Billy Can

I ordered up a 10cm Zebra Billy Can last night from Sun Dog Outfitters on eBay.

Metal containers can be very handy in the wilderness as they can be used to protect sensitive gear, dig in sandy and rocky soil, boil water, and many other uses. They may weigh a bit more than comparable plastic containers but, in my opinion, the added strength far outweighs the lightness.

Not having a metric ruler handy I had to guess on the size of the Billy and chose the smallest they offered. The seller on eBay had sizes of 22oz, 42oz, 64oz, and the big 96oz. All come with a sturdy bail for hanging over the fire (or for carrying if you're not going to stuff it into your pack.) It also has an insert that could be used as a serving dish or it could turn the billy into a double boiler.

My plan is to turn this billy can into a sort of survival essentials container. If I can get the basics of fire, shelter, water, and signalling stuffed into the billy I'll be able to go extremely light into the woods. It is possible that the shelter component will be left out and the billy can added to a bedroll but I won't know one way or the other until I've received the billy and played around with the idea a bit.

Anybody else want to give it a go?

Thanks for reading,

B