View Full Version : Cook pot and liner questions
Seeking opinions on a couple gear items. I'm setting off for a thru attempt in February. I’ve backpacked stoveless until this point but am going to pick up a cook kit for warm dinners. What are your thoughts on the short, wide TOAKS 700 ml vs. the tall, slim TOAKS 750? I’ve heard a shorter pot might get a faster boil. I’m using the tiny BRS stove which might be a factor. Not sure if the BRS can support a wider pot.
https://www.amazon.com/TOAKS-LIGHT-Titanium-700ml-Pot/dp/B00RMPPXBC/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009B98FGW/?coliid=I1TC456AVPTZJM&colid=3Y1E6K44BW4G&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
Regarding liners, I use a 30 degree Western Mountaineering Ultralite mummy bag and want to pick up a liner for the early start. My bag + clothing layers + neoair sleeping pad get me through nights in the low to mid 20s. Should I get the Reactor liner at 8.7 oz and +14F or the Reactor Compact Plus at 9.3 oz and +20F?
khysanth
12-27-2018, 18:48
Either pot will work I'm sure. The shorter one will be more stable on the pot stand probably. I personally have the taller 750ml and it works fine on my canister and alcohol stoves.
Puddlefish
12-27-2018, 21:50
If you own the stove already, fire it up. Does it spread the flame out wide? Do the flames tend to go straight up?
Consider how you're going pack up your entire cook kit into a small easily transported bundle. You can fit a canister into the wide pot, or fit the stove in, but not both. You can fit the stove into the thin pot. It's probably more important to fit the fragile stove into the pot, to keep it from getting crushed.
What cooking method are you using, what are you cooking. If you're just boiling water, and cooking in a plastic bag, the shape of the pot doesn't matter much. If you're cooking and stirring actual food in the pot, the wide pot will make that process far easier.
Rex Clifton
12-27-2018, 22:08
I’d opt for the Japanese Snow Peak 700 over the Chinese Toaks. I’ve owned both and the titanium is much better on the Snow Peak. To test, press the bottom of each pot with your thumbs, the Toaks feels a little like an oil can while the Snow Peak is solid, meaning more even heating (for titanium) and a pot that won’t warp over time.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
daddytwosticks
12-28-2018, 08:12
I'm a cold sleeper, plus I personally hate liners because I toss and turn a lot when I sleep. A 30 degree rated bag would not work for me. YMMV. Good luck. :)
cmoulder
12-28-2018, 10:42
Seeking opinions on a couple gear items. I'm setting off for a thru attempt in February. I’ve backpacked stoveless until this point but am going to pick up a cook kit for warm dinners. What are your thoughts on the short, wide TOAKS 700 ml vs. the tall, slim TOAKS 750? I’ve heard a shorter pot might get a faster boil. I’m using the tiny BRS stove which might be a factor. Not sure if the BRS can support a wider pot.
https://www.amazon.com/TOAKS-LIGHT-Titanium-700ml-Pot/dp/B00RMPPXBC/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009B98FGW/?coliid=I1TC456AVPTZJM&colid=3Y1E6K44BW4G&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
Regarding liners, I use a 30 degree Western Mountaineering Ultralite mummy bag and want to pick up a liner for the early start. My bag + clothing layers + neoair sleeping pad get me through nights in the low to mid 20s. Should I get the Reactor liner at 8.7 oz and +14F or the Reactor Compact Plus at 9.3 oz and +20F?
I'd get the wide 700ml Toaks... lower center of gravity so more stable, broader base more efficient at absorbing heat.
And I'd just get a warmer bag... something like a Marmot Plasma 15, or another WM if you like, with a very light shell. Bulk, weight and fidget factor with liners.
Toaks Light 700 is nice, fits a whole package of ramen, no need to break it up. Nice long noodles for slurping :-)
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61VUpyHH%2BTL._SL1000_.jpg
It really is personal choice; but I chose the 750ml pot. I used a bandana with a mini bic under the canister dropped into the pot. Fits just right! Half of the bandana was folded over and my micro rocket (your BSR) goes in next. The other half of bandana folds in and lid goes on top. I put a collapsible cup over the lid and the entire thing goes into the orange carrying sac. Worked fine on my Thru hike this year and was more compact than the 700 and the difference in boil time would be minute (IMHO). I wouldn’t change my stove system unless I wanted to carry the heavier Smallest Jet Boil. They seemed to be slightly quicker of a boil, better in wind and safer in whatever shelter is used. As far as crushing Ramen or not, to fit in pot, I always bag cooked and never had to clean a pot. Most people that I saw on trail opted to do the same.
A 30 degree WM Ultralite? Is that a typo?
The Ultralite I had on my short shopping list was always rated 20 degrees.
When in February are you starting? It makes a difference.
If I were starting in February, I would probably start with my WM Antelope and have my WM Alpinlite packed and ready to mail in case the Antelope proved to be overkill.
The bag is just one piece of the puzzle. An R-5.7 Xtherm goes below the bag. I would be wrapped in wool clothing from head to toe. Wool clothing makes a better liner than liners. My down sweater handy in case it got into single digits around dawn.
You need all of the pieces of the puzzle.
Be warm. Be dry. Be safe.
Good luck!
Wayne
Tipi Walter
12-29-2018, 00:33
I use an MSR Titan kettle at 850ml and so I'd go with the larger pot because you may want to boil up a hot water bottle (hot tea etc) and put it in your nalgene bottle. The more hot liquid the better. Or you may need to melt snow. Going out in February, right??
A 30 degree WM Ultralite? Is that a typo?
The Ultralite I had on my short shopping list was always rated 20 degrees.
When in February are you starting? It makes a difference.
If I were starting in February, I would probably start with my WM Antelope and have my WM Alpinlite packed and ready to mail in case the Antelope proved to be overkill.
The bag is just one piece of the puzzle. An R-5.7 Xtherm goes below the bag. I would be wrapped in wool clothing from head to toe. Wool clothing makes a better liner than liners. My down sweater handy in case it got into single digits around dawn.
You need all of the pieces of the puzzle.
Be warm. Be dry. Be safe.
Good luck!
Wayne
You're right. It is 20* - not sure why I thought it was 30. I've thought about selling my bag and getting two - a warmer one around 10 degrees and a summer bag around 40 or 50. Just not sure if it's financially the best move right before I head out for a thru attempt. Planning to head out somewhere between the 10th and 20th of February depending on weather.
It really is personal choice; but I chose the 750ml pot. I used a bandana with a mini bic under the canister dropped into the pot. Fits just right! Half of the bandana was folded over and my micro rocket (your BSR) goes in next. The other half of bandana folds in and lid goes on top. I put a collapsible cup over the lid and the entire thing goes into the orange carrying sac. Worked fine on my Thru hike this year and was more compact than the 700 and the difference in boil time would be minute (IMHO). I wouldn’t change my stove system unless I wanted to carry the heavier Smallest Jet Boil. They seemed to be slightly quicker of a boil, better in wind and safer in whatever shelter is used. As far as crushing Ramen or not, to fit in pot, I always bag cooked and never had to clean a pot. Most people that I saw on trail opted to do the same.
Sounds like the 750 is packs well which would be a huge plus. Did you normally carry a 4oz canister or something larger?
Toaks Light 700 is nice, fits a whole package of ramen, no need to break it up. Nice long noodles for slurping :-)
Good point - slurping is the only right way to eat ramen :)
https://i.gifer.com/QiOb.gif
You're right. It is 20* - not sure why I thought it was 30. I've thought about selling my bag and getting two - a warmer one around 10 degrees and a summer bag around 40 or 50. Just not sure if it's financially the best move right before I head out for a thru attempt. Planning to head out somewhere between the 10th and 20th of February depending on weather.
If I were starting from scratch, I would replace the Alpinlite (Wide Body version of your Ultralite) with a 10 degree WM Versalite (Same dimensions as the Antelope) and a good 40 degree quilt. When I win the lottery!
Bottom Line: Be prepared for single digit temperatures for at least the first month.
Wayne
Sounds like the 750 is packs well which would be a huge plus. Did you normally carry a 4oz canister or something larger?
Started with two, one 4 and one 8 and switched when the first one was emptied. Always happens in the middle of a section and just when the dinner water was just warm not hot! Then when in the next town resupply, I would buy a new canister and stuck with the 4 oz the rest of the way. Probably could have waited till the second resupply after changing out, but wasn’t worth the worry or weight penalty. Others did stretch it out. What ever works but the 4 oz is plenty!
In one of the ads there is a photo of that stove with a 750/900 ml wide pot on top . The flame (on high I would think) is larger than the pot. So I would suggest that if the shape of the wider pot works for you, get that one. A couple of quick tips : use a windshield and set the stove close to the medium setting. On high you waste a lot of heat that just goes up the sides of the pot .