Hydration and the Kelly Kettle

   A few days before Christmas saw some very rough weather here in South Kerry, Ireland. The temperatures were far below the zero mark and I was beginning to get flashbacks of living in Alaska. There was ice everywhere. Even the bog felt solid.
   The minus temperatures froze our water pipes as well. We were without water. No problem, we would just grab a bucket of creek water and boil it for our breakfast and tea. But when we tried to turn on the cooker no gas came out. The propane cylinder was frozen as well. The easy fix is to pour hot water over the canister to loosen up the gas. Well, we needed the gas to heat the water to pour over the cylinder.


   Enter the Kelly Kettle

   We tossed some small kindling into the Kelly Kettle and within a few minutes we had our boiling water. We used that water to pour over the cylinder so we could cook our breakfast and have our tea. We could have shut out the middle man and just cooked over the Kelly Kettle, but it was minus eight outside and we were both happy to get back into the somewhat warmer cabin.

This one one of the many reasons that we choose to carry the Kelly Kettle and sell it at our IPNA school.



   Last summer during our residential programme we spent some time camping in the forests of Kerry. We were out for three to four days at a time. We didn't want to bring all the water we needed. That would make our packs far too heavy.
   We packed in the 1.7L stainless steel Kelly Kettle. Once we found our bushcraft site we fired it up and had enough hot water for tea for the five of us.
   As the trip progressed we discovered that the kettle was in constant use. It took a lot of water for five bushcrafters to boil their drinking water for the day as well as cook breakfast and supper. Sure there was a lot of opportunity to cook over the small scout fire. But it was surprising how many times it took to boil enough water for the day.

   It is quite easy to become dehydrated while camping. Even when the temperature is not hot we still need three liters of water each day in order to maintain our hydration. Add more water to that figure if you are out and about in the woods.
   Proper hydration is something that we drill into our students here at IPNA. I have to admit that I do see everything through the eyes of a medic. But it only takes a missed cup or two of hydration for your mental processes to start decline. As bushcrafters and wilderness medics we are out in the woods chopping wood, carving tools and cutting things with our knives. A small drop in your ability to concentrate on your tasks could result in a minor or even major injury.

   When in doubt drink water. Have a cup of tea once each hour or the equivalent. Mrs. Doyle had it right in the Father Ted series.....

"Isn't it time for a lovely cup of tea?  Go on, go on, go on.....

More information can be found at www.ipna.ie.