Picking the best cook pot for backpacking

[@tomsitzman3952]

The best posts ever made for wilderness camping where the Swiss made Sigg nesting pots. They came in four sizes, 1-2-3-4 liter depending on the size and type of trip and number of people the lids could be used as a plate and have tight fitting lip. they also have a locking bale. I have been using them for over 50 years, 25 of those years in our out-fitting business. To reduce fuel consumption, they are painted with high heat black paint on the outside. The one leader pot can store the Seva 123 or the more powerful Optimus 00. Nesting pots with tight lids make so much sense.

[@PoleTooke]

Where would I get that?

[@booni5114]

Best video I’ve ever seen on the topic, thank you

[@denofearthundertheeverlast5138]

I found s big stainless steel cup from the dollar general store, it was part of the grease strainer / storage cup, similar to the Imusa mug

[@calij586]

And also the cleaning aspect in the event you want to cook something. Sea to Summit has an 8" pan for 7 or 8 is and I love it. Cleaning is a breeze!

[@MIBIncomeEncourager]

This is a lovely channel Dustin....glad I have seen it.....I have the same gear you have on the table...I bought that Stanley pot yrs ago on a whim but it has curved edges on the base so it is a nightmare to balance on stove set ups....but a cute robust pot...Ive got old msr stainless steel pots but dont carry due to weight.....Many love the Toaks kit but im kind of done with it.....its strengths are the low weight but heat transfer is so fast food burns and sticks to pan base to easily.....I bought a Soto new river pot....it is my present go to pot now...food wont stick quite so easily to the internal base (it will but not as fast as titanium)...whether playing with gas or say a trangia burner.....Soto also make a wicked collapsible coffee dripper.....pure brilliant kit...light and bagless....(so you do not have to clean the bag say such as the GSI outdoors ultralight java drip (which is great but has a permanent bag)....another lovely pot is the MSR Trail Lite Pot 1.3 litres...but more dollar than the Soto....keep an eye on the Soto kit....the Japanese are the new Transformers of hiking kit lol!....lovely channel Dustin.

[@backcountrycuisine6226]

Thank you so much! I'm so glad you are enjoying the channel! Toaks has been my goto system for years now. I agree about the sticking, but I have gone to using a pot cozy now instead of cooking the meal to completion. This keeps my food from sticking/burning on the bottom. I will definitely look at the Soto and the MSR pot though. I'm not a coffee guy, but the coffee dripper does look cool. I will be sure to mention it to my friends who are addicts. :) Take care!

[@awhoot1]

I agree with those saying best video on the basics of pots/pans for backpacking!!

[@pedroclaro7822]

Toaks is still rather expensive. Widesea is accessible and pretty good. They’ve a bunch of heat exchanger pots, but I personally really like their titanium stuff. They’ve two billy pots one 1.3L for 23€ and one 1.9l for 29 €. Now that’s fair pricing!

[@silvanigra]

For solo trips, and even 2 persons, I highly recommend the Primus Litech Trek Kettle - lightweight, a 1 liter capacity main pot plus a lid that doubles as a frying pan.

[@backcountrycuisine6226]

That does look like a nice little kit. I could not find it available in the US. Do you know of any places that are carrying it here? I personally like a wider/shorter pot. Makes it easier to clean and you get more heat transfer at the bottom, but they don’t fit in the pack as well. Thanks for the suggestion! And again, thanks for your comments on using oil when making pancakes! I just published my pancake video, so let me know what you think. Cheers, Dustin

[@silvanigra]

@@backcountrycuisine6226 I had a hard time finding it in Europe, too, apparently it has been around for at least 7-8 years so most retailers are probably out of stock, but I've seen it on trekkinn.com - I'm not sure if they are based in the US, as they ship all over the world (never dealt with them though). I, too, prefer the shorter and wider pots (I have the MSR Stowaway pots in all 3 sizes - awesome stuff, love them!), but I wanted something light for backpacking rather than car camping etc., and even though it looks tall, the pot is actually wider than taller :) I measured it and it's 5 inches wide with 4.5 inches tall! The reason I wanted it is the small frying pan that doubles as a lid (or veice-versa), I make lots of recipes that involve a little bit of frying (some bacon or sliced sausages or an egg to complete a dish of pasta, rice, potatoes or cornmeal that I boiled in the main pot). It is usually enough for one person and the kit is very light, being anodized aluminum.

[@pedroclaro7822]

@@silvanigra looks like a nice cookset, and there’s similar stuff out there. I too prefer wide and low but this kind fits the toaks tower wood gasifier perfectly, so for one person they’re about what I’d call perfect. You can find a combo of these with a SS stove and anodized AL for 30€ 👌 But otherwise the stowaway is lovely! I prefer the tatonka billy pots - usable in campfires and the lid is a frying pan. Or even the zebra equivalent of the stowaway pots, which have an inner pan to fry on or to eat out of. I’m curious why you went with the stowaway instead

[@gary7vn]

Great review. I prefer no handles with pot grabber. The other thing I do not like are handles with rubber, or even silicon covering. If you cook on a fire, as I often do, any kind of covering on a handle will be burned off or at least damaged. I remove them right away.

[@backcountrycuisine6226]

Fair enough! Any time you cook on a fire, you certainly would want separate handles, or a really good hot mitt!

[@Querenciatv]

Nice Video! Thank you for posting. Can't wait to see more 😍

[@backcountrycuisine6226]

Thank you so much! What do you want to see more of?

[@obchristo]

The MSR Blacklite Cookset you showed there is NOT anodized alumium. The Duralite (which replace the Blacklite) is.

[@backcountrycuisine6226]

Thanks for the information!

[@slevinlaine]

Thank you for the video, so much knowledge! :)

[@dvig3261]

The aluminum pan you showed while talking about anodized pans, is not anodized. It is painted on the outside, and nonstock coating on the inside. I had that same set. It is a good set for beginners, but not very durable.

[@jspate61]

And who doesn't like a wide bottom? Great overview. Philosophy of use dictates so much in choosing your gear, which is why there is not necessarily a one size fits all solution. Im a huge fan of robust stainless steel, and anodized aluminum. Liked and subscribed. Cheers from Montreal QC

[@backcountrycuisine6226]

Great point! Stainless is a always a solid option. I used my stainless cookware for 15 years and it still looks good. I'm just too much of a gram counter now! :)

[@pedroclaro7822]

Same. Stainless is also a better option is case you need to cook on a fire. Anodized AL is much safer to cook with, thus healthier - on top of being non stick and stronger than base aluminum

[@capitaljproductions-fq3df]

Can you comment. onthe nonstick capabilites or how you clean them? Whould you recomend pans with nonstick coatings vs the ones in theis video?

[@dyvel]

I would love for you to compare the trangia duossal 2.0 with the options you're presenting in this video! Stainless steel lined alu. Heard of it?

[@backcountrycuisine6226]

Great suggestion! I will take a look at it and see about picking one of those up. Cheers!

[@dennisyoung4631]

Hope to get those in the -27 size.

[@francisco-el-papi-chulo8922]

Yes new vid your doing a great job man and PANCHO HERE YOUR #1 SUBSCRIBER

[@backcountrycuisine6226]

Thanks Pancho! I miss you man!

[@backcountrycuisine6226]

Pancho!!!!!!! Miss you man.

[@EspenFrafalne]

I could get away with just my 0,9liter 25 series Trangia kettle for both coffee and foods, but its not the most practical to use for foods, and i am able to make coffee just fine using a regular pot. IMO, my 1,5 liter pot (from the 25 series Trangia set) is the ideal size for 1 hungry person making a "1 pot meal", as then i dont have to be careful not to spill the food when when stirring, and i can even cook potatoes (best source of potassium) if i want to. Going from a 1 liter to a 1,5 liter doesnt add *that* much weight, and the size doesnt really matter when i can fill it up with food or my quilt or whatever...

[@backcountrycuisine6226]

That is a really good point. A slightly larger pot is far more convenient. Being an ounce counter, I am always trying to shed more weight, but that has led to some awkward cooking moments. It should also be mentioned that the portions I eat on the trial will be different than a 20 something. My metabolism has slowed considerably over the years, so I can get away with way less food than I did in my 20's.

[@EspenFrafalne]

@@backcountrycuisine6226 Yeah, i got both the Duplex tent and the HIlleberg Bivanorak, so i have been pretty conscious about the weight too. But i recently realized that as i usually just do overnighters, it is not necessary to take my "ultralight fetish" as far as it goes. By gradually bringing more gear, i will toughen up my body slowly but surely, which will give me good exercise, and actually prevent strain injuries (in the military it is mostly recruits who get such injuries). With the 65liter Osprey Rook backpack, i can carry heavier loads comfortably, and suddenly im not limited to eating compact "hiker foods". I even bought a pair of M77 army boots (used in the Norwegian military) recently, as i know that my legs will get used to the extra weight pretty quickly, and so i will get in even better shape by using them than i would with my running shoes. Also, i wanted some waterproof shoes for hiking in fall :P

[@douglasconrad8969]

We like wide bottoms- yes! Are we still talking about pots?😳

[@backcountrycuisine6226]

Lol! Wide bottoms do help things to heat up faster. 😇

[@WildMoeChronicles]

Awesome breakdown for beginners!

[@backcountrycuisine6226]

I'm so glad you liked it! Have you decided what pan to buy?

[@JerichoLindsey]

nice vid bro. really appreciated the info

[@backcountrycuisine6226]

Any time!

[@Semeion7]

The person need 3 different pots, a pot to boil water (it can be titanium), a pot to cooking food like rice (this pot need be stainless or aluminum), and a pot to fry things, a frypan (it can´t be titanium).. If the person want to use only a uniq pot for all, never use titanium, it will burn your food.

[@djmorodaraye4313]

can you panfry and bake with an alcohol stove?

[@backcountrycuisine6226]

Very tough to fry with an alcohol stove, but it is totally possible to bake. Check out FlatCat Gear www.flatcatgear.com/. Jon makes some of my favorite alcohol stoves. However, his esbit stove (Epicurean) for baking is the absolute bomb! It is so lightweight, that I bring that stove in addition to my alcohol stove and just use the esbit stove for baking.

[@russelllieser4226]

Hands down Firemaple is the best.

[@James-km7yz]

Anything with a heat exchanger is the best pot to use.

[@backcountrycuisine6226]

Thanks for mentioning heat exchangers! They are amazing at improving efficiency. I always bring one in the winter when I will be melting snow. I have not found that the added weight saves on enough fuel in the summer, unless I am going for a trip over 4 days. But then again, I am a gram counter…

[@alaincristien4653]

What about health and aluminium ?

[@backcountrycuisine6226]

I have not seen any great data that truly links aluminum to any particular disease. That being said, if it is anodized, then you are fine regardless. So if in doubt or if you are concerned, go for anodized. Cheers, Dustin

[@ricardoneto7789]

Rick of oxidized aluminum leaching into your food when cooking acidic foods

[@freeforester1717]

Hard anodised aluminium is fine. Were it not the case governments would step in to prohibit their manufacture, certainly in the U.K. and EU.

[@VankillaVanil]

Great video with lot off stuff - explained

[@MrAlexDavid]

Aluminum is toxic once heated. That’s why it has to be coated. It’s a concern only if the coating wears out. The real problem with aluminum is it’s low melting temperatures, not something you want to cook over a fire with.

[@backcountrycuisine6226]

I know the toxicity of aluminum was talked about years ago, but I never found a study that proved that. I have used aluminum over a fire and on a really hot camp stove and have never had any issues with melting. Bending and denting in my pack though is a frequent issue. If you have any studies to share, I would love to see them. Thanks for your comment!

[@jurgschupbach3059]

it is fact aluminium can make you Gay..............ask these Boy Scouts

[@pedroclaro7822]

I agree. The study that claimed so haven’t been replicated, and the myth has continues perhaps out of capitalism/consumerism out of competing companies that pots made out of other materials.

[@thomasmusso1147]

​@@pedroclaro7822 👍 makes sense.

[@thomasmusso1147]

I am a 'Boomer' (YOB 1950) and was raised on food cooked in Aluminium Pots ('Hart' Brand). I still appear to have all of my marbles .. what was that I said just now? 😏. Some of my camping cookware is aluminium .. had it since the 70's. That said, I cook and eat using wooden or stynthetic utensils, try not to 'burn' food on the pot bottoms (heat control and regular stirring helps) and when possible, a 'soak' loosens most stuck stuff. Not using abrasive scourers and such protect the aluminium surface during washing up. Aluminium Cookware also does pretty well over a fire. Once again, heat control and not cooking the pot 'empty' helps.

[@stanborg4755]

Titanium is the best way to burn your food. Titanium is good for your spork and chopsticks. Enjoy.