The Flameless Cook Box
Cooking while camping raises two potential problems: fire and fumes.
With sub-zero temperatures prevailing there is always the temptation to risk firing up the stove in the shelter of your tent.
But the obvious danger of setting fire to modern, lightweight camping fabrics such as nylon and polyester is accompanied by a less obvious hazard: carbon monoxide.
Incomplete combustion of any conventional fuel can lead to the presence of this colourless, odourless, but lethal gas.
Outdoors brand Trekmates’ new Flameless Cook System, as you would expect from the name, uses not gas or other fuel, but a chemical reaction to create the heat with which to cook.
The company claims its Cook Box and Cook Flask both reach 90C, hot enough to enable campers and outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy piping hot drinks and hot food in safety.
The system relies on the Super Power Heat Pack and High Power Heat Pack to create heat by immersing the packs, which contain calcium oxide, into water in the outer cook box.
Food is then placed in a stainless container and put into the Cook Box. A lid keeps the heat in and the energy generated cooks the food or warms the drink.
Trekmates says it should be ready in between seven and 10 minutes.
The Nottingham-based company said: “The Flameless Cook Box reaches temperatures of around 90C with a Super Power Heat Pack, and the High Power Heat Pack will take any liquid you put in the Flameless Cook Flask up to around 90°C too ensuring anything you cook is piping hot.
“The only thing you’ll need is water, and even better it doesn’t need to be clean water.
The Flameless Flask
“And thanks to the heat pack there’s no more trying to find the right fuel type, no need to carry matches, fire starters or lighters or endure the ever arduous task of balancing full pans of water on unstable stoves just to make a cup of tea.”
The Flameless Cook Box is priced at £30 and comes with three Super Power and three High Power heat packs, and the Flameless Cook Flask is priced at £20 with six High Power heat packs included.
More details are on the Trekmates website.
Trekmates Flameless Cook Box
RRP: £30
Description:
- 850ml medical grade stainless steel inner cooking dish
- Heat resistant plastic outer box with airtight locking lid
- Water activated, requires no fossil fuels
- Produces no carbon monoxide
- Easy and safe to use
- Self contained, no separate pans required
- Comes with two super power, and two high power heatpacks and neoprene sleeve.
Trekmates Flameless Cook Flask
RRP: £20
Description:
- 360ml medical grade stainless steel inner beaker
- Heat resistant plastic outer beaker with airtight locking lid and drinking spout
- Water activated, requires no fossil fuels
- Produces no carbon monoxide
- Easy and safe to use
- Self contained, no separate pans required
- Comes with three high power heatpacks.
Both available from Trekmates 0115 940 9170.
Stadler W
12 February 2012So how do you melt the ice to make the water to heat the chemical packs? ;-)
Stuart
12 April 2012Actually melting snow for drinking or cooking with it works well, when we tested the air temp was -7C and snow temperature was -12C. In these condition it melted a full container of snow down to water in just over 3 minutes.
But to start it we had to use water we already had, you could get all Bear Grylls if you were in a survival situation where you had no water and needed to create some but you might get an odd dour from the urine! :)
Stu
Trekmates