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Thursday, July 7, 2011

Swedish M/40 Mess Kit & Svea Alcohol Stove, M40/44 Svenska " Snuskburken"


 This afternoon I received a shipment of 3 Swedish Military mess kits with wind screens and Svea alcohol stoves.  I have been looking for one of these kits for quite some time and when I found a source of "used, good condition" mess kit - stove sets at a screaming low price, I just had to order up a few!  I was happily surprised when I unpacked the box and discovered that the mess kit - stoves were actually in brand new, unissued condition!  I've been doing a bit of research on these kits in anticipation of their arrival, so no more delay, lets get on with the "lesson".......

These kits are officially designated as M/40 AL by the Swedish Military.  They were first issued in 1940, and were used up until quite recently when the Swedish Military started to dismantle and downsize.  The "AL" designation is for the aluminum version of the mess tin, like the ones I have.  During WW2, when aluminum was needed for the defense effort, the tins were made out of stainless steel and were given the designation of  M/40 FR.  The "FR" is for stainless steel.  In 1944, the mess kits began production in aluminum, with the designation M40/44.  The mess tins I have are aluminum, with stainless steel bail, handle and attaching hardware. These mess tins and stoves are all dated in the 1960's and have the official "Three Crowns" stamps of the Swedish Military.



You can read more about the Stainless steel M40 and M40/44 mess kits and a comparison of the stainless steel and aluminum versions on my blog pages located here:

 http://sharky-fourbees.blogspot.com/2018/08/swedish-mess-kits-m40-and-m44.html

http://sharky-fourbees.blogspot.com/2018/08/swedish-mess-kit-model-1940-m40.html


I also turned up a copy of the pages in the official Swedish Military manual that describes these tins and their use:



I put one of these mess tin - stove sets on my scale and came up with an "official weight", without fuel or leather strap.  The weight of the set up is 2 lbs, 1.5 ounces.  Not light, but quite manageable for such a heavy duty and versatile set up.  The stored-nested kit is about 7 inches tall, 7 1/2 inches wide and 4 3/4 inches deep.

The alcohol burners are made of brass with a gasketed screw cap and are made by Svea.  Trangia also made this same model of alcohol burner for these kits.  A small plastic alcohol fuel bottle comes with the burner as well.  The wind screens are made of painted steel with two fold-down pan supports inside.


All of these parts are designed to nest and fit together, forming a compact kit for field use.  There is a slot in the handle for threading a leather strap so that the kit can be buckled securely together.  I happened to have a number of new-unissued, Czechoslovakian leather straps on hand from the 1980's that work perfectly for this!


Here's how these stove and mess tin kits are designed to be used.......... the alcohol burner is lit and then the wind screen is placed over the burner (there is a hole in the windscreen base to allow this).  The cup can be used as a small pan or it can be used as a lid for the lower pot portion of the tin.  The handle of the cup-lid has two folding "D" rings that enable it to be lifted with the aid of a stick when it gets too hot to touch.  There is a hook on the bail so that the tin can be suspended over a fire as well.  According to an account that I read that was written by a Swedish Army veteran, the mess tin - stove kits were carried inside the pack in more recent years, and were buckled to the outside of the pack during the WW2 years.  He said that the burners were seldom used, but always carried in the field.  Food was normally cooked in a field kitchen.  When going through a chow line, the hot food was placed in the cup, and the lower pot was hooked on the soldiers belt with the hook so that bread and silverware could be carried in it.  He said that the nickname for these mess tin's were "Snuskburken", which translated means something like "filthy jar", due to the reputation these tins had when they were not cleaned regularly!

Oct. 10, 2011:  UPDATE...... Be sure to check out my other blog entries regarding these great little stoves.  I have entries addressing, fuels, set up, espresso pot modification, simmer rings, etc.  You can also search my blog using "Swedish M/40" to find more blog pages:
Here are few of the newer pages: 


swedish-m40-mess-kit-svea-alcohol-stove fuel & burning tips
swedish-m40-mess-kit-stove-espresso-modification
swedish-m40-mess-kit-simmer-ring 
swedish-mess-kit-and-stove-snuffer

I can't wait to get these little burners out and fire them up and see how they work!  Stay tuned......... Here's the photos of this great Swedish camp set:


Here are a few shots showing a few of the various dates and maker stampings:



Let's finish this posting up with some shots of these mess tin -stoves in use:


WW2 Swedish Infantry with Mess Tin - Stoves strapped on backpacks.
Modern Swedish troops using the Mess Tin - Stoves in the field.
Mess Tins on a tent wood stove.

15 comments:

  1. Snusburken
    snus = snuff
    burken = can
    snusburken is a snuff can, which can be pretty gross.

    -just an old Swede

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  2. By the way, a very nice presentation.
    Thanks

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  3. Nice thing for few days trips. Only problem is that you cannot reduce the fire. It will burn always full and simmering is not possible.

    Trangia has a simmer ring, but the this burner is slightly larger? Has anyone found a good and simple solution for simmering?

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  4. nice post, i have one myself, and are great... about the simmering, i've used the stove cap (without the rubber o-ring), and it works ok for me at least.

    pedro

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  5. Good idea to use the cap..... just be sure to pull out the o-ring!
    I am planning on making my own simmering ring out of an over-sized lid with the center cut out and a round, moveable plate, that will pivot on a single rivet..... like a fondue pot simmer ring. In fact, I think a modified fondue pot simmer cap might work perfectly...... stay tuned!

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  6. The Tatonka Simmer ring works well on this because it is large enough to fit over the mouth and is made of stainless steel. Sometimes they show up on eBay. I bought mine from tamarackoutdoors.co.uk when I purchased other products to save on shipping.

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  7. Maybe I missed it, but I don't think you mentioned where you got them. I am very interested in purchasing one, and would like to know where you got yours.

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  8. But it is not called Snusburken? It's Snuskburken as the titel says.
    Snusk=dirt
    Burken=can

    And I love it because you can use it over open fire as well as with the stove. And on windy days you can use the windscreen as a stove with live fire as well.

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  9. I have received a ton of inquiries about where I found these Swedish kits. I picked them up at The Sportsmans Guide.com They had a VERY limited quantity and they sold out within hours. I have not seen them for sale in the US commercially since. They show up on eBay and you can still get them over the internet from the European surplus stores.
    If I find a cheap source in the US again, I think I'll take out a bank loan and buy all I can ;-)

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  10. I have used one of these wonderful bits of kit for many years, mine dates from 1962.its great in the wind and rain, theres something about the taste of coffee brewed out in the field that you just cant get from places like starbucks. It's a bit battered now but still a fantastic tool to hsve in the boot of my car, ideal for emergency or just a quick brew on a picnic

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  11. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  12. will the Trangia stove cap fit the Svea stove. my Svea stove cap has several stress cracks and needs to be replaced
    thanks for your reply

    buzz

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  13. Use the pot bottom to put it out.

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  14. I reckon in English it would be called a ' Grot Pot '.

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