Army Surplus Immersion Heaters

[Martinjmpr]

Has anyone found military surplus immersion heaters to be useful when camping?

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Useful for what? Putting your family on KP? "OK, Susie, you've got KP this morning so report to the mess tent at 0400. Jake, you and your brother have guard duty starting at 2000. Remember, Stand-to is at 0430 so make sure everyone is out of their rack and in their fighting positions by then." :sombrero:
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In all seriousness, that gear is bulky, heavy, cumbersome and unless you need to heat a LOT of water and keep it hot for several hours, I can't imagine it would be worth the hassle to carry it around. Maybe if you had a boy scout camp or a summer camp or something but I'll bet there are easier and more efficient ways to heat water now.
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I don't see them around anymore; is this a bad idea that came and went, or forgotten technology?

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They don't issue mess kits either. Everything is disposable now. T-rats, paper plates, plasticware, all of which gets put in the trash and hauled off. Even places that serve hot A's still serve the food on paper plates (for you non-Army types, "A Rations" are real food prepared in a field kitchen by the mess section) so there's no need for immersion heaters anymore.
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Oh, and BTW, having a last name that starts with "A" really sucks when the 1st Sergeant is constantly re-doing the KP roster (since it's always done alphabetically.) Those a*****s Williams and Zimmerman never had to pull KP!

 

[M35A2]

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Useful for what? Putting your family on KP? "OK, Susie, you've got KP this morning so report to the mess tent at 0400. Jake, you and your brother have guard duty starting at 2000. Remember, Stand-to is at 0430 so make sure everyone is out of their rack and in their fighting positions by then." :sombrero:
.
In all seriousness, that gear is bulky, heavy, cumbersome and unless you need to heat a LOT of water and keep it hot for several hours, I can't imagine it would be worth the hassle to carry it around. Maybe if you had a boy scout camp or a summer camp or something but I'll bet there are easier and more efficient ways to heat water now.
.

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They don't issue mess kits either. Everything is disposable now. T-rats, paper plates, plasticware, all of which gets put in the trash and hauled off. Even places that serve hot A's still serve the food on paper plates (for you non-Army types, "A Rations" are real food prepared in a field kitchen by the mess section) so there's no need for immersion heaters anymore.
.
Oh, and BTW, having a last name that starts with "A" really sucks when the 1st Sergeant is constantly re-doing the KP roster (since it's always done alphabetically.) Those a*****s Williams and Zimmerman never had to pull KP!

Number 1, well, I guess you have outed something about your RL surname.

Number 2, is that not how everyone interacts with their families at campsites? I might have been doing it wrong.

Number 3, the things you list as negatives I see as positives:

- They break down pretty good and are not really that heavy.
- They ship in a lightweight wooden crate that's easy to pack.
- You can use a smaller trash can to heat 5 or 10 gallons right quick with no electricity or mess. That's a sponge bath and wash the mess gear.
- I am not in favor of 'everything disposable'.

On that last point, our economy and our world is way too dependent on a working supply chain. "Oh no's, no delivery of paper plates. No one can eat."

(I celebrate my curmudgeonliness.)(Or is it curmudgeonosity?)

 

[rgallant]

I only lost part an eyebrow to one, if you set up right once it is going it just runs. The issue is they are not fast, they work really well but they take a while. You need a pretty wide base if its a smaller basin of water and still need all the chimney. But it seems to me we used one in a deep rectangular wash basin once.

If you sit in place a few days it might have some value