Best Hack For Stanley Adventure Cook-set: Bushcraft - Survival - Liberty - Self Suffciency

My hacks for the Stanley Adventure Cook-set. I show you the best lid handle modification from a bushcraft or survival kit perspective. How to make the handle 3 position with no additional parts. Join my channel and we will challenge each other to be inventive, creative and productive.

[@thedoghouseoutdoors4116]

Save that number off the bottom, I bought one at a yard sell with no lid I sent Stanley a email just to see how much a new lid cost, they sent me a brand new kid for free, Stanley is great and have a super awesome warranty and they stand behind their gear!!

[@gastrofile]

The Dog House Outdoors a new kid? What was wrong with the old one? Did you have to start all over with breaking it in? I think it's sometimes better to throw them away and do without than fixing or even replacing.

[@jamesgreen4522]

Nice hack. I took e wife camping this week end and used my Stanley cup. I have replaced the plastic tab and will try the notch. My wife wondered why I liked doing things the hard way, She just does not understand the Bushcraft way.

[@keithcronk7980]

THATS YOURE JOB IN LIFE TO TEACH HER AND MAKE HER BETTER THAN YOU.

[@mattmattmatt8984]

This hack for the hanging handle has reduced labor by half, eliminated incorporation of additional materials, and repurposed the handle for multiple functions. All this was accomplished by making 2 strategic slots. The simplest of solutions is often not the easiest to think of. This is ingenuity with limited resources at its best. I can't wait to mod mine! Thank you!

[@CraftedChannel]

Glad you liked it. Less is more. Sometimes taking something away produces more functionality.

[@alorr4uz]

I've had mine for years and never melted the lid tab. Just don't lay it flat when the pot is on the stove.

[@banshee107]

I tired so hard to not melt mine but open fires are a plastic’s worse enemy.

[@alorr4uz]

@@banshee107 shouldn't have flames for open fire, just hot coals. If flames are halfway up the pot, they are already too high, imo.

[@Kevinschart]

@@alorr4uz I agree. The flames are surrounding the pot to the point that the tab melts how can you safely grab the pot? This is the wrong tool if you want to cook over a bonfire. But a key chain works just fine as a replacement.

[@randytuson9433]

That's an awesome idea I have that set never thought about the little plastic handle melting

[@BamaBushcraft]

Best mods I have seen for the Stanley cook set, I will have to do that to mine. Thanks for the great ideas!

[@CraftedChannel]

+Bama Bushcraft Thanks, glad you enjoyed. I thought of doing this mod for long time.

[@XtianApi]

If Stanley did this and then also changed to a metal tab on the top and replace those two plastic cups with one metal one , this could be perfect. Great idea thank you

[@secondchance6603]

They could but it would cost a bit more though I would pay for it. Call it the Deluxe model.

[@sabinekatsavrias4422]

thts pretty cool and made me remember i have some aeroplane break cables spare from when i got a bunch off ebay for my edc keyring kit.. has screw together ends:)

[@datghettoazn127]

I enjoy this non bail style bail mod. There's so many other's that suggest drilling into the base or the lid and I personally think that's just silly when the whole point is to not let heat escape even if it's just a minuscule amount.

[@wanderingcalamity360]

True, though the strainer holes in the lid kinda have that effect already.

[@macdaddymcd]

Excellent idea! Way to think outside of the box with the fishing gear

[@gulfcoastoutdoors1]

The small Knighteys "S" key chain hook will work also. It will stand on its own, and lay flat for storage. It'll take a slight bend to the "S" at the lid, but the spring still works.

[@CraftedChannel]

That is an interesting idea I've not seen or heard of.

[@RiverBendSurvival]

Nice mods. I use a split ring on my lids and I have a wire hanger. I think yours will work just as well......

[@ManLand]

That is a very very very good mod...I have seen the pot hanging mod you did before on another channel...but not the fishing leader...now that is indeed brilliant for the sake of having dual purposes...I don't have a dremel tool so I use wire picture hanging wire and the little bracket thingies to slip under the rolled edge of the Stanley to suspend it with ... my way of thinking was instant snare wire if needed. I don't have a video of that yet and need to show it one day on video...but your mod is inspirational!!!

[@CraftedChannel]

+Man Land (Midnight121) Thank you. Be sure to do the video. It's fun to try to challenge others with concepts they hadn't thought of. I had not caught that anybody else had made the mod on the handle. When I first acquired it, it seemed so obvious that I had to do it. Thanks for hanging with me through all the videos that didn't seem to be related. I'll be getting into some knife making and some leather working tools using the machine tools as the season progresses.

[@coyote238]

I still have the green plastic on my lid ,But I never have put it in a fire . Fishing leader was a good ideal as well as the handle mod.

[@stringsteene]

I had never thought of using a leader on the lid. Great idea! Survivor Johnny used to have a video up where he notched the handle bracket, as well. It has been awhile since I've seen it though. He may have pulled it. These are nice little pots and priced right. Thanks for sharing your talents. It is appreciated.

[@CraftedChannel]

+stringsteene Thank you. I thought they were both original ideas. However, after I put the video up somebody pointed out a video where another had notched the handle catch as well. It was too good an idea for others not to recognize. I wouldn't be surprised if it was realized many times before by others who don't put up videos. It's tough to think of something truly unique. Lots of really smart people out there. So far, I'm batting 1000 on the leader. I still think about that cook kit from time to time. Hard to tell what could be next. Thanks for watching.

[@stringsteene]

+Crafted Yeah, it is inevitable that creative people will come up with the same solution. Especially when concerning such a popular piece of equipment. I thought you did an excellent job of filming the process. Thanks again for sharing with the rest of us. It is appreciated!

[@usernamemykel]

Enjoyed your vid. Hint: when tightening an attachment/accessory to your Dremel 4ooo, hold down the blue triangle while attaching the tool - it'll lock/keep the Dremel tip from turning while you're trying to tighten the tool.

[@dermotorang393]

Hi, very nice modification on the handle, I love still being able to use the lid and not cutting into it as seen on "easier" modifications. Instead of the cutting disk I used a Dremel cylinder-shaped grinding bit and removed that handle for working on the pot, to get the angle right (455 Chain Saw Sharpening Stone). For that delicate cutting disk: Dremel offers a fiber reinforced version which does not have that problem, only is a bit pricey (456 1-1/2" Fiberglass Reinforced Cut-off Wheel or 426 1-1/4" Fiberglass Reinforced Cut-off Wheel). Best wishes from Austria, Andy455 Chain Saw Sharpening Stone455 Chain Saw Sharpening Stone

[@CraftedChannel]

Thanks Andy! A stone probably a little slower cutting and safer as far as not screwing up the job. Good to hear from Austria.

[@BluegrassBushcraft]

Now thats what I'm talking about bro. I knew I subbed you for some reason. Lol. Great modification bro. I think your the first to do this. Now sit back and watch it take off. Atb. Robert

[@CraftedChannel]

+BluegrassBushcraft Thank very much. I've been thinking about these mods for a long time. I haven't noticed if anybody else has done it. I bought the cup about a year ago and thought there had to be some creative ideas beyond what I'd seen up to then. So, metal and workshop skills do overlap into bushcraft. ;-)

[@EDCAdventures]

Best mod I've seen to that cup so far!

[@CraftedChannel]

+EDC Adventures Thanks.

[@WilliamsKnifeLife]

I used an aircraft cable keychain thing that unscrews. Already in a loop. Doesn't have the multi purpose of the fishing leader though. I put a round wooden bead on it for picking it up. With the ring attached you can close the handle, use the locking bar, and suspend it from the ring. Disadvantage of that method is the lid stays closed preventing stirring & inspection.

[@patrickedwards5277]

why didn't you just close the handle like normal with lid on with new wire ring and suspend through wire ring over a fire?

[@CraftedChannel]

That is a good idea! This way I can suspend it with the lid off also and stir my potions. Never thought of your idea however. You're thinking.

[@robaldridge6505]

and use the handle LOCK (the little slidey thingy)

[@TheHarleyross]

Mine won't hold with a pot of water

[@redoak3809]

@@TheHarleyross Try sliding the thing up on the handle toward your notches.

[@markpoole6449]

Those fishing leaders also work pretty well as a premade snare. You just fold a little kink in the wire to hold it open at the desired diameter.

[@mustang774]

Very nice work...Take care, Bluefin.

[@CraftedChannel]

+mustang774 Thanks. It's time to do another bushcraft video. Hmmmm......

[@sosteve9113]

nicely done

[@handicamper101]

cool mod, thanks for the info

[@black-end9876]

Nice job done👌

[@illyakuryakin6376]

as soon as I got my Stanley I took tab off because fire and plastic does not mix drilled hole and put a wooden knob on instead most times I can handle wooden knob when hot no problem

[@djinkentertainment]

Don't forget with the heat the handle that you rigged with shrink and expand from the heat to normal temp so it's possible it may effect how the locking system you made works. Just a heads up.

[@mickmoriarty7780]

Cool, so much better than adding a bail handle!

[@Willys-Adventures]

nice mod man thanks for sharing i'm going to try this one on mine

[@CraftedChannel]

+willy bailey Thanks, subbed your channel.

[@Willys-Adventures]

+Crafted thanks for the sub

[@celmer6]

I've been using my Stanley camp cook pot for 4 years now with camp fires and assortment of prototype alcohol stoves and my plastic lid tab has never melted off yet. The fastest boil time yet that I've achieved is 5:47 for 16 oz. of water using a venom bottle vortex alcohol stove with custom windscreen. Total burn time with 3 tbs. of Heet is 10:06. The funny thing is that the vortex stove gets the stainless so hot that it turns it deep midnight black. Not suet. Overall I love the Stanley so I left it stock, ditched the bullshit plastic cups and focused on building a system around the pot. So far I have custom takedown windscreen that is a adjustable stand that can be used with most burners, sticks, Buddy burners or coals from the fire. Nesting generic stainless camping cups from Walmart @$2 each. Condor Nalgene water bottle carrier also fits the Stanley and the nesting cup and has the tough and popular MOLLE system.

[@NOFx420x]

Post a video of use over a 🔥 curious if heat messes with final locking ability when suspension with a stick

[@maggiewagmore8778]

The plastic tab is fine if you keep it in the up position. It will stay there and not melt. As for suspending the pot over a fire, drill 2 holes and make a bail from a coat hanger or similar wire. 5 minute job.

[@jamesaritchie1]

The best modification I've found is to buy a Pathfinder cup lid, drill a hole in each side of the Stanley pot, and hang it with a fish mouth spreader just like the Pathfinder cups hang. It works better by far than anything else I've seen, including the suggestion in this thread.

[@diddybushcraftnoutdoors8072]

On one of my lids I have a key ring and the other a paper clip which both serve 1 purpose, I like the idea of using the leader. I drilled holes in mine so I can use a wire to hang mine. Thanks for sharing,

[@CraftedChannel]

I see you've been getting regular content up. You going to the meetup in Texas next spring?

[@dcollins2371]

I've used mine with the plastic handle and never had it melt

[@gastrofile]

dcollins2371 in a fire or at the edge of a fire ring?

[@wanderingcalamity360]

It probably won't, but it's a failure point, so why not replace it with something more durable and useful? Also, if you turn the pot sideways to cook bread in it as a Dutch oven, that puts the tab way closer to your heat source.

[@secondchance6603]

@@wanderingcalamity360 That it does brother... that it does.

[@jamesaritchie2]

I've never seen one of those tabs melt, and I can't do anything to make the one on my pot melt. I sat the hot on an extremely hot fire just yesterday, and let it stay there for an hour, which is far, far, far longer than it would even be in a fire when camping, and that tab never even got hot. Anything is possible. but if that tab melts, my guess is the user had to do something really stupid. The best mod I've seen is slotting the lid and drilling the cup so a fish mouth spreader will work. It's a quick, easy mod, and solves several problems.

[@CraftedChannel]

+James Ritchie I have replaced a single use item with a multi use item. I've never melted one myself, however I have heard it mentioned before. I would have done it for the multi-use purpose anyway. I consider it much more important than the minor inconvenience that it may (or may not) melt someday. If I could think of or learn of a multi-use item with greater utility, I would change it. I'm not married to anything being a certain way.

[@GildaLee27]

+James Ritchie Thank you for articulating this. Unless it falls into the fire, the plastic tab on the lid is not likely to melt if used in the up position. Even if left in the down position, with the plastic touching the metal lid, the water inside the pot will boil away well before the plastic tab goes soft from the heat.

[@bennyj9]

James Ritchie I've actually had one of these melt before. The pot was cooking over a party harsh flame, sitting directly in coals, and the flames we're lapping up over the edge of the pot.

[@IowaKim]

Mine melted while at Boundary Waters. it tilted slightly on a fire which exposed it to a lick of flame.

[@usernamemykel]

That's a hot woman who enjoys partying - where've you been?

[@BisonWorkshop]

good job man

[@CraftedChannel]

+Bison Workshop Thank you. Did you find my channel through the bushcraft community? Is that a side interest of yours?

[@BisonWorkshop]

i dont understand what you mean about bushcraft community

[@CraftedChannel]

Bison Workshop Bushcraft is a kind of camping where you use the materials of the forest to make some of your camp kit. I'm involved in that community as well as the machinist community. I'm slowly building a knife shop so I can make my own "Buschcrafting" knife. It's all party of the grand whirligig of life.

[@hillbillybushcraft]

Nice mod brother!

[@CraftedChannel]

+hillbillybushcraft Thanks! Glad you enjoyed. That video had been filling up my head for a long time. Had to get it out in the wild. ;-)

[@talkinglens1]

The plastic handle I believe was intended to not get hot. The replacement ring may do so. Did you find it to heat up and be uncomfortable?

[@OldNavajoTricks]

I push the pin through on the tabs and reuse as zipper pulls elsewhere. Never destroy that which we can reuse :-p

[@worm_vaquero]

Dave, don't toss those green cups out, you can carefully cut about 3/8" below the lip and turn two cups into FOUR

[@mofoz66]

Very nice. Thanks for passing on.

[@wayneandrews1933]

I love the two cup that come with it hot coffee in them your lips don’t get burnt

[@billy348]

Could you get a close up pic of the cut ins I really want to try this.

[@CraftedChannel]

There is a close up photo at 12:09. Look at the right side, it's clear. Do it same on both sides. Look at where the slot is relative to the punched hole the wire hinges in. Center the slot in this area. Cut out less than I did. Cut out a 1/3 moon (1/3 the diameter of the wire) at first to get an idea how it will hang. This way you can adjust the hole slightly up or down and tune it up as you deepen the slot. Mine is fine but I could have done a better job.

[@billy348]

Right on thanks.

[@viperrx111]

why not just close the handle and use the new lid update to hang it over the fire on a stick when removing from the fire use another stick or a forked stick to keep balance being that you're Outdoors the handle will cool faster than the rest of the cup when handle is cool flip handle

[@CraftedChannel]

Sometimes the potion is enhanced by stirring the cauldron. ;-)

[@waynethebarber1095]

Why bot just ues your leader ring through the handle folderover the top, and it will lock the top on too...

[@WeAreNotAlone69]

Q: For those that have done this mod... Is it holding up over the long term? I like cutting a additional notch position vs drilling holes in canister 180 degrees apart for wire loop to suspend canister as it's less weight and bulk. Fab, mod tips /ideas: 1: Apply a couple of layers of duct tape around area while cutting notch to protect against "oops" cutting wheel slipped moments. :-( 2: Handle comes off easily- while cutting notch remove it to allow for more working room. 3: Mark notches with magic marker. 4: Use a small rotary bur to cut notch sized smaller that wire handle, makes for a prettier finished product. 5: To keep lid from getting lost /knocked into fire, stepped on... Using fishing leader,or snare wire attach it to handle.

[@helidude3502]

👍

[@davidmoody9074]

Why suspend it over the fire? If you just want to maybe. Works faster heating directly in the coals, no?

[@survivorjohnny44]

Did you come up with the handle mod yourself or did you see it somewhere

[@CraftedChannel]

Long time ago. I was really focused on camping at the time. I carried that idea around for about a year then made a video about it. I don't remember ever seeing a fishing leader used like that before. The general idea of replacing useless items with useful ones is not new and it's certainly possible somebody did something similar. Maybe somebody did it with a key ring? I don't remember really. There isn't much new under the sun. But I don't remember ever seeing a leader put used like that before. I was carrying for years a Sucrets can kit and was always thinking of ways to extend it's possibilities. Might be better ideas now, I haven't searched that product for years. Replace zipper pulls with something like the smallest ring equipped Swiss Army Knife or micro multi-tool you can find. Lots of neat things can be done.

[@TheFlatlander440]

So much for the warranty. Ha! Great hacks, thanks.

[@felipfelop8220]

Well,you buggered that up

[@marielnews]

Just cover the little plastic with hard aluminum, or regular. It will be fire proof.

[@wanderingcalamity360]

That won't work. Aluminum conducts heat incredibly well.

[@viperrx111]

ok

[@TennesseeCheeZe]

when you coated your finger with super glue you lost me..

[@CraftedChannel]

Perhaps you don't know the history of cyanoacrylate? It was originally developed for quickly gluing a soldier back together so he could survive long enough to be delivered to medical care. It releases mostly within 24 hours, fully by 48 hours. Does not stick to skin very well beyond a day. When I'm building a model aircraft, I smooth a lot of joints with my finger. After the building session I pick it all off. Sometimes getting a sheet replicating an entire fingerprint. It's nothing to be afraid of.

[@huejanus5505]

Crafted That's not what it was developed for. It was developed to make some kind of aircraft lenses but didn't work well. Although it's first practical application was for the temporarily gluing of wounds.

[@CraftedChannel]

Yea, I see the gun sight reference. It apparently field for that purpose and was later applied to medical purposes both veterinary and human. I didn't think my old friend Miller Gregory lied to me. ;-) Wiki: "Medical The arm of a child with a small cut, with a shiny layer of adhesive covering the cut region An incision wound closed with Dermabond, a cyanoacrylate-based medical adhesive CA glue was in veterinary use for mending bone, hide, and tortoise shell by the early 1970s or before. Harry Coover said in 1966 that a CA spray was used in the Vietnam War to reduce bleeding in wounded soldiers until....... " en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanoacrylate

[@AirstripBum]

The tab on the lit will not "melt very easily". With very little care, that tab will last for many years cooking right over your camp fire and right down in the coals. Just don't let it fall over in the fire and it won't melt.

[@AirstripBum]

And it's only useless if you don't know how to use it. It's a tab. Grab it with your fingers. How easy is that?

[@wanderingcalamity360]

It can fail. Murphy's law is a thing. Why not simply preemptively replace it with something that *WON'T* fail, even if it falls in the fire? Seems like the smarter option to me, but by all means go ahead and keep tempting fate.

[@sojourn1544]

They do not melt.!!!!

[@barrybrum]

Not necessary. The lift tab is functional on the millions of these sold for a decade now.

[@CraftedChannel]

Neither is bathing. But I really wanted to. ;-)

[@wanderingcalamity360]

They can fail, especially if you're getting creative with your bushpot cooking and doing kooky shit like turning out sideways to bake bread in it like a Dutch oven.

[@dvig3261]

Don't put superglue on your cutoff wheels.. "Ca"..🤦‍♂️

[@kogut1977]

You should practice before... Nice hack anyway.

[@jonny9884]

This is probably a long shot, but if you still have your two green nesting cups that came with the Stanley Adventure Camp Cook Set, and you're still not interested in them, I'm looking for an extra pair or two to use as camping cups with the family.

[@thepreppinpreacher]

So you take one thing that will melt off to put another thing that will melt on? 🤣😂

[@denismorton1269]

If it ain't broke , don't fix it.

[@timendler1958]

Denis Morton ?

[@gastrofile]

He broke it though.

[@wanderingcalamity360]

Innovation is how you're watching videos and posting trite messages using a device that fits in your pocket. If people didn't try to "fix what wasn't broken", we'd still be reading books via candlelight and sending letters via horse-drawn carriages... And even those were novel innovations for their time.

[@arctodussimus6198]

Let’s see what happens when it’s full of water....

[@hardhitter0421]

Chinese pump these out and Stanley puts their name on it, you take Stanley's name of it and smoke it up! This is really a steeping cup with a pour off through the strainer holes...hardly a durable cookware item in my opinion. In a short term situation it can get Ramon noodles done, but really it is a tall mess cup to eat out of or pour off a tea into sharing cups. I have three of these and wouldn't waste the time unless it was all I had to be creative with. They may one day end up as mixed drink shakers.

[@CraftedChannel]

Wow 3? 1 was enough for my purposes.

[@genesnyder2985]

hardhitter0421 ha it's no good but I have 3

[@clayderouin857]

so what is the better option?

[@wanderingcalamity360]

@@clayderouin857 He doesn't have an answer for you. He just wants to run his mouth in the comments section.

[@muddnyreye]

Not sure why people are doing this. I've used my stanley over a dozen times and never had the handle even come close to melting. Most will use it with a camp stove or over coals.

[@CraftedChannel]

The Bushcraft, Camping and Survival community loves to make, modify and re-purpose items. It's "an out of the box" culture.

[@IowaKim]

muddnyreye only a dozen times? You haven't camped enough. Your day will come, so keep that leader handy.

[@wanderingcalamity360]

It's a potential failure point. Why not go ahead and replace it with something more durable and useful?

[@UuddlerLeRoyBaStart]

Lol. No. Key ring is a good mod.. And.. Notch it for.... Whaaaaa???

[@wanderingcalamity360]

Notched to act like a bail so it can be hung over a fire.

[@jamesaritchie1]

You could, of course, just buy a Pathfinder bottle cup and lid. It's a better system, you can add numerous components as needed or wanted, spend as little or as much as you want, and not have to fiddle around making a second rate pot. If you can buy a better pot for the same price, why buy the poor one?

[@wanderingcalamity360]

They don't sell the SRO pot at Walmart and academy. This is considerably more accessible for most people than the Pathfinder gear... And it isn't really inferior. Just different.

[@subseeker]

Well that was... Dumb.

[@davedodds5200]

You badly need to rehearse this stuff; you'r wasting time messing with the label, superglueing the disk with no explanation for what you're doing. You have an interesting subject but it becomes really tedious as you mumble to yourself. Script it and you may get more viewers; I couldn't finish it due to boredom.

[@CraftedChannel]

I checked out your channel and you have no videos and even fewer subscribers. You've got no traction of any kind from which I can grant you any concern over your appraisal. When you make a video that gets 49k views, I'll still take no concern in your snobbery. Somehow I've struck upon a mysterious way to keep the least kind and considerate people off my channel which pleases me. There are lots of great channels, find one. Or better yet. Put your self out there like a man and create some great content big boy.

[@NicolasHansen]

Don't let it get to ya, I found the video helpful. I've got my own Stanley kit on it's way (was only $10 on Amazon today!) and will be modding it as well. I might go the wire hanger route instead of the handle notches, I'm not sure yet. The handle notches are a really great idea, though! Thanks for taking the time to make this.

[@bigchiponmyshoulder7573]

Mr Dodds - Stop being such a pedantic dickhead. If you haven't got the patience to invest 12 mins of your time in something educational which may benefit you (presumably you're watching because you're interested?) and is free of charge then take your tedious, impatient and boring personality elsewhere. Alternatively, why don't you show the masses how to do it like a real pro? Just sayin bubba ...