Wild Camping with the BCB Fire Dragon stove in the Wild Country Helm 1 tent

[@wildernesslifecraft8180]

Great little stoves. A little tip for you as well...you can use the gel blocks as hand sanitiser as you stated but if you have no gel blocks you can use hand sanitiser as fuel. Just squirt into the centre tray where th blocks go and ignite, It works really well.

[@kevinstark4294]

Great sunrise over that famous hill. I can’t believe they set up so close to you. I’ve had one of those stoves for about a year. As you say great if you just want to boil water. They don’t perform that well in wind or cold though, and you really need a rock to sit it on because the flames come out all over the place if there’s even a small breeze.

[@daleyoutdoors]

Thanks for watching Kevin :) I love the sunrise from up there!

[@slippery999]

Thank you for encouraging Leave No Trace principles. Top man.

[@musicman4164]

I carry a British army hexi block stove purely as a back up. They're light and bomb proof, great little emergency option.

[@daleyoutdoors]

Yes someone commented early about the hexi stoves 👍

[@benhikescamps]

The BCB was one of the first stoves I think I bought as a wild camper. I like its simplicity and how compact it is. I found having to keep topping up with fuel blocks for larger cooking challenges a bit annoying so don't use it much now. I know some people use Fire Dragon's fuel gel instead - in the same well of the stove. Another great review Ben. Many thanks.

[@daleyoutdoors]

Cheers Ben 👍I like the BCB for making a cuppa and rehydrating a meal, for anything else I’ll probably stick to gas. Thanks for watching mate 😊

[@r.davies2702]

I use my BCB stove regularly and never bothered to clean out the residue, my attitude is that it help the next use burn a little longer. Also, there should be a code. On the lines of leave no trace, no camping near someone who's already set up. The outdoors is huge, find somewhere else.

[@daleyoutdoors]

Yeah I agree. I was too tired to care at that point though - I know we say arrive late but 10pm is nearly my bed time lol

[@baldvale5418]

I fully agree, it's a pet hate that people should leave and respect outher people's space. Isn't it flipping obvious that someone camping in the middle of nowhere is there for the piece and quiet!

[@1invag]

They were 25 metres away I read these comments before getting to that part of the video and was expecting them to have set up six feet away the way everyone was acting all offended, I was thinking the cheeky gits then... 25 metres haha. They're hardly on top of him. Those accursed astro photographers are notorious for being menaces to polite society hahaha, I doubt the snoring would have kept them up, if they were doing astrophotography they'd have been up all night that's why they were there lol

[@r.davies2702]

@@1invag That's a fair comment. I was speaking from my perspective. If I'd have seen someone already set up I'd have carried on a little further.

[@daleyoutdoors]

@@1invag 25m was a (probably wrong) guess. They were close enough for me to hear what they were saying so definitely close enough to head my snoring 😁

[@paulathomas4944]

I've been using one of these stoves for a few years now (since 2018). I really like its simplicity; there's nothing to go wrong. It may be a bit less efficient than some other sold fuel stoves but it still gets the job done. Unlike Hexamine, the Fire Dragon fuel is food safe, doesn't produce Cyanide gas when burning, is impervious to water and lights easily with the spark from a ferro rod. I have found that a decent wind shield markedly improves its performance. I just use one of those cheap, folding aluminium ones and arrange it be as close around the stove as possible so that as much flame as possible hits the pot rather than getting blown away on the wind. I use both the blocks and the gel fuel. They seem to perform about the same AFAICT. The gel has the slight advantage that after a bit of practice you can pour out just enough for the particular task. The only gotcha I've found with the gel is that if it gets cold overnight (around 0 degrees) it gets very hard to pour out of the nozzle so in winter either keep it in your sleeping bag overnight or take some blocks for cooking the breakfast with in the morning. All-in-all I'm happy with this little stove. I've used for everything from cooking a bit of lunch whilst out on a cycle day ride to multiple days away and it's never let me down.

[@BaronTheBlue]

I love the BCB Crusader System! I got the old one (MKI?) with the stainless steel Pot. I always carry it with me for day hikes during the cold months, it is great for a quick tea or coffee and you can make enough in one go for three people. I sometimes carry it with me even for longer tours where I just need hot water for lunch. The nesting system and the Osprey water bottle are a really neat design, maybe a bit on the heavy side, but most of the weight is of course the water you would be carrying anyways. I bought the BCB stove for my dad and he is really pleased with it. Always looking forward to your next video, love your down to earth attitude!

[@daleyoutdoors]

Thanks mate, I really appreciate it. I really like the stove so far :)

[@andyventures6574]

That is on my wants list. I already use the bottle and plastic mug, just need the stove and metal cup. (and pouch),

[@johncrouch8988]

Hi 👋🏻. I never use gas. Too loud if you want to be quiet and spot wildlife around you. I’ve use the hexi blocks and meth stoves for 40 years now and they have never failed me. That’s good enough for me. Good video. 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@daleyoutdoors]

Cheers John, thanks for watching! Ben

[@theoldhobbit3640]

The BCB lightweight field cooker replaced the older Hexi block cooker as used by the British Forces. This cooker is designed to boil water for either a hot drink or to rehydrate field rations, not to make a sunday roast on!! It totally fulfills its purpose and is one of the best little emergency stoves any back packer can carry. As you will probably have guessed, I have used both the Hexi and Fire Dragon when serving and I carry the BCB whenever I out and one in my EDC. My preferred field cooker is the Crusader MKII which is an all in one cook system and uses multiple fuel such as gel block, hexi or esbit solid fuel, a trangia and or small twigs, versite and very reliable. Thank you for sharing your experiences with the rest of us........... Oh by the way, the BCB is totally safe in terms of fumes and eco friendly however hexi will kill you if used incorrectly........

[@daleyoutdoors]

Good to know - thanks 👍And thanks for watching 😊

[@andyventures6574]

I posted a Vid on this stove last week. I love it for dayhikes - small, portable and good enough for a brew and a dehydrated lunch. Cheap to buy, cheap to run.

[@daleyoutdoors]

Yeah I’m liking it so far 👍

[@michaelpotter4425]

Great little stoves as you say not the best for a big cook but can be used 🍻

[@daleyoutdoors]

Yeah I think so - Thanks for watching Michael!

[@JohnHawkins]

I really like my BCB stove, it's the only thing I use out in the wild. I found it works a bit better with one of those concertina wind shield things around it. Agree though it's a bit all or nothing - you get the 8 minutes or whatever of burn, which (in the right conditions) is enough to bring a billy can of water to boil, but it's not easy to stop it if you don't need the whole 8 minutes. So yea it's maybe not well suited for anything more complicated than boiling water. If that's all you want to do though, it's great. The whole stove just about fits inside my billycan, including as you showed three fuel blocks - that makes for an extremely compact cookset.

[@r.davies2702]

You can extinguish the flame with a short sharp blow, or failing that just place a bit of tin foil over the flame. I do this when I boil enough for a quick coffee.

[@daleyoutdoors]

Yes it seems good so far 😊I’ll use my gas stove for anything more complicated than boiling water up though 👍

[@chrisf5475]

I’ve used mine a few times at home and the gel fuel blocks burn for around 12 mins… plenty long enough to boil a 600ml pot of water. But took it out for the first time and it was a bit windy… a block was gone in less than 4 minutes before barely browning off the skin on some sausages. These things REALLY need a wind shield.

[@awatt]

I modified my fire dragon stove to use meths. Not strictly necessary but I like using meths. I can store two twenty millilitre bottles of meths in the stove that will boil about eight hundred millilitre of water which is more than enough for a day hike. I made a trangia style burner from small drink cans. I use it with the smaller trangia mess tin mainly because it has a lid. It was my go to setup during lockdown when I used it to rehydrate a meal and make a warm drink as all the pubs were closed. I didn't want to draw too much attention so something that fits neatly in a pocket was ideal.

[@daleyoutdoors]

Sounds like a great idea - I might have to give that a go 😊👍

[@bcbin]

Great to see the folding cooker set going to good use 🔥

[@daleyoutdoors]

Thanks! It's had plenty of use since too 😊

[@trishamy6512]

My brother has one of the stoves and he got one for me too. I haven't used mine yet but he cuts the blocks into three and uses one piece to boil a cup of water for one cuppa. Less mess and waste looking forward to trying mine. I enjoy your videos btw thanks for sharing them😊

[@daleyoutdoors]

Thanks Trish 👍it seems like a good little stove so far. Thanks for watching 😊

[@RMinkjunkie]

Nice vlog mate cracking sunrise. I’m a former Royal Marine them cookers are designed to be able to kick the flame out and bug out if attacked my the enemy cheap as Chips but do a great job. They are designed to fit mess tubs and the pans you no the silver square pans that’s what military use and they work really well on them if you want a pan for it snd they are not expensive to 👍🏼👍🏼

[@daleyoutdoors]

Thanks mate 😊 ah yes I knew the military used them but hadn’t thought about a mess tin. I might give one a go 👍

[@RMinkjunkie]

@@daleyoutdoors no problem at all mate 👍🏼

[@dougdixonhull]

I got the same type of stove from GoOutdoors but with the solid fuel tablets. I basically got it to throw into a side pocket of my pack as an emergency stove. Worth the money I think I paid £5 for it.

[@daleyoutdoors]

Nice one Doug. I don’t think you can go wrong for that price 👍

[@jackskelton6501]

You have gained a new subscriber :) keep up the good videos man

[@daleyoutdoors]

Thanks Jack! Appreciate it :)

[@jackskelton6501]

@@daleyoutdoors i use this stove my self and its great really light aswell.

[@wozwandering4255]

Nice little camp Ben like what you done with the channel update 💪👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@daleyoutdoors]

Cheers mate 👍Thanks for watching as always 😊

[@ridz9532]

Ey up mate! Great video. You can buy the gel in pouches as well. dunno if its cheaper, but less packaging Take care Phill

[@daleyoutdoors]

Ah ok I'll have a look at the gel - cheers Phill!

[@ramosfx221]

There’s all that space around you and they tent up that close? I really hope your snoring kept them up 🤣

[@daleyoutdoors]

Me too! 😂

[@robmulcahy317]

It’s a pity the gel is useless. I flatten the sides of the gel container and use an alcohol puck burner. The Trangia also fits, but then the windshield won’t go on. It’s a great, lightweight usable stove in my opinion.

[@lew9223]

Enjoying your videos Ben, great little stove the BCB, like you say though good for a brew or water for a dry meal. I stick a little bit of tin foil in the 'well' to catch the gel residue & keep it clean. Thanks, keep the vids coming sir. 👍

[@daleyoutdoors]

Good idea - thanks Lew! 👍

[@Yorkshiremadmick]

Nice 👍🏻 setup. The Bcb you can use gel in it. I got 1litre off eBay for £6:99 Nice sunrise

[@daleyoutdoors]

Ah I’ll have a look at that - cheers Michael! 👍

[@Yorkshiremadmick]

@@daleyoutdoors Here’s the eBay link I used. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Fire-Dragon-Gel-Fuel-1-Litre-/333873439876?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m2548.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

[@stevew585]

i gave up the Gas a while ago, I'm strictly Trangia 27 these days, I love it and wouldn't go back to Gas.

[@James.979]

Hello Ben. Just looking at your new shimmering shinny stove, and - listening to your comments on the cost of the fuel blocks !! I would imagine that as we are (hopefully easing - please God) out of the C19 pandemic 🤮 that all the £ stores will be off - loading all their “hand sanitizer” gels. These are excellent as they contain alcohol - and they can be used as an alternative fuel source in an emergency situation or even in any camp situation. I used the impregnated alcohol paper ones from my office, and the free ones from (McDonalds front door) to use sometimes if I need to get my camp ⛺️ fire 🔥 up and running in the morning - as I can’t be bothered flapping about on “conventional” methods of rubbing two sticks together !! (Not) It’s a Bic lighter from £ land from me !! I see that there was a little “box reservoir” in your stove which could contain the gel during the 🔥 burning and heating of your food / water. Those little stoves are excellent in an all-nighter or emergency situation. I remember them from my Scout days !! not sure why they put a wind break in them now - as you would need a good set of lungs 🫁 to blow out the flame 🔥 They were designed to withstand heavy rain fall and heavy gusts of wind. Good vid as always !! Take care and stay safe 😷 James.....

[@daleyoutdoors]

Cheers James, you're right there will be plenty of sanitiser around soon! Not sure about the wind shield, it does help make the stove stronger too and prevent it from closing up when you put lots of weight on on it but probably not needed all the time :)

[@seasoldier3902]

RMinkjunkie 1664 1664 provided some sound advice on how to use the stove and fuel. When using MOD mess tins use the smaller mess tin to cook or boil water with the larger mess tin on top as lid. Reduces the amount of time to heat food/water. When finished, rub the base of the mess tin on grass, or in the dirt. This action will remove the soot from the fuel and save your water for drinking or washing those important places on the body!! Again the choice of stove will be governed by experience, combined with the aim of your expedition into the wild and woolly bits. Once out on the hill you will have the time to use this method of heating food etc. However if time is something you need to heed then a gas cooker may be more prudent to use.

[@daleyoutdoors]

I think I’ll stick to gas for anything more than a cuppa and dehydrated meal. I do need to get myself some mess tins though 👍

[@AnthonyJohnson1]

Oh no! Our favourite secret spot has been infiltrated by other campers! I hope your snoring did indeed keep them awake. Serves them right for pitching next to you when there’s about another 10 acres of land to choose from 🙈

[@daleyoutdoors]

Yep. I think they were trying to do some astrophotography and pitched next to their cameras, but still - you can see the sky from anywhere 😁

[@RMinkjunkie]

Also you are meant to scrape a few inches down into the mud the fix the stove in a little whole it gives better wind protection and the fuel burns more stable

[@daleyoutdoors]

Thanks 👍

[@nicolab2075]

I'll try that, thanks!!

[@ramblingracheltrailtales]

Nice little stove, good for those on a budget. 😌

[@daleyoutdoors]

Cheers Rachel 👍I like it so far 😊

[@Flexaret]

I've used the BCB stove, it'll heat a boil in the bag (Wayfarer/Ration Pack) too. Not brilliant in a breeze unless you can shield it from the wind but even your rucksack will do set a few feet away. I more often use the Crusader mk1 Cooker and mug though, sometimes with the gel blocks sometimes with alcohol and a coil of stove rope set in the burner cup. That's a heavier option than a titanium mug and the BCB cooker but it fit's my system of Crusader mug/58 pattern bottle and 58 pattern plastic mug better. p.s Summit to Eat clearly can't spell "BOLOGNESE"

[@daleyoutdoors]

Haha I didn’t even notice the spelling 😁I need to look into these crusader stoves 👍

[@Flexaret]

@@daleyoutdoors To be honest the crusader stove and mug is a lot heavier than your bcb/ti pot set-up. What I like about the Crusader set-up is that the Crusader mug nests in the Crusader burner and the 58 pattern 1 litre bottle and 58 pattern plastic mug nest in the Crusader mug. There are 4 versions of the Crusader, mk1 & mk2 both available in plain stainless or non-stick. The mk1 which I use is slightly more compact and I opted for plain stainless as basically I mainly re-hydrate or re-heat and they're not difficult to clean anyway. The burner cup on the Crusader cooker can take alcohol without leaking although I keep a piece of stove rope in the cup to reduce the chance of it spilling. I've changed it slightly just this week by putting the stove rope in an shallow airgun pellet tin (H&N pellets) which has a screw on lid. The pellet tin fits in the burner cup and I made a sealing washer from 3mm nitrile sheet which means it functions similar to a Trangia burner in that unused fuel can be saved in the sealed tin. Anyway, I enjoy your uploads, I still like the look of the Helm but I'll resist as I'm not in the market for that type of tent, I have seen a tent on Aliexpress that interests me though, saw it a couple of months ago at around £70 in Grey or Green, didn't act at the time, now it's £100 + and only in grey, such is life :-)

[@grahamlavers8128]

Very similar to the Hexamine stoves the military use

[@TaxTheMonkey]

Yes, exactly what we used to have, still available here www.armynavystores.co.uk/army-accessories-c14/cadets-c78/kombat-portable-hexi-stove-cooker-p161 Edit: @ Ben, carrot in Bolognaise?! What is the world coming to! Regarding the couple camping so close it does seem to defeat the object of wild camping. I think I'd have been tempted to be noisy as possible packing away.

[@daleyoutdoors]

Ah i'll look into those - thanks! :)

[@AndyWragg]

@@daleyoutdoors Don't bother Ben - Hexi blocks stink in storage and whilst being burnt, in fact it's quite harmful fumes, not for enclosed spaces, and burn with a very dirty residue that cacks up your cookware. You're much better with the firedragon blocks, the only downside is they don't burn well in cold temps and can be tricky to ignite. Also you could put hexi blocks out but you cant do that with the gel blocks. Strong winds make them burn much faster than desired and a lot of the heat is lost out the front of the stove. The crusader system works better but is a bit on the heavy side.

[@daleyoutdoors]

@@AndyWragg thanks Andy 👍I’d just started looking into them 😁

[@kurtsteiner8384]

Been issued in uk millitary since 1950s but a little different. Issied with solid wax cartridges ok to boill water. Good kit but has its limitations just emergency use really could not do a lot of cookinv on this.

[@steveclark..]

Isn't the 'wind shield' part more about preventing the sides fold in when a heavy pot/mug is placed on top? I do own a similar stove with hexamine blocks, I've heard that those gel blocks can evaporate over time even when still sealed so watch out for that.

[@daleyoutdoors]

I guess it will go both. I’ll keep an eye out for evaporation 👍

[@sorenbaek9626]

Oh look there is a lone camper in his tent in the middle of nowhere lets go and set our tent up right next to him completely ignoring all the available alternative thousands of square acres because we are total winkers. Never ceases to amaze me how quickly you can be alone again when the old tourettes kicks in, well its that or the staffy !

[@robmontier3770]

Same with car parks. You can have the biggest car park on the planet. You park your car there. You're the only one- within 10 minutes. Somebody will park next to you.!

[@bradjones2924]

Which quilt did you get from Ali express I've clicked on the link there is 3 different prices be good if you can do a review of it

[@daleyoutdoors]

Hi mate, I got the 'IF516' model in green. I plan to do a long term review soon :)

[@WanderingHaggis]

great video as always. think ill get 1 of these to make my brews. would these damage the grass below? keep up the good work.

[@daleyoutdoors]

I’m not sure I’ve only used mine in rock 🤔

[@keithchapman2040]

The stove maybe a little better if there were two wind guards, one for each side might make it for effiecent.

[@daleyoutdoors]

Yes true. Might be worth buying a second one for £1.99 just for the windshield 👍

[@andyventures6574]

I have experimented with and without my windsheild (have a forclaz one). Definately better with.

[@r.davies2702]

A bit of tin foil does the trick. Cheap and effective.

[@jimmys60ny]

I truly worry about using any type of naked flame outdoors, too many wild fires over the last few years.

[@daleyoutdoors]

Just needs a bit of common sense, which isn’t that common unfortunately. I’d guess the Jobsworth type stoves are the safest from that respect as the flame is hidden away 👍

[@jimmys60ny]

@@daleyoutdoors I use a flameless system, it does job for hikes up to a week. But then again I live on porridge, nuts and cous cous plus the odd pub or cafe meal when walking. I am thinking of going cold soak. It seems to work for a lot of people.

[@YoureNowOnTV]

Nice video!. 😀👍 What did you use to shoot these video's back then? I was trying to see what it was from the shadow but other than the obvious Rode Mic I wasn't sure if it was a GoPro or something else.

[@daleyoutdoors]

This was the glory days of the DJI Osmo Action 👌

[@YoureNowOnTV]

@@daleyoutdoors Cool! thanks for the reply. What do you use now?

[@daleyoutdoors]

@@YoureNowOnTV GoPro Hero 10

[@YoureNowOnTV]

@@daleyoutdoors Thanks for the info. Love your work 😉👍

[@scottnewton9370]

Is this just like chafing fuel ? I find those tins to be belting but maybe this system burns hotter ?

[@daleyoutdoors]

Not sure mate I've never used chafing fuel :(

[@scottnewton9370]

@@daleyoutdoors I will check up . I use Olympia chafing fuel gel tins . Great for warming the tent as well as cooking . If you ventilate of course , 6 hr burn time per tin for less than a quid

[@affalaffaa]

Something mentally about some people that means they have to camp near to someone else. Years ago, when at a campsites and putting myself out of the way of others, I could almost guarantee that someone would camp within a few meters before the end of day. It happened time after time. Never had that wildcamping and even adjusted my planned camp on my last hike after seeing another tent in some woodland. We're there for an experience not to be shared frankly and it's just rude to camp (wildcamp) near someone else.

[@daleyoutdoors]

Agreed 🙌 Thanks for watching mate 👍

[@ironkid8836]

What are the exped mats like?

[@daleyoutdoors]

I love them. Still use one now.

[@ironkid8836]

@@daleyoutdoors there aren't many reviews online for em I use their drybags for motorcycle camping alot ,their tents do seem overpriced tho I have the helm 1 compact aswell great lil ⛺

[@clifficus]

👍😃

[@daleyoutdoors]

Thanks for watching Cliff :)

[@kmag7122]

was useing them back in the 80s with the cadets it's nothing new u 🤓fire dragon my ass

[@daleyoutdoors]

I didn’t say it was new…

[@Adventures_with_Sog]

What a faf. I'll take my chance with gas thanks, lol.

[@daleyoutdoors]

Lol - I’ll stick to gas for anything more than boiling water up for a cuppa or dry meal. The BCB will probably come with me on day hikes more than camps TBH 👍

[@HardyBunster]

I would of told the other campers to respect my camp and move on out of it. They don’t have any etiquette these days. 🤨

[@daleyoutdoors]

I was far too tired to bother to be honest, they didn't make much noise I just knew they were there and kept listening for them lol

[@linedwell]

That's just rude! camping near someone else is a no no. Cheeky beggars.

[@daleyoutdoors]

Haha - glad it wasn't just me thinking that :)

[@stephanpoulsdelaford2991]

It's a hexi stove same as we used to get in the military ok but take a while to cook with just a heads up. Not a complain but long grass and shorts you need to make people aware of tics how to check how to remove with fic fork and the disease they cause Lyme's that I'm not sure if they have a cure for yet it's important and part of health and safety for wild camping and long grass and brush I like your civilian attitude and product testing good man