Editor's Note: This article was opened to the public on July 22, 2010. To subscribe and see Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2010 articles as they are published, click here.
5.9-ounce Trail Designs Caldera Keg-H System as field-tested.
One of the new products Trail Designs showed at us was their Caldera Keg-H cooking system:
- Light: At 3 ounces per person and capable of boiling 2.5 to 2.75 cups of water, the Keg-H may be the lightest complete two-person-capable alcohol cooking system on the market. It is almost half the weight of the similar boil capacity Trail Designs/Anti Gravity Gear 3-cup Caldera Kitchen (approx 5.7 ounces per person).
- Fuel efficient: We cooked for two people (5 days, 4 nights) on 8 fluid ounces of fuel.
- Compact: The whole Keg-H system is just slightly larger than a standard 24-ounce Heineken beer can.
- Easy to use: We found the Keg-H system as easy to use as the AGG 3-cup Caldera Kitchen; possibly easier, since it requires no pot holder.
After the Show, Alison and I had an opportunity to field test the Keg-H system on a five-day backpacking trip at 11,000 feet. While a smidge less fuel efficient than the AGG 3-cup Caldera (our reference standard for an alcohol system), it did quite well. We cooked for two people, 5 days and 4 nights, on 8 fluid ounces of alcohol; with the weight savings over the AGG 3-cup Caldera system, you can easily carry more fuel and come out ahead on boils per trip. The Keg-H will probably be our couple's cooking system in the future, and may well be Alan's solo cooking system as well. It retails for $60.00.
System Weight as Field Tested - Caldera Keg-H for Two People |
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| Item | g | oz |
| Trail Designs Caldera Cone | 26 | 0.92 |
| Trail Designs Stove | 15 | 0.53 |
| Self-supplied 8 fl oz fuel bottle + fuel measure | 31 | 1.09 |
| TD Heineken pot w/bands (cup for one person) | 41 | 1.45 |
| Lid | 6 | 0.21 |
| Self-supplied Glad 14-oz bowl (cup for second person) | 38 | 1.34 |
| Bag | 10 | 0.35 |
| Total Weight | 167 | 5.89 |
| Weight per person | 84 | 2.95 |
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Fuel Consumption per day 11,000 feet (50-60s F evening, 40s F morning)
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| 19 ml | PM boil 2 cups for two-person freeze dried meal |
| 15 ml | PM heat 2.75 cups treated water for two-person hot chocolate |
| 26 ml | AM boil 2.5 to 2.75 cups hot water for two-person tea |
| 60 ml | Total ml alcohol per hiking day (2 fluid ounces) |
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Keg-H System Weight as purchased from Anti Gravity Gear
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| Item | g | oz |
| Standard Caldera Cone | 26 | 0.92 |
| Stove | 15 | 0.53 |
| 5 fl oz capacity Fuel Bottle (note smaller capacity) | 18 | 0.63 |
| TD Heineken pot w bands (cup for one person) | 41 | 1.45 |
| Lid | 6 | 0.21 |
| Anti Gravity Gear Cozy | 18 | 0.63 |
| Anti Gravity Gear Cup (cup/bowl for second person) | 38 | 1.34 |
| Anti Gravity Gear Bag | 10 | 0.35 |
| Total Weight | 172 | 6.07 |
The Caldera Keg-H system packed.
Reader Comments
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Forum Index » Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2009 » Trail Designs Caldera Keg-H (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2009)
(Sixguns01)
Locale: Somewhere. Probably lost.
Which do you think is a better setup? The Trail Designs Caldera Keg-H & F setup seem to be very similar. Anyone have an opinion which is a better setup?
BE NICE