Mess tin verses Billy Can

[Paul]

Mess tins never seem to fit burners so you end up with hot in the middle and having to stir the whole time. It's also damn hard to dangle a mess tin over a fire. Billy cans, no such problem. Have stick can dangle.

Lids is another issue. Unless you fork out for a really good set of mess tins i.e. Crusader, you never get a lid!
So boiling in a draught is rather like blowing across your tea mug to cool it down. Bit of a waste of heat.

Can we have a discussion on who uses what and why?

[bigpaul]

Mess tins never seem to fit burners so you end up with hot in the middle and having to stir the whole time. It's also damn hard to dangle a mess tin over a fire. Billy cans, no such problem. Have stick can dangle.

Lids is another issue. Unless you fork out for a really good set of mess tins i.e. Crusader, you never get a lid!
So boiling in a draught is rather like blowing across your tea mug to cool it down. Bit of a waste of heat.

Can we have a discussion on who uses what and why?

billy can every time!

[Nemesis]

Mess tins never seem to fit burners so you end up with hot in the middle and having to stir the whole time. It's also damn hard to dangle a mess tin over a fire. Billy cans, no such problem. Have stick can dangle.

Lids is another issue. Unless you fork out for a really good set of mess tins i.e. Crusader, you never get a lid!
So boiling in a draught is rather like blowing across your tea mug to cool it down. Bit of a waste of heat.

Can we have a discussion on who uses what and why?

When you say mess tin are you talking only about the British Army tins?

[bigpaul]

i wondered about that! when i say mess tin i'm thinking of the square ones with the fold in handles...of which i have 2! still prefer a billy can for cooking in though!

[Paul]

When you say mess tin are you talking only about the British Army tins?

Yep, army style, oblong folding handle.

[Timelord]

I was having a chat with someone the other day about creating an expedient bread oven. First I was on about digging a pit to act as an oven, then my co chatter and I thought, why not just cover a pot on the fire. This led to myself suggesting adapting 2 mess tins so they could be clamped together. Very clever me thinks :-) Then later I see this thread & I thinks to myself - DOH!!!! Billy can. Of course. Why was I even thinking of messing about with mess tins???

Basically I think the clue is in the name ---- MESS TIN ---- as in a tin for using in or at a mess... Not exactly a self contained cooking implement like the Billy Can. God, I'm so stupid sometimes.. lol.

[Nemesis]

I was having a chat with someone the other day about creating an expedient bread oven. First I was on about digging a pit to act as an oven, then my co chatter and I thought, why not just cover a pot on the fire. This led to myself suggesting adapting 2 mess tins so they could be clamped together. Very clever me thinks :-) Then later I see this thread & I thinks to myself - DOH!!!! Billy can. Of course. Why was I even thinking of messing about with mess tins???

Basically I think the clue is in the name ---- MESS TIN ---- as in a tin for using in or at a mess... Not exactly a self contained cooking implement like the Billy Can. God, I'm so stupid sometimes.. lol.

I use both and in fact I have mess tins that are billy can, I think it’s great fun cooking on the army style mess tins, just look at the foreign mess tins and you have a Mess/Billy.

[TOF]

Billy cans for me. I like to have a lid, size is key too, you can't boil much water in a mess tin without losing most of it as you try to decant it to a cup(I know, I've tried.) And, a mass tin is more difficult to clean. those blardy corners are a bu&&er.