Yes. Many Alcohol Burners etc. can be used with the Kettle Kettle however you would need to check to ensure that your burner fits into the base of one of our kettles.

Fire base of our Small Kettle is approx. 10.5 cm in Diameter with a working height of 10cm before the chimney of the kettle starts to narrow.

Fire base of Large or Medium Kettles is apporx. 13cm in Diameter and working height of 9cm before the chimney of the kettle starts to narrow.

TOP TIP - When using your alcohol/gel burner, partially cover the chimney top of your Kelly Kettle with a flat stone to retain the heat, save fuel and speed up boiling time!

If you use your Kelly Kettle without water in the chamber you run the risk of overheating and melting the inner chimney wall. Just look at the pictures below from an Aluminium kettle that was boiled dry.

Tell-tale signs that a kettle has been boiled dry are:

1) The inner chimney wall has either melted through or become so brittle that you can easily stick your finger through it.

2) The warning labels on the outside of the kettle have bubbled up, singed and perhaps disappeared altogether from the kettle.

NOTE: Your 1 year anti-leak warranty will not apply if you boil your kettle dry!

It is common practice in Ireland for one Kelly Kettle to boil up enough water to provide up to a dozen people with hot tea/coffee at lunchtime.

Firstly, make sure you have enough fuel available to boil a couple of kettles and have plenty of your cold water nearby.

Boil the kettle as normal which should take approx 5 minutes (depending on size of kettle and fuel you are using). Once the kettle has boiled, hold the handle of the kettle at a 90-degree angle to the body of the kettle and lift straight up off the fire-base. Do not lift the handle off the kettle directly above the chimney as this may result in a burn to your fingers. Once the kettle is clear of the fire-base, the handle can be used directly over the chimney and the boiling water carried to your eagerly awaiting customers! Pour the boiling water into your cups/mugs (1.5L Kettle - BASE approx. 6 mugs / 1.1L Kettle - SCOUT approx 3.5 mugs / 0.57L Kettle - TREKKER approx. 2 mugs / 0.5L Kettle).

Refill the kettle with cold water. If you are camped beside a lake or river, simply immerse the entire kettle into the water to fill the water chamber. Allow the kettle to drip dry for a brief moment and then, holding the handle at a 90 Degree angle to the body of the kettle, gently lower the kettle back onto the fire-base where the fire should still be burning.

Refill the chimney with fuel and hey presto - boiling water again in a few minutes!

This process can be repeated until everyone has drunk their fill.

Details of how to lift the Kelly Kettle off the fire-base can be found here.

General operating instructions can be found here.

The pot-support is suitable for cooking quick meals (such as noodles/rice/oatmeal/re-hydrated food/soup/toast etc, if using smoke-free fuel), and for reheating pre-cooked food, as you wait for your kettle to boil. It is not recommended that you try and cook the Sunday roast over the kettle as you may end up boiling the kettle dry which would then cause the chimney to overheat and melt.
Remember, the Kelly Kettle is probably the fastest camping kettle in the world, so it should NEVER be left unattended.

1. Boil the kettle as normal and pour the boiling water over your food in the pot.

2. Refill the kettle with water. Gently place the refilled kettle back on the fire base and refuel through the chimney as required to boil the kettle a second time, (the additional water can be used for coffee, washing up, bathing etc).

3. Assemble the pot-support (the 2 pieces slot together) and place it on/in the chimney. Place the pot on top of the pot-support. The contents of the pot will simmer & boil within a minute or so. Holding the pot steady with the gripper handle provided (if using the Kelly Kettle Cookset as recommended), stir the food to avoid burning it.

4. Within 4-5 minutes the kettle should be boiled again and the pot/pan and pot-support will need to be removed before you lift the kettle off the firebase. If the food needs to be cooked some more simply add fuel to the fire-base, place the Grill Pieces from the cook set on the base (using the gripper handle if required) and place your pot on the grill, stirring contents as required.

Remember, practice makes perfect!

NO, never!

There must ALWAYS be water in the chamber when using the kettle.

If you boil the kettle without water in the chamber you could melt the chimney wall and the kettle will be destroyed.

The Kelly Kettle must always be filled with water before lighting the tinder etc.

Yes. The Pot support fits ALL of our kettles. It also flat packs for easy carriage.

Ideally, it is more suited to the Medium/SCOUT & Large/BASE Camping kettles which have wider bases and are therefore steadier. Nonetheless, if the operator is attentive and the kettle is placed on a good level surface, you can easily cook/reheat over the small/TREKKER (0.5L) Kelly Kettle.

We recommend that the Pot-Support be used as follows:

1. Boil the kettle as normal and then pour the boiling water into your pot over the food.

2. Refill the kettle with water. Gently place it back on the fire base and refuel the chimney as required to boil the kettle a second time. (This additional water can be used for coffee, washing up, bathing etc.)

3. Assemble the pot support (the 2 pieces slot together) and place it on/in the chimney. Place the pot on top of the Pot-Support. The contents of your Pot will simmer & boil within a minute or so. Stir the food to avoid burning it (holding the Pot steady with the gripper handle provided)

4. Within 4-6 minutes your kettle should be boiled and you will need to remove the Pot/Pan and the Pot-Support before lifting the kettle off the fire-base. If the food needs to be cooked some more, simply add fuel to the fire-base and the grill pieces (from the cook-set) on the base (using the gripper handle if required) and place your Pot on the Grill, stirring contents as required.

Note: The pot-support is only suitable for quick meals such as Noodles / Rice / Oatmeal / re-hydrated food / etc.

One idea is to remove the fire-base as the Kelly Kettle operates perfectly without it. Simply place the kettle on a level non-combustible surface (large flat rock/sand/gravel etc.) and slightly raise the kettle using 3-4 small flat stones to allow for air intake. The kettle should work perfectly.

Remember that with a Kelly Kettle there is no need to carry fuel and the interior space of the kettle (the chimney) can be used to carry some of your basic survival gear items (plastic signal whistle, knives, waterproof matches etc.), once those items are sealed in a plastic bag to protect them from the thin layer of soot in the chimney.

A second option for making the kettle lighter is to replace the existing handle with wire. In this case, care would need to be exercised once the kettle boils and you want to lift the kettle off the fire-base. Using both hands coming in from the side, take the wire as close as possible to the connection with the kettle (without touching the kettle as it will be extremely hot) and lift the kettle straight up and away from the flames setting it down on level ground. Once the kettle is clear of the fire, the kettle can be carried normally in one hand with the wire handle directly over the chimney of the kettle.

Note: Never lift your hands directly over the chimney of the kettle when the kettle is lit as it can result in a burn.

YES - Absolutely.

Feel free to contact us by phone or email on the contact page.

• For decades Kelly Kettles were made from Aluminium, and these kettles have been known to last for literally decades. However, in recent years there has been significant demand, primarily from the North American market and now the Australian market, for a Stainless Steel version of our kettle. Hence, we developed and introduced the steel model of 'Base Camp' kettle in early 2009.
• Stainless Steel is slightly heavier than Aluminium, however; it is a stronger metal and therefore more resilient to dents. We use Food Grade 308 Stainless in all of our Kettles and accessories.
• The Aluminium kettle boils slightly faster than its steel twin as Aluminium conducts heat faster than steel.
• The Aluminium kettle is cheaper than its Stainless Steel twin.
• Stainless Steel kettles should be dried off and stored in a dry location to prolong the life of the kettle. There is no need to dry off Aluminium kettles and they require very little care - aluminum kettles have been known to literally, last a lifetime.
• There should be no 'taste' of either metal.
• Note: All kettles now come with a steel fire base which is more suitable for cooking than the aluminum base, as steel has a melting point almost twice that of Aluminium.
• We only carry a limited stock of Trekker Aluminium kettles in Australia as there a little demand for them, but happy to order more if you need - just contact our office.​

That’s it really…..the choice is yours!