Small/cheap equipment

[Frnc]

Also you can use your normal pans on a bistro stove with no issues
On a camping stove they're a bit precarious..... I've dumped quite a few meals over the years due to a moments inattention

Too risky. I'm surprised it was even possible. They need aluminium or titanium pots about 1 litre in size with no handle on the side, or just a folding wire one. You buy a separate pot gripper. One of my stoves even has a smaller pot support you can buy to save a few grammes, which is for pots under 800ml. My pot is 1.1 litres. It has a wire handle plus a hanging loop to hang over an open fire.

[Frnc]

Fantastic answers as always. Thank you.

I mentioned to a friend of mine that I was looking for a stove and my issues with no flames in my tenancy agreement. She gave me a flameless stove she had in her loft and never used. It has chemical packs you put in the bottom and add water. Haven't quite got the hang of using it yet as always seem to overcook things.

I bought a 50 pack of tea lights and have hidden them. Don't tell my landlord

I have two good head torches as I use them while cycling. Got a wind up lantern which is pretty good and a wind up radio which sounds terrible.

For food preps I have started adding tins, jars, spices, tvp etc and a 5l bottle of water every week. I also have all my winter crops on the allotment.

My biggest problem is heat I think. My partner is always cold so I bought an electric blanket. She says it doesn't get warm enough and will put the heating on and use the blanket at the same time! Any suggestions for heating that's affordable would be helpful. I'm going to be fine as I'm happy putting on layers and getting under a duvet with a good book

Thanks everyone.

Re tea lights, make sure you use a glass or ceramic holder, and always watch them. Don't leave them unattended even for a few seconds. Don't move them while they are lit.

Re cold, I'm quite temperature sensitive. Most days now I wear thin wool socks, a cotton long sleeved tee, and Under Armour Armour Fleece 100% polyester joggers. Some days the joggers are too warm. Currently I have a flannel shirt on top. My room is 20.2 °C. If it drops to 19.5 I'll swap the shirt for a very thin wool jumper (actually oversize base layer). Below 19 I'd swap that for a thin fleece or put the heating on if the lodgers are in.

I have gloves I can use my computer with. One pair converts fingerless to mitt. They took so long to arrive I cut slits in some fleece gloves for two fingers and thumb on the right hand for trackpad and to make typing easier. I can poke my fingers through the holes, or not, and warm them up.

I wear slippers or hiking socks if it gets cold.

If you want thermal base layer, Mountain Warehouse Talus is good, and you can pick up a top for about £13 if you search around.

[GillyBee]

I had to work a whole winter in an office with broken heating. Average temperature was 16-17C. The landlord provided oil heaters but they were a drop in the ocean and finding one involved coming in early and hiding it under your desk. After a couple of weeks of tension headaches caused by my muscles tensing up in the cold I tried the M&S thermal tights under my trousers & had my first comfortable day in weeks. I have since discovered that cheap supermarket leggings will do the same job as long as they are form fitting but not tight and thin enough to go under other clothes.
The other useful tricks I have found are for cold hands when typing. You do need some power. Either spend 5 minutes doing the washing up with your hands in hot water or find a couple of pocket handwarmers. Mine are little cloth bags filled with rice made from 10cm squares of cotton. 30 seconds in the microwave and either into my pockets or holding them betweeen typing emails works wonders. I am sure something like this could be improvised from an old T-Shirt or jeans with little or no sewing.

[Arzosah]

The one thing to remember with a bistro stove is that you should not use any pan that is so big it overhangs the canister area. Otherwise the heat can be deflected onto the canister and an overheated canister could go BOOM.
Most normal size pans will be fine. Just avoid huge stockpots or big frying pans.

!!! This post wins the Best Practical Safety Point Ever Award Common sense when you read it, but you need to have your head screwed on really, really tightly to think of it yourself. Thanks GillyBee!

[ForgeCorvus]

Also you can use your normal pans on a bistro stove with no issues
On a camping stove they're a bit precarious..... I've dumped quite a few meals over the years due to a moments inattention

Too risky. I'm surprised it was even possible. They need aluminium or titanium pots about 1 litre in size with no handle on the side, or just a folding wire one. You buy a separate pot gripper. One of my stoves even has a smaller pot support you can buy to save a few grammes, which is for pots under 800ml. My pot is 1.1 litres. It has a wire handle plus a hanging loop to hang over an open fire.

One hand on the handle at all times..... Its forgetting the underlined bit that causes the floor/food interface issue

[Frnc]

The one thing to remember with a bistro stove is that you should not use any pan that is so big it overhangs the canister area. Otherwise the heat can be deflected onto the canister and an overheated canister could go BOOM.
Most normal size pans will be fine. Just avoid huge stockpots or big frying pans.

!!! This post wins the Best Practical Safety Point Ever Award Common sense when you read it, but you need to have your head screwed on really, really tightly to think of it yourself. Thanks GillyBee!

Doesn't sound very stable anyway.

[itsybitsy]

The one thing to remember with a bistro stove is that you should not use any pan that is so big it overhangs the canister area. Otherwise the heat can be deflected onto the canister and an overheated canister could go BOOM.
Most normal size pans will be fine. Just avoid huge stockpots or big frying pans.

I just use the smallest pan in my set and it's fine. I also don't have the heat on full and definitely don't leave the stove unattended.

[rik_uk3]

Bistro stoves are OK but remember if you are using the standard butane cartidges they will stop working at around +5c. The more expensive cartridges are a tri gas mis of propane/butane/isobutane and work better in cold temps.

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/3408252 ... az:1:287:2 shop on ebay and you can get 16 for £28. They will all burn for a total of around 120mins.

Stoves with a small hose connecting to the standard screw on (Lindal thread) canisters are better. They are all at least a propane/butane mix and pay a bit more the the tri mix.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/403810936536 ... R5bz7NqDYQ

In cold weather you can 'invert' the canister which helps performance.

[Frnc]

Bistro stoves are OK but remember if you are using the standard butane cartidges they will stop working at around +5c. The more expensive cartridges are a tri gas mis of propane/butane/isobutane and work better in cold temps.

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/3408252 ... az:1:287:2 shop on ebay and you can get 16 for £28. They will all burn for a total of around 120mins.

Stoves with a small hose connecting to the standard screw on (Lindal thread) canisters are better. They are all at least a propane/butane mix and pay a bit more the the tri mix.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/403810936536 ... R5bz7NqDYQ

In cold weather you can 'invert' the canister which helps performance.

True, being able to invert them in winter is an advanage. You can also buy canisters with a winter mix.
I always used to use the remote type with a tube because of stability, ease of shielding from wind, I didn't camp in winter.
But for prep I use use the ones that screw on top of the canister for size and weight. My pot holds a small canister plus stove. Of course I have to carry a plastic stabaliser (25g). I like that my stove is inside the pot, protected. Also it was a bit cheaper. Cheapest remote Soto is about £75 and 80g heavier (less the 25g).

[Sneddle]

My suggestion is a duvet. As large and as thick as you can afford. You can use it to:

• insulate yourself (sleep under it, roll yourself up in it like a sleeping bag).
• use it like a wonder bag to cook food in.
• tape it over a window to keep warmth in/cold out.
• throw it over an indoor tent for an extra layer of insulation.
• put it in a vacuum bag and keep it in the car for emergency prep, being white it might help reveal your location in the dark.
• use it to block air gaps under doors.