What I hide in my M44 Swedish mess kit

Time to check out what gear I can fit in my M44 so it's always ready for some outdoor cooking, and it's not only the things that the army recommend that you keep there. There are gear to make sure that the "filth can" isn't filthy eg.
This video is not sponsored in any way, shape or form by any stores or manufacturers.
Thanks for watching!
You can find me at Instagram:
/ redswedeoutdoor
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Music:
Lost & Found - Dan Lebowitz: KZbin Audio Library
Wager With Angels - Nathan Moore: KZbin Audio Library

[@oxxnarrdflame8865]

Good to see you back. Nasty weather can really take the fight out of you. When I was younger I enjoyed the challenge of inclement weather, now not so much. 😊

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

Thank you! It's a bitter pill to find that them ol' bones doesn't age as well as I would like. Cheers!

[@calummcneil6006]

Oh! A wee drop of, 12 year old Malt Whisky would be a great help now and again. In your Swedish mess kit. Take care.

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

I agree, a wee drop is seldom amiss on an overnighter, with or without the mess kit. Cheers!

[@mistermac4118]

Hi Red, I’m seeing your video 10 months after you made it. February here in Canada and the days are getting longer, the sun is shining brighter. Thanks for taking us along on your outing and sharing info on the Swedish mess kit. Cheers, Svend

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

Thanks for watching Svend! Daylight is ever so slowly returning here too even if the sun isn't shining as much as I would have wished, but spring is around the corner in a month or so. Cheers!

[@calummcneil6006]

I wish I could speak Swedish as you can easily speak good English. Yes the Swedish Army cooks sets are excellent. I have 4 of them, 2 aluminum, and 2 stainless steel. I love them, especially in cold damp windy weather. Just what the doctor ordered. Take care and thank you for your video, Greetings from Scotland.

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

Well I wish I could speak a better english or for that matter a proper scottish. When I was a rookie at work I had a mentor form Edinbourgh and that dialect has always made me feel comfortable. Cheers Calum!

[@nhddman]

Could listen to this man all day

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

Thank you for those kind words, though I know persons that would consider that a cruel and unusual punishment ;-) Cheers!

[@mehmetkupeli8611]

Hey my friend! Good to dee you.. After New Zealand i did not hear from you. Good welcome back!

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

Hey, thanks! I certainly hope that the time between uploads will be a lot shorter. Cheers!

[@tennessee978]

Lovely post! It’s about same time a year in the future….hope this finds you well. Your twinkling eyes brought a smile to my face. Yes, because we can! Thank you for the reminder ❤

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

Most of the time "because I can " is the only reason needed. Cheers!

[@carstenbiebricher9619]

Nice mess-kit! I like the spirit-based cook-kits. I was over the winter in the south of north-sweden ... as you said, the snow is much friendlier for the mind than the grey wet weather!👍 But with a rising snow-height I found some different challenges that kept me from going out in the nature. 😉 Things like: no experience with deep snow (obvious), never used ski, parking spots are nice snowdumps but not cleared for cars, distance multiplies if you walk in deep snow, ... Next time I will try snow-shoes - I hope that helps me with my winter-issues. Every weather has its challenges - but can also be very nice. 😀

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

Yeah, the struggle is real. As you say all types of weathers hold their own challenges but also advantages, I mean how often do you get a sunstroke in a blizzard? I've no wisdom on whats the best in deep snow, skies or snow shoes, I recon both need some skill and practice but towing a sledding behind you will at least take a load of you. Hope I'll se you around Carsten, Cheers!

[@zombieremoval]

Hope all is well. I am in the grasp of winter in the southern US. A joke of a winter for most. This gave me the feeling that I was fireside with a friend. Thanks for your efforts and please be well.

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

Thank you very much. I hope you're well too. Cheers!

[@edwarddeleon6211]

Just another great video that i love watching your's thanks for sharing

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

Thank you Edward.

[@michaeleccleshare691]

You came up on my KZbin feed after I'd been watching Trangia cooking tips. Love the content now subbed

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

Awesome, welcome aboard!

[@dansengines2594]

Enjoy your channel and vids, they relax me, and love your kit, I need to quit working so much and get my kit stocked up. Oh yes, you made me get thirsty for coffee! Great video.

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

I'm not the one to judge another mans workload but I hope you take the time to recover outdoors with a good brew every now and then. Cheers!

[@dansengines2594]

@@RedswedeOutdoors right with you on the brew also!

[@boomshanka8743]

I like those O Boy chocolate packets, too. I keep my m44 in an old Swedish gas mask bag (the one with the brown leather trim), it has a pocket outside that is the perfect size for the little alcohol flask.

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

That sounds like a neat solution, but if you keep the spirit bottle in the outside pocket what dou have inside the kit... another alchohol flask..? Cheers!

[@boomshanka8743]

@@RedswedeOutdoors more coffee and hot chocolate.. 😁

[@richardstrauss4611]

That is my goto mess kit, especially in winter...harder to find over here in the states now. As far as tips, i use the newer trangia fuel bottle...but all choice I suppose. Glad to see you back!

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

Thanks, it's good to be back. The new trangia bottle is certainly better, if it could nest in the kit I would go with it for sure. Cheers!

[@zombielover317able]

As soon as I seen your beard and heard your accent brother I had to subscribe cuz I know you know what you're talkin about thanks for the videos my friend

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

Thank you for the sub and welcome to the channel! Cheers!

[@robr4596]

Coffey, Coffey, and more Coffey! That's what I have in my kit. Oh, and a ketchup packet, in case I feel hungry. I've enjoyed your videos very much, thank you for posting.

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

Coffee in abundance sounds like a recipe for success, but I hope you something more substantial than ketchup if you get peckish Rob. Cheers!

[@motometaphor]

I appreciate your videos what you show us. It makes me want to try and find Swedish mess kit

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

Thank you! It's a nice little kit but sadly it's nowdays mostly horribly overpriced. Maybe better to go for the replicas and get a new kit instead. Cheers!

[@jeepnicc]

Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed the video very much, and it was good to see you producing content again!

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

Thank you for those kind words, it is good to be back again. Cheers!

[@gud2go50]

It’s amazing how we long for summer, then we miss winter again and the cycle continues!😂 I keep my food stuffs in a different bag and all the cooking gear with the mess kit. I also have setup a brew kit separately in case that is all I want at the time. It gets bulky, but at my age I pretty much don’t wonder too far from my vehicle these days. But it is nice to have your cook systems setup to where you know where everything is and can get to it when you need it. Thanks for sharing what is in your dirty box! In other countries the dirty box would be considered a dirty joke!😂 I find putting together different cook sets using old military gear quite addictive and a bit expensive at times! The Kasa mug is hard to find here in the US if you can find them in stock. As of 2024, No one has them in stock even though they carry them on their web sites.😮 Makes me want a couple even more for me and my girl friend!😂 I am on a waiting list with Amazon, but I can only buy one at a time. Who would think that a small plastic drinking mug would be so sought after? 😊

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

That's true Dough, building your own custom set can be taxing on the wallet at times, but fun. About a kåsa, can you order from swedish websites? There you would find different types in abundance and if you buy "in bulk" the shipping shouldn't seem to ridicoulous. Cheers!

[@fadingmargins]

At last! Great to have you back. I can relate to your wistful comments on winter and the lack light. I was tempted to pike on a walk today but you’ve inspired me to get off my backside - thanks pal!!

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

Thanks Steve! Your video about jumping the back fence has gotten me of my behind more than once, good that we can find inspiration from others when we need it. Take care my friend!

[@gedeon2696]

Just got couple 8"x12" sheets of Carbon Felt from very nice neighbour. Plan to make wicks for all my alcohol stoves (and others) for easier lighting in cold weather. Could also be used as near permanent wicks for oil lamps.

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

That sounds like a plan. There's also the little recess outside the chamber where you can put a few drops of fuel to pre-heat the burner so it blooms quicker. Cheers!

[@JoonesAdventuresMC]

Nice kit. I use to have the kuksa and some utensils in my kit and most time even the burner if it’s empty. Never store the burner with alcohol in it nor the alcohol bottle . They sometimes us to leak.

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

I must have been lucky so far, the only leaks I've had is due to my own stupidity, but apart from that I trust both bottle and burner to keep the spirit safely stored. Cheers!

[@JoonesAdventuresMC]

@@RedswedeOutdoors I have never tested if the burner leaks but some of my bottles do. If the bottle is stored with the opening up the risk is less than if its stored with the opening down. But I don't want to take risk to get it in the pots. It doesn't taste like single malt whiskey, 🤔

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

@@JoonesAdventuresMC nope, rather like bad moonshine mixed with he stuff the use for children to stop biting their nails. 🤮

[@JoonesAdventuresMC]

@@RedswedeOutdoors It can even make bacon taste like 🤢

[@davesskillet9235]

Thanks for sharing a new video I tried to get a M44 cook set but it's impossible to find now I settled for Pathfinders reproduction in stainless steel it's real nice. now it's time to put something in it.

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

I think you'll fill it with the most important thing of all, the love of cooking. I would love to hear your thoughts on the kit after trying it out. Cheers!

[@jeffunderwood672]

That is a well packed mess kit

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

Thank you Jeff. At least it serves well for my purposes. Cheers!

[@Mumstermann]

Hello from Finland! Thank you very much for some great ideas and inspiration on what stuff to put inside this thing. I've been enjoying my "dirty can" for some time now and since day 1 with it I've been in awe on how spacious it actually is. Today however, after watching this vid, I came really close to max cap. Before I go about listing all the stuff I managed to squeeze in, a mild trigger warning (coffee cultural blasphemy ahead). I recently found a Swiss water canteen that usually comes with a very nice little aluminium cup that fits perfectly into the mess kit. I like the idea of having an extra item that can be used directly over the flame. I put the burner inside this cup, as well as a couple of wet sanitary wipes, matches, a ready to go portion of instant coffee and a "varma koppen/lämmin kuppi" pouch similar to yours. Next to the cup goes the fuel bottle and the utensils (a very smallish set, might just take it off and use a properly sized one and carry it with my water bottle or food stuff). Another small space next to the cup and fuel was filled with a trangia handle to help me out with the hot items when cooking. There was still some space left to use, and for that I wanted to have some things to help out with the cleanup, so I repurposed a tiny hand sanitizer bottle for some eco-friendly dish soap and put it in a minigrip bag with a small scrub sponge (also the burner and the fuel bottle are in their respective minigrip bags to avoid any contamination in a case of a spillage/leak). And lastly to top it all off, a microfiber towel (I might end up cutting the towel for a more reasonable size though). It's a really tight fit and things need to be put inside in a really specific order. I guess it's still a work in progress and some test runs are in order to see if some of the stuff should be put elsewhere.

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

That sounds like a well thought out kit for your needs. (I won't mention the coffee blasphemy, you do you.🤪) I googled the Swiss canteen and it looks to big to fit on the pics but maybe the scales don't match. No matter, good idea with one more part that can heat things up. Cheers!

[@Mumstermann]

@@RedswedeOutdoors Hello! Yesterday I took my stuff for a little test drive and I'm definitely beginning to lean towards of switching to a proper sized cutlery set, carried outside of the mess kit. Also the whole box of matches might end up getting swapped for the very small set (like the ones you can find from bars, promo stands and from some mre packs and such), even though I'd like to have at least a couple of storm matches available, preferably packed close to the intended use case.. maybe going for a photo roll case like you have got or something similar would do the trick.. As it's not the same to pack up the kit at your house than outdoors, I need to do some rethinking. I'm having some tough time looking for a bag or any kind of a pouch that would hold the mess kit, a 0,5l water bottle and one portion of dry food + a couple of loose items such as the cutlery set. Something that would be easy to attach into any of my rucksacks and would still be stiff enough to prevent the things rattling about.. I guess I need to start to go through some gas mask carry bags and/or some buttpack-style webbing pouches. I checked the canteen system and and the designation is m/84. The bottle is somewhat useful as well, holding up to 0,8L, but the cup was my primary reason to get it. And it being military surplus, it was rather cheap.

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

I see I missunderstood you, I thought you managed to squeeze the entire canteen in the kit, but you where refering to just the mug. Makes sense now when I realize my mistake. I would recommend some sort och waterproof storage for the matches and strikers, at least I never get the kit bone dry after usage and that tends to ruin my matches at least. And in order to build the perfect kit, no method can beat "trial and error". It will be the foundation for a kit that's perfect for you and your needs. Cheers!

[@christophertate6453]

Cowboy Coffee. That's what we call boiling coffee in America. For flavor, it's hard to beat that kind of robust flavor. Made a pot for my son last deer season. He said it was the best coffee he had ever drank. We made it in a blue granny wear coffee boiler. I think I'm going to try it the Swedish Mess Kit this yr at the deer camp. Thx's for the great video on making coffee with the Swedish Mess Kit & what you keep inside. What a person keeps inside will obviously depend on what that person is cooking or making. I keep a stainless steel scrubber to clean the pots & utesils with.

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

I sometimes use a steel scrubber at my pots but it's mostly when I used them on a campfire with conifer firewood that tends to leave a black sticky surface on the outside. What can I say, once you start with cowboy coffee it's hard to go back to whatever you drank before. Cheers!

[@jefferyneedham1581]

Greetings from Detroit Mich and thank you for sharing your video..

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

Thank you Jeffery!

[@reddog694uk]

The swedish kit is the best kit in the world !!

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

I wouldn't know about that but it has some good features. Cheers!

[@dessiediamond7414]

Never knew that trick with the cold water to drop the coffee grounds to the bottom. Does it work well? Love the channel, very relaxing and informative.

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

Yes, I think it works as a charm. It's the most effective method I've tried to this date, and also the easiest one. I'm glad you like the channel, thank you so much. Cheers!

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

Thank you Brian!

[@lukejohnson2548]

Welcome back Red!

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

Thank you Luke, so good to be back and find that you guys still are around! Cheers!

[@lukejohnson2548]

Your views on life are worth sticking around for! Looking forward to your next rant...

[@stevefredieu408]

First time to see ur channel. I' be had my Swedish mess kit couple of.years have' nt used it a lot, but wondered what I could pack in it.Makes me want to get out and use it. Enjoyed the video so much

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

Thank you Steve. Glad if the video could serve as inspiration for another go with your kit, hope you get a good one. Cheers!

[@srpeters]

I have the M40 and keep pretty much the same gear in it. I have discovered a Svea 123R fits nicely in it for a change. Then you don't need the wind shield. Like I said, just for a change and something different.

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

Yes, that will provide some variation. Thanks for sharing, Cheers!

[@gedeon2696]

I've looked for a kuksa on e-bay, but the prices are ridiculously high [$ 10 - 12 Cdn each PLUS shipping]. Have not used my kit much [1 aluminum, 1 stainless] but love them. I did make insulated bases for the kits. Also own 2 Svea 123R, Optimus 80, Primus MFS..

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

That is nothing short of highway robbery. When I'm swedish online pages the going rate is 2-2.5 Cdn... By the looks of it you're well set when it comes to stoves, the Svea is a real beauty. Cheers!

[@gedeon2696]

@@RedswedeOutdoors And our Cdn Ministry of Health and safety need to get their heads examined. They had decided that Trangia Safety valves (and bottles) were "not child resistant" so are BANNED from sale/import. Of course kitchen knives/forks, shop chisels/saw/cutters are OK. What absolute idiots.

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

Seems like a rather strange reasoning from the ministry. I assume that private import for responsable adults are included in the ban.

[@IdahoHillbilly]

Good Stuff ...Just Subbed

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@k.b2463]

You are a very cool Person,,,Thanks

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

Thank you for your kind words. I'll be sure to mention that to my daughter, it will will baffle her that I'm considered to be cool. Cheers!

[@kenmckittrick7876]

Thanks!

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

My pleasure mate! Cheers!

[@martlinnas]

My alcohol evaporated somehow from the burner that was inside a closed plastic bag.

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

Strange, ,that never happened to me. I always thought that the spirit could stay in the burner pretty much forever if the rubber seal is intact..? I guess I still have lots to learn. Cheers!

[@martlinnas]

@@RedswedeOutdoors i thought so too but when i opened my kit after 6 weeks the smell was all over and had to wash the pot.

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

@@martlinnas That's too bad, I guess something has got a dent or it's a monday product... it should be tight...🤔

[@tB3o3tR9o9]

are you from Swedistan? i like the Trangia Cook Sets. good stuff

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

That's correct, im from Sweden. I also like Trangias kits. Cheers!

[@germanricgu4497]

Hi, a great video with very useful information, where do you transport the complete mess kit? In a bag or pouch may be? Is there any video where we can see where you carry it? Thanks!!

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

Hi, and thank you for watching. I don't think I've shown a bag in any video. I'll have to do that the next time. For now it's an ordinary nylon bag but I'm planning to make a canvas bag for it. Cheers!

[@nm-ge4tb]

✌✌👍👍🙏🙏Swedish mess kit is just the dogs bollocks , all modern kit just simply can't compete with it

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

True, some can but not all. Cheers!

[@nicholasdavies213]

Hi Just found you and subscribed, just become the proud new owner of a couple of M44 mess kits i've yet to try them out do you have any hints or tips for a beginner with these kits?

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

Well that kinda depends what kind of kits you used before and what kind of cooking you're planning. Basic hints if you haven't used similar kits at all is to get a pair of heat resistant gloves since the kit can get pretty hot whether you use the spirit burner or a campfire. Start in the easy end, dehydrated food or canned food to heat up and go from there. I hope this wasn't to basic, if nothing else you can check out my other videos on the kit for other information. By the way, you gave me the idea to make a video on the subject. Thanks for that! Cheers

[@nicholasdavies213]

@@RedswedeOutdoors thank you i have used mess kits but only the british type as i'm in the uk but i've heard great things about these so i'd thought i'd invest in one and give it a try

[@JukkaRaySkaReinivuo]

Jag har det samma kit also I have

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

Yeah, it's a good setup. I'm sure it can be improved but for now I'm good as is. Cheers!

[@Alaska-Jack]

You are really getting gray are you the new Santa Claus?

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

That could be an alternative career as a senior, no serious offers so far though ;)

[@Alaska-Jack]

@@RedswedeOutdoors where did all the red go?

[@RedswedeOutdoors]

Heck if I know, wifey claims it's a part of getting old, I don't know what she's talking about... 🤣🤣