.
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Old 05-28-2017, 07:43 AM   #1126
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I see you're a true back-to-basics type and use a butane-lighter.
Well, yeah, because I was testing the Kelly Kettle in my suburban back yard.


Given my boondocking aspirations, I've actually been researching bushcraft these days. In fact it was probably a bushcraft-related posting on Instagram that turned my attention to the Kelly Kettle (I see such a large stream of content in the run of an average day that I can never remember where I saw what). I've got a German-made ferrocerium tool en route from Amazon right now and a few other items under consideration. There's also a product called "fat rope stick" which is pretty amazing for starting fires in wet weather. It's a tinder product that apparently has water-repellent waxes and ferrocerium particles embedded right in it. Pricey, but probably worth it in a cold, hard downpour.
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Old 05-28-2017, 02:26 PM   #1127
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Thanks for the Kelly Kettle advice and link to the thread on it.
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Old 05-29-2017, 06:52 AM   #1128
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Collapsible stool?

Has anyone acquired a collapsible / foldable step stool for use in the Interstate and if so, what brand, and do you like it?

I don't mean table- or chair-like apparatus - I mean something to stand on. And it must be small, small, small. And did I mention small?

I didn't need one before now but I'm half-way through the process of creating a no-see-um screen to enclose the space under the Interstate's awning, and I realize that there is no way I'll be able to put it in place from the ground. I could pile up our Valterra stackers and stand on those, but that's a bit precarious, particularly if the ground surface is uneven.

This one (pic below) is along the lines of what I mean. The quality looks very good and it could double as an extra outdoor chair, but it's only 7 inches tall. Ten inches would be better.

Thanks.

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Old 05-29-2017, 07:04 AM   #1129
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We carried a collapsible, taller, multi-step stool for awhile, largely available in grey and beige, which was tall enough to allow Doug to see onto the roof, but didn't use it often enough to warrant the extra space it took up.

A plus was that it doubled as a small outdoor table.

I have one similar to this one, available at BB&BY, in my house....just big enough for granddaughter to help at the counter, or for me to reach something on other than the highest shelves.


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Old 05-29-2017, 07:31 AM   #1130
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I carry a plastic stool that folds flat. I guess it is about 10 or 11 inches tall when unfolded. It lives in a stack with our two Pica chairs under the head of my curbside twin bed. Helps me step up onto the step in the grille to reach the windshield.
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Old 05-29-2017, 01:30 PM   #1131
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After doing more research, I settled on this Harbor Freight stool. With their Memorial Day coupon, it was just $25. I don't know how they can sell items like this for so little money and stay in business. It's Harbor Freight so it's not high-end, but it's still pretty good quality aluminum stuff. As in, aluminum stepladder quality.

It's 13 inches high instead of the 10-ish I was shooting for, but that's OK. It's larger than I wanted but the legs fold down and I can chain it to our hitch carrier instead of carrying it inside the Interstate. And with a heat trivet beneath the fire bowl, I can also use it as a Kelly Kettle support as well as having it be both an awning step stool and a chair.

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Old 05-29-2017, 03:21 PM   #1132
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We were wondering what to use as a Kelly support and that will work just fine. Maybe a small sheet of Aluminum to take the heat versus the stool. Thanks
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Old 05-29-2017, 10:05 PM   #1133
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I would second those chairs. We got a pro deal from my daughters rock climbing and I bout 4 of the Helinox for an insanely low price. We used them this weekend boondocking in the mountains of Colorado, they were so light and comfy. Easy to set up, pack small. Just like the REI ones above, the loaf of bread size and weight are ideal....
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Old 05-29-2017, 10:35 PM   #1134
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I think those chairs are too low and the back is not high enough. I highly recommend the Marchway light weight portable folding high back camping chairs from Amazon for $41.68.

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Old 05-30-2017, 05:03 AM   #1135
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I found a collapsible plastic stool at The Dollar Store. It is much like the one sold at Camping World, but less than $10.00. It fold and unfolds very quickly and is quite sturdy. I have been using it now for a couple of years and had no problems.

Richard
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Old 05-30-2017, 05:30 AM   #1136
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We were wondering what to use as a Kelly support and that will work just fine. Maybe a small sheet of Aluminum to take the heat versus the stool. Thanks
I was thinking about a small trivet made of HardieBacker (cement board used in residential construction). That ought to keep the heat away and would be more insulating for the stool than an aluminum plate.
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Old 05-30-2017, 11:44 AM   #1137
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That sounds good Interblog we'll consider that.
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Old 06-10-2017, 10:53 AM   #1138
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Small space metalworking:

For our big boondocking plan later this year, I really would like to have a full-height bush table for use in the woods. However there is zero chance of fitting any kind of sufficiently-robust full-height outdoor table into the Interstate, especially given all the other new stuff that I've been accumulating for this trip (gulp!).

For that reason, we made this table top for which we can build legs and a rough frame once we get to the site (using several of the property's infinite number of spruce saplings). A flat object such as this is no trouble to store - it can go behind the driver's seat with the other flat items. The table top's cross-braces have screw holes so that the top can be tacked securely to the frame that eventually gets made.

And we had to add a tiny Tejas for style. We'd actually bought that steel cut-out more than a year ago to add to our hitch carrier, but no good location presented itself. So it got used on the table top instead.

This is the kind of item that we can certainly live without, but if I don't practice what few metal-working skills I have, I'm going to lose them. I did the design, sourcing, purchasing, and most of the cutting, grinding, surface prep and surface finishing (the angle iron edge is a compound cut, so LB_3 had to help me wrap my head around what was needed). LB_3 did the project assisting and the welding.

If all goes according to plan, after we conclude this upcoming trip, I'll probably just disassemble it and run the table top up a large tree for security against trespassers, and leave it on site for use in future years.

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Old 06-10-2017, 03:31 PM   #1139
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That table turned out very nicely.
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Old 06-11-2017, 01:57 PM   #1140
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I came across this item (a travel medication organizer) when looking for some more packing cubes for my Interstate...packing cubes being my favorite way to keep like things together in my overhead clothing bin, and to store larger items under one of the rear benches.

They sell large, flat-ish ones that fit perfectly under the benches, keeping clothing clean and accessible.

This picture doesn't do the item justice, as the individual am & pm envelopes would hold several smaller envelopes...such as those sold at the Container store...allowing one to carry several weeks worth of organized meds/supplements in this nifty, compact case that folds up and closes with a Velcro tab.

There are also two large, zippered pockets on the outside, the backside of what is shown here.

https://www.ebags.com/product/lewis-...oductid=703638
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