View Full Version : What is the best size pot?
for cooking the standard liptons and rice and mac and cheese. How big do I really need to be.
I bought a 2 quart aluminum and it's really lightweight but kind of big.
Just not sure if it's over kill for solo cooking
(will be hiking the GA section of the AT in case it matters)
Thanks in advance
Melissa
This is what I use (solo) and it is plenty big enough.
It holds about a quart and is very light.
http://cgi.ebay.com/SNOW-PEAK-TREK-900-TITANIUM-COOKSET-NEW_W0QQitemZ8786705655QQcategoryZ62119QQrdZ1QQcmd ZViewItem
It may be cheaper at Campmor
Robusto
Thanks Robusto,
I will check it out. Will look at a 1 quart pot when I go to work tonight and check out the size
I use a 1 liter pot. It's just the right size for me. Some people like even smaller pots, .9 or .7 liters... a little too small for me, but others love them. Use the size that works for you, experiment with smaller sizes and see what you like. If you're just boiling water, you don't need as big of a pot and the <liter pots will probably work fine. If you do some cooking in the pot, you will probably want a little more space, though if you're cooking just for yourself, you really don't need too much more than a liter.
At least, that's what's worked for me. YMMV. And hey, if the 2 quart thing works for you, then use that. In the end, it's all about what works for you, and not what works for us.
Enjoy, and good hiking!
Footslogger
03-31-2006, 13:21
Depends on your appetite and whether you're cooking for 1 or 2 people.
Personally I have found that the 0.9 Liter size works for me when I hike solo. However if my wife and I are hiking/cooking together we need the 1.3 Liter pot.
Hope that helps ...
'Slogger
Thanks,
I think I am defenitely going to take this 2 quart thing back. It's really looking big.
thanks
i use a Titan Kettle. might be .85 liters? something like that... works just fine for a ramen, liptons, or mac and cheese, and i can feed me and my 11 year old daughter from it... however, when she's with me, i usually bring a walmart grease pot (slightly larger, and it was a gift from her, so that's important, dad-wise, to acknowledge.)
so, that's what works for me. but if you want a bigger pot for a secondary use, like to take a bath out of, boiling large quantities of water for drinking, cooking for more than 1 or 2 people, or whatever, maybe you should carry a larger pot. all up to you...
tlbj6142
03-31-2006, 17:00
It should be noted that many thru-hikers end up eating 2 "meals" at dinner (once their thru-hiker hunger kicks in after 2-3 weeks on the trail). So, rather than cook two meals back-to-back they use a larger pot. Say 1.3L-2L in size. And cook both "meals" at one time.
It should also be noted that many thru-hikers don't bother with the boil in bag method because it requires too much re-packaging after each store visit. As such, they tend to cook in their pot. Doing so, requires a larger pot.
That said, I use a Ti 600 cup/pot for my solo 3-5 day hikes. I just boil water and pour it into my pre-packaged meals. So, I don't need to "cook" more than 10-12oz of water for dinner.
workboot
03-31-2006, 17:58
This is what I use http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=13898&memberId=12500226&storeId=226&catalogId=40000000226&langId=-1 .Got one last year for 6 bucks, looks like they upped the price to 10 though.
I for one, typically use a 2 liter pot.
Just another example of different gear for different people.
Rendezvous01
03-31-2006, 18:06
I use a 1 liter pot. Large enough to cook in and stir things around without spilling over the side. Also big enough to cook enough for two if I decide I want to fix enough to share with someone else. Many hikers get by on a 0.7 liter pot and find that it works fine for them. I think that a 2 quart pot might be a little large for one person's needs. Can your stove handle the 2 quart pot half-full of water efficiently?
Suggestion: at home use a 2 quart pot to make yourself a trail-type dinner (mac n cheese, lipton, whatever). Then do the same thing with a one quart pot. Is it big enough to cook what you want it to? If not, keep the 2 quart for your GA hike.
I for one, typically use a 2 liter pot.
Just another example of different gear for different people.
As do I. I like plenty of room for stirring the contents. And I like a pot big enough to sterilize two quarts of water for use the next day.
Weary
for cooking the standard liptons and rice and mac and cheese. How big do I really need to be.
I bought a 2 quart aluminum and it's really lightweight but kind of big.
Just not sure if it's over kill for solo cooking
(will be hiking the GA section of the AT in case it matters)
Thanks in advance
Melissa
1 liter is what most solo hikers use:cool: neo
http://www.jetboil.com/
the goat
03-31-2006, 22:40
sometimes my 2 quart was barely big enough....i like to eat big meals...
g8trh8tr
03-31-2006, 23:37
I use a 1.5 liter MSR Titanium pot. I have the same pot in a 1 liter and it seems that water boils faster in the 1.5 liter pot for some reason. That saves me fuel in the long run plus it gives me more room. Just my 2cent.
I use a 1.3 qt Vargo Titanium non-stick pot
Thanks guys for all your advice.
I definitely will take your advice Rendevous and test the various size pots to see what works best for me. And will also test on my stove. I have an old Primus. I should see what it can handle.
Neo, I wish I could afford the Jetboil but alas most of my budget was spent on my tent.
tlbj6142
04-01-2006, 23:06
1 liter is what most solo hikers use:cool: neo
http://www.jetboil.com/NOTE: The Jet Boil has a manufactures limit of 0.5L. While the pot is able to hold 1L. Stupid lawyer thing, I'm sure. The folks at bpl.com suggest no more than 0.8L in the pot.
I use a 1 Liter pot( but that's because my micro stove and fuel cannister neatly fit in it, not because I carefully calculated anything to do with amount of water, meal sizes, etc.).
you know, I think I carried that same 2 quart aluminium pot on a section hike in '02. Some poor sap in China stamped it out of a sheet of aluminum, right?, and sold it to some bloke at Walmart (Which person worked for less per hour? I don't know), and sold it to me for probably $4. It weighed less than those cool little titanium jobs, and, while it was big, I could pack delicate stuff inside it in my pack for safe keeping.
At Rainbow Springs, I got into a "conversation" with a fellow about it. He thought I was senseless to carry such a big pot. He even offered to give me his titanium boy. I must have been groggy from such a hard day, because I told him that his opinion was unfounded and unsolicited, and he should go bother someone else.
Hey, if it works for you, who am I to disagree?
Rain Man
04-25-2006, 11:07
If you're only doing the Georgia section of the AT, then most likely your "hiker appetite" won't have time to kick in yet. For what that's worth in your analysis. I mostly lose my appetite the first few days of hiking.
And Seeker, you're one smart daddy!!!
Rain:sunMan
.
I use a 2 quart pot. With a tinfoil lid, it is 4.5 oz. Use a larger pot for many of the reasons described: I find it easier to cook in it, my thru-hiker appetite gets very large, it is light and cheap. Cost me $4 at XYZMart in 1999. Has been on many adventures ever since.
I've posted this link before. You may find it amusing. :)
http://www.pmags.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22&Itemid=33
I thought when I bought it mine was 1.4 liters, but only see a similar Evernew at 1.3 liters. According to REI the 1.3 L weighs 4.58 ounces. Mine weighs 4.3 without the lid. For that, add 1.6 or 5.9 oz total.
Whatever, it works for me as it's 13.5 ozs less than the 1.6 liter stainless steel MSR Stow-away I carried on the AT.
If you add, or deduct, another 15 ozs I saved in switching from Whisperlite Int to an alcohol stove that's 28 ozs less in a cookset alone.
:D no question about it,jet boil rules:cool: neo
http://www.jetboil.com/
SGT Rock
04-25-2006, 12:55
0.9L pot weighs only 4.01 ounces with the lid and handels still connected LOL. Plenty big enough for everything I need.
Kind of neat, you'd have to pay me to use a Jetboil. I couldn't be bothered finding or sending fuel on a long distance hike.
0.9L pot weighs only 4.01 ounces with the lid and handels still connected LOL. Plenty big enough for everything I need.
:D rock has been using a jetboil secretly on millatary missions:cool: neo
0.9L pot weighs only 4.01 ounces with the lid and handels still connected LOL. Plenty big enough for everything I need.
Ounce weenie! ;)
well iffn you are grammin then the 0.7 L Heineken beer can weighs in at 0.9 ounces and works well for me
2 cups, one pint, or 500 ml will do for almost all solo cooking - if you boil and set and make a cup of hot something at the same time. An extra 1/2 cup can be handy for the rare meal that takes more than 1 cup - but unless you need more than a cup often, you can go with the smaller container. Several titanium cup/pots are in the 500-750 ml range.