Trail Designs “Caldera Keg” - Initial test
I’m one of the “heat water only to re-hydrate food on the trail” kind of guys and I’m happy with Ramen noodles and the like for a long time. Having said that I was always searching for a lightweight and compact combo for solo usage which just does that. You already find kits like the Sputnik and Grammwenies kitchen but I could find nothing which included all parts in one set plus having the efficiency of the cone system. Until now…
Trail Designs released their new Caldera Keg system a short while ago and I couldn’t resist to order one right away adding one more item to my cooking equipment range…But what a worthwhile purchase it was! The Caldera Cone system has already been proven being the most efficient alcohol stove system currently out there tested by various hikers and magazines.
What impressed me about the Keg was that the guys from Trail Designs put really everything what you need into one box. Obviously the stove, the special windshield and the alcohol bottle but also a pot cosy, the pot itself (a modified beer keg from Foster), a lip guard which fits on top of the pot allowing you to grab the pot without burning your fingers and a storage container for everything which doubles as a mug and a bowl.
The Foster beer keg/pot has been modified with a flatter bottom and a “ridge” which holds the keg/pot in place within the cone and it’s height also represents the water amount of two cups or 425ml (0.45qt). Total capacity of the pot is 750ml (0.79qt). I put all items separately on my digital kitchen scale and those are the results:
Total weight, with everything: 194g (6.9 oz)
- Stove: 16g (0.56oz)
- Windscreen/Cone : 29g (1.02oz)
- Fuel bottle + measuring cup: 22g (0.77oz)
- Pot with lip guard: 30g (1.06oz)
- Pot lid: 6g (0.21oz)
- Pot cozy: 5g (0.25oz)
- Carry case bottom-bowl: 45g (1.59oz)
- Carry case top-mug:41g (1.45oz)
This all packs into an impressively small and compact unit as shown below and you also have a secure dent-free solution to transport your cone in the future.
How does it perform? I used my usual setup and tested the stove with no wind inside the kitchen letting him heat up two cups (425ml) of 7 °C (44.6 °F) cold water until it reached 95 °C (203 °F). The video below shows the whole test:
The time needed was 360 seconds and fuel consumption in this scenario was almost 15ml (0.01qt). You might need something extra if it is cold/windy outside but you can calculate on your own how long you will have a weight benefit with a alcohol vs. canister vs. white gas cooking system setup using this calculator.
Anything I would change after a few boils? I would add some fiberglass wick underneath the lip guard (or simply exchange the current lip guard with a wider version or add a second one) allowing me to grab the keg more comfortable/secure. I would also knot a little fiberglass wick loop in order to hold the keg lid better or exchange the metal one with one these wood knobs shown below:
And finally I will add two heat resistant/isolating pieces (either made from this material if it works or two silicon ring pieces like the one used for the lip guard) and glue them onto opposite sides of the cone so I can hold the cone while getting the keg out when both are still hot.
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