New Cooking Pot Needed.

[KevinBoyer]

In the hunt for a new pot for backpacking. The MSR Ceramic Solo Pot has caught my eye, as well as the Toaks Titanium 900ML pot. The MSR Solo makes sense being it's ceramic coated....or is it? Never had a Titanium anything. Are they good for cooking? Any other suggestions are welcomed.

 

[Brendan S]

That MSR is pretty heavy. It might be be better if you are wanting to do real cooking and don't want to scorch food, but most stoves aren't great for that anyway and I much prefer to mostly use my pot for boiling water and the occasional saute.

The Toaks would work fine. I've come to like a taller pot for easier packing (the Mountain Laurel Designs pot is great) but they are a bit less efficient than the wider bottom. I've settled on using an aluminum Jetboil Sol aluminum pot with the BRS-3000T stove ($12, under an oz). It's actually faster/more efficient that the real Jetboil stove and significantly lighter with a little DIY shield. For winter and fam trips I use an Evernew 1.3L. Trail Designs has lots of options.

 

[Artemus]

In the hunt for a new pot for backpacking. The MSR Ceramic Solo Pot has caught my eye, as well as the Toaks Titanium 900ML pot. The MSR Solo makes sense being it's ceramic coated....or is it? Never had a Titanium anything. Are they good for cooking? Any other suggestions are welcomed.

I am 0 for 2 in using a titanium pot at all. For me, they don't work because I need to cook real food (saute, fry, pasta, etc.) which is a lot harder than boiling water for a backpacking pouch. After some bad nights at altitude with freeze dried I have to work at making something good to eat - even carrying fresh food like butter, cucumbers. When I am really tired at the end of a hard day I have to work even harder due to an ambivalent appetite. Titanium just won't evenly heat and allow you to cook on it that it doesn't work at all for my needs.

 

[Brendan S]

I am 0 for 2 in using a titanium pot at all. For me, they don't work because I need to cook real food (saute, fry, pasta, etc.) which is a lot harder than boiling water for a backpacking pouch. After some bad nights at altitude with freeze dried I have to work at making something good to eat - even carrying fresh food like butter, cucumbers. When I am really tired at the end of a hard day I have to work even harder due to an ambivalent appetite. Titanium just won't evenly heat and allow you to cook on it that it doesn't work at all for my needs.

I have a buddy who is the same way. These days I usually bring some fresh veggies and *other items* to augment the dehydrated meals. Usually a big slab of smoked salmon to throw in as well. Dialing in what calories work and are appetizing is a big deal, especially on long days.

 

[KevinBoyer]

Is that pizza I see in the background of your photo Brendan?

I have a buddy who is the same way. These days I usually bring some fresh veggies and *other items* to augment the dehydrated meals. Usually a big slab of smoked salmon to throw in as well. Dialing in what calories work and are appetizing is a big deal, especially on long days.View attachment 61986

 

[Brendan S]

Is that pizza I see in the background of your photo Brendan?

Ha yes, this was on a dayhike (though I have thrown in leftover pizza for a first day lunch)...avocado and imperial stout are backpacking mainstays though.

Speaking of pizza, I'm reminded of Luc Mehl for the winter Alaska Mountain Wilderness Classic:
"Two pounds of food per day, at 4 cal/gm, provides a ~4000 cal/day diet. Typical values are: coconut oil (8.6), butter (7.1), peanut butter (6.6), bacon (5.3), cheese (4.0), oats (3.8), flour (3.3). Black beans are only 1 cal/gm, and, after research in the frozen-food aisle, I chose thin-crust pizza as a better option than Taco Bell. Last year we each carried 5 pounds of pizza, half our total food weight, smashed into softball-sized chunks. We smash and bag everything to save pack space. If you get a chance to smash your food in front of kids or unsuspecting friends, it gets a great reaction!"

 

[b.stark]

On trips where I only boil water, I take a toaks 750ml ti pot. packs well and works fine. I rarely cook any "real" meals other than trout in the backcountry these days, and I typically carry an aluminum skillet of some sort when that's in the plan. cooking real food on a mini blowtorch like a pocket rocket or gigapower requires some dark art even with the best of cookware.

 

[LarryBoy]

cooking real food on a mini blowtorch like a pocket rocket or gigapower requires some dark art even with the best of cookware.

I don't know why, but this made me laugh. Perhaps we should just skip the peripherals and bring blowtorches instead of stoves.

 

[KevinBoyer]

I've had a Jetboil Flash for some years, and have always just boiled water for my Mountain House meals and it has been fine. With a pot, I might be able to do a little better than MH for my dinners. I really like the Knorr brand side dishes that we eat here at home. I know it takes just boiling water for those, but it would be much easier in a pot. I don't want to go over board fixing meals at dinner especially in Grizzly country.

 

[Wanderlust073]

If you're just boiling, the SnowPeak Trek 900 has been great for me for the last few years. It's a good sized pot that you can get meal water plus hot drink water boiled in at the same time, the 'lid' is a coffee/oatmeal cup, and you can fit a tin of gas and a pocketrocket type stove and a lighter all inside so it makes the most of the space it takes up. It also weighs next to nothing.

EDIT: actually it looks like I carry the lid from the 900 but the actual pot is the 700. They came in a set. The 700 still holds the gas/stove/lighter.

 

[Artemus]

cooking real food on a mini blowtorch like a pocket rocket or gigapower requires some dark art even with the best of cookware.

Consider me a dark artist.
Appy: Chop some pieces of the fresh cucumber up which lasts for four days. Top with a tiny bit of oil/vinegar dressing.
Main course: Boil up the fresh tortellini, move to the bowl. Chop up fresh garlic and parsely, sautee in fresh butter carried safely, if starting frozen, for three days. Put tortellini back in pan to fry and reheat with sauce. Eat with sliced flute bread and a small dash of my favorite zinfandel.
Dessert: Butter Cookie from England.
(Note, this is the roughing-it, way backcountry, ultralight version of this dish)

Does this make me a foodie complete with my new flat brim BCP trucker's cap on?

 

[LarryBoy]

Consider me a dark artist.
Appy: Chop some pieces of the fresh cucumber up which lasts for four days. Top with a tiny bit of oil/vinegar dressing.
Main course: Boil up the fresh tortellini, move to the bowl. Chop up fresh garlic and parsely, sautee in fresh butter carried safely, if starting frozen, for three days. Put tortellini back in pan to fry and reheat with sauce. Eat with sliced flute bread and a small dash of my favorite zinfandel.
Dessert: Butter Cookie from England.
(Note, this is the roughing-it, way backcountry, ultralight version of this dish)

Does this make me a foodie complete with my new flat brim BCP trucker's cap on?

So uh, Art... wanna come backpacking with me?

 

[Brendan S]

Consider me a dark artist.
Appy: Chop some pieces of the fresh cucumber up which lasts for four days. Top with a tiny bit of oil/vinegar dressing.
Main course: Boil up the fresh tortellini, move to the bowl. Chop up fresh garlic and parsely, sautee in fresh butter carried safely, if starting frozen, for three days. Put tortellini back in pan to fry and reheat with sauce. Eat with sliced flute bread and a small dash of my favorite zinfandel.
Dessert: Butter Cookie from England.
(Note, this is the roughing-it, way backcountry, ultralight version of this dish)

Does this make me a foodie complete with my new flat brim BCP trucker's cap on?

Are you one of those dudes that steam-bakes muffins for breakfast too?

 

[Artemus]

Are you one of those dudes that steam-bakes muffins for breakfast too?

No, but it sounds interesting. Do people do that in the backcountry?

 

[Artemus]

So uh, Art... wanna come backpacking with me?

Will you carry some of my load?

 

[LarryBoy]

Will you carry some of my load?

Less gear, more beer. Or in this case, less gear, more cooking stuff.

 

[Brendan S]

No, but it sounds interesting. Do people do that in the backcountry?

You can do cornbread, etc as well.

 

[Artemus]

You can do cornbread, etc as well.

Nice! I have to try it.

 

[slc_dan]

I use the Toaks 900ml. I too cook quite a bit, and haven't had too many issues. I'd like to figure out how to make popcorn in the backcountry, probably just need some practice. I tried once and burnt the shit out of it.

 

[George_Washington_Hayduke]

I use a Toaks Light 650ml and a Snowpeak 900ml titanium pot (not sure what model). Love them both but i only boil water and make coffee.