cookware question from the clueless

[proszach]

Okay of all things to buy in terms of gear, I am completely clueless regarding cookware. I need to purchase some sort of cookware set, which would be used for 2-5 day backpacking trips, with 1-3 people on the trips. I'd like something relatively light, but at the same time not too expensive. HELP OUT THE LOST!!! aka myself. Thank you.

 

[Barry Sr]

This depends on how industrious you are or want to be.
Make your own stove and other cookware

I made one from an Altoids tin and I line a colapsible doggy dish with ziplock bags, I boil the water in a Walmart 3 cup greasepot. a small light wind screen and some methyl alcohol for fuel (Heat gas addative)
I carry lexan utensils and somtimes just a pair of homemade chopsticks.
All weighs less than a pound or a pound and a half with fuel.

I still use my whisperlite and SVEA 123 on occasion.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

Inexpensive and lightweight? Do you have a goodwill store nearby? You'll be able to pick up an aluminium pot for a couple bucks. Remove the handle and buy one of those grippy handle things.. which may cost more than the pot itself.

 

[percious]

Walmart sells an inexpensive "grease pot" that many ultralighters use. You can make your own "pepsi can stove" or you can purchase one inexpensively on eBay or online. Just do a search for "alcohol stove".

-percious

 

[MichaelJ]

For yourself nothing beats the little 0.9L titanium "Everwear" pot that's available at most hiking stores. It's pricy, but it weighs nearly nothing and doesn't require a separate handle.

For group cooking, you might need something larger; for that, the cost of titanium goes way up and you might want to look at aluminum, and as mentioned look outside the hiking arena.

In general, you only need a pot to boil water for noodles, rehydrating foods, cocoa or coffee, etc. If you have other food plans, companies like MSR make a stacking set of fry pan and two different size pots, for which you can take whichever pieces you need for a given trip.

Whatever you choose, don't forget to think about what you're actually going to eat out of / off of. If you're making your own food, you can eat right out of your pot, but doing the group thing, you may want to consider bringing along either a lightweight plastic bowl or plate or something.

(I use the aforementioned Everwear for myself, and MSR for group trips)

And if you haven't bought a stove yet either, and wil be cooking just for yourself, take a look at a Jet Boil and see if it's something that interests you.

 

[sierra]

go to EMS and buy a non-stick set, they are not to expensive and quite frankly alot of the suggestions so far will cause you alot of unnessary hardache on your trip. I mean cmon an altoids tin? although the goodwill store idea was a good one if your on a budget.

 

[Rick]

....I mean cmon an altoids tin? ....

I believe Barry was quoting the Altoids Tin as an ultralight stove and the Walmart GREASEPOT as the COOKWARE.

 

[jbrown]

I have two mountain dew cans on my desk waiting to become the newest alcohol fueled stove that I make. I just like the color. I have the MSR Titan titanium pot that I use with them, but before I was using the small pot that came in a Coleman or Coghlan's mess kit for my personal use. I only boil water and add to the freeze dried food that I pack, so a small, light pot was ideal for me. You can be on a budget and still have gear that performs well, just get a little creative.

 

[Peaks]

For selecting cooking gear, you need first to figure out what type of cooking you will be doing, and for how many, and what time of year you will be using it.

Homemake Pepsi can alcohol stoves are popular with AT Thru-hikers. The reason is that they are light and cheap. Thru-hikers are only cooking for one, and their cooking usually consists of heating 2 cups of water to a boil, and then adding a pasta or rice dinner to the water. Pretty basic and simple.

Alcohol has low heat output. So, if cooking for more than one, then you will probably want something that puts out more heat. Hense, check out white gas stoves and canister stoves. Also, for winter camping, you may need to melt snow, and that takes a lot of heat.

Pot size depends on how many you are cooking for, and what type of cooking you are doing. Pots range from a Walmart grease pot to an aluminum pan or aluminum cookset to titanium.

Lots of choices, so, just get something to start with. After you have backpacked for a while you will have several stoves and pots. Then, depending on the trip, will select the stove and pot that works best for that particular trip.

 

[Barry Sr]

go to EMS and buy a non-stick set, they are not to expensive and quite frankly alot of the suggestions so far will cause you alot of unnessary hardache on your trip. I mean cmon an altoids tin? although the goodwill store idea was a good one if your on a budget.

If you have not tried it please do not knock others ideas.
is is cheap, it boils 3 cups of water in 7 minutes, and it is very light.

I mean Cmon EMS, (just tossin' back the stone you threw), I am very well of financially and I still won't give them the price they want when anything they have is less elsewhere.

 

[hikerfast]

my crazy old uncle hiked for years with an aluminum pot over one half of his sleeping bag and a nonstick pan with the folding handle for the rest. said thats all he ever needed for cookware

 

[Neil]

Light and inexpensive cookware= none!
I havn't field tested this yet but on my next backpack I will be leaving the "kitchen" behind. I just got a jetboil (OK, at $80USD it wasn't cheap)and will pour boiling water into a bag, let sit, then eat. (I've been told to take a long handled spoon) Instant oatmeal for breaky and an MSR coffee filter that sits in my plastic cup. So I'll have a plastic bowl, cup and some sort of spoon.

 

[percious]

Light and inexpensive cookware= none!

I disagree whole-heartedly. Alcohol stoves are both! There are manufactures that make a full stove set that weighs less than 3 oz including windscreen that will boil 8oz of water in about 3 minutes. There is a link on my website... For $80 bux you can get an alcohol stove, a bunch of fuel, and a 1L titanium pot. All this will weigh 1/2 what a jetboil weighs.

-percious

 

[bobmak]

I have a 3 liter aluminum pot that I bought at my local hardware store for around $5; I removed the handle and spray painted the bottom of it black. I have had this for about 8 or 9 years and I use it year round. My pan is an 6" aluminum teflon coated pan that I got at an Ames department store several years ago for about $5. I'll pass on the titanium, thanks. My stove is a Gaz that I got at REI outlet online with a matching lantern for about $30. I find that the lantern does a very nice job of warming up my tent at night (I was recently reading in a t-shirt while camping in Arizona with night temps in the mid 30's) and is a luxury I enjoy. My wind screen extends to top of the pot and is made from aluminum flashing that I bought at Home Depot. I think people go crazy over this whole weight thing for a couple of days of hiking. Maybe if you are going for an alpine assault, or trying to set a record fast packing; but for a simple 2-5 days out, I'd rather carry the extra 5-10 pounds (lantern, french press, book, crazy creek chair, thermarest, etc) and enjoy my trip.

 

[sierra]

barry,
Its not that I love EMS it just came to mind as a store that does carry a decent selection of cookware. As far as "knocking" something I havent tried sorry thats my option, I just dont get it. With the quality of todays stoves, why screw with a homemade job? I am not well off as you are but still climb with the best equipment. I think the difference might be, Im in the field ALOT more then you proboly are and most for that matter and I need and want high performance and longevity out of my gear, but hell to each his own, to be honest if an altoid tin stove does for someone, fire away, this is America, just seems foolish to me ( sorry had to get it in).

 

[rondak46]

I have been using a stainless asparagus pot for years. My coleman feather 442 stove slides right in it and , when I bring it, my coleman peak1 lantern slides in on top of the stove. I recently "upgraded" to a whisperlite and some MSR cookware. I look at my new stuff and wonder why I did it. I guess I was reading to many on-line reports and opinions and sold myself on new stuff. It will come in handy though, someday.

Mike

 

[Neil]

I disagree whole-heartedly. Alcohol stoves are both! There are manufactures that make a full stove set that weighs less than 3 oz including windscreen that will boil 8oz of water in about 3 minutes. There is a link on my website... For $80 bux you can get an alcohol stove, a bunch of fuel, and a 1L titanium pot. All this will weigh 1/2 what a jetboil weighs.

-percious

What I meant was that taking no cookwear at all was light and inexpensive.

(I was excluding the stove from the equation) My "kitchen" (coffee pot, pot, primus stove, fuel bottle, lightweight fry pan, fancy heavy cup etc.) was the first step in shedding weight and I decided to go with the jetboil.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

Al vs Ti

Not THAT much difference in weight between an aluminium pot and a titanium one. Just pee when you're only half full, and the average weight with an aluminium pot will be less than with a full bladder and titanium pot.

Note that your muscles carry the weight whether it is in you pack or in your body.

 

[Barry Sr]

barry,
Its not that I love EMS it just came to mind as a store that does carry a decent selection of cookware. As far as "knocking" something I havent tried sorry thats my option, I just dont get it. With the quality of todays stoves, why screw with a homemade job? I am not well off as you are but still climb with the best equipment. I think the difference might be, Im in the field ALOT more then you proboly are and most for that matter and I need and want high performance and longevity out of my gear, but hell to each his own, to be honest if an altoid tin stove does for someone, fire away, this is America, just seems foolish to me ( sorry had to get it in).

Climbing's different. I agree, there, only the best will do.
Enjoy your life as you will, this is foolish, when we can be out there instead.

Peace.

 

[Greg]

I use a homemade alcohol stove and a (gasp) stainless steel pot. Works well and everything fits inside the pot. I'd try the Walmart grease pot and an alcohol stove, see how that works, and go from there. Each person has certain wants/needs and we are all different in that respect. What works for one won't work for another. Decide what you want and go for it.
Also, antigravitygear.com sells good looking pots, pot cosys, and possibly stoves. Good site.