View Full Version : Snow Peak vs MSR
blackbishop351
08-04-2006, 02:30
Hi everybody...I'm thinking about downsizing from my Primus pot to a 3-cup size. I'm also considering titanium (**gulp** at the price).
I've been looking around, and I've found some helpful reviews on the MSR Titan at BGT, but none on the Snow Peak. I've seen people talking about both here, so I thought I'd ask.
I'm a recent convert to freezer bag cooking, so I'm not concerned with the lack of nonstick coating on either pot. I did notice that the Snow Peak has measurements on it, while the MSR doesn't. I also noticed that the MSR has a pour spout, while the Snow Peak doesn't. The MSR also seems to be a couple of fluid ounces larger, and a few grams lighter. The MSR also lists for about $10 more....
So - Any thoughts? Personal experience? If I'm gonna spend **gulp again** $30-40 on a tiny little pot, I want it to be the right one!
Thanks!
StarLyte
08-04-2006, 07:43
I have never owned a piece of titanium cookware for this reason. It is outrageous.
I camped with a friend who had the cookware, and the food stuck in his titanium the same it stuck in mine. I still had to scour out his pot. Doesn't make sense.
I use a CHEAP, simple Walmart grease pot. This way if it gets lost, damaged, burnt etc I don't care.
hikerjohnd
08-04-2006, 09:59
I bought an MSR Ti cookset just over a year ago - very happy with it but after being out on the trail and seeing all the Snow Peak users out there I wish I had done a bit more homework. Of my whole cookset, I only use the tea kettle. For the same weight, I could have had a two pot system from Snow Peak. I may sell the MSR set and buy something different - but no decisions yet.
I am however very happy with the weight savings and durability if Ti - I know folks who are on their second or third pot now and I still have the same Ti set.
I had mixed feelings about my MSR when I used it (I have switched to a JetBoil). I liked the sturdiness and light weight. I did, however, wish that it had measurement markings and that the little lid handle would stay upright. These complaints were minor and I'd probably still be using it if I hadn't discovered the JetBoil.
hikerjohnd
08-04-2006, 10:28
I had mixed feelings about my MSR when I used it ... I did, however, wish that it had measurement markings...
ditto - they would be helpful
blackbishop351
08-04-2006, 12:26
I have never owned a piece of titanium cookware for this reason. It is outrageous.
I camped with a friend who had the cookware, and the food stuck in his titanium the same it stuck in mine. I still had to scour out his pot. Doesn't make sense.
I use a CHEAP, simple Walmart grease pot. This way if it gets lost, damaged, burnt etc I don't care.
I've heard these mentioned a lot - apparently K-mart carries them too. But I looked around for a while at Walmart and couldn't find it. Where are they usually located?
Also, do they come with a lid? Handle? What's the weight/capacity? Just wondering....I'm definitely the guy who'll buy the Wallyworld Special if it'll save $$ :D
Rockjock
08-04-2006, 12:59
The wally word grease pot is kept in the cooking section near measuring cups and such. It costs $4.76 and has a cover no handle but you can punch two holes and use coat hanger also remove the plastic cover knob and replce with a wing nut. I love mine and wouldn't waste the mony on Ti JMHO
Rock
I've had great experiences with my Vargo Titanium pot.
blackbishop351
08-05-2006, 04:39
I looked at one of the two Walmarts here, and no luck on the grease pot. But, I'll try the other one tomorrow, and if no luck there, I'm going back to my hometown this weekend so I can try theirs too.
Question - Will a piece of CCF work for a potgrabber? I'm thinking about the lid from my CCF freezer bag cozy. The lack of a handle on the grease pot bothers me, but I've seen several comments about the handles on the MSR and Snow Peak heating up anyway, I guess it doesn't bother me THAT much.
Big Dawg
08-05-2006, 07:33
Love my MSR Ti kettle. It's a cup, it's a pot, it's a kettle, it's a storage unit for my stove/windscreen/cozy hat. I love this little thing. It's light weight & sturdy too. :D
Big Dawg
08-05-2006, 07:36
I looked at one of the two Walmarts here, and no luck on the grease pot. But, I'll try the other one tomorrow, and if no luck there, I'm going back to my hometown this weekend so I can try theirs too.
Question - Will a piece of CCF work for a potgrabber? I'm thinking about the lid from my CCF freezer bag cozy. The lack of a handle on the grease pot bothers me, but I've seen several comments about the handles on the MSR and Snow Peak heating up anyway, I guess it doesn't bother me THAT much.
cruising WB at 4:30am...... oh man, you're an addict now. LOL:)
Talk to ya soon, bud!
Skidsteer
08-05-2006, 08:03
I looked at one of the two Walmarts here, and no luck on the grease pot. But, I'll try the other one tomorrow, and if no luck there, I'm going back to my hometown this weekend so I can try theirs too.
The K-Mart pot has a rolled out lip, which is nice to have.
Question - Will a piece of CCF work for a potgrabber? I'm thinking about the lid from my CCF freezer bag cozy. The lack of a handle on the grease pot bothers me, but I've seen several comments about the handles on the MSR and Snow Peak heating up anyway, I guess it doesn't bother me THAT much.
Yes, but you'll have to grab the pot from top to bottom instead of side to side.
saimyoji
08-05-2006, 10:44
I've been using the SP MiniSolo Ti. Way cool, packs small w/ stove and fuel. Make sure you get a cozy if you don't have one. Freezer bag cooking makes meal times way easy.
blackbishop351
08-06-2006, 13:29
Bad news, people - I think Walmart has stopped carrying the grease pots. I've checked at 4 stores now, but that's not why I think they stopped selling them. The reason is, the last two I checked had a sort of ABS plastic box with removable liner bags in lieu of a pot - specifically for grease disposal. Doesn't bode well.
If anybody knows of a place near me (Greensboro, NC) that sells them, please let me know? I've tried Walmart, Kmart, CVS, and Walgreen's.
Lanthar Mandragoran
08-06-2006, 14:19
I love my SP 600 (2+ Cups)... light and bulletproof... I've never regretted buying if for myself one XMas...
I honestly don't think you'll be dissapointed with either the SP or the MSR... or even Vargo if you decide to go that route...
However, I will say that, if I had to do it over again, I might have gone with Mini-solo Ti (http://www.snowpeak.com/gears/scs004.htm) so I would have a couple pots and a lid... Or maybe the Trek 900 (just the pot) for a bit extra size... (and integral measuring lines)...
Ramble~On
08-06-2006, 17:33
No one has mentioned the "I.B" cookset from Brunton yet.
"I.B." stands for "itty bitty" hard anodized aluminum.
I have SP Ti and 2 different sets of Evernew Ti.
I have no complaints about any of it.
I like the Brunton as it offers the perfect size for anything I ever cook for myself, the cannister for my Pocket Rocket fits inside...there are lighter sets out there though.
betic4lyf
08-06-2006, 21:22
i have the anti gravity gear pot, which is light, solid, and only 12 bucks. when i looked at it closer, it is the same pot as th3 cup pots that come in a mess kit, minus the coatingwith a mess kit you get a bunch of other stuff that comes in handy when car camping
Lanthar Mandragoran
08-07-2006, 15:05
No one has mentioned the "I.B" cookset from Brunton yet.
"I.B." stands for "itty bitty" hard anodized aluminum.
Since he was focused on Ti, I didn't bother mentioning the GSI Hard Andonized Extreme™ Boiler w/Lid (http://www.gsioutdoors.com/Products/Cookware/HardAnodized/50131.html)
I use the MSR Ti Kettle in the winter when I have a hot drink with my meal and want 3 cups of water. It has a great lid and good handles. I use a snowpeak 600 mug the rest of the year. I LOVE my antigravity 3 cup pot..I do not use it backpacking because I prefer the mug style to drink out of..
blackbishop351
08-09-2006, 00:36
Well...I gave up trying to find the legendary grease pot. It's apparently a mythical beast, akin to a unicorn or a minotaur. Anyway.
I bit the price bullet and got the Snow Peak TI 700 (I DID get it on sale, though - $20). I've already cooked in it once, and it worked great! I think it heated water quicker than my aluminum Primus pot, even though that one's black.
One thing I did notice, though, was that when I turned my stove full-on, the flame came up around the sides of the pot. Lot of heat loss there, I think. Not to mention it heats up the handles a lot. I successfully used my CCF cozy lid as a grabber, though. Any solutions to the heat loss? I guess I could just keep the flame lower, but that'll take longer to boil....
Lanthar Mandragoran
08-09-2006, 15:36
One thing I did notice, though, was that when I turned my stove full-on, the flame came up around the sides of the pot. Lot of heat loss there, I think. Not to mention it heats up the handles a lot. I successfully used my CCF cozy lid as a grabber, though. Any solutions to the heat loss? I guess I could just keep the flame lower, but that'll take longer to boil....
Yeah, that's the unfortunate reality of narrower pots... with practice, you'll find that there is a sweet spot that keeps the flame concentrated on the bottom of the pot (not climbing the sides) that still boils the water rapidly... once the flames start climbing the sides, opening the valve further simply dumps heat up the sides and away rather than making it boil faster... you might consider a windscreen of sorts... either the Jim Wood's KiteScreen (http://bb.jwbasecamp.com/viewtopic.php?p=75#75) or what I did (Homemade Windscreen for Snowpeak Gigapower T (http://homepage.mac.com/jdmitch/PhotoAlbum3.html)) or many of the numerous other possibilities on the Internet...
Big Dawg
08-10-2006, 22:34
Well...I gave up trying to find the legendary grease pot. It's apparently a mythical beast, akin to a unicorn or a minotaur. Anyway.
I bit the price bullet and got the Snow Peak TI 700 (I DID get it on sale, though - $20). I've already cooked in it once, and it worked great! I think it heated water quicker than my aluminum Primus pot, even though that one's black.
One thing I did notice, though, was that when I turned my stove full-on, the flame came up around the sides of the pot. Lot of heat loss there, I think. Not to mention it heats up the handles a lot. I successfully used my CCF cozy lid as a grabber, though. Any solutions to the heat loss? I guess I could just keep the flame lower, but that'll take longer to boil....
I forget if you've told me, but what kind of stove do you use?
blackbishop351
08-10-2006, 23:08
Primus Micron - canister, of course. :D
Big Dawg
08-11-2006, 20:00
Primus Micron - canister, of course. :D
That's right,,, I remember now. You showed it to me.... cool stove, kinda like my pocket rocket.
I'll holla at ya later.
Scorpion
08-12-2006, 14:44
I thru hiked 2 years ago with a Snow Peak 600 cup as my total cooking gear. My Brasslite alcohol stove fit into it.
It held enough water to boil for the foods I was eating. One other benefit of the 600 cup was that a quart plastic bag would fit into it and the top then fold back over the edges of the cup. The cup could then be held by its handle when eating out of the plastic bag. The same is true for the pouches that mashed potatoes or stove top stuffing come in.
I was totally satisfied with the Snow Peak cup, and still use it whenever I'm backpcking.
Scorpion GA-Me 04
Because the MSR kettle is short and fat and has a tight fitting lid you can boil water in it fast. The Snowpeak 700 & 600 are thinner and the flame can come up the sides on some stoves. I have found that my Msr kettle works the best on my antigravity alcohol stove. I have evolved to using Esbit now and use the BPL Ti stove. Snowpeak mugs fit perfectly on this stove..the Msr kettle is too fat for it (although there are people who bend the frame out to make it fit) My Msr works better on my cannister stove too but if I went back to using that when backpacking I would probably use the jetboil...that is a sweet setup.