Billies

[Joe]

Who here uses a billy? Is there a secret to them?
I have 2 small tin ones I purchased at different establishments, both of which started rusting before I got home from the first walk i took them on. (neither of which went for a swim with me last walk...so its only from cooking use that they get wet )
Are aluminum billies better? Is alzheimers a concern?

Is titanium worth the expense? what is its heat transfer like?

[norts]

Don't use them,

Use a titanium bowl and mug, boil water in mug or bowl. Saves weight and space, bowl for breakfast and dinner.

Roger

[Joe]

I would imagine billy would be more efficient for boiling of water though due to being able to cover up with lid?

[Son of a Beach]

I've used a Trangia with either trangia pot and lid, or a trangia kettle for the last 20 years. However, I've just bought my first billy in 20 years, but I haven't used it yet. So I'll be interested to see if there is any good advice on using/keeping my new billy.

Also, I don't think there is actually any certified link between aluminium and alzheimers.

[Joe]

Also, I don't think there is actually any certified link between aluminium and alzheimers.

Just stirring pot with that one...hence the

[tasadam]

Just stirring pot with that one...

Don't you mean "Stirring the billy"?
Sorry. My humour.

We have stainless steel. One 1 litre billy, and one 1 litre pot.
The billy has a loop handle over it, mainly use to boil water, and to immerse bags of prepared "wet" food when we need to immerse them in boiling water to heat.
Also the billy is good to keep the MSR Simmerlite in. The whole thing packs in, and keeps it all together and secure. We hold the lid on with a rubber band.

The pot is wider and shallower. It has a handle that folds out, and packs up as has a lid, the handle goes over the lid and a clip on the other side grabs the handle and keeps it tight. Good for transporting fragile things in. Mainly used for bags of milk powder, sustagen, whatever we can fit in it.

Yeah they're probably too heavy - must investigate titanium equivalent.

Interestingly, I did a test to see which boils water quicker. I expected the wider base would catch more heat. But it was a "dead heat" (pun alert). Both took the same amount of time to boil 500ml water.

[norts]

When I use my bowl as a billy I use a piece of foil as a lid. Leave the the billy grips on the top to keep the foil in place and to know where they are.
I would boil more water in my mug than my bowl. Again I use foil.

I always walk self sufficient though. So when I do o/night walks my walking partner and I both carry tents stoves etc. So thats why I can get by without a billy.

I havent noticed any difference between my titanium mug or my s/steel mug from kmart in regard to heat transfer. I havent done any experiments.


Roger

[Joe]

for those of you that use your mug for heating water...what do you use to hold it?

[corvus]

I have found with my Titanium Mug that the heat up the side really sizzles the handle so I use the Billy lifter to pick it up,I might add that seems to be the norm, with all but top handle billies regardless of constrution that I have experienced over the last 30 years or so, and having known Scouts to get the rite of passage of burn stripes on their fingers despit all warnings

[norts]

It doesnt take long for the handles to cool. I just leave the mug on the stove and make the brew while it sit there. Both my s/steel and titanium mug handles cool down very quickly.
When I am heating the water I dont have the stove at full throttle. This may help to keep the handle cool. As flames are not going up the side of the mug.

Roger