Everyone has their opinions and preferences. What works for one may not work for another. We’ve noticed this has become very apparent, since we started Overlanding. We have gone through several revisions of our camp kitchen and have finally found what works the best for us at this time. I say at this time, because there are always bigger and better products coming out. Products that change everything. Products like the Tembotusk Skottle. It's no secret as to how much we love our Skottle and how it has changed the way we prepare food at camp. Heck, we even did a blog post on that very subject. But products don't always have to be bigger to be better. Sometimes good things come in small packages...
Recently, we had the opertunity to play with the new TemboTusk Adventure Skottle. To be honest, we were a little skeptical as to whether we'd like it. But based on how much we love its larger brother, we figured it was worth a try. Thats not to say we didn't have our concerns though. It is quite a bit smaller and it costs just as much as the original Skottle. Not to mention, if you throw in the cost of the MSR Dragon Fly burner, the price becomes staggering! Now, with that being said, we understand if you already have an MSR Dragon Fly burner, that the price is a lot easier to swallow. For us though, the question still remained, is it worth the price? For us, a family of 4 who doesn’t own an MSR Dragon Fly, we’re more likely to stick with our original Skottle. But that is due more to the size of the cooking surface, than the price. As far as the value is concerned? Once you carry, setup, cook and tear down the Adventure Skottle, you really start to see why this little guy is worth the price and then some. Everything in the kit is well thought out. The cooking surface is much thinner and since it still uses a 10,000btu burner, it transfers heat faster allowing for quicker cook times. The entire kit fits in one easy to stow, easy to carry Blue Ridge Overland Gear storage bag and it’s super light! Light, like the weight of one leg from the original Skottle light! A big plus! Anyone who has lugged the original Skottle around knows it's almost in the heavy weight cast iron class. So having something that weighs next to nothing but still performs like a full size Skottle is something to take note of. But the burner.. We were still hung up on that burner... Don’t get me wrong, the MSR Dragon Fly is a great burner and you can use a bunch of different fuels in it, proving it to be one of the most versatile burners on the market. But that's not what we need and it’s not for us. If we were on a global expedition where different fuels were a problem to obtain or we were through hiking, maybe we'd have a different opinion of the Dragon Fly burner. But we camp out of our Cruiser and already carry propane and Jetboil canisters. We’re not really interested in carrying another type of fuel. That just takes up more space and detract, for us, from the main advantage of the Adventure Skottle. It's size. So, we made a call to Jerry at TemboTusk and asked if he had tested any other burners with the Adventure Skottle. Like maybe a Jetboil, fingers crossed. After a brief brainstorming session, we managed to come up with a solution to adapt the Jetboil Mighty Mo burner to the Adventure Skottle and give it a test! What were our impressions? Talk about a match made in heaven! This burner is ultra compact and runs on your typical Jetboil canisters. It has its own igniter and the heat is extremely adjustable. Just like the Dragon Fly, the Mighty Mo burner is rated at 10,000btu. Also with this burner, the Adventure Skottle seemed to be quicker to setup, took up less room and is highly portable when assembled. Picinic tables, tailgates, patios, boats, you name it, it works! We are extremely impressed with the versatility of this new combination and it has changed our opinion greatly. The biggest advantage of all? The Mighty Mo is only $50. That’s $50 compared to the $160 of the Dragon Fly! That’s an opinion changer! Now we're not saying that everyone should run out and buy this thing and it will magically solve all of your camp kitchen needs. What we are saying is take a real close look at how you travel and what you need from your kitchen. Then, if you're considering a Skottle, compare that to the two options before you. The full size Skottle can cook more food at once, but is heavy and takes up a good amount of space. But it does run on propane. The Adventure Skottle cooks less food, but faster. It"s lighter and takes up a lot less space and can be run with multiple fuels depending on which burner you select. Keep in mind, when we say less food, remember that the full size Skottle cooks enough food to feed your camp and the camp next to you. Probably not something that you're going to want to do very often.
So where does that leave us? Again we ask that you remember that this is solely our opinion. The Adventure Skottle with the MSR Dragon Fly burner works well, but is just to dang expensive for us. We're not a big fan of this burner and feel its a little clunky to use. If you have an MSR Dragon Fly, and you like to use it, then this may be the setup for you. The Adventure Skottle with the Jetboil Mighty Mo burner, now that's something we can get on board with. We already carry the fuel and we love this burner. It's small, inexpensive, quick to set up and compliments the Adventure Skottle nicely. As for the question of if we're going to purchase one? If you'd asked us that question at the beginning, without a doubt we would've said "no." Now that there is another burner solution that is more within our realm and price range, we'd say there's a really good chance this little guy is going to become a part of our family.