Backpacking Pot/Kettle/Mug

[Mike K]

We were talking stoves in the Backpacking Stoves thread. I've decided that a lighter pot should be my first step in trying to shave some weight from my cooking setup. 95% of the time I'm just heating water and/or drinking tea. I think measuring lines would be nice to have on the inside. And it would be nice if I could fit a canister and my Snow Peak Giga inside. Lids are good for boiling.

Some questions:

-Is titanium is the way to go?
-Are these suckers hot to handle right off the stove? (Of course they're hot, but do the handles get too hot to grab?)
-Can you drink out of them? Too hot at first? Cool too quickly? (Need cozy?)
-Anything else to consider?
-Should a lid be a requirement?

Thanks for any input!

 

[Nick]

As I mentioned in the other thread, I use an MSR Titan Kettle. It was a gift from my staff when I left a job nearly 10 years ago and it still is my go-to pot. It fits a standard size isobutane canister perfectly. If i leave the rubber cap on the isobutane, the lid won't close all the way. It doesn't have measuring marks inside, but I marked the 2-cup line with a knife scratch and that works well. I usually just measure with a nalgene anyway.

Overall, I'm very satisfied with it. The only thing I would change is to add just a bit more space. When I cook my current backpacking meals (mashed potato packet + 1-2 packets of salmon), it gets pretty full. If I happen to have cheese or something to toss in, it's now approaching the brim. I've looked all over for something that's just a little bit larger and have had no luck. And it's not worth getting a way bigger pot for that, IMO.

On the titanium question, I'd assume that's the way to go. I don't know of anything better. Only downside is price.

I drink out of mine all the time. It's used to cook and eat dinner and then to drink coffee in the AM.

I've never thought to leave the lid behind, but I suppose it isn't all that important.

The handles are hot right when I turn the flame off but cool down quickly. I'll usually use my beanie or @colefeet's bandanna to pick it up if I'm in a hurry.

 

[steve]

I too have a MSR titan kettle. I like it a lot. The handles are a little short and get warm, but I just use a piece of clothing to pick them up.

My wife uses the MSR titan cup when going ultralight, but it's pretty small. I'd like to pick one up too, even though I've lived fine without one. It nests inside the titan pot.

I'm weary of eating out of anything aluminum, so all my cookwear/utensils are titanium or BPA-free plastic.

Yes, a lid should be a requirement (though you can make your own out of aluminum foil). A lid will get your water boiling much faster. A DIY kozie to fit your pot isn't a bad idea either, especially for meals that need to "cook" in the hot water for a while.

If you use a jetboil stove, their integrated pots are sweet. The jetboil stoves are meant to work with the pots, and the combination is more thermally efficient than most other options, which means less fuel to get the job done.

 

[Mike K]

Cool, thanks. I did check out the Titan since you mentioned it. Looks like a good one. I like that it comes with a lid. Scratching measuring marks on the inside is a great idea. I didn't think of that. (I used to use my Nalgene to measure but now I leave it at home ...once again...trying to shave some weight where I can).

Edit...thanks for your comments, too, sixtringsteve!

MSR Titan 2. Everything else 0! =)

 

[Nick]

So do you have one of the larger Titans, Steve? Like this? I have the 2-liter Titan from back when they sold them separately. Useful for group cooking. I wish they sold the 1-liter on it's own. I'd kind of like to have just a simple 1-liter titanium pot sometimes but I haven't had much luck finding one.

 

[steve]

Happy to help. I like the idea of scratching the lines inside. I drew mine on the outside with a paint pen, then used an automatic center punch to punch little divots to mark the 1, 2, and 3 cup marks. The divots can be seen on the inside of the pot, but Nick's idea is a lot better.

 

[steve]

So do you have one of the larger Titans, Steve? Like this? I have the 2-liter Titan from back when they sold them separately. Useful for group cooking. I wish they sold the 1-liter on it's own. I'd kind of like to have just a simple 1-liter titanium pot sometimes but I haven't had much luck finding one.

Oops, I meant MSR titan kettle (0.85 L). This is what I have:

 

[steve]

I've heard great things about toaks and evernew as well.


I think this would be a great pot. Cheaper and lighter than the titan, plus it has longer handles:


And the evernew looks great too, and it's crazy light for a 1L pot. I'd make sure to get one without the non-stick coating.

 

[Nick]

The handle on the Toaks looks nice, but the last thing I'd want to do with a pot the same volume as the Titan Kettle is make it taller and narrower. Hard enough to stir food when it's almost full as it is.

 

[steve]

Good point. It might also make it tougher to balance on some stoves (more top-heavy, narrower base).

 

[Tater Head]

I wonder if you could still fit a regular size fuel canister in the evernew pot ?

 

[Yvonne]

Oops, I meant MSR titan kettle (0.85 L). This is what I have:

that's the one I have and love it. For me alone it is definitely big enough to get hot water for coffee and breakfast or tea and dinner.
The handles get pretty hot and last year in the Winds I made the big mistake to use the sleeves of my down puffy and it burned a big hole into it.
Lesson learned, either bring a pot lifter or use something else like a bandana or beanie.
The size of the kettle is also big enough that I can store my gas canister in it.

 

[Mike K]

Excellent...another vote for the Titan. And some new contenders to check out (Evernew and Toaks). Thanks guys.

Miss B...SUCKS about the big hole you put in your puffy! Sounds like something I would do!!

 

[gnwatts]

I have had an Evernew Titanium set for a long time. One larger pot and a smaller one. The larger pot sits perfectly on my Jetboil when I add the legs.
Very light weight.

 

[Mike K]

In addition to the Titan, I'm kinda diggin' these three...probably the "Pot 2" best:

Evernew ECA252 Ti Ultralight Pot 2 - has spout, measuring lines, heat resistant handles, and loose fitting lid (?) (which I think I'll prefer).
Evernew ICA267 Ultralight Titanium Mug Pot 800 - lightest, loose lid (?), measuring lines, not as wide, not sure about heat resistant handles.
Toaks Titanium 900 ml Pot with 130 mm Diameter - no spout or measuring lines (I don't think)

 

[Mike K]

I finally pulled the trigger and got the Toaks 900 ml. (Thanks for the heads up sixstringsteve). I wanted the Evernew but it's out of stock everywhere and I was impatient. The Toaks seems to sit well on my Snowpeak GigaPower stove. Some notes - the lid doesn't fit tight, there's no pouring spout, and no measuring lines. I'm ok with all that since it was pretty good bang for buck in the Titanium class - $45 I think.

 

[steve]

I recently acquired a Vargo BOT and this might be the best piece of gear I've used this year. I absolutely love it. It's a titanium pot with a screw-on lid so it can serve as a water bottle too. The best part is, to clean it out, I throw in a handful of sand, a cup of water, and just shake like crazy and it's clean when I dump it out. Awesome piece of gear. I'll be doing a review of it soon.

 

[Bob]

Any of the ones mentioned work, they are all within .5 grams of each other.....unless you are a gram weenie you will never notice the weight difference. Flat pots seem to heat up faster in my experience. Get one that will store a gas canister. The Vargo Bot is a expensive water container, wastes space as well, I don't have a spot for a 'hard' water container unless I want to dig in my pack. What happens when you are cooking and want a drink? A couple of Platys weighs next to nothing and stores great full or empty.

 

[steve]

It sounds like the bot is not for you, that's cool. I absolutely love it, and it has completely replaced my MSR titan. I'm not sure how it wastes space since It'll hold a 200g fuel canister and stove, or 1L of water. I always carry more than 1L of water, and I can transfer between bottles. My pack has the perfect storage pocket for it, so it works well for me. I have plenty of platys but I can't put them back in my pack while walking like I can with the BOT or a hard water bottle.

It's definitely not for everyone, but I thought I'd add it to the discussion here. I've used it on 3 trips now and it's a game-changer for me.

 

[Bob]

Yep, no hard sided bottle works for me. I like a clean outside pack, probably because we are not on trails much, too many things yank stuff out of pockets. I use a tube with my 1l Platy inside the pack. Another one or two 1l Platys filled in the pack, depends on where I am hiking. I alternate when I empty one, then refill and treat the empty. I found I drink more water with a tube (which is good) than I used to just sipping the bottle when I felt like it. My 8oz fuel bottle/crux stove fits in the Kettle. I use a squishy cup as well. All I do is boil water, I go all freeze dried.

Nice thing about all the different equipment; what one person likes another may dislike, there are always options to try, and money to be spent !