Ghillie Kettles

About Ghillie Kettles

The Ghillie Kettle has been produced for centuries and we still manufacture them in the age old traditional way. We do however have one unique feature - all of our Kettles come complete with its own whistle.

This adds to a safer product as you know exactly when the kettle reaches boiling point.

All of our Kettles are delivered in their own storage sack and are supplied with full instructions.

The Ghillie Kettle is ideal for Camping, Fishing, Hiking and any outdoor activity.

Able to be used in harsh conditions even Wet and Windy. It is quick, durable and simple to use with no need for gas or artificial fuel : Use twigs, fir cones, dry leaves and news paper.

All of our Anodized Kettles are Hard Anodized, the result being is that you get a thicker stronger coating which is about 2-4 times stronger than the normal anodizing process. It's about as close as you can get to titanium while still using a easily machineable aluminum.

Some History

The tradition of the Ghillie heating up water on the shore for their client's tea dates back to the late 1800's in western Ireland. These handmade kettles were made mostly of tin and had very short lives.

The chimney or volcano kettle design was further refined by John Ashley Hart of New Zealand who may have been inspired by traditional Mongolian and Chinese hot-pots which had a central chimney. His "Thermette" kettle was first manufactured in 1929 and was standard issue for the New Zealand Army during World War II where it became known as the "Benghazi Boiler".

The George Marris & Co. of Birmingham, England began making iron bedsteads and brass/copper fern pots in the 1800's. Marris began diversifying into other products in about 1906, when the brand name "Sirram" (Marris spelled backwards) appeared first on their picnic sers.

There's a record of a meeting between one of the Marris family members and John Ashley Hart after which the first "Sirram Volcano Kettle" appeared. These early copper models carried an inscribed plate which included "Registered Design No 731794".

The records of the British Public Records Office show that this design number was issued in 1928. So that gives us the earliest definate date for the "Sirram Volcano Kettle". Marris eventually changed the production of the kettles from copper to spun aluminium.

We know that "Sirram Volcano Kettles" were still in production in the late 1960's as the book "Modern Camping 1968", by Jack Cox quotes a UK Consumers Association test of 21 camp stoves which concluded " for boiling water quickly or washing up, there is nothing to beat a Sirram Volcano Kettle, either at home or abroad". Production of the kettles ended around 1970 when the company was sold.

Similar versions began to be produced by a number of companies, with some even claiming to be the original design.

 

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Terms & Conditions

The hard anodised Ghillie kettles are guaranteed for 10 years, subject to normal wear and tear.

Every kettle is water tested before leaving our shop, however, if your Ghillie kettle is faulty or leaks, we'll fix it, replace it or send you your money back.

It's not unusual to have a drop or two leak at a rivet or seam until you use the kettle a time or two. We recommend that you do a few test burns to clean the interior of the kettle after the manufacturing process, this will typically seal any drop leaks too.

Remember that boiling your kettle dry will ruin it and void the warranty/guarantee as will any abuse.

After some use a discolouring of the kettle will occur, this is normal and will not affect performance. This patina gives your Ghillie it's character.

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Delivery

Delivery is typically within 2 business days anywhere in the UK.
Shipping costs £5.50 for smaller items and £6.50 for larger items.

Please check the "Delivery" tab on the product page for full details.