View Full Version : What size pot for solo hiker?
plurpimpin
07-20-2011, 07:25
Hey guys, first post here. Been lurking for a while but figured it was time to register and contribute some. I'm in the preliminary stages of planning my 2012 SOBO through hike and am working on getting the few pieces of gear I need together.
I've done some searching and haven't been able to find an answer to my question. What size titanium pot is good for a solo hiker cooking real food (not dehydrated meals). Everything I've been able to find online (mostly backpackinglight.com) has been for people just boiling water and rehydrating a meal. I'm cheap so I prefer to just cook myself; lots of pasta, rice, couscous, lipton noodles, that type of stuff. 700ml just seems to small to me for this... I'm also a big guy that likes to eat.
So what size pot do you guys that actually cook in it use? I plan on going to an outfitter and playing with some myself to get a better idea but I wanted to get your guys input.
sixhusbands
07-20-2011, 07:54
I like your thinking on doing your "own" cooking. the pre packaged trail foods have way to much sodium and other stuff which you can ad if you like for a much cheaper price. What kind of stove do you plan on using? Some are better than others for simmering.
You could most likely get by with a 2 litre pot but a 3 litre would be much nicer and you can put a lot of suppiles in them. I would get a non stick type for all that pasta and use a wooden spoon or plastic spatula to keep from scratching the bottom. by the way my wife and I use all dried, homemade pasta sauces from our own garden and herbs. a little bit of that goes a long way. Going SOBO this October myself ... counting the days and drying fruits , veggies, jerky and anything else I can think of.
30 Large
07-20-2011, 07:57
I use the Snow Peak 4pc. set. It has a 15oz pot, 25oz pot, and the lids are frying pans. All 4 pieces come in at just 11oz.
It works great for all my cooking needs.
Bags4266
07-20-2011, 09:01
sp700 for me. It boils plenty of water for my meal and I use it as my mug too
stars in her eyes
07-20-2011, 09:35
I know a lot of people I know use a Snowpeak mug (I think it goes up to ginormous 1400 size, which I believe is about 47 oz). I have a .9L titanium pot from REI that I'm happy with. MSR Titan kettle is popular too.
I have an MSR titanium 850 ml pot with lid. That and a titanium spoon and some freezer bags are my entire cooking kit. Works out well for me. Your results may vary, as always. :)
700ml just seems to small to me for this.
I also like to actually cook food, with a large appetite, and I totally agree with you that 700ml is just not large enough. I've found that a full liter pot works very well. My set actually has both a 1.0 liter and a 0.7 liter pot, though I usually only bring the 1.0L, at least in the past. More recently I've also been bringing along the 0.7L pot to use as a second pot for large meals, doubling as my coffee maker/cup, tripling as a cup to scoop water out of shallow water sources.
So, my advice would be if you're only bringing 1 pot, make it a 1.0L pot. That's what has worked for me.
The stove you plan to use is an important consideration. Most homemade and commercial alcohol stoves have a wide flame spread that typically goes up the sides of a 1 liter pot, and sometimes a 2 liter pot. Flames going up the side of a pot are wasted energy and wasted fuel. Whatever pot you get, be sure the bottom captures all of the flame spread. There isn't a huge weight penalty with a larger titanium pot, and SixHusbands is correct, you can use it to store supplies that might need the protection.
stars in her eyes
07-20-2011, 10:42
rsmout is correct: check out this video by Jason Klass for more info on what he's talking about. It deals specifically with alcohol stoves, but the knowledge can be applied to any stove.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uc_YOSTtNns
I and others I have known have found a 1L pot to be sufficient. You can always cook a second meal, which is what my friend would do. I was always full enough (with room for dessert) with my liter pot 3/4 full of food. A 1L pot is a little more compact for your pack, too. A 2L pot would also work but most of the time you would probably never fill it all the way unless you were doing freezer-bag cooking or something similar so you could split all that hot water among several different dishes (gag -- 2L of mac and cheese would be way too much.)
plurpimpin
07-20-2011, 17:37
I'll be using my MSR dragonfly stove. I know it's not the lightest option but I prefer white gas stoves for personal reasons. Plus I fell in love with the way the dragonfly simmers a long time ago and have been backpacking with it for almost a decade now. I figure that's a big advantage for me because I'm so familiar with it I can practically take it apart and re-assemble it blindfolded so repairs aren't a concern. I figure I can splurge a few ounces on the stove since I'm going ultralight with everything else which will more than make up for it.
Sounds like I should be looking at something between 1 and 2 liters. I'll only be carrying one pot because I don't get super fancy backpacking and usually stick to one pot meals. I save the bakepacker biscuits and muffins for when we've got a base camp.
HiKen2011
07-20-2011, 17:38
A dime bag should do it.................
WingedMonkey
07-20-2011, 18:33
I'll be using my MSR dragonfly stove. I know it's not the lightest option but I prefer white gas stoves for personal reasons. Plus I fell in love with the way the dragonfly simmers a long time ago and have been backpacking with it for almost a decade now.
I can understand completely. When you want to actually simmer food or fry eggs or grill pancakes, white gas spoils you. Sometime you want to cook more than a boil and serve meal. Like you said find other places to cut the weight.
plurpimpin
07-20-2011, 18:57
A dime bag should do it.................
I knew this answer was coming eventually, hahaha
But I think I've figured things out. I think I'm going to go with an MSR Quick 1 pot. It's 1.4 liters which should be plenty for me. I just measured out the volume of the pots in my kitchen and cooked a some pasta for dinner in a 1.5 liter pot which was more than big enough so 1.4 liters should be just about right (with alittle room to spare).
WingedMonkey
07-20-2011, 19:41
I knew this answer was coming eventually, hahaha
But I think I've figured things out. I think I'm going to go with an MSR Quick 1 pot. It's 1.4 liters which should be plenty for me. I just measured out the volume of the pots in my kitchen and cooked a some pasta for dinner in a 1.5 liter pot which was more than big enough so 1.4 liters should be just about right (with alittle room to spare).
The kit I use most often is 1.5 quart pot with a fry pan lid. Aluminum non stick. If I'm base camping for a few days or more I add the .75 quart pot, seldom bring the lid for it, but I have.
hikin_jim
10-25-2011, 22:24
rsmout is correct: check out this video by Jason Klass for more info on what he's talking about. It deals specifically with alcohol stoves, but the knowledge can be applied to any stove.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uc_YOSTtNnsThanks for posting that video. I have known for a while that a wider shorter pot will catch the heat better, but that video shows it super well.
Titanium pots are super light but they're not all that great for "real" cooking. Titanium doesn't conduct heat all that well. What happens is that right where the flame hits, the pot gets really hot, but an inch or so away, the pot is far cooler. Typically these "hot spots" often result in burnt food.
If I were going to cook "real" food, I'd go with aluminum. I personally prefer about 1L to 1.25L. If I were just going to do simple meals that only require boiling water, I'd go with a smaller, titanium pot, probably about .85 L to 1L.
HJ
I use a Kmart aluminum "grease pot." cost $8, weighs 3.5oz holds 1+ liter (I poured a liter of water in and it wasn't full, my best guess is 1.25 liters). I seasoned it in the oven before setting out, took about 2 hours, and now nothing will stick to to the inside if you wipe it with a cloth/paper towel after soaking. It's shorter and lighter than it's walmart counterpart, with a bigger base to "catch the heat" better. Does not have a handle though, so you may want to get a small pot grabber tool. Also it's kind of thin... it picked up a few small dents during my section, I wouldn't wan't to accidentally sit on it, but the dents don't impact it's use as a pot. Check the kitchen section of your nearest Kmart!
Hey - I used to think the same way about going to an outfitter and looking for solutions to things like this. Then I learned that outfitters are not there to help you solve your problems, but rather to sell you what they carry.
At first I thought I also would "cook real meals", but then the reality of hiking distances kicked in. It turned out for me that cooking real meals while camping (like car-camping) was fine, but when going distances solo it was a real pain in the butt. At the end of a long day after hiking for 8 or more hours with an hour to go before sundown, the last thing I want to do is "cook a real meal." Likewise in the AM, when it gets light I find I want to get up and get going, not cook and clean. I do love my coffee and oatmeal though...
As far as the dehydrated thing goes, everything you mention is dry and needs water. The difference is that you are going to get your cook pot, utensils and serving dishes dirty and then have to clean them. If you can find options that only involve boiling water for your hot meals, then you do not have to deal with cleaning or carrying cleaning supplies. Try to find one-pot meals (or just hot water) so you don't have much to clean afterward.
You don't have to go full freeze-dried, dehydrated. Just find things that can be cooked by adding boiling water only. As far as boiling water goes, I have found that a light canister stove is a good thing. I have found that having 3/4 of a liter of hot water is plenty for me. The JetBoil SOL with the .9 liter titanium pot, stripped down to its essence (pot, burner and lid), weighs only 7.05 ounces and when combined with a fuel canister, forms a complete, integrated system that does not need a windscreen.
The size of your fuel canister is up to you (I use a 3.5 oz canister that starts out at 7 oz total weight). Adding in a 2-cup (16 oz) capacity folding cup (2.3 oz) and a spork (.05 oz), my total kitchen comes to 9.85 oz plus fuel. The 2-cup folding cup works well for coffee, mixing hot oatmeal and cereal in and for making cup-a-soup noodle packets. I wipe it out when done. For other hot meals I do use the dehydrated, freeze-dried stuff. I eat it right out of the package and have no cleanup when done. I guess I could make ramen noodles pretty easily in the jetboil pot, but then there is the cleanup issue.
Weight becomes a bigger and bigger issue the longer you are trying to hike. Hauling around a 35lb pack for one or two nights is OK, but doing it for weeks and months at a time is a horror. I have found that keeping my cooking simple, thinking of food mainly as fuel, eating lots of cold stuff and snacks, really lets me keep my weight down and go longer distances while enjoying myself.
The outfitter is likely to try to sell you all sorts of pots, pans and utensils. For a long-distance hike, I found that I need none of it. I do have a heavier stove and a cookset (bought at EMS no less!) that is more appropriate for a base-camp or car-camp. I do use them when I do those sorts of things with my family and friends. But if I am going to be dragging gear 2,000+ miles, I want light, small and fast and I want to think of food mainly as fuel to accomplish my mission. The other great thing about the jetboil is that everything fits right in the pot and stays in with the lid.
I'm not sure my answer is completely on-point, but I hope it is helpful!
I've been using an Evernew titanium 1.3 liter (litre) pot for about 8 years. I find that I don't lose any pack space, since the pot is stuffed with alcohol stove, coffee in a plastic bag, coffee filter, spoon, cup, and whatever else I can cram into it. Anything stored inside is pretty safe from the crushing that can take place in overstuffed packs (if it ain't stuffed to the gills, your pack is too big, or you have too much stuff). Using a larger pot means much less of a chance of spillage, as a solo hiker doesn't need (though I have, on several longer hikes) to fill it to the brim, therefore stirring won't slop large quantities of food onto the ground (I've eaten food off of the ground, but I much prefer creamy Mac and Cheese over chunky). Another thing I've found a large solo pot is good for is making large amounts of coffee for groups, which would be challenging with a 750 ml. pot like my Snow Peak, which I may sell if I don't find a good use for it soon. Stay tuned.
I easily get by with one pot that can hold 2 cups H2O. Most of the food I ate consisted up heating up water and then I had a small tupperware container where I mixed the hot water and dehydrated food to sit for a few minutes before I ate it.
Most importantly, the Idahoan Instant mashed potatoes (which are by far the best and come in awesome flavors!) require 2 cups hot water, so that's really all you need :)
And FYI, I got a real nice simple 2 cup pot at Walmart for $25 (Coleman, I think) and it comes with a lid, handle and a second, slightly larger pot as well. Wal-mart really does have a lot of good basic stuff much cheaper than REI. I wouldn't buy your pack or tent there, but they sell whistles, stoves, stuff sacks, compasses, etc. that are similar quality and much cheaper.
mark schofield
10-27-2011, 06:31
I use a snow peak 900. An 8oz fuel canister and the gigapower stove will fit inside
The Cleaner
10-27-2011, 08:36
A dime bag should do it................. I'd go with an oz. in case you want to share....
Tipi Walter
10-27-2011, 09:34
Here are some of the pots I've used in the last couple years:
http://www.trailgallery.com/photos/8498/tj8498_032409_060404_423461.jpg
For about a year I carried this crappy Texsport teflon frypan from China-Mart and it delaminated so bad I had to cook my oatmeal in an old Tasty Bite pouch just to keep from ingesting teflon flakes. It got tossed.
http://www.trailgallery.com/photos/8498/tj8498_092809_101532_489887.jpg
And then I went with this fine MSR titanium two liter pot (with a Tasty Bite meal nearby). Titanium works so well you don't even need a handle. This size pot is near perfect for winter solo trips as you often need to melt snow.
http://www.trailgallery.com/photos/11648/tj11648_102211_081318_643052.jpg
On my last trips and for years previously I used the standard load MSR titanium one liter pot as shown here. It's a great little pot but the handles often get very hot.
http://www.trailgallery.com/photos/11648/tj11648_071811_083915_625928.jpg
For frying purposes I use a hydrolon non-stick pan I found in a grocery store (Ecolution?). It isn't teflon based but silicone based, and seems to work well with repeated scrubbings. You can't fry in titanium, or at least you shouldn't as you'll be spending the rest of the day scrubbing---especially after making scrambled eggs.
Feral Nature
10-27-2011, 13:39
Tipi Walter, thank you for the nice post with the pics!
TrilliumTrekker
10-30-2011, 17:00
For real cooking go with a one liter pot. I can barely stir a Lipton/Knorr noodle in a 700 ml pot, and just cook a Mac+Cheese in the 1 liter. If I were buying again I'd go to 1.3 liter.
It'll all taste great!
Camping Dave
11-01-2011, 19:51
I'm in the preliminary stages of planning my 2012 SOBO through hike and am working on getting the few pieces of gear I need together. ... What size titanium pot is good for a solo hiker cooking real food (not dehydrated meals).
Ok, I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that you're planning a thru-hike without ever actually cooking a trail meal, cuz you would answer your own question if you had.
That said, 700mL is small. Really small for a big guy. If you wanna throw down a whole box of mac and cheese along with some cut up sausage, you're gonna need a 1500mL pot.
stars in her eyes
11-01-2011, 21:31
I do a lot of solo hiking and my .9L titanium pot from REI is one of my favorite pieces of gear I carry. I use it in conjunction with a caldera cone.
I've now went on 4 overnight hikes without a pot, stove or fuel and I'm thinking that's about the right size.... :)
Granted, I haven't been on any extended trips but I think I could manage just fine without all the fuss.
p.s. A year ago I would have bet you $500 I would never give up my hot food and coffee. But really, it isn't nearly as tragic as I thought it would be and it's so-so much easier.
The Cleaner
11-02-2011, 08:52
I have the MSR 2liter pot,same as Tipi Walter,plus I have comming this week from S&C a 700ml pot w/handles also similar to TPW's that my Svea should fit into.If I plan on frying I have the MSR coated frypan.Seems like several items TP Walter carries are also in my pack...After 30 years of backpacking I'm still tweaking my gear as long as companies make new&lighter gear....
The Cleaner
11-02-2011, 08:58
I've now went on 4 overnight hikes without a pot, stove or fuel and I'm thinking that's about the right size.... :)
Granted, I haven't been on any extended trips but I think I could manage just fine without all the fuss.
p.s. A year ago I would have bet you $500 I would never give up my hot food and coffee. But really, it isn't nearly as tragic as I thought it would be and it's so-so much easier. Next time I'm out on the trail near Erwin and I see someone barefoot, wearing a loincloth&adjusting a Spot device I'll have a good idea who it is......
Next time I'm out on the trail near Erwin and I see someone barefoot, wearing a loincloth&adjusting a Spot device I'll have a good idea who it is......
Make sure it's a Golite loin cloth.... :)
Tipi Walter
11-02-2011, 10:01
I have the MSR 2liter pot,same as Tipi Walter,plus I have comming this week from S&C a 700ml pot w/handles also similar to TPW's that my Svea should fit into.If I plan on frying I have the MSR coated frypan.Seems like several items TP Walter carries are also in my pack...After 30 years of backpacking I'm still tweaking my gear as long as companies make new&lighter gear....
Here are some other pics and pots I've used over the years---
http://www.trailgallery.com/photos/5160/tj5160_010108_100427_290024.jpg
For a while I used this Walmart stainless steel pot with the folding handles. Decent enough.
http://www.trailgallery.com/photos/4861/tj4861_102706_062954_191417.jpg
Here's the pot in action during a cold weather blizzard at 5,300 feet in the mountains of NC.
http://www.trailspace.com/assets/f/f/6/733174/TRIP-125-340.jpg
Here's my hydrolon fry pan with toast and the MSR liter pot for hot morning nettle tea with honey.
http://www.trailspace.com/assets/c/9/4/40084/TRIP-115-658.jpg
Here's the MSR two liter pot brewing up some tea---check out the sea to summit spoon.
http://www.trailspace.com/assets/0/1/0/733200/TRIP-125-343.jpg
This one will make all the vegetarians out there salivate---fried tofu with melted goat cheese. Dang good.
http://www.trailspace.com/assets/1/b/0/74160/TRIP-125-215.jpg
And finally, the usual mac and cheese cooked up in the fry pot. Yes, a fry pan can do double duty---pot meals or fried meals.
WingedMonkey
11-02-2011, 10:31
I've now went on 4 overnight hikes without a pot, stove or fuel and I'm thinking that's about the right size.... :)
Granted, I haven't been on any extended trips but I think I could manage just fine without all the fuss.
p.s. A year ago I would have bet you $500 I would never give up my hot food and coffee. But really, it isn't nearly as tragic as I thought it would be and it's so-so much easier.
10-K 24 hours without caffeine? What's in your new meds?
:rolleyes:
10-K 24 hours without caffeine? What's in your new meds?
:rolleyes:
I've just lost the taste for the stuff since I've been on treatment. Really weird. I had massive headaches for a few days but now I'm really just not a coffee person. On the downside, I've been wanting a smoke pretty bad at times. :( Strange side effects to be sure.
The Cleaner
11-02-2011, 13:00
Here are some of the pots I've used in the last couple years:
http://www.trailgallery.com/photos/8498/tj8498_032409_060404_423461.jpg
For about a year I carried this crappy Texsport teflon frypan from China-Mart and it delaminated so bad I had to cook my oatmeal in an old Tasty Bite pouch just to keep from ingesting teflon flakes. It got tossed.
http://www.trailgallery.com/photos/8498/tj8498_092809_101532_489887.jpg
And then I went with this fine MSR titanium two liter pot (with a Tasty Bite meal nearby). Titanium works so well you don't even need a handle. This size pot is near perfect for winter solo trips as you often need to melt snow.
http://www.trailgallery.com/photos/11648/tj11648_102211_081318_643052.jpg
On my last trips and for years previously I used the standard load MSR titanium one liter pot as shown here. It's a great little pot but the handles often get very hot.
http://www.trailgallery.com/photos/11648/tj11648_071811_083915_625928.jpg
For frying purposes I use a hydrolon non-stick pan I found in a grocery store (Ecolution?). It isn't teflon based but silicone based, and seems to work well with repeated scrubbings. You can't fry in titanium, or at least you shouldn't as you'll be spending the rest of the day scrubbing---especially after making scrambled eggs. Here's some pics of a 2 quart aluminun sauce pan which I used in the 80's.Only costs a few $ and 2 would nest together for cooking for 3-4 people.Worked great until a bear got into my food bag.I was hanging from a bear proof pole,no longer used at GSMNP...1430314304
Hey guys, first post here. Been lurking for a while but figured it was time to register and contribute some. I'm in the preliminary stages of planning my 2012 SOBO through hike and am working on getting the few pieces of gear I need together.
I've done some searching and haven't been able to find an answer to my question. What size titanium pot is good for a solo hiker cooking real food (not dehydrated meals). Everything I've been able to find online (mostly backpackinglight.com) has been for people just boiling water and rehydrating a meal. I'm cheap so I prefer to just cook myself; lots of pasta, rice, couscous, lipton noodles, that type of stuff. 700ml just seems to small to me for this... I'm also a big guy that likes to eat.
So what size pot do you guys that actually cook in it use? I plan on going to an outfitter and playing with some myself to get a better idea but I wanted to get your guys input.
The 1.3 L Evernew will definitely be big enough and the 0.9 L Evernew might be. If you want to save money, get the Stanco greasepot (aluminum), which is bigger than the 0.9 but smaller than the 1.3 L Evernew.
I've been getting into soup in a big way, for supper in the evening, especially in winter. Basically lentils, mixed with lots of herbs like parsley, chives, dried veggies, etc. Something to do at night, especially over a small wood fire. Otherwise 500ml would do, for most things. Bigger is better for melting snow also. So I like as much as a litre for doing soup at night, bladder be damned.
When we were without power for four days after the recent freak snowstorm, supper was generally soup, canned or ramen, heated on a campstove. Fortified with extra onions and some hot pepper, it was very satisfying, and easy to clean up. Nothing like a camping trip right in your own home.
cabbagehead
11-09-2011, 20:46
Buy a cheap 2 quart aluminum pot. You won't need anything larger than that guaranteed. After you get a sense of how much you cook, you will probably want to get a fancy 1 quart pot.
Love all the advice. I have a .7l snow peak. I've been debating getting the .9L set with the fry pan/lid. Honestly I don't see needing the pan/lid thing, but the pot would be nice. Plus my .7L, giga power stove, and fuel would go nicely inside.
SassyWindsor
11-10-2011, 21:14
1.3L titanium pot/kettle. Larger than really needed but I use a zip wood burning stove and is useful for boiling water for a camp shower.