Mess Kits

[HogWinslow]

I started to wonder why I don't read about anyone using regular boy scout mess kits to cook with. Actually it was my wifes idea. I was talking to her about what kind of cook pot I was going to get. I think she's tired of these types of conversations but figures if I'm at home discussing this I'm not sitting at the bar. She had some good points. Most have two parts that lock together. One could be used as a lid. Once locked together I could store my little pepsi can stove, pot handle and other stuff inside. Why don't I read more about people using mess kits. Wifey can't be the first to think of this.

Hog

[mountain squid]

I don't exactly know what you are thinking about but the mess kits I am thinking of are heavy and bulky. You can eat out of your pot without the need for a mess kit. As far as a cook pot goes, I would suggest this from anitgravity gear (http://www.antigravitygear.com/proddetail.php?prod=MK3CNS).

See you on the trail,
mt squid

[HogWinslow]

http://www.campingcomfortably.com/coleman-aluminum-mess-kit.html

This is basicly what I'm talking about. I just wouldn't take all extra pots if I was alone.

[JimM]

Since you were talking about boy scout mess kits, I thought this link was interesting:
http://scoutmaster.typepad.com/my_weblog/2005/11/mess_kit_manife.html
I gave my boy scout mess kit to one of my sons...don't think he ever used it...too much "old school" for him.

[aaroniguana]

Hog you can still buy those mess kits at WalMart for $5.99. I tried one but my alky stove and other kitchen accessories don't nest inside. The do nest inside the KMart grease pot though.

[Blissful]

Mess kits are heavy. Every ounce counts when you hike long distance in the wear and tear on your body, etc. But if you are planning on weekend excursions etc then take a mess kit..

[Tinker]

When I first hiked in the 1970's, I used to carry a nesting mess kit. The pot was too shallow and often dinner got spilled. The locking handle was heavy and unnecessary (I use a bandanna now to lift my pot). My current pot is a 1.3 liter Evernew ti pot with the handles removed (they get too hot to be used without a bandanna anyway). On overnighters or weekend hikes I use a Heineken can pot over an Esbit tab. I use a ti spoon or spork (ever step on a plastic spoon? - plus, ti is inert and won't impart any unwanted chemicals to your hot food). I don't fry food on the trail, so I don't care if my pot doesn't have a top that doubles as a fry pan, and the Snowpeak ti pot with a frypan lid can't fry anything (without burning it) anyway. A pot, spoon, and some sort of cup (I like to use the small pot that came with my Snow Peak set as a bowl or cup [because you can reheat your coffee right in the cup]) is all you need.

[Wise Old Owl]

When I first hiked in the 1970's, I used to carry a nesting mess kit. The pot was too shallow and often dinner got spilled. The locking handle was heavy and unnecessary (I use a bandanna now to lift my pot). My current pot is a 1.3 liter Evernew ti pot with the handles removed (they get too hot to be used without a bandanna anyway). On overnighters or weekend hikes I use a Heineken can pot over an Esbit tab. I use a ti spoon or spork (ever step on a plastic spoon? - plus, ti is inert and won't impart any unwanted chemicals to your hot food). I don't fry food on the trail, so I don't care if my pot doesn't have a top that doubles as a fry pan, and the Snowpeak ti pot with a frypan lid can't fry anything (without burning it) anyway. A pot, spoon, and some sort of cup (I like to use the small pot that came with my Snow Peak set as a bowl or cup [because you can reheat your coffee right in the cup]) is all you need.

What he said, That lockin handle was awful and today we can get lighter and non stick that takes a beating. Two cups of hot water in a heiny pot and pour right into a Mountain House Pro pac - eat dinner and it's quick right out of the pack - We all just got away from it because of weight and fashion. Today its freezer bag cooking or Freeze dried. For some its an endless supply of Snickers. No Boy Scout kit required. Just a plastic foon.

[Toolshed]

I still have mine from 30-40 years ago. It was sloppy then and still is. In fact, I was watching a dad at a cub scout camping trip try to balance his pan full of pasta recently -in his shiny new mess kit... it is just to shallow and too unstable to be easily handled. I like the nesting design, but I need something deeper and less wide.

[sarbar]

In all honesty if I had to go with only one pot choice and I had to flip between FBC and actual cooking it would be a GSI HAA tea kettle. Why? It boils 4 cups water and has a very wide opening so that one can do actual 1 person meals in it. It is of hard anodized aluminum and is very light weight. It has a good handle. And it is cheap at less than $18.

If you want a mess kit, then get a good one. The cheapie ones at Walmart are made often by the company behind Texsport. The issue lies in many are stainless steel - so heavier. They often have flimsy handles as well.

But - for a good option? Check out the HAA version by GSI. It comes with a pot/lid fry pan, pot holder, bowl and mug. It is reasonable priced, ok weight wise and is non stick with a good pot holder for a tight grip.

[River Runner]

The size and shape of the mess kit components are not as convenient as other pots on the market.

[Ziggy Trek]

Assuming we are talking about that aluminum set:
I have bought many fancy-shmansy things to cook with on the trail. Parts of the <$6 mess kit from Wal-Mart seem to keep following me down the trail anyway. The handle is gone with a <$4 pot lifter when I'm in the mood to fry some eggs. (I singed a few bandannas before that.) The handle was the biggest problem.

I agree that the boy scout pot was a bit shallow and spilled to often. But you will see that the K-pot (grease pot) nests with the pan or plate nicely.
I like the idea of titanium pots. I also like the non-stick stuff. But the simplicity of the boy scout kit has its merits and keeps winning the chance to get thrown into my pack (including that stupid cup for measuring).

[Marta]

One thing to consider when buying a pot is what sort of stove you are planning to use. The neatest arrangement--and the one that takes the least space in your pack--is a Russian doll sort of nesting arrangment of pot with stove and all the required elements inside. Pull that out of your pack and you're good to go. The Boy Scout mess kit is pretty shallow for boiling water (too much surface area) and for containing a stove.

As someone above said, though, if it appeals to you, try it out on weekend trips. Most hikers have some piece of equipment that makes no sense to anyone else, but they have their own reasons for wanting to use it.

[Peaks]

I started to wonder why I don't read about anyone using regular boy scout mess kits to cook with. Actually it was my wifes idea. I was talking to her about what kind of cook pot I was going to get. I think she's tired of these types of conversations but figures if I'm at home discussing this I'm not sitting at the bar. She had some good points. Most have two parts that lock together. One could be used as a lid. Once locked together I could store my little pepsi can stove, pot handle and other stuff inside. Why don't I read more about people using mess kits. Wifey can't be the first to think of this.

Hog


I'm sure there are many Whiteblazers out here who used the scout mess kit in their youth. But, things have changed. We no longer cook over wood fires, and the scout mess kit is really necessary for the type of cooking most of us do on the trail. All we need is a pot and some form of a backpacking stove.

[JimM]

Many fond memories of smearing liquid soap on the bottom and sides of the aluminum pans being used over coals and then scrubbing the pans with brillo pads when the meal was done...who said there was a better way back then?

[jesse]

The scout mess kit is aluminum, there is some controversy as to whether there are helath risk associated with cooking on aluminum. Number two reason I don't like the scout messkit is that little wingnut, that eventally gets lost, and is a PITA to keep up with. The stainless version avalable at wally world, is better in my opinion, however, the pot, which is the most often used piece of cooking gear for me anyway, is very unstable when picked up by the handle. If you go with the scout kit I would get a pot gripper handle and not even try to use the handle that comes with it.
I just purchased a .5 liter mug with lid, heat water to pour into a freezer bag meal.

[Fiddleback]

Many fond memories of smearing liquid soap on the bottom and sides of the aluminum pans being used over coals and then scrubbing the pans with brillo pads when the meal was done...who said there was a better way back then?


The scout mess kit is aluminum, there is some controversy as to whether there are helath risk associated with cooking on aluminum...

I'm cringing in the corner of my computer desk driven there by flashbacks of hours at the kitchen sink, steel wool pad in hand, trying to clean my Scout mess kit. Who knew that 'training' was molding my mind set to become an avid supporter and practitioner of FBC 40 years later.:D Sure, now I can cook a meal without depositing an inch of soot and grime, but my cleanup time is still too much. Not to mention the packweight, bulk, etc. I have great memories of Scout overnights and I still have my messkit. But it's a piece of memorabilia now.

I think the 'controversy' about aluminum cookware was put to rest long ago...

FB

[brooklynkayak]

I think the 'controversy' about aluminum cookware was put to rest long ago...

Some people still believe it as they think there is a conspiracy to cover it up:)
The result of to much drug use I guess;)

Here is a link to an Asian version of a mess kit. The Chinese use these to cook and carry lunch. Stainless steel, very light and the lid locks so leftovers can be kept in it without having to transfer.
I bought mine for $6 US:
http://picasaweb.google.com/brooklynkayak/UltimateCompactStoveWindscreenPotStandCombination#

[gold bond]

In all honesty if I had to go with only one pot choice and I had to flip between FBC and actual cooking it would be a GSI HAA tea kettle. Why? It boils 4 cups water and has a very wide opening so that one can do actual 1 person meals in it. It is of hard anodized aluminum and is very light weight. It has a good handle. And it is cheap at less than $18.

If you want a mess kit, then get a good one. The cheapie ones at Walmart are made often by the company behind Texsport. The issue lies in many are stainless steel - so heavier. They often have flimsy handles as well.

But - for a good option? Check out the HAA version by GSI. It comes with a pot/lid fry pan, pot holder, bowl and mug. It is reasonable priced, ok weight wise and is non stick with a good pot holder for a tight grip.

Amen!! Thats what I have went to and won't go back to anything else. Compact, lightweight, and can store my stove, lighter, FB coozie, and sponge in it. I can boil water and pour out of it very easy or I have cooked a meal in it as well.

["Cat"]

My experience:

In march of this year I did a short section hike (08) I bought a "Wal-mart" stainless messkit and while it cooked good, it was heavy! Also the boiling pot w/lid had to be handled with my Bandanna,because the "Bail" handle was unusable!

Also I cooked and ate out of the same frypan section never really used the plate part? One problem is it cooled off really quick and took a lot of feul to heat up.

On my second and longer section hike in summer I got a, "Titianum"(Sorry about the spelling) cooking pot and used it for food and drink and if I needed to do 2 things just ate out of my sierra-cup.

Lighter the better. I will be getting a Titainum sierra cup just to save weight before I start my thru hike in 2009! every ounce counts (EOC) .

Good luck ; "Cat"

[Mags]

Back in my boyscout days (ca mid-late 1980s), I had one of those mess kits.

We had probably 12 cooking fires in camp (which means 12 fire pits and a huge browse line!) for the two dozen or so scouts, in addition to canvas tents (don't touch the side!), etc.

I remember being taught by Mr. Johnson how to clean my cookpot with the sand from the campsite near Johnson's Pond (http://www.city-data.com/picfilesc/picc36204.php)(a large coincidence!)

Almost 25 yrs later, I do not cook over a camp fire, do not use a mess kit, nor do I camp at Johnson's Pond (I think homes are there now).

A cook pot, a simple spoon, a tin foil lid, and a bandanna (with a Gatorade bottle for the occasional hot beverage) is now my mess kit. Simpler, lighter and practical.



(Though I do use the Frisbee idea mentioned in the previous link (http://scoutmaster.typepad.com/my_weblog/2005/11/mess_kit_manife.html). When I do trailwork, the frisbee makes an awesome all purpose deep-dish plate for the chow line!)

[JRiker]

i use an aluminum version of the mess kit that i found at big 5 sporting goods. it has the locking flip handle like the stainless steel ones found at wally-world, but is a whole lot lighter.

i'm not too worried about non-stick, i just don't burn my food to the pan, so clean up is easy.

i have a k-mart grease pot, but it's hard to make biscuits or fry bread in it. i always take flour and oil and make my bread on the trail, so it's nice to have a wide pot.

spilling isn't a problem, i just don't overfill it.

if i'm cooking for two, i make my wife's dinner first and then mine afterwards...

i really like my mess kit. my stove and pot stand fit nicely into it, along with some emergency fire starter stuff. i'll have to take some pics when i get home and edit this post...

[WILLIAM HAYES]

I have used a Wally Mart Grease Pot for 10 years -lightweight inexpensive and I can nest my turbolite stove ,windscreen and campbells plastic soup cup, lighter and folding titanium spork in it- I made a cosy out of air conditioning wrap for the pot and lid which really retains the heat. total weight is around 9 oz for everything

Hillbilly

[Surplusman]

I still have my Boy Scout mess kit from the late 1950's. The word "mess" in the word "mess kit" is very appropriate. Give me a spork, a cup, and an Esbit stove and I'm ready to battle for a kingdom. We've come a long way from mess kits and flat-sided Palco canteens. Good! I like today better.

[calculating infinity]

ive used the same single 3 cup pot i got from a bsa mess kit my entire life, i doubt ill ever switch. its black now from cooking over fires and long ago i lost the lid and replaced it with foil but it works great for what i need.

[SunnyWalker]

I have never liked foil for a lid. Gets greasy real quick. Can't keep re-using it.

[vamelungeon]

I use a Swedish Army mess kit, it is complete with a Svea alcohol stove and windscreen for the stove.
Here's a video of a guy showing his kit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3eySqurNos