Yugoslavian Mess Kit // First Look & Cook

A surplus military mess cook unit, I tried it out for the first time, a couple of self inflicted issues to which I will iron out the next time I use it.

[@LegionarHR]

We use it in Croatian army, its good and I like it, i wish there is some kind of lid for it I always carried litle alu foil and i used it like lid/cover, poke few holes in it and its good btw can opener is on the knife, really easy to use :) edit: ok let me help you a little :D big plastic cup have some thing popping out from it, you put end of the metal handle in that and then you hold the handle and you will have metal cup from one side and plastic cup on other side, you hold the middle and then you go to your cook and then he put 2 meals in your pots, in little pot you put your coffe, tea or sode... hope it helps :)

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

Thank you for your information sir, very helpful, great comment and thanks a lot for watching

[@LegionarHR]

@@northernembersoutdoors1045 I am glad to be helpfull, glad that you understod my English xD , and thank you! for making videos for us, subbed

[@hansel498]

Greetings from South Africa....ive ordered one cant wait to try it out

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

That's great. Let me know how you get on. I bought some boerewors sausage today. Had it before, love it, a south African treat. Congrats on the world Cup win, I'm a kiwi😅

[@mothernatureskitchen9214]

Hi Chris great location! Lidl have alcohol hand gel for 99p that can be used as fuel. 500ml Cien brand. Do not know if the fuel tabs burn better but maybe worth a go. Keep up the good work.

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

Ah ha, that's really great to know thanks, I will definitely be going there to try that out, I didn't know you could use that hand gel like that, fantastic, cheers for the info and checking out the video. The location is within walking distance but not somewhere I usually go, there's a walking path so at times there was a lot of noise, distracted I missed out a couple of features, but I'll have another look in another video, cheers very much for that.

[@taff1538]

Great review, thanks for taking the time to review

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

Thank you and thanks for taking time out of your day to watch, much appreciated, cheers.

[@gregor6138]

Looked like a nice compact bit of kit . Like how the water bottle fits inside too and the shape and size of the whole thing looks good for small rucksack. Be good for a hike and no smoke either. Cheers Chris.

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

Thanks Gregor, I like it, it's nice and compact and as you mentioned the shape is actually quite good for packing. the fuel is expensive though, £2 to warm up soup and make tea, imagine doing that 3 times a day, £180 a month😂, that said no one would do that but I was told in another comment there to buy some alcohol hand wash from Aldi and use that and it's cheaper. I'm going to try the Trangia spirit burner to, cheers Gregor.

[@racoondiver]

Thanks for the review just got one on eBay very pleased

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

Glad I could help and cheers for watching, hope you're enjoying it, Cheers Chris

[@naturekitchens2244]

The kit looks so practical. I want buy that for my cooking in the nature.

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

Hi thanks, they only cost about £10, very cheap, cheers.

[@abefrohman1759]

Mess kits and stove can become an addition. 😎👍

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

You're not wrong, now I'm thinking to visit an army surplus warehouse if I can find one! see what's on offer, Cheers Abe

[@bundufundi]

Hi Chris, cool video! I am a fan of military surplus, it's generally tough and reasonably priced, not always the lightest though. Interesting to see this piece of kit, Iv'e not come across one before.

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

Hi mate, so am I, the next mission is to find an actual warehouse here (Scotland) where I can pop in and browse! Not the lightest especially if filling the bottle up with water, but it sure packs away well, refinement needed but a good bit of kit, cheers for watching.

[@Aaron-vk3mb]

Looks like a good way to save some space on belt kit. I bought 2 of those cookers from surplus & outdoors (made by BCB I think), unfortunately the fuel tabs are hard to come by in the US.

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

Hi Aaron. Cheers for your comment. I was told hand gel alcohol based can be used with those bcbs as it burns all the same but is a lot cheaper, not sure what it would be called by you, I find the fuel tabs quite expensive but also handy. Cheers for taking your time to watch the video, cheers Chris

[@NorwayHikesTrails]

Nice kit. Have my trusty Trangia from 1995 still works as a charm. Nice showcase and vid. Take care

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

Thanks, glad to hear you have the Trangia, it's a great piece of kit, good to have something with a bit of history, cheers for watching.

[@h.a.9880]

I recently ordered one of these and haven't yet gotten it, but I thought the design was rather neat and am looking forward to put it to the test myself. A waterbottle inside the messkit, a cup and a bowl together with the little pot seemed like a good deal. Now I realize that a lid or cover would be really neat, but if that's the only shortcoming of this messkit, it doesn't seem that bad. It seems like it's a very space-efficient solution, since you end up with a neat rectangular somewhat light-weight package, that also contains a bit of water for cooking or drinking.

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

Hello, let me know how you find it when you get it. It does pack away very nicely. The water bottle is a bonus. The only thing I need to sort is the fuel, I dont want to blacken it with fire but maybe a trangia type fuel will be better. It's good fun to use and I hope you enjoy it. Many thanks for watching and commenting, Cheers Chris

[@h.a.9880]

@@northernembersoutdoors1045 Will do. It might take some time though, can't do much outdoors stuff at the time :/

[@sameeral-delkan3811]

AS ALWAYS GREAT SCENERY 👍 KEEP GOING BRO 👍

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

Hello, a new forest for me, was very nice, but people walking about on paths so difficult to film, hope you are well, cheers Chris

[@BackcountryKiwi]

Very nice Chris. That looks like a cool little cook kit. Does the stove fit inside the kit? It's interesting that you can buy the actual stove for cheaper than i can (here in NZ) but I can buy the fuel tablets for cheaper. It costs me 4.14 pounds for 6 tablets. Also that's some beautiful woodland and the swannie looks great! Cheers mate.

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

Thanks Zeb. I wear the Swannie to make it look like I know what I'm doing😎😎👍. Aye the wee stove I have to take separately as there is no where to store it. The gels are really expensive, cheaper for you is good, an above comment mentions buying some alcohol based hand cleaner from aldi (supermarket here) and using that. £1 for 500mls. I'll have a try of it and see if it's any cheaper. I felt my grey hairs growing when one gel ran out, literally burning money! Cheers for the great comment, Chris

[@ReviloNZwalks]

Interesting kit but I quite like the look of it. Good to see the swannie out, cheers Chris

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

Thanks Jesse, it's a nice shape for packing away in the bag, once I find a cheaper fuel it'll bee a good bit of kit. When the ex military gear is on display the Swannie needs to come out so I look like I know what I'm doing😂😂😂😂😎😎

[@misolgit69]

If you're serious about using this regularly I suggest you order ! or 2 of the Swedish folding cups they come in à 300ml and a 600ml size and take up very little room when packed

[@jorvikoutdoors]

Great vid, new sub, look forward to watching more vids atb Lee

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

Thanks for that. Hope you're enjoying it, thanks for subbing to, Cheers Chris

[@jorvikoutdoors]

Oh BTW, just bought one, there awesome atb Lee

[@medusaman1]

The alcohol stove is way to go to heat or cook meals. Using methylated spirit is super economical surpassed only by a wood burning stove.

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

Cheers for watching the video and commenting, deffo better to use metths for sure. I use it with my trangia 25 and 27 but also occasionally with other gear. It even fires up cast iron! Cheers again, Chris. Below is the vid with the cast iron kzbin.info/www/bejne/eqSsY4GFd9prpbssi=YLqpGVWTxGCj3oB9

[@medusaman1]

@@northernembersoutdoors1045 Thanks for the link to the vid. As a cast iron aficionado, I can vouch for this. It is the best cookware for the outdoors, not considering the weight if you have to carry it for some distance. Once properly seasoned, it is the best non stick utensil.

[@ssrc30]

I never seen one come with a spork before. I keep a Yugo kit in my vehicle kit plus another in my bushcraft/bugout bag.

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

Great idea having it in the car, it's a good bit of kit, especially for the price. Aye that spork didn't last a minute😅. Cheers for watching and commenting.

[@OutandaboutoutdoorswithRon]

Cool looking kit no doubt that was a poor spork lol

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

Ha ha aye, it was a token gesture I think. It's a great wee kit. One day I hope to fish like you do. cheers for checking this out.

[@SandybackOutdoors]

Beautiful forest Chris 👍. I'm not familiar with the Yugoslavian mess kit but it looks like a versatile piece of kit for not a lot of money. Shame about the cutlery. Take care bud. Atb, J 👍.

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

Hello buddy, thanks, I didn't expect to break the spork lol. For 10 bucks I'm not complaining. I like ex military stuff, reminds me of nz where we had massive warehouse of military gear, I miss it!

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

Hello again Jason, I watched an excellent video the other day about coppicing and the channel is called bundu fundi. I just noticed your comment on there as i watched the tomahawk axe video and noticed you ordered something, doe's he have a shop, and I'm being nosy, what did you get😎😎 cheers

[@SandybackOutdoors]

@@northernembersoutdoors1045 Hi Chris I contacted Trev direct. I'm not sure if he's got an online shop but his work is outstanding. He made me a belt and a sheath for the CS trail hawk. I really can't fault the standard of his workmanship. Thoroughly recommend him. Is there something in particular that you've got in mind?

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

@@SandybackOutdoors Thanks for the info mate, nothing just at the moment but maybe one day one of those axe covers for the handle to stop it getting damaged. I didn't see an online shop so was wondering what the craft was. Glad you're pleased with the purchase, I love the workshop that he has, cheers for replying, Chris 👍👍

[@NatureAndOther]

The wood you are in is very beautiful. This way to cook is way to expensive for me, I would eat the food cold, or make very small fire. The cooking pot look good and doesn't use any space.

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

Thanks Roni. I totally agree, it's very expensive, in fact if I used it to warm food 3 times a day like that the operating cost for gel would be £90 a month just to warm food. I'm going to try the spirit burner, I think that will be cheaper. I could use fire but I think it will blacken the mess tin too much. A nice compact unit, I'm going to try it again, thanks very much for a great comment, cheers Chris

[@LezleysAdventures]

those gel blocks do burn well but yes they cost a bit

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

Aye, I wont be buying them again ha ha, better to burn wood!

[@tanaicamp]

It's an interesting video. It was fun.

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@LEEANFARM]

👍🏻 👍🏻 👍🏻👍🏻 👍🏻

[@phyllismulkey3778]

nice kit

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

It's great, a bit of fine tuning required but it'll get used again for sure, cheers Phyllis.

[@thomasmusso1147]

👍👍👍 .. nice review, thanks. At a £ a pop for the fuel .. sounds like a bit of a rip-off to me. I use the equivalent Esbit Burner with Methylated Spirits / Equivalent or Alcohol-Based Gel Fuel out of a bottle. Here in Switzerland the Gel is known as 'Sicherheitsbrennpaste' (Safety Burning Paste) and is a far cheaper option (even at Swiss prices) than those Fire Dragon Blocks. Both fuels are available here in almost every Supermarket / similar Nation-Wide. Methinks .. 'give the burner away and make the cash on the fuel refills' .. very much like PC Printers and the replacement (non-refillable) Ink Cartridges. Hot soup on a cold day .. always welcome 😊.

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

Hello, great comment thanks. I must revisit the mess tin at some point. Right enough a £ a time is way way too much. I've had a few tips, like cheap hand gel etc, was thinking meths. I have the trangia burner. I don't want to use wood as will blacken the kit. Always good to hear good tips thanks

[@thomasmusso1147]

@@northernembersoutdoors1045 👍. Fill the meths burner with ceramic / glass wool or a roll of carbon cloth. It makes for a good wick and reduces very much the hazards associated with accidental spillage. My experience .. the burn efficiency doesn't appear to be much affected either.

[@nathanruben3372]

How safe to use to use aluminium?

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

Warming a soup should be no bother, maybe scrapping with metal cutlery is not a good idea, a couple of people have said to me that it can be toxic, I'm not sure if this is true. These things are designed really to have a meal out of and heat things up but not too really cook with.

[@pars4245]

can you pour hot water from the aluminum tin into the other containers or will they melt?

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

Hey there, the other containers can handle the hot water. I boiled up the tea in the aluminum tin and then poured it into the plastic lid to drink some tea, cheers.

[@pars4245]

@@northernembersoutdoors1045 tx!

[@StevenSiew2]

Most plastic can handle 100 C boiling water.

[@adamhinds8352]

good vid mate, good review

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

Thanks for the kind words there mate, a good bit of kit for the price, cheers Chris

[@billyaitken1713]

Different, that's for sure. 🍁🏕🔥🤠🤗

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

Thanks Billy, more experimental cooks I will try. Thanks for comment on last video, I replied but then took video down due to the fun police moaning😶.

[@billyaitken1713]

Northern Embers Outdoors Fair dinkum, you're the most inoffensive fellah I know😟🙁

[@billyloveland6303]

If you used the wind baffle on the side you Probably wouldn't of cooked your handle 👍

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

Hi there, totally agree, I saw it sitting to one side and thought that would make a difference, next time I'll give it a go, great call, cheers for the comment.

[@StevenSiew2]

The yugoslavian mess kit is perfect IF you have to carry your water with the mess kit. Otherwise go for the Swedish Mess Kit.

[@phillipbuchan9180]

Hey man, great video. Many of those fire gel fuels tabs or similar things can be frightfully expensive eh (two pounds just to heat up a meal is outrageous as far as I am concerned). Have you considered using cheap firelighters as a substitute? Mark Young has a video on the subject which you might appreciate... kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZnvYqJdppLKDfJI

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

Hey there, thanks for that, I really love comments like yours, cheers for the info, I'll check that out, I totally agree with you, I'd seen other people use the fuel tabs and I thought great, bought 6 expecting them to last ages ha ha, little did I know it would cost £2 to heat up soup and make a cup of tea, never again, some people recommended Aldi hand gel, a lot cheaper and does the job, I've not tried it yet but always looking for that cheaper alternative. thanks for your great comment, cheers Chris

[@phillipbuchan9180]

@@northernembersoutdoors1045 I personally have not experimented with using hand sanitiser as fuel, but hey it might work quite well in that stove. I have messed around with cheap firelighters (just like the ones in Mark Young's video) a fair bit (with stoves different from the one you show here but with the exact same mess kit - I quite like it!) and I perhaps should mention that they do tend to burn better if they have some air flow coming from underneath (ie with some holes in the base of the stove under and around them and/or being raised up on a thin wire grate) so possibly they might not burn so well in the stove you show here without some tweaking/modification. Thank you so very much for your appreciative remarks.