New Caldera Kegs!

I like the looks of the Caldera-GVP Esbit….Wonder when they'll hit the Gossamer Gear Website for purchase????

I JUST got mine in the mail !!! I had emailed Grant about this weeks ago when I first heard they were coming out and I must have been one of the first to get one !!! These are way cool. I have never owned any of the Caldera cooking stuff and they have really put a lot of time and effort into making a really slick package! This will be my first time trying Esbit and I may end up switching out to one of my alcohol stoves if I'm not happy with it. We will see.
Hope to test out the boiling times this weekend!
Kevin

I like the looks of the Esbit system as well, but how to you lift and pour from the beer can pots? Are these double walled, where they don't get hot on the outside surface of the pot?

I currently use a firelite 500 pot and wing stove with Esbit, and haven't found a lighter system yet. I still want to get a small BPL Titanium windscreen, as I don't like messing with wrapping an aluminum windscreen around my pot.

Mornings I usually need to boil 24oz of water, 12oz for oatmeal and 12oz for coffee, sometimes the same for dinner, if I have hot chocolate, or Tea.

I boil 12oz for my Breakfast or Dinner, then if I'm quick enough, I can
almost boil another 12oz with one Esbit cube. If I use treated or filtered water then an actual boil, isn't always necessary either.

I do know that the tighter that I can wrap my windscreen around my pot, the faster, my boil times will be, using Esbit.

Michael, they come with a super wide silicon lip guard that you can grab them by. This band can also be used to adjust the height of the can in the cone when switching from alcohol to Esbit mode.

> but how to you lift and pour from the beer can pots?

Allison is right….the silicon band will protect your fingers. Also, it comes with a "cozy" that you can slip down over the top and hold it safely. Here's a picture of the system:

Ok, does the beer can pot sit directly on the wings of the little Esbit stove or is it held up, by the Silicone band?

This new cook system will take away a little of the futz factor from my current Esbit cook system, and eliminate my double wall Snowpeak coffee mug too.

> Ok, does the beer can pot sit directly on the wings of the little Esbit stove or is it held up, by the Silicone band?

Neither. If you look closely, we actually throw the beer can up on a lathe, and machine a ridge into the can wall. That ridge is what sits on top of the cone and keeps the can from falling in. The little 3gram esbit stove sits all by itself.

Now, among the reasons we provide the larger of the two silicone bands is in case you damage the can we formed for you, all you have to do is find your own Fosters can, drink the beer, remove the lid, slide the larger band down to the same level and use that to sit on top of the cone. Also, this system has a shorter cone so that it fits inside the can completely. We are able to get away with this because the esbit stove doesn't require the clearance of the 12-10 stove. Now, if you DO want to migrate to the alc. stove, the larger band will slide up under the ridge and provide the correct offset for the stove. So, it is a combination thing-to-grip, field repair kit, and stove adapter in one!

Rand :-)

I can't wait to try this system out. Rand,another question? Do you also use the bands over the beer pot rim, so your able to drink Hot coffee etc, from it?

Also, do you make a Caldera windscreen/stand that will hold a BPL 550 pot with handles, that will work with your little Esbit stove/stand?

This will be my first time trying Esbit and I may end up switching out to one of my alcohol stoves if I'm not happy with it. We will see.
Hope to test out the boiling times this weekend!
Kevin

I haven't used Esbit for too long, but I'm liking it more and more. The blackened pot isn't that bad, I usually swirl it around on the ground over leaves, grass etc.. and it takes most of the residue off. No issues with spillage either, like with alcohol.

> Do you also use the bands over the beer pot rim, so your able to drink Hot coffee etc, from it?

If you notice, it comes with two bands…..the small one is sized for use over the edge/lip and the big one mainly for the ridge/body replacement. However, the big band can be used as the lip guard instead, and thereby be at hand should you need it for the other reasons I mentioned above.

>Also, do you make a Caldera windscreen/stand that will hold a BPL 550 pot with handles, that will work with your little Esbit stove/stand?

Absolutely…..we make Caldera systems for almost all titanium pots….and they will all perform with the Gram Cracker (esbit) stove.

Rand :-)