snow peak 600 vs 700

[bustedchucks]

In an effort to lighten up I am going to switch from a canister stove to an alcohol stove and am looking at either the snow peak 600 or 700 for my pot/mug.

600 holds 21.2 liquid oz and weighs 2.8 oz.

700 holds 24 liquid oz and weighs 4.8 oz.. but has a lid. ( figures from campmor.com)

On the surface ist seems that the 600 is better for me, but...

My very basic knowledge of thermodynamics tells me that a lid will make a big difference in boiling time. So has anyone made a foil lid for the 600 and had it work well? Any other preferences or reasons I should choose one over the other or even something else entirely? Also, am I going to burn my lips if I boil water and drink from it immediately afterward?

My cooking will mostly consist of coffee and oatmeal in the morning and mountain house type dinners at night.

Thanks for any input.

[Roots]

I have the 700 and the lid makes a huge difference. I have also put a bandana over the top of the lid. I always make sure it is folded up very small so it doesn't go over the edges of the pot and catch fire. The extra insulation really helps. I love the 700 because of the lid and the slot in it. It makes it easy to drink out of and I can store my spork in the pot easier by sliding the handle through it. It works great with a canister or my mighty fine Caldera cone stove system.

[take-a-knee]

If you make an entire Knorr meal and add a foil pack of chicken the 700 will barely contain it. I replaced my 700 with the MSR 0.85 kettle for that reason and I am well pleased with it. It is larger and lighter.

[SouthMark]

I have the 600 and have made a lid form the top of a peaches can with a small plastic knob in the center for lifting. Others have made lids form aluminum baking pans, aluminum foil, etc. Works!!

[Roots]

If you make an entire Knorr meal and add a foil pack of chicken the 700 will barely contain it. I replaced my 700 with the MSR 0.85 kettle for that reason and I am well pleased with it. It is larger and lighter.

That is VERY true. I freezer bag cook and have a homemade cozy for it. I was thinking in terms of just boiling water and an occasional eat out of situation. My bad... I guess it would of helped if I had explained the freezer bag cooking part.

[Tinker]

If you're going to an alcohol stove from a cannister, bear in mind that alcohol stoves tend to spill flames out toward the sides of a pot and then up into the air. A wider pot will be more efficient. Generally, the wider the better. Of course, space in your pack and weight are factors also. If you want to stick with a small, tall pot, you'll probably be more satisfied with its performance if you stick with your cannister stove.

[scavenger]

I have a 600 and use tin-foil for a lid, with a "gram weenie pro" alcohol stove. works good enough for me.

[bustedchucks]

any issues with burning your lips when you boil water in it?

[bustedchucks]

If you're going to an alcohol stove from a cannister, bear in mind that alcohol stoves tend to spill flames out toward the sides of a pot and then up into the air. A wider pot will be more efficient. Generally, the wider the better. Of course, space in your pack and weight are factors also. If you want to stick with a small, tall pot, you'll probably be more satisfied with its performance if you stick with your cannister stove.

Good point.

I presume some alky stoves have a more focused flame than others, I have a strarlyte, do you happend to know where that lands on the flame spread spectrum?

My current set up is a coleman f1 at ~5 i oz and a 12 oz pot (w/ lid and w/o pot grabber) plus cannister. Theres alot of room for improvement and any suggestions would be welcome.

I've also been eyeing the caldera cone, but packability seems like it might be a problem.

Help a skinny guy save his poor thighs!

[take-a-knee]

That is VERY true. I freezer bag cook and have a homemade cozy for it. I was thinking in terms of just boiling water and an occasional eat out of situation. My bad... I guess it would of helped if I had explained the freezer bag cooking part.

I tried freezer bag cooking with the 700 and had problems pouring the water in the bag without spilling it all over the place wasting all those BTUs. I've had much better luck with the MSR .85, it pours a proper stream from its pour spout almost like a tea kettle.

[rpettit]

I use the 700. I can pack my stove, fuel, windscreen, lighter, and a cut down lexan spoon inside it. Never had any problems adding water to freezer bags or Mountain House meals.

[rpettit]

After re-reading your post, I cook exactly the way you do, no problems. If you boil water for coffee the cup will be to hot to immediately drink from. Either don't heat the water up so much, or set it aside to cool off. I noticed if I set it on a rock, it will sink the heat out quicker.

[Appalachian Tater]

Look at the MSR Titan Kettle. In addition to a lid that fits well, it has an insulated "knob", and an indentation on the bottom that allows it to sit securely on a SuperCat stove. It holds exactly the right amount--I think that even a 700 cc pot is just a bit too small. The only negative is that the handle on the pot can get hot so you may have to use a bandanna to grab it.

[bigcranky]

I have the 700, and I just use a lid made from heavy duty aluminum foil -- much lighter. Though I agree that it's not the best with the usual homemade alky stove. Too much heat lost around the sides. I use solid fuel tabs or a canister stove.

The K-mart grease pot is great with an alky stove.

[Tinker]

Bustedchucks:
In my testing of homemade stoves, the ones with the smallest flame spread are the ones which use a pot stand and the flame comes out the center (like a pop can stove - a homemade copy of the Trangia). The ones that the pot sits on top of tend to spill more flame up the sides (supercat, my favorite home made stove). I don't know if it justifies the extra weight of a pot stand and a tall windscreen (most pop can stoves need at the very minimum 1" of height between the burner and pan bottom to work efficiently - usually closer to 2" in my tests) to go with a tall, narrow pot. Experiment!

[Tinker]

BTW: When the weather is warm, I use Esbit tabs when travelling alone, with my Heineken can stove/pot setup for most bang for the gram.