New Cook Set, Now 9 oz

[Jeeper]

So I have been carrying around a pretty big pot and canister stove for the longest time and I need a change. We hiking with a Meetup group recently and got to see the Caldera Cone in action. It's an awesome design but I don't know how long I will have my GSI SS 500mL cup so I didn't want to spend the money on a "heavy" cup. I did some YouTubing and came across a Caldera Clone DIY video. Made my one and lucked out with some of the stuff I had around the hosue already.

So my cook kit now is just:

GSI SS 500mL Cup
Caldera Clone
Homemade Pop-can stove
3 oz Fuel Bottle
Light my Fire FireSteel
GSI Plastic Spoon
Roll-up sack
Cup I had laying around the house that can take some warm liquids

So I went from 2lbs and 10oz with Pocket Rocket, bigger stainless steel 2 qaurt pot and lid, GSI cup, fuel canisters, pot grabber, and metal spoon down to 9 oz. I the past I would try and simmer some foods. Looking to go to foil packed, dehydrated meals now.

The plasitc cup nests perfectly over the cone to protect it and the bag. And the sack is just the right diameter for the cookset.


About 25 mL of fuel will boil 2 cups 55 degree water.

[JAK]

Very nice setup.

[slbirdnerd]

Haha, hey Jeeper! I think I was at camp with ya'll (Zaleski?) when everyone was asking about the alcohol stove--I'm Sonya. Glad it is working so well for you! I'm not ready to give up my Rocket just yet but probably when I start staying out longer I will switch to alcohol. Planning an 8-10 day AT section in May or June and I think about it for that. Thanks for posting the pics, what a difference.

[Another Kevin]

Caldera Clone - is that a copy of the Caldera Cone, or a typo? Either way, it's funny!

Looks like a nice kit. I'm converging on something similar:

K-Mart grease pot.
Pop can stove. In my case it's a Penny Stove 2.0, with extra priming pan and simmer ring.
Homemade windscreen and heat reflector. The under-stove heat reflector can be placed in the pot with an extra little spiral of foil to become a Fauxbaker.
8-ounce Poland Spring bottle with the cap painted red and a red label on it for fuel. On a weekend or 2-nighter I generally only use half of it and don't start with it full.
GSI plastic spork.
Firesteel. (I also carry a little tin with some cotton and petroleum jelly in case I need to use the firesteel to light a campfire.)
Pour-over Melitta coffee filter. My concession to luxury. I use a wide-mouth Nalgene as my coffee pot and cup.
Freezer bag cozy.

If I'm cooking for two, I bring an extra cup/bowl thingy, and move up to a GSI Dualist pot in place of the grease pot.

'Most anything that needs simmering, I can do in the freezer bag cozy. (If pasta cooks in seven minutes on the stovetop, it'll be done in 10-12 in the bag.) I home-pack a lot of dehydrated meals, often designed to be combined with pouch chicken or tuna or salmon or shrimp or crab, or a Spam single, or abruzzese sausage or pepperoni or jerky.

[1azarus]

Caldera Clone - is that a copy of the Caldera Cone, or a typo? Either way, it's funny!

Looks like a nice kit. I'm converging on something similar:

K-Mart grease pot.
Pop can stove. In my case it's a Penny Stove 2.0, with extra priming pan and simmer ring.
Homemade windscreen and heat reflector. The under-stove heat reflector can be placed in the pot with an extra little spiral of foil to become a Fauxbaker.
8-ounce Poland Spring bottle with the cap painted red and a red label on it for fuel. On a weekend or 2-nighter I generally only use half of it and don't start with it full.
GSI plastic spork.
Firesteel. (I also carry a little tin with some cotton and petroleum jelly in case I need to use the firesteel to light a campfire.)
Pour-over Melitta coffee filter. My concession to luxury. I use a wide-mouth Nalgene as my coffee pot and cup.
Freezer bag cozy.

If I'm cooking for two, I bring an extra cup/bowl thingy, and move up to a GSI Dualist pot in place of the grease pot.

'Most anything that needs simmering, I can do in the freezer bag cozy. (If pasta cooks in seven minutes on the stovetop, it'll be done in 10-12 in the bag.) I home-pack a lot of dehydrated meals, often designed to be combined with pouch chicken or tuna or salmon or shrimp or crab, or a Spam single, or abruzzese sausage or pepperoni or jerky.

trust me... you want him to be cooking for two. or three. here's hoping flattery gets him to feed his friends next time they hike together!

[Another Kevin]

If you want me to be cooking for three, you carry the Whisperlite! A soda can stove won't quite hack it for three.

[Jeeper]

Haha, hey Jeeper! I think I was at camp with ya'll (Zaleski?) when everyone was asking about the alcohol stove--I'm Sonya. Glad it is working so well for you! I'm not ready to give up my Rocket just yet but probably when I start staying out longer I will switch to alcohol. Planning an 8-10 day AT section in May or June and I think about it for that. Thanks for posting the pics, what a difference.

You are probably thinking of Dave Spencer on Cincinnati back Packers on Meetup?. I was with Dave 2 weekendds ago at East Fork and I saw his setup and went to work.


I liked my Pocket Rocket but it's just that much heavier. Heck my fuel and stove weigh less than just the Pocket Rocket. So then the empty fuel can weighs more than the spoon and cone. So it helps having this new kit plus it packs down a lot smaller. I have knocked the Pocket Rocket over plenty of times. With the Caldera Clone I can set it and forget it. I know it will boil with the amount of fuel I put in and I can do other duties.

I do need to get a cozy for "simmering" and what not.

[xrayextra]

I do need to get a cozy for "simmering" and what not.

I made one using insulated material from Home Depot. I had a 1 quart Ziploc container with screw on lid wrapped in this insulation and it worked great for simmering, particularly well for Ramen. Boil water and pour it into the cup over the Ramen, screw on the lid, and do something else for 5-10 minutes while the Ramen cooks.

[xrayextra]

I'd get rid of the flint and go with a lighter or matches. So much less of a hassle, faster, and less weight.