Army Mess Tins for DofE Expedition UK: Too Thin, or Thicker Than You'd Expect?
The same Kombat Tactical mess tins that one buyer bent in a bag, four others call thicker than expected. A look at how they hold up for cadet, scout and DofE expedition cooking.
Buy a set of aluminium mess tins for a Duke of Edinburgh expedition and the first thing you want to know is whether they will survive being crushed under a packed rucksack for three days. Reviewers of this Kombat Tactical set cannot agree. Two buyers say the metal is too flimsy: one reported it “Too weak, bent in my bag”, another summed the set up as “Metal to thin”. Four of the 20 most recent reviewers describe the opposite, calling the aluminium thicker than they expected, one of them putting it close to army-issue thickness. Same tins, same listing, two very different verdicts on the one thing that matters most for expedition cooking.
That split is worth unpicking before you add these to a cadet, scout or DofE kit list, so this review is built around it, alongside what buyers actually cooked in them and how the set holds up on a real camp. The lifetime rating sits at 4.6 from 185 ratings, and the 20 most recent reviews I read run 17 five-star, one four-star and two one-star.
So, Is the Aluminium Thick Enough?
This is the one thing reviewers cannot settle, so it is worth laying out both sides properly rather than pretending there is a clear answer.
On the reassuring side, four of the 20 most recent buyers were surprised how solid the metal felt. andy richards found them “slightly thicker than some, which I like”, the point being that flimsy tins scorch food and wear out fast. JohnP called them “a little thicker aluminium than I expected which is great”. A buyer posting as AmazonCustomer said they were “thicker than I was expecting”, though the same reviewer admits “I haven't used them yet”. In the most specific verdict of the lot, L. McLean rated the set four stars and put the metal “very close to military issue thickness”. Dan adds that they are “stronger than I expected” with “no issues with them whatsoever”.
Now the other side. Both one-star reviews are about exactly this. One buyer wrote only “Metal to thin”. The other found out the hard way: “Too weak, bent in my bag”. Sitting between the two camps is Phoenix, a five-star reviewer who concedes the tins are “thinner than issued mess tins” but says they “work the same” and “don't rattle as much”, counted as a bonus “on ftx” (a field training exercise).
So which is it? The fairest reading is that this is thin-gauge aluminium built to a low price, and how thick it feels depends on what you compare it to. Next to real army-issue kit it will feel light; next to the cheapest camping tins on Amazon it feels reassuringly solid. If you tend to overpack a rucksack, take that bent-in-a-bag warning seriously and stow the tins where they will not get crushed.
Army Mess Tins for DofE Expedition UK: the Cadet and Scout Thread
If you have landed here from a Duke of Edinburgh kit list, the question is not really whether these are good tins, it is whether they will do the job a cadet or scout expedition actually asks of them. The reviews that touch this are the most useful ones in the set.
The standout is Phoenix, who bought them for a cadet detachment because “the ones at det are bit manky”. The verdict: they are “the same size as cadet issued ones”, they “heat up water for your rat packs just fine”, and “all my meals have been hot when eating them on camps”. That is the expedition cooking routine in one review: boil water in the larger tin, drop in a boil-in-the-bag ration or rehydrate a meal, eat from the same tin. Another buyer, rac, bought the set as “a gift for my grandson” who was heading to “the world scouting jamboree”, which is the same use by another name.
On authenticity, an army veteran who reviewed the listing, while making clear “I have not purchased any from here”, says the design is “no different from the NATO standard ones we were issued”. Treat that as a comment on the classic British Army pattern rather than a verified buyer's report, but it lines up with L. McLean putting the metal close to military-issue thickness. For a cadet or DofE expedition that traditional shape is the point: the two tins nest to pack flat, the folding wire handles fold down against the body, and the larger tin doubles as your pot while the smaller one serves as a plate or mug.
What Ends Up in the Tins on a Camp
These are small tins, and the reviews are realistic about that. andy richards calls the set a “Good size for 1-2 people” and uses them “for camping, or backpack trips, as you can fit a fair bit in them, then nest the two”. Solo hikers and pairs are the sweet spot; this is not a family cook set.
What goes in them is what you would expect from a metal tin over a flame. mr l phillipson reckons they are “Perfect for heating up your beans and sausages”. Justin Singleton keeps it short: “Great bits of kit for cooking in outdoors.” Between the ration-pack water that Phoenix boils and a tin of beans over a stove, that covers most of what a weekend camper or an expedition cook needs. The larger tin takes the heat and the food, the smaller one nests inside for transport or works as a second dish.
Season Them First, and Cleaning Sorts Itself
Bare aluminium and hot food means one thing: season the tins before you cook in them, or food will stick. andy richards did exactly that, “Seasoned them with rapeseed oil, like you would with cast iron”, and Arandomshopper's one-line warning is the one to remember: “don't forget your oil if doing meat on it.” Skip that step and you will be scrubbing.
Once seasoned, cleaning gets easy praise. andy richards found them “easy to clean”, marc hurley says “Nice and light. Easy to clean”, and Dan reports “no issues with them whatsoever”. If you are properly out in the field, the army veteran's tip is the traditional one: “use mud then rinse them”, which scours the aluminium without soap. The wire handles help too, being long enough to stay cool: andy richards notes the “Handles don't get hot, obviously, as they're long”, so you can lift a hot tin off a stove without a cloth.
Who These Suit, and Who Should Spend More
For the money, this is a lot of mess tin, and the pattern of reviews makes the decision fairly clear. If you want a cheap, light, traditional two-tin set for solo or two-person cooking, for a cadet or scout camp, or for the cooking half of a DofE expedition kit, the weight of opinion is with you: 17 of the 20 most recent reviews are five-star, the lifetime rating is 4.6 from 185 ratings, and the set handles the core job of boiling water and heating a ration without fuss.
The caveat is the one you have already read. This is thin-gauge aluminium, and two buyers bent or dismissed theirs. If you are rough with your kit or you overpack a rucksack, either pad the tins or spend more on a heavier set. Season them before the first cook, keep the oil handy for meat, and stow them where a heavy pack cannot crush them, and for most expedition cooks they will do everything a rat pack and a stove ask of them. Check today's price on Amazon before you buy, since these budget sets move around a lot.
Kombat Tactical 2-Piece Aluminium Mess Tin Set
Classic British Army style mess tins that nest together, with folding handles. A cheap, light cooking set for cadet, scout and DofE expedition camps.