Unboxing & First Impression of Crusader Cook Kit. 

Great review. I'm a military surplus sort of guy... 1860's Army surplus that is. It is made completely out of metal and is not as cool or light as the new stuff, but just about every piece of it can be used over fire if need be. Enjoy your kit. Cheers!

I have all three kits. Just picked up the British style BCB Dragon set. The stove you received is the earlier stove. Some trangias and nockoffs will fit. If you have an earlier model, it is bigger and does not fit. I ordered a newer stove that is taller and has ventilation holes. The fuel ring is bigger and holds the old trangia. Fuel wise, the Dragon gel fuel you have does burn cleaner than the other hexamine . And they don't give off toxic fumes. I'm an alcohol guy. I bought some oven door insulation called fire rope and spiraled it into the fuel cup. I use 1 OZ. of Heet in yellow bottle and always get a boil on 16oz of water. You will find that with the Dragon blocks and the other solid fuels you will need 2 to 3 to get a boil. Depends on conditions. Toss the plastic lid. With use it will deform and cause problems. Guy on etsy makes metal ones. Try the alcohol trick. Works very well and doesn't leave nasty residue. I found the bag too tight so i went to Colemans Surplus online and ordered a used tall, slender bag that works better and has a little room for utensils and a small towel and a small bottle of alcohol. Enjoy your kit!

Kit: Crusader Cup SS Mk1 - the OG, seek and buy this one! Add an Osprey bottle & cup. Add a Mk2 cook base i.e. the one that will fit a Trangia. Add a Pathfinder School cook kit SS lid for $10 - a loose but useful lid. Store all and a KFS, fire kit in a Tactical Pouch from Temu as the OEM BCB bag is not good. An outstanding outdoors kit. Worth the cost if assembled correctly. Will last a zillion years.

Yes i have had a BCB Crusder cook kit for a lot of years , i run in to some guys hiking on vacation that were British SAS. i like his Pattern 1958 canteen & Crusader kit he really like my WW2 USGI canteen cup kit. so i got his canteen kit he got the WW2 cateen kit , i have been used it for years now , but still have 2 more WW2 USGI canteen cups kits ,

I bought a BCB Crusader MK2 about 6 months ago and it was better than I thought it would be. I modified the stove a bit so you can feed sticks through the front and side without taking the cup off. Thinking about getting the stainless cup from the MK 1. Great kit!

New subscriber here. I have used the crusader system for many years now, almost 30 years. It has served me well very well. It is my most used piece of kit. The designers got it right.

Cute, this is one of those items that go in the "if I didn't already have similar gear" category. Nicely done review. Thank you.

The Generic kit you talk about is a knock off of our German set. There was no cooking done with it-max was putting water in and heating up a foil packet with food. You can use all parts in one hand to get your rations when out in the field-you use the slit to hook the insert into the top lid, and have the bigger pot in the hand, using the grab handle in 90° open position and grabbing in the pal of the hand the handle with the two little pots. This way you could get your tea in the top lid, the main course in the big pot, and the dessert in the last small cup. We had an aluminium bottle for water that was separate. And we had a set of cutlery and an esbit stove. The Stuff you had on the British canteen is from BCB-british company that makes a lot of different outdoor/military stuff. The cammo pattern is British multicam. You can get different surplus pouches for relatively cheap as used stuff-same pattern if you like it;-)

You might check out self-reliance outfitters for there kits. I really like the way you present the kits! Thanks for sharing this with us! ❤🎯💯🤝👍🫡

This kit is used by the British army, they were only issued the plastic cup in the initial batch. Eventually the British command spent a bit extra and they got the crusader cups. As one of my British colleagues told me if they don't have tea each day they will turn into a Frenchman. So they need to be able to boil water. Over here those cost 50-65 Euro. The Bundeswehr mess kit replica is about 25 Euro (used issue 12-15) and you will still need to get a canteen with it. So it will depend on what you want to use it for. I always mix and match my surplus. Usually on camping trips the Bundeswehr or Czech mess kit combined with the Dutch or French canteen with cup. When i go on large treks i just carry either the 1943 replica US canteen or the BCB one you had today. Enjoy it as you are less likely to burn your mouth using it than the US canteen that you don't pour into a plastic mug. When on trek i usually carry a folding cup for that purpose.

Good Afternoon ! That's a Cool Cook Kit. I Know we'll be seeing that out & about. TAKE CARE..

Cool music, and great new location shots. Neat cookset, good option

Nice kit Always wanted the crusader stove only to try with my US canteen cup. I have the old style with the L shaped handle. I have a Swiss canteen. Its plastic and holds 800ml. I like using a trangia burner. The Swedish kit is built for the trangia but they are getting very expensive.

👍 I liked your review as well as your initial videography. I have the Pathfinder Canteen/Cup set as well as the Crusader set. I do exactly what you suggested, I take both. The Pathfinder is my drinking water and the Crusader is my cook system. I like that the Crusader kit comes with 2 cups so you can drink while eating your meal. Food is easy to pack and depending where one camps may need to be stored away from camp. No matter which of the 3 you select you will need fuel and possibly a stove. The Crusader seems to address that better than the other 2 I have. There is an aftermarket bale that works well with the Crusader kit. I also had the Pathfinder version of the Swedish Military cook Kit. I sold it preferring to use the combination described above.

Sorry about that lengthy intro... but I had them blues baby and had to let the song play out.

That's an awesome kit! Been watching folks use the BCB Crusader for years. I have a US military canteen kit. Ordered a stainless bottle for mine and got a lid to help with cooking. They make a stove for the US kit also that will nest in the same pouch you have. Pretry sure they make stainless and or titanium bottles for the crusader mug also if you wanted to swap out that plastic one. I'm fairly certain the Trangia alcohol stove will fit in place where you had the sterno style fuel and allow that bail to close properly. My understanding with that kidney shape was probably left over from the US stuff and it was designed that way to allow it to conform to the body when worn on a belt and placed about the center of ones hip. I'd bet that plastic mug might be nice to enjoy your hot beverages out of without burning your lips. That firesteel I think should be a Light My Fire firesteel. I've watched the guys use that fire dragon gel before also to cook with. Me personally I'm not sure I'm sold on the idea of a fuel source like that. Thank you for reminding folks to test their gear out. Sure yours is a proven system, but being familiar with it will help make life easier if you need to rely on it in a messy situation. As for what to cook in the mess kit, I'd say make a soup of some kind and bake some bannock. Pouch definitely looks like multicam to me. Have an awesome weekend brother.

Pretty fair review. The Army canteen can also have a stove. I would have liked to see the Stanley two cup mess kit also compaired.

I have a MK1 and a MK2. Don't use the plastic lid for cooking, get a pathfinder lid as the plastic one will melt. The plastic lid works best at keeping heat in the plastic cup that holds my beverage. I used a stainless welding rod and made a rack that gives the MK1 the air space needed to use the flat Titanium Boundless Voyage Alcohol stove with it. Esbit tabs work well in these also.

Very honest and informative unboxing. This is the first time I've seen one of your videos and I like the way you present things. I've seen the Crusader Cook Kit used in other videos by our UK brothers and I've been impressed with it. But, I agree with you on the price and I also have questions about the size. A Trangia can be used with the kit rather than the fuel tabs. The old reliable GI canteen with the old style stove, cup and lid can be purchased, as you pointed out, for less than half the cost of the Crusader. I'd love to have the Crusader but I don't think I'd pay the price necessary to own one. Thanks for taking the time to make the video.

John- EXCELLENT choice of music! New sub!

It looks like a great system. Personally I prefer to buy good quality stuff the first time around then I don't have to upgrade in the future. It might take extra time to save up the money but you buy once. I'm a retired Carpenter and I used to see other people buying low quality tools and having to replace them over and over again. My motto is by the best and forget the rest. That was some nice scenery by the way, good photography.

BCB M1 N BCB M2 N THE USGI WW1 N WW2 and today . The BCB M2 is good in a backpack but not on your belt the USGI IS THE BEST YOUR ME backp n belt. And the Swedish mess kit is the best for me and yes i have a lot of mess kits to play with and will try more mess kits in later in life. Thanks for sharing and can't to see more of your videos.

Awesome video and awesome brother always cherish family you take care my friend and GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY

👍👍👍 .. good post with some handy tips in the comments, especially regarding to the use of alcohol fuel as on alternative. My take is that the the BCB Set is specific for the Military and their Ration setup .. 'Boil-in-Bag' or Freeze-dried. Myself .. I prefer Plastic Drinking Cups. I like to sip my hot beverages HOT .. with a plastic mug, or a metal insulated winter one with a plastic lid .. less chance of blistered lips. A plastic mug weighs almost nothing and attaches to my pack with a carabiner .. had mine for over 15 years now. An aside, watching you walking those tracks .. my time as an underground supervisor on the South African Gold Mines. Walking into the workings and approaching the active 'working development / tunnel face' .. freshly-laid track work, I used to walk along the wooden sleepers. A steady gait told me that the sleeper-spacing was correct .. 0.75 metres centre to centre 👍 😊. Thanks for sharing .. and the memories 'dug up' 😏. Take care ..

I have a US military canteen kit that has a kind of stove that fits into the canteen cover along with the cup.

Great intro music!

There is a modification I have seen-if you roll up some fiber glass gasket rope in the mid of the "burner", you can fill that with methyl spirits. So you can use liquid fuel;-) Have fun!

I love those British mess kits but for 65 smackers you could get 2 us model molle2 complete canteen sets and double your cooking ability and boiling water. One could be disinfecting with iodine tabs while the other ready for drinking as well

Good review, I have the BCB Crusader Mk2 with the Mk1 stainless steel cup. The Mk2 can use and store the Trangia B25 burner internally. The Crusader is a great “all-in-one” relatively compact system for solo / single person trips, but you’ll have to carry a separate fuel bottle. You would be correct about the canteen being only for cooking, I carry a separate water bladder (3L) for drinking, I also carry an additional 32 oz Nalgene for mixing electrolyte drink mixes.

That metal mug will out live you & several generations to follow. The water bottle is basically Brit. 58 pattern & has been kicked around camp for over 60 years now. I have a crusader 2 cooker which does accomodate a trangia however a small twig fire, the metal mug & water bottle are all you really need to brew a cuppa.

got issued the steel mug when it first came out when i was in still using it. if you fill dish section in base unit with meths ( think you call it denatured alcohol in states ) you can just boil a 3/4 full mug of water.

I have a stove w/ my military canteen plus a lid and that all nests together and fits into the pouch. Plus some extras. The dragon fire fuel is very expensive.

I replaced the canteen and cup with surplus items. The “civilian” versions are not manufactured to the same quality. I also use the surplus Osprey canteen pouch rather than the crappy pouch that came with the set. I have the Mk1 burner and stainless steel cup. I believe the Mk2 is aluminium. The Mk1 is heavier but in my opinion more robust. Both types of burner can take the Trangia gel fuel burner in the bottom which works a treat. (It’s really just a 80mm diameter aluminium tin). Only problem I have is getting hold of the fuel gel which is not available in Australia. I therefore use a similar product that is used in fondue burners.

A popular mod to the BCB stove is to coil some glassfibre rope into the small burner pan (some people put the rope in a shoe polish tin which fits inside the burner pan letting them choose between alcohol or solid fuel tabs). That lets you burn alcohol with less chance of spillage. You can usually boil a cup of water (250ml) with 1/2 oz of alcohol. I predict that the plastic lid will get ditched and replaced with a homemade aluminium one within six months.

Your first cooking with the Crusader should be some sort of British meal, whatever that entails.

I got the LIXADA Camping Cookware Stainless Steel Canteen Cup on Amazon. It comes with a hanger for the cup.

I researched vintage military canteen mess kits many years ago. My favorite is still the Soviet paratrooper (VDV) canteen.

I've been eyeing the stainless-steel crusader cup for a while, don't care for the rest of it. I prefer the Nalgene oasis canteen because you can fill it with hot water. I have the stainless-steel Swiss type of cook kit from the pathfinder outfit PFM40

looks like the Swedish m/40 canteen which is oval with wind protection for the burner. had one like that when doing military service 40 years ago.

Next to steaming in an mre bag, steaming ramen noodles in my canteen cup is my 2nd favorite way to cook them. (Not that ramen is a goto, but it is my "jam" food in my work bag

Nice set but I'll stay with my Maxi Titanium canteen cup and Firebox Gen 2 , Nano titanium stove along with the Evernew titanium alcohol burner. Everything fits inside the Maxi canteen cup and it's storage bag.

It's horses for courses isn't it. Used a Crusader kit for years and they are very sturdy and reliable except the plastic lid. For my uses the US GI type system just works a little better, it has tonnes of variable options available, the Crusader system, not so much. Half the fun is figuring out what you can get out of each piece of gear and the pros and cons anyway and the Crusader system won't let you down on that front!

The Trangia meth burner fits into the ring of your burner. Then use a cross on the Trangia to place the metal cup on while cooking. An additional wind shield can be useful, too.

the mk 1 Crusader cup was designed to be soldier proof, so far they've been proved right unfortunately transatlantic shipping costs are a real kick in the teeth

I want one for Christmas, or this weekend would be great.

Top drawer kit will never let you down

I have been eyeballing the crusader mk 2. The stove is improved and will work with your sterno. But the cost is why I haven't pulled the trigger yet

It is an awesome system. Looked at them for years but can’t stand the shipping cost for authentic one

A Kelly Kettle and a pan sounds like the better deal🤗

I have a couple of the Crusader kits. I like them better than the US system. The plastic US canteen leeches a horrible plastic taste into the water. You can get a Nalgene version of that canteen for around $10.00. I don’t carry any of that stuff anymore. It’s way too heavy. I use Smart Water bottles for canteens. Don’t use anything that is stainless steel.

Nice but I already have a lot of camping gear and stoves too …Canteen and extra water bottles normally or a Boy Scout size mess kit . But I do like your spam safe container. Have fun and don’t run away yet …At least wait until after November 5 th…

One thing people in warm climates don't get are the plastic/wooden cups and utensils. It doesn't make sense until you realise your face will get stuck on metal in the freezing cold. 😂 Cold environment people frown at metal cups.

Crusaders a pretty good kit! I would not spend the money personally! I bought the Pathfinders military canteen/ cup / stove For 45$ I think it is as good or better than the crusader ! If someone gifted me a crusader cook kit I would treasure it❤ !!

kislux versace bag is so cute

I don’t miss a day a week kislux This show..

I'm sure I can get some UK rations. They're actually oretgood!

58 patterned cup and canteen.

Great review!! Have you seen the mk2 of this kit?

There nice

The crusader cup is almost impossible to find in the USA at a decent price. Does anybody know where to find one?

The Stanley cook set is an excellent price value. Walmart $15. The crusader kit is a poor price value.

Hard to complain about free!!! Either you’re going to regift that kit or it’s going to collect dust in the basement!!

Thrift stores sell pots super cheap. 2$

@3:32 Reveal.

Looks cheap

Not impressed I would use old style metal gear any day