Is 500ml large enough?

[newToThrough]

I'm almost decided on a cook kit but the cup I'm thinking of taking is the Olicamp space saver that fits under a Nalgene bottle. I'm not doing it to mate with a Nalgene bottle but because it's a good fit for a fuel canister.

The thing is 500ml (one half liter). I see that most commercial cups for solo backpacking are 650ml.

Can anyone think of a situation where I'll regret not having something bigger?

Not sure if it makes a difference but I'm also planning on cutting the top off of a coffee can, maybe a full inch. I think I can use that as a lid and also flip it over and make pancakes (large ones, one at a time.)

[MuddyWaters]

Most dinners take about 2 cups water, (500ml). if you want a little freeboard not to splash over, you need slightly bigger pot.

But, doing fbc generally get by with less water, 1.5-1.75cups because it doesnt absorb as well. So some can get by with the smaller pot.

If you want to cook in pot, probably not.

[newToThrough]

But, doing fbc generally get by with less water, 1.5-1.75cups because it doesnt absorb as well. So some can get by with the smaller pot.

If you want to cook in pot, probably not.

What's "FBC?" I'm planning to cook oatmeal, ramen, pankakes (probably using the lid I mentioned?), and tea.

[zelph]

Most dinners take about 2 cups water, (500ml). if you want a little freeboard not to splash over, you need slightly bigger pot.

But, doing fbc generally get by with less water, 1.5-1.75cups because it doesnt absorb as well. So some can get by with the smaller pot.

If you want to cook in pot, probably not.

I agree, need that head room to prevent boil over.

[MuddyWaters]

Fbc is freezer bag cooking. You add hot water to a ziplock with dehydrated or dried food to rehydrate. No wash pot. To cook in a pot will take a larger pot id say.

[newToThrough]

Fbc is freezer bag cooking. You add hot water to a ziplock with dehydrated or dried food to rehydrate. No wash pot. To cook in a pot will take a larger pot id say.

I just tried this method today. I don't think I'll stick with it but it's good to know something new. Thanks for the info!

[Venchka]

I just tried this method today. I don't think I'll stick with it but it's good to know something new. Thanks for the info!

Welcome to the "FBC doesn't work for me" club.
Wayne


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[Lyle]

I used a 450ML cup for my water heating vessel on a three week trip last summer. It worked well enough, but I had to heat water in shifts for cooking/beverages.

I also carried a two cup round plastic bowl with a screw-on lid for re-hydrating my dinners or pre soaking home dried food. A freezer bag could have worked for this function as well.

That said, for the next trip I plan to increase to a 750ML pot. I use Toaks titanium pots/cups. Light/strong/relatively inexpensive, available on Amazon.

I'm sure you can make a 500ML work, but you will sacrifice some convenience and pretty much eliminate actually cooking in the pot as others have said. You may find a somewhat larger pot more suitable.

Do some practice runs at home with a smallish pot. Try cooking some of your proposed trail meals the way you will on the hike, never fill the trial pot with more than say 450ML and see how it works for you.

[newToThrough]

I'm sure you can make a 500ML work, but you will sacrifice some convenience and pretty much eliminate actually cooking in the pot as others have said. You may find a somewhat larger pot more suitable. Do some practice runs at home with a smallish pot. Try cooking some of your proposed trail meals the way you will on the hike, never fill the trial pot with more than say 450ML and see how it works for you.

Good suggestions all around. You're right that I should do some test runs but I can't bring myself to eat the crap that I'll have to bring on the hike. I find pasta, oatmeal, and other carbs to be disgusting. I haven't had rice in 20 years. But your message is a good wake-up call that I have to bite the bullet on that before I get on the trail. Thanks for the other suggestions, too.

[daddytwosticks]

Depends on your style of hiking. I use a 600ml Snow Peak pot/mug and it works fine for me. I mostly eat Mountain House type meals, but divide the two serving size into two, so a lot less water is needed. I also heat water for an occasional hot drink. That mug you want to use also tends to be a bit heavy for its size, if it's the stainless steel one I'm thinking of.

[pauly_j]

Depends on your style of hiking. I use a 600ml Snow Peak pot/mug and it works fine for me. I mostly eat Mountain House type meals, but divide the two serving size into two, so a lot less water is needed. I also heat water for an occasional hot drink. That mug you want to use also tends to be a bit heavy for its size, if it's the stainless steel one I'm thinking of.

I have the anodised version. It's not so bad.

[12trysomething]

If you want to eat out of the pot, I have found 650ml is the smallest you can go for most dinner meals. At least the ones I eat.

[newToThrough]

Fbc is freezer bag cooking. You add hot water to a ziplock with dehydrated or dried food to rehydrate. No wash pot. To cook in a pot will take a larger pot id say.

If you want to eat out of the pot, I have found 650ml is the smallest you can go for most dinner meals. At least the ones I eat.

Aha! I see that I left out an important detail. I'll be putting my entire cook kit, including stove and windscreen, in a 1Liter Nalgene Jar (not a Nalgene bottle but a 1L Nalgene JAR.) That will be my "bowl." It's heavier than a freezer bag but (a) I'll be out for 30 days and a freezer bag won't hold up that long (?) (b) it's BPA free and (c) it will double as water-tight water storage for a few very dry sections of the CT (assuming I leave my cook set loose for those sections) So I'll just be using my pot/cup to boil the water. Then I'll pour it and the disgusting goop that I'll be eating into the Nalgene bottle so I can season and eat it. Then I'll make another cup of water, while I eat, for my tea. In the morning, I'll reverse that and make the tea first so I can drink it with my meal. I guess what I have to do is prepare a couple of meals at home and make sure that 500ml is enough. But if anyone has any experiences with this sort of thing where it's not enough, I'd love to hear why.

[Starchild]

I use a 550 pot for a quick overnight. I like it because it is a pot and a mug (I like to have something mug shaped to drink from - just how I am). However I would not want to use that for more then a night or perhaps 2 on the outside. Just too small, too limiting and too much care needed to make sure it's level and doesn't boil over. Also for FBC it's hard to use such a small pot, a wider pot usually helps too.

[newToThrough]

I use a 550 pot for a quick overnight. I like it because it is a pot and a mug (I like to have something mug shaped to drink from - just how I am). However I would not want to use that for more then a night or perhaps 2 on the outside. Just too small, too limiting and too much care needed to make sure it's level and doesn't boil over. Also for FBC it's hard to use such a small pot, a wider pot usually helps too.

This is what my thread is asking about. What do you mean by "too small, too limiting?"

[Starchild]

This is what my thread is asking about. What do you mean by "too small, too limiting?"

2 cups is basically a standard amount of food, if you need to stir or mix having a pot that is just about 2 cups does pose some problems and can limit food choices. If you are just boiling water you still have issues with getting it level, carefully removing it as not to spill any and boilover possibility. And mixing foods in that small of a pot is sometimes difficult. This limits the choices of foods I can bring. This includes situations where it is boil in bag foods, the pot is just too small to work for that.

Again for a quicky overnighter I will deal, but for much longer I don't want to.

[newToThrough]

2 cups is basically a standard amount of food, if you need to stir or mix having a pot that is just about 2 cups does pose some problems and can limit food choices. If you are just boiling water you still have issues with getting it level, carefully removing it as not to spill any and boilover possibility. And mixing foods in that small of a pot is sometimes difficult. This limits the choices of foods I can bring. This includes situations where it is boil in bag foods, the pot is just too small to work for that. Again for a quicky overnighter I will deal, but for much longer I don't want to.

Ahhhh... yes, this is all adding up now.

[HooKooDooKu]

I use the MSR Titan Kettle spec's say is 850L. I've found it to just barely be large enough for some of my meals.

[newToThrough]

I use the MSR Titan Kettle spec's say is 850L. I've found it to just barely be large enough for some of my meals.

Are you eating out of the pot or do you have a separate bowl?

[Miner]

I've been using a 550ml pot for years, but I freezer bag cook. It's large enough to boil the water you need, but you certainly can't cook food in it.