What a fantastic piece of kit!

I discovered the squirrel cooker on one of Joe Robinet’s Bushcraft videos on youtube (link below) and immediately needed one. I had a trip to Sweden lined up and I knew that it would be the best opportunity to give it a proper baptism.

I contacted Kestrel Bushcraft straight away and got a seriously rapid response from them and we were game on. They were more than happy to make one for me and get it sent out in time for my trip, which they did. I can’t fault them at all. Very friendly, fast responding and incredibly quick postage for a great price too. Brilliant.

So the squirrel cooker is hand crafted and looks awesome. It’s comprised of two separate iron rods, one that you stick into the ground and another that is fed through it and balances perfectly in place over the fire. At one end of the balancing rod are two very sharp prongs, like a pitch fork, which is ideal for sticking some meat, marshmallows or whatever takes your fancy on, and at the other end is a slight angled curve which makes hanging your billy cans on a doddle. Sadly, due to the ridiculous prices in Sweden for steak, we opted to go without on this trip, but we did pack some Wayfayrer meals, so the billy can would be put to use.

It worked an absolute treat, I couldn’t find a flaw in it. It held together perfectly when holding the billy can full of water boiling and bubbling away and then when it came to removing the can, it was just a case of swiveling the cooker on its axis and it was out of the heat and much easier to deal with instead of having to keep your hands over the fire and fiddling around trying not to drop the can. It’s those little things that just makes the cooking experience that much more enjoyable and simple.

As a side note, it was also extremely helpful when it came to drying my wet socks over the fire.

Then when you’re done and it’s cooled, which takes no time at all, it just slips back inside your rucksack (or strapped to the side) taking up very little space. I did make a little cover for the sharp prongs just from some cardboard when it was in my rucksack to save making holes in it and also to prevent baggage handlers moaning at me in case they were silly enough to poke themselves.

There is little else to mention about this kit, other than the fact that I would highly recommend getting hold of one, plus as they are handmade by Kestrel Bushcraft, with their logo embossed on the side of it, you know you will actually have a unique piece which had some true care and attention put into it during the creation process.

Get in touch with Kestrel Bushcraft and get your hands on one. You will not regret it at all.