Looking for cookware

[Michael]

I am looking to acquire some cookware to fill my camping needs, and I figured I'd ask the forum for a hand in this. So I'll try to give a good idea of what my needs are, and hopefully the good people of the forum will have helpful suggestions.

I'm a backpacker and not a car camper. So while I adore cast iron skillets, I really need something small and light weight.

I cook over fires, not over stoves. So I need something that has a proper handle so I don't burn myself while I cook.

My gear is for me. When I camp with other people, they all have their own gear. So I don't need anything huge. Most of what I'll realistically be using this for is boiling water to make it safe to drink, making tea, and making some oat meal for myself for breakfast. Any pot significantly larger than a liter is probably getting on toward overkill.

Finally, I'm not exactly rolling in cash at the moment. I've found a lot of what amounts to a metal tea mug made of titanium for 40 bucks. While I appreciate titanium and think it's all cool and such, 40 bucks for a metal tea mug strikes me as excessive.

So I guess what I'm looking for is a steel or aluminum pot with a good handle, and probably around 0.75-1 liter in volume. Folding up is a plus.

Thanks!

[IndianaHiker]

Here is what I used and I love it. The larger base uses all available heat and helps boil quickly. Weight is good and it was really pretty cheap.

GSI Kettle

[Grandpa]

First, many places now have fire restrictions out here in the west. Stoves are becoming mandatory in most places. Even where fires are permited, it's only in existing fire rings and they do not often cater to cooking on them. My first suggestion is to reconsider using a stove, especially for boiling water. I personally still like the MSR pocket rocket but there are many good similar ones on the market. They weigh 3-4 oz and use a fuel cannister of isobutane or isopropane. A full cannister weighs 12 oz, 8 oz of which is fuel. I get 6-8 days out of a cannister for all my cooking/boiling needs, and I drink a lot of coffee in the mornings and a lot of hot beverages in the evenings.

For many years, my only cooking utensil was a $4 enamal medium cup. This did require a small multi-tool to handle the cup when it is hot, which I carried anyway. I now use a two cup set, one about 16 oz and the other about 24 oz that nestle inside each other with a lid. These are non stick aluminum and have held up well for 4 years now and I use them about 30-50 nights a year. They also are just the right size to hold the fuel cannister, stove, and a bic lighter. The set weighs about the same as my old enamal cup did.

Every summer, I do at least a week each with three different groups. Over the years, every one of these people have converted from alcohol stoves, pressurized white gas stoves, trioxin, etc. to the light weight cannister models. We hike from desert to the high rockies. I have boiled water at 14,000 feet with no problems. The only drawback to the cannister is cold. I use an aluminum foil "cozy" to keep the cannister warm when temps are below freezing and have had no problems at 10 f.

These are just my opinions and there will be several good arguments as there should be.

[Refrigerator]

cooking over a fire try to keep to stainless. Durable, easy to clean, next would be Teflon Aluminum, last would be titanium.
Campmor.com will have all 3 systems or check out Jolly Rogers who is a member here. He has a pretty cool set up for cooking.

[Michael]

Originally Posted by IndianaHiker

Here is what I used and I love it. The larger base uses all available heat and helps boil quickly. Weight is good and it was really pretty cheap.

GSI Kettle

That looks just about perfect. Thanks.

[IndianaHiker]

Glad you like that idea. I keep things pretty simple since all I cook is water.

[JollyRogers]

Refrigerator, thanks for the props. I don't advertise here to keep within the forum rules but if you are interested, my whole cook sets, including stove, cost just a little more than the cup you quoted. I have alcohol and wood burners available that are designed for the cook set but also work well with most other cups/cook sets anywhere from Heineken pot sized and up. If you are in an area where you can burn wood freely then that is the lightest way to go as the stove only weighs 4.6oz. The alcohol stove weighs .4oz but requires a windscreen, fuel, fuel bottles, etc. which adds to the weight.

If you are still undecided and want more info just PM me. Otherwise, let us know how your purchase goes.