Pots

[cmoulder]

For winter, especially when snow must be melted for water, JB MiniMo and lots of extra fuel, or for 2 people switch the MiniMo pot for a Sumo. Three-season is Esbit with my myog Ti pot support and windscreen and an Open Country 3-cup aluminum pot.

[linus72]

toaks 550 fits my mini pocket rocket, a small 4oz msr fuel canister and a lighter perfectly and boils enough water for my solo MREs. super light and compact kit. when i go with my wife we use the stanley cookset which is aluminum, about $20 and has 2 great cups. not all that much heavier really.

[QiWiz]

For solo cooking, I like pots that are in the 900-1000 ml range; for two people in the 1300-1500 ml range. The least expensive solo pot I like is the Stanco aluminum grease pot. You can even get one from me if you can't find one locally.

[Storyguy]

Have you used this kit? I just bought the same item. Interested in your impressions.

[Storyguy]

Have you used this kit? I just bought it. Interested in your impressions.

[Nodust]

Ouse a .9 qt Imusa grease pot. It is 10cm diameter and as tall as the 12cm Imusa mug.


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[Mtsman]

I currently enjoy this setup the most for my needs:
https://www.traildesigns.com/cookwar...pot-set-eca417
The reason I stuck with this is: It is wider than it is taller. this allows my heat source to be wider and the pot will still catch the flames more than the handle. it also allows for less water waste as i can put a little less water for things that are wider/taller and let the food I am cooking "cook down" into the water level i choose.
Things that I would like to see improvement on: I don't like the non-stick layer. I wish they had an option without it, although its holding up okay after about 4 months of actual camping days on it. Although the stamping of the measurements are on the outside, it stamps through to the inside, depending on what I cook, the reverse numbers can be difficult to clean off on the inside.

I have used:
http://toaksoutdoor.com/titanium750mlpot.aspx
This was the worst setup for me. I used it twice for about 4 days each trip and couldn't stand it. The pan wouldn't set on top of the pan while cooking, I had to force the pan (read lid) to squish onto the pot while cooking every time (even while hot). When the "lid" was on it would drip water and contents outside of the pot and hit the heat source/fire/whatever else was around (read lots of clean up). The handles were cheap and hard to hold / work with. The TI was WAY too thin and I felt I was going to break it, warp it, or some how destroy it.

http://snowpeak.com/products/trek-90...iant=671149565
I enjoyed this the most and it almost made my final cut. the only things I didn't like was the handles on the pot would get too hot and I had to carry heat resistant gloves or pliers to make sure I could handle it. Since it was aluminum i had to wait much longer to sip it so my lips wouldn't burn off from the top of the pot, I did look into getting the "lips" (plastic piece you can put on to counter this) but decided against it. I used this for over a year of camping and enjoyed it the most out of the pots I don't use any more.

http://www.amazon.com/TOAKS-CUP-450-.../dp/B008NOYQ6E
This was great for hot drinks or FBCing. Once I moved away from FBCing I eventually ditched this method as there was no room for in-pot cooking and it wasn't worth the weight for hot drinks when I can just use my pot or pan.

YMMV HYOH

[Casey & Gina]

Wow Mtsman, sorry to hear you had bad luck with Toaks - I have had anything but and really enjoy their products. That said, I have resold a few items of theirs that weren't as optimal as the ones I now carry. The design of the pan lid is such that it will drip a little condensed water down the outside of the pot, but I never found it to be enough to be a problem, and if you flip the pan over and rest it on the other way around, this problem goes away. I find all of the Toaks products to be nicely durable, and even after a fair bit of use, nothing has warped or bent. To your point about wider and shorter pots being more efficient, I totally agree - good Toaks options to that end are the 130mm diameter 900ml pot and 145mm diameter 1350ml pots, though I don't use them as I wanted pots that nest around my wood stove.

Here's what I carry now, for my wife and I:

* Toaks 1600ml pot w/ bail (145mm diameter)
* Toaks D145 pan/lid (145mm diameter)
* Toaks 1100ml pot w/ standard lid (115mm diameter)
* Toaks Wood Stove
* Toaks 450ml cut w/ lid (80mm diameter)
* Toaks Siphon Alcohol Stove

The above all nests together, along with a Sea-to-Summit Ultra-Sil Kitchen Sink, Scouring pad, small camp towel, cross bars for the wood stove (which I also use when using the top of the wood stove as a pot stand/windscreen for the alcohol stove), a full-size Bic lighter in a waterproof Exotac fireSLEEVE. The setup includes stuff sacks for the cup, wood stove, 1100ml pot, and 1600ml pot. It's quite a bit of kitchen kit, but weighs in at 2 pounds for everything. We like to cook up real meals especially after a fresh resupply, not just boil water.

The 145mm diameter on the largest pot is great because regardless of what you are cooking on, the heat spreads out and more is captured on the bottom of the pot. When I backpack with my wife, I find myself using this pot primarily, and then only using the 1100ml for a second course or heating up water for tea. The cup is rarely used directly on the stove, though sometimes I do that to make a single cup of tea. More often I heat up about 800ml of water in the 1100ml pot, then pour half of it into the cup and make two cups of tea (one of us uses the pot as a teacup, haha), again to take advantage of the larger diameter to heat up the water faster. Of course, we are usually eating something made in the 1600ml pot while the tea water is heating. The only thing I have not had a use for yet is the bail handle, but I am happy to have one pot with this option as I am sure that at some point it will see use over a campfire, and will remove the standard handles when doing so to prevent them from unnecessary flame exposure (and to keep them cool to use after taking the pot off the fire). The bail is also easily removed when not needed.

The D145 pan is a useful size, and fits well onto the 1600ml pot. I formerly had a D115 pan/lid for the 1100ml pot, and did not like it. It fit okay but not as well as the regular lid, and the 115mm diameter pan was frankly too small for me to find useful. I had also purchased a 650ml pot with a 95mm diameter, but this would not nest inside the wood stove. The 450ml cup is definitely an unnecessary luxury but it gets regular use when we take it along.

I also have 3 different types of tent pegs from Toaks, and two spoons. Very happy with everything they make.

Wood stove with 1100ml pot:
IMG_0010.jpg IMG_0011.jpg

Top of wood stove used as pot stand in conjunction with alcohol stove, again with 1100ml pot on it, 1600ml pot, D145 pan, and 450ml cup also in picture:
IMG_0712.jpg

[Casey & Gina]

I'm planning a "stove optional" hike - not bringing anything I can't eat cold, but thinking about a really light stove, maybe to burn esbit for the option to have hot water on occasion. Or to have a pot to use if there is already a fire. And I've been looking for something that has a screw top so I can use the same container as a cold-water dehydrater.
But this is too pricey for my budget. Has anyone seen a lightweight pot with a screwtop lid that isn't so expensive? Maybe in aluminum?

It's not cheap, but otherwise fits your bill and is nice (I have two, 4.7oz):
http://www.vargooutdoors.com/titaniu...ottle-pot.html

A cheaper but heavier option is made in stainless steel (8.4oz):
http://www.vargooutdoors.com/stainle...ottle-pot.html

Both come up on Massdrop at a discount from time to time, which is where I got mine.

I really like keeping smelly foods in them, as it completely seals away the smell. Also nice to have as emergency water containers or for occasional cooking needs if my other cookware is in use or something. If we want to go light, we can leave our other cookware at home and just take the Vargo BOTs.

[colorado_rob]

Just another system, I've been using it for 4 years now exclusively: My Titanium pot is 0.9 liters, we find it just enough (3.3 cups) for two of us for either a hot beverage or two hot dehydrated meals, so it's perfect for us two. Since it's really light and part of my Jetboil Sol Ti setup, I also carry it for solo use.

8.9 ounces for a very fuel efficient stove and pot total. Only used to heat water, nothing else.

[nsherry61]

I'm interested in this answer as well.

I haven't used any of the S2S X-ware. I have used silicone baking ware and been surprised at how well it worked.
I have played with the S2S x-ware pots and kettle. I agree they are larger than most soloists would typically be carrying.
But, for a kettle that holds 1.3L, the X-Kettle at 6.5 oz is about the same weight as a similar sized titanium pot.

On the down side, the x-ware will wear out whereas titanium doesn't really. Also you cannot use the x-ware in a fire where open flame may contact the sides.

I might just buy a kettle for this coming season, just for fun and compactness.

[Vegan Packer]

Wow Mtsman, sorry to hear you had bad luck with Toaks - I have had anything but and really enjoy their products.

I am surprised, too. I did a lot of research before buying my Toaks gear, and the reviews all looked good. I have had zero issues in the field. I love my polished bowl long handle spoon, and my pot still looks like the day I got it, except for some wear of the Toaks emblem.

[Mtsman]

Wow Mtsman, sorry to hear you had bad luck with Toaks

I am surprised, too. I did a lot of research before buying my Toaks gear, and the reviews all looked good. I have had zero issues in the field. I love my polished bowl long handle spoon, and my pot still looks like the day I got it, except for some wear of the Toaks emblem.

I guess that is why HYOH matters the most. What works for some may not work for others. I wanted to like the toaks for me. I too did a butt load of research and toaks always hit the top 5 in some way or another. That is what enticed me to buy them in the first place. I didnt mind the cup at all but found it was too "heavy" to justify for a cup of joe when I could sip out of the pan portion of my evernew. I am glad that the toaks is working out for you guys. You definitely are not alone as it is a fairly popular brand. Thanks for showing the "other side" of the toaks brand so that people get both sides of the story.

Enjoy and maybe, just maybe, we will see each other on the trail someday!

HYOH YMMV

[Casey & Gina]

Enjoy and maybe, just maybe, we will see each other on the trail someday!

I look forward to the friendly meeting, where we cheerfully bash each other on the head with great gusto and repetition using our cookware, in order to help try to show the other party that his cookware is indeed the better one with great humility! Afterwards we will proceed to compare sporks...actually that may be a problem as I only have a spoon...

Haha just kidding of course, there is no such thing as the "one best thing for everyone" after all and it is great as the backpacking market is full of a lot of good options these days.

[Mtsman]

I look forward to the friendly meeting, where we cheerfully bash each other on the head with great gusto and repetition using our cookware, in order to help try to show the other party that his cookware is indeed the better one with great humility! Afterwards we will proceed to compare sporks...actually that may be a problem as I only have a spoon...

Haha just kidding of course, there is no such thing as the "one best thing for everyone" after all and it is great as the backpacking market is full of a lot of good options these days.

I started crying I was laughing so hard. My Co-Workers already think I am crazy, thanks for proving them right I will be hitting the trail roughly the 18th of this month (the 15th is my last day here at work). I am ready to go!

[bikebum1975]

I look forward to the friendly meeting, where we cheerfully bash each other on the head with great gusto and repetition using our cookware, in order to help try to show the other party that his cookware is indeed the better one with great humility! Afterwards we will proceed to compare sporks...actually that may be a problem as I only have a spoon...

Haha just kidding of course, there is no such thing as the "one best thing for everyone" after all and it is great as the backpacking market is full of a lot of good options these days.

haha needed a good chuckle

[TS-WNY]

I like my Jetfoil Zip just for the convenience factor. I really only do freeze dried meals, so it's simple. I am considering switching up my cooking system and going with something smaller, so I see a lightweight titanium pot in my future.