Aluminium helmet to cook in ( again!)

Not wishing to give up on this concept, I found these…

http://www.cricorp.com/skullbucket/

Has anyone tried them? Not sure about weight, but at least they are commercially available!

Quoted as 12 oz.

Andrew A

Seriously… its your head your trying to protect. Construction helmets are made for one thing only, a hit from above. The suspension system in the helmet is not designed for lateral hits so unless you just climbed a tree and fell out landing directly on top of your head this helmet is virtually useless as a boating helmet. Also once in the water any current is going to work in and around the suspension system and pull it off your head (ever try and hold a bucket in moving water??) or strangle you. Even if you remove the suspension system and completely pad the inside out with foam (that would be the correct type of foam) you could find many combinations of proper helmet and cook pot that weigh less than this.
The melting temp of aluminum is 660 deg C. the flame of iso-butane is 900deg C. denatured alcohol is around 1000deg C. even the flame of a candle is around 1000deg C. Im not saying your going to melt it (though you could) but how long do you think it is going to keep that shape, plus cooking in aluminum is kind of a health risk. But I'm not going to say you could not cook in this thing but theres a reasons there are things called “boating helmets”… designed for boating and protecting your head, and a reason there are things called “cook pots” is designed for cooking in.
The idea that just because the boat is light that every piece of protective gear can have a ultra light weight substitute is ridiculous. There are light pieces of correct safty gear and heavy pieces of correct safety gear but they are still correct “safety” gear not a cook pot on your head.
Please try and help keep this growing sport legitimate and not the guy with a sleeping pad wrapped around him for a lifejacket, using his shoes as paddles and a cook pot on his head trying to go down a class III rapid.
Be “safe” out there!

Oh that brought tears to my eyes, haven’t laughed so hard in weeks! :slight_smile:

I guess Kirk is trying to say that the helmet would lose its temper the first time you forgot to add enough water – that you need a titanium helmet shaped like a kayak helmet. With a suitable foam core, of course.

A lovely response Kirkinbend. I laughed as well.

However…

Whilst you’ve given lots of information about melting points etc, I was only planning on heating up water to 100C…not heating the helmet to a zillion degrees to nicely sear a steak. I expect that would deform the poor thing. We have all cooked in aluminium billies - is the basic aluminium billy any different to this helmet?

Dementia and aluminium…yep, I know the association. I’m a doctor. I’d cook in an aluminium receptacle less than 10 times per year. I can deal with that.

Re Lateral hits to head , and trees falling directly down on my helmet…the packrafting I have done over the last 5 yrs is enjoyable low grade stuff. If my raft capsizes, I fall out. A tree is more likely to fall on me when camping. I have never actually used a helmet for my rafting trips (horror…!).

It’s all about probability and personal risk.

I live in Australia. I am a self employed doctor. I am professionally used to taking full responsibility for all decisions I make, AND I am fortunate enough to live in a country which is generally not litiginous. If I choose to float a river wearing a sleeping mat around me for floatations, and wearing a sieve on my head, that is my choice. I am not advocating everyone else does this. I am responsible for the risks, if any, of making that choice.

My personal likelihood of a head injury packrafting is extremely small, but more so than in any activity I currently do, other than perhaps backcountry skiing. I have chosen not to use a helmet for either. This is my assessment of personal risk. This does not mean that everyone else needs to assess things the same. If I had a significant head injury whilst packrafting or backcountry skiing, it is my problem.

If you look back through the forums, there are people who have used thermarests wrapped around them under raincoats for PFDs (??Hig). You may or may not know that I have home made inflatable PFDs made with wine bladders - similar to MLD “thing” - they work well for me. I’ve had 4 spills, and not drowned yet. BTW, wouldn’t use my shoes for paddles unless desperate. I would use a cook pot on my head if I thought there was a higher risk of head injury, and I could find a cook pot to fit.

Packrafting is a developing pursuit. There are no rules. We have to accept that we are responsible for own actions. Use the forums to extend your lateral thought processes for your own purposes. If anyone wants to design, make and market a titanium helmet that you can cook in, and which also provides adequate lateral impact resistance, and which can be heated hot enough to cook a steak in (?600c plus), then please feel free to do so. It would be perfect, however no one has found one. In your absence, maybe just accept the thought processes, and provide some constructive comments and /or criticism. For some, this helmet may be appropriate. This is why I put it on the forum.

AA.

PS And who would forget to put water in their billy, so that it loses its temper?