Hot meal for lunch when paddling? Use this kayak camping stove! Here's how.

When I was younger, I remember many kayak trips where I would stop for lunch and it would be raining/sleeting/snowing (delete as applicable).

I'd reach in my dry bag and take out my cold, usually soggy, sandwiches. Although they gave me some much needed energy, they did not contribute to heating me up!

Nowadays, I use this kayak camping stove and make either a hot meal or a hot drink.

It's a game changer. Having a hot meal boosts your morale, heats you up and gives you extra energy compared to sandwiches/snacks.

You might be thinking 'it takes too long to cook a meal'. Well, yes, if you are cooking a five course meal - it probably will. But not when you are just heating through your food.

It can take literally minutes - no longer than drying out and eating your soggy sandwiches!

Let's take a look at the stove I use:

Here's the kayak camping stove all packed up in the storage bag

It's small and measures approximately 10 centimetres diameter and 8 centimetres high (when packed).

Taking it out of the bag, shows the parts that need to be assembled to create the stove. Here's the stove being assembled:

Opening the kayak camping stove parts	Taking out the kayak camping stove fuel tray
Assembling the stove frame	The finished kayak camping stove

It's really easy to assemble (it comes with instructions) and very quick to do.

IMPORTANT: You must ensure the stove is on suitable ground. It must be stable, out of the wind and clear of any material that will burn!

I use fuel tablets to heat the stove. These are small and burn for about 6 to 10 minutes - plenty long enough to heat water or your food.

In an emergency, you can burn small sticks or kindling.

Lighting the fuel tablet needs to be done outside of the stove (I find it easier this way - although you have to be super careful not to burn yourself).

Kayak camping stove with the fuel tablet alight and ready to put in the stove

Ed tucking in to a bacon and sausage bap after a paddle trip to Fladbury

I find the kayak camping stove useful for heating:

Beans and sausages (the tinned ones)
Homemade chilly
Soup
Bacon (Ed loves this!)
Sausages
Emergency ready meals

It's best to pre-cook and re-heat the items (following usual food safety guidelines).

Here's the kayak camping stove in full heating mode!

The stove can be top heavy so be really careful and make sure it is on a stable surface away from the wind.

When you have finished with the stove, you MUST let it cool down before handling it and returning it to the bag. This can take 10 minutes or so.

All this talk of food is making me hungry!

Happy paddling, cooking and, as always, stay safe.

Here's the video showing the assembly of the kayak camping stove:

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