Stainless Steel Flask
Having a drink in the summer months does not present a problem. I normally take a bottle of lemonade or something similar. It is when the winter starts to creep in that the need for a hot drink increases. There are two routes for us to go down. One is the route that is favoured by the carp anglers, and that is a stove, a water container, a gas cylinder and a kettle. There can be nothing as good as a freshly made cup of tea or coffee. The only snag as far as I am concerned is that it is an awful amount of gear to be carrying around with you. It is the best way if you are going to camp out for a few days and nights, but not such a good option if you are a day time angler such as myself. The second alternative is to get a flask. Like me you have probably had tea from a flask at some time, and frankly it is pretty poor at best, and undrinkable at worse. So where now?. I reasoned that the taste of the tea is so bad because it is made and stored in the flask. What if the flask only contained boiling water, and the tea bag and milk was added as and when each cup of tea was required. This all seemed to be very sensible so I had a look around for something suitable. Now there are flasks made especially for us anglers, but they all seemed to be a bit on the small side. Now on a days angling trip I can do without food if I have to, but I do drink a lot of tea, so I looked for something bigger. I finally found what I sought in an Argos catalogue. I found a Thermos 1.8 Litre Stainless Steel flask, now that is an awful amount of liquid, getting on for about three pints. The cost was £24.99 which for the size seemed to represent good value. There is one very big drawback to this flask, and that is when it is full, it is heavy. There is no way around this, if you wish to have a stainless flask with a large capacity and fill it up then it is going to be on the heavy side.
I decided that I would not have anything else in the flask other than boiling water. This was to try and eliminate the smell and taste of soups etc. I had done this in the past, and try as I might, it was impossible to remove all traces of any prior liquid carried in the flask. How has it worked out, well very well indeed, and I am really pleased with it. A couple of points to remember. The first one is that I found I could taste a plastic sort of taste when drinking from the screw top outer cup that is part of the flask, I solved this by carrying a conventional mug from the kitchen. The second one is always pour some boiling water into the flask to warm it up BEFORE you fill it with fresh boiling water for the day. Always fill the flask to the top, even if you don't think that you will need all of the water, as the contents will stay hot longer if no air gap is present in the flask. Do not forget to pack a teaspoon to put in the powdered milk and sugar, as it is better to stir it with a spoon rather than with the end of a disgorger.
A fresh mug of tea, or Oxo cube is something to savour when the wind is bitingly cold and you are trying to snuggle down in the Brotel. Pot noodles are also good, as they not only provide something hot, but they also give you something to eat. The good thing is that you make them in their own container, so no contamination of your flask takes place.
The top of the flask can be unscrewed a couple of turns, and
by pointing one of the arrows that are etched into the flask stopper directly
away from you, it is possible to pour a steady stream of water from the
flask without completely removing the stopper entirely. This would certainly
keep the contents of the flask hotter for a longer period. It has a well
designed handle that normally lies flat to the side of the flask, but can
be pulled out to make a more conventional handle. On the opposite side to
the handle are two flats that enable the flask to be put down on its side
without it trying to roll away. This is a well though out and made item
that I think will last for years, and is capable of absorbing the knocks
and bumps that are all part of angling. If you can live with the weight,
then highly recommended.