Billycan
Encyclopedia
A billycan, more commonly known simply as a billy or occasionally as a billy can (billy tin in Canada
), is a lightweight cooking pot which is used on a campfire
or a camping stove.
n usage, but is also used in the UK
and Ireland . Elsewhere, there is no special term for a pot designed for camping use.
It is commonly accepted that the term "billycan" is derived from the large cans used for transporting bouilli or bully beef on Australia-bound ships or during exploration of the outback
, which after use were modified for boiling water over a fire.
In Australia, the billy has come to symbolise the spirit of exploration of the outback. To boil the billy most often means to make tea
. "Billy Tea" is the name of a popular brand of tea long sold in Australian grocers and supermarkets. Billies feature in many of Henry Lawson
's stories and poems. Banjo Paterson
's most famous of many references to the billy is surely in the first verse and chorus of Waltzing Matilda
: "And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled..."
and mountaineering
, much research and innovation has gone into improving their design and performance. Issues include:
General-purpose pot handles, often called billy-grips, can be bought separately. These have a hinged pliers
-like construction and can be used to grip almost any pot which has a lipped rim. The term "spondonicle" has also been applied to these handles by some Australian users.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
), is a lightweight cooking pot which is used on a campfire
Campfire
A campfire is a fire lit at a campsite, to serve the following functions: light, warmth, a beacon, a bug and/or apex predator deterrent, to cook, and for a psychological sense of security. In established campgrounds they are usually in a fire ring for safety. Campfires are a popular feature of...
or a camping stove.
Usage and etymology of the term
The term billy or billycan is particularly associated with AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n usage, but is also used in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Ireland . Elsewhere, there is no special term for a pot designed for camping use.
It is commonly accepted that the term "billycan" is derived from the large cans used for transporting bouilli or bully beef on Australia-bound ships or during exploration of the outback
Outback
The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...
, which after use were modified for boiling water over a fire.
In Australia, the billy has come to symbolise the spirit of exploration of the outback. To boil the billy most often means to make tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
. "Billy Tea" is the name of a popular brand of tea long sold in Australian grocers and supermarkets. Billies feature in many of Henry Lawson
Henry Lawson
Henry Lawson was an Australian writer and poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period and is often called Australia's "greatest writer"...
's stories and poems. Banjo Paterson
Banjo Paterson
Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson, OBE was an Australian bush poet, journalist and author. He wrote many ballads and poems about Australian life, focusing particularly on the rural and outback areas, including the district around Binalong, New South Wales where he spent much of his childhood...
's most famous of many references to the billy is surely in the first verse and chorus of Waltzing Matilda
Waltzing Matilda
"Waltzing Matilda" is Australia's most widely known bush ballad. A country folk song, the song has been referred to as "the unofficial national anthem of Australia"....
: "And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled..."
Modern billies
In recent years, conscious of the important role played by billies in lightweight backpackingBackpacking (wilderness)
Backpacking combines the activities of hiking and camping for an overnight stay in backcountry wilderness...
and mountaineering
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
, much research and innovation has gone into improving their design and performance. Issues include:
- Weight. Billies are typically made from lightweight aluminiumAluminiumAluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
, or the more expensive titaniumTitaniumTitanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
, and handles are often omitted. - Durability. Light aluminium billies can be easily dented, so quality billies are often made from stronger alloys and anodisedAnodisingAnodizing, or anodising in British English, is an electrolytic passivation process used to increase the thickness of the natural oxide layer on the surface of metal parts. The process is called "anodizing" because the part to be treated forms the anode electrode of an electrical circuit...
to harden the surface. Sometimes stainless steelStainless steelIn metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
is used instead. - Thermal efficiency. In order to save fuel and speed-up cooking, some modern billies have heatsinks integrated into their bases, and it also possible to buy separate heatsinks which can be wrapped around the pot. These heatsinks trap much of the heat which would otherwise escape up around the sides of the pot.
- Packability. Billies are often sold in nesting sets, and the innermost billy can often be used to store the stove or other items. Handles are either omitted, removable, or hinged to allow nesting.
- Versatility Frying-panFrying panA frying pan, frypan, or skillet is a flat-bottomed pan used for frying, searing, and browning foods. It is typically in diameter with relatively low sides that flare outwards, a long handle, and no lid. Larger pans may have a small grab handle opposite the main handle...
-shaped billies can often be used as lids, and lids can often used as plates to eat from. Small pots can often be used as mugMugA mug is a sturdily built type of cup often used for drinking hot beverages, such as coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. Mugs, by definition, have handles and often hold a larger amount of fluid than other types of cup. Usually a mug holds approximately 12 fluid ounces of liquid; double a tea cup...
s for drinking from. - Ease of use. Non-stick finishes are common, to make cooking and cleaning easier.
- Weatherproofing. Some manufacturers produce "integrated cooking systems" consisting of one or more pots and a stove, designed to work as a wind-resistant integrated unit. TrangiaTrangiaTrangia is a trademark for a line of alcohol-burning portable stoves manufactured by Swedish company Trangia AB in Trångsviken. These stoves are designed primarily for backpackers, with a focus on light weight, durability and simple design...
, and more recently Jetboil, are well-known examples of this.
General-purpose pot handles, often called billy-grips, can be bought separately. These have a hinged pliers
Pliers
Pliers are a hand tool used to hold objects firmly, for bending, or physical compression. Generally, pliers consist of a pair of metal first-class levers joined at a fulcrum positioned closer to one end of the levers, creating short jaws on one side of the fulcrum, and longer handles on the other...
-like construction and can be used to grip almost any pot which has a lipped rim. The term "spondonicle" has also been applied to these handles by some Australian users.