The Ultimate cook setup for me

[DanShell]

Ok I am back from a nice weekend away with the camper and I have now discovered Aliexpress!

Firstly thanks for everyone who has replied, I appreciate all the input and it has given me a lot to think about in regards to how to configure a cooking set up to suit me.

Ive decided not to buy a caldera cone system from Trail Designs. I have the good old faithful Trangia (and a heap of other coke can style burners) if I need an alcohol set up or I have to cater to several people. And I feel I make a system for half the price that will suit me better. (price is important too for me )

After looking at Bubbalouie's set up I have decided to go down the same avenue. I considered getting a larger 900-1100ml pot so I could fit a 230g canister but after putting a lot of thought into it and considering the amount of 5 day or more walks I will be doing I think a 110g canister will suit me for the most part. I will simply carry an extra canister for the rare occasions I get to do the longer walks. Or who knows, I may buy a larger pot in the future.

It is very much looking like Ill get a Toaks pot of some size ranging in the vicinity of 600-750ml and for now Ill just get one of those little UL gas burners that screw directly to the gas can. I don't think Ill be high enough and or cold enough to worry too much about remote canisters.
And Ill buy a sheet of titanium and make my own wind shield.

Depending which way I go with the pot and burner it all should be around $100 and weigh less than 200g's so thats a whopping weight saving of over 1000g's from my current set up

Ill post links and pics when I get it all sorted.

Once again thanks.

[stry]

Good plan ! Or maybe I think so only because that is so similar to what I use

[Scottyk]

Good thread Dan, kind of how a friendly forum is supposed to work.

[Bubbalouie]

@DanShell, glad to be of service, I've made many small tweaks and refinements to my hiking kit based on posts in this forum.

Regarding aliexpress.com, treat it like ebay; only buy from sellers with good feedback. They have very good buyer protection but buying carefully will save some fooling around.

I had to get my 650ml pot from here http://toaksoutdoor.com/titanium650mlpot.aspx

The 650ml JUST fits everything, a 750ml pot would be easier to pack (and is on aliexpress) but subject to your kit may be more prone to rattling (something that'd drive me batty).

[DanShell]

Scotty, Its a very civilised group of people so that helps Unlike one of the groups I had to endure the last 4 nights camping on the side of a lake.....they had well over 10 young kids between them and excessive alcohol caused them to become violent and abusive with each other, all in front of the little kids

Bubbalouie, I was just about to hit the buy button on a 750ml Toaks when I checked to see if my silly silicone mug would fit and it doesn't. So after making some more paper mugs and trying them all out for size I am now leaning towards the 1100ml again! I know 1100 sounds excessive and to be honest it is a bit but I measured my trangia pot and it holds 1000ml, albeit full to the brim, so I don't think 1100ml is too bad if it works for my kit.

It is only 23mm larger in diameter and the same height as the 750ml. So while its a touch large in hand assuming I didn't use the handles, it fits the larger gas canister if needed and having a larger surface area for the gas to heat on the base should be an advantage.
The contents rattling around is a possibility but I think I can over come that. My shoulder strap has an annoying squeak that drives my mad if I let it!

Any feedback on using the 1100ml pot vs the 750ml? Perhaps I should give up on the silicon mug and just use the one pot for all? And likewise perhaps I should stop liking the idea of being able to fit a 230g gas canister in my pot!

Thoughts?

[corvus]

G'day Dan,
Good that you have made a choice however remember that other than coastal walks in Tasmania you will be in an elevated region subject to very cold weather (snow ) even in Summer .
I have purchased one of those 25 g BRS 3000-T Burners and will report back on the performance (with the ability to remote connection if needs be ) with luck I will be fit enough to get back on the Track soon.
The Toaks gear looks good especially as the pots don't have an indented base , also look at ALOCS cutlery at weight and cost saving ,all around just 5gm heavier than MSR Tian per item at a fraction of the cost http://www.amazon.com/Alocs-Outdoor-Fol ... B00CRBJEUW

Last edited by corvus on Tue 27 Jan, 2015 7:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[corvus]

Also Here,
http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_from ... y&_sacat=0

[Nuts]

Ahh, i did find a couple of pics. I'm sure you'll be fine with those mentioned or added.

Here's the Kovea:

Here's the 750ml pasta pot/ Caldera setup (bbq liner saves the peat fires).

Attachments

MUG.png (366.26 KiB) Viewed 16759 times

[DanShell]

Thanks corvus and Nuts. I would be interested in hearing how you find the brs 3000t although if your recovering from an injury I have a feeling Ill find out how it goes up the plateau before you do

Nuts, I like the Kovea spider and I also like trail designs gear however I can't justify the price of the trail designs 'kit' AND then buying a gas burner. If I was going to stick to alcohol stoves I would jump at one.

Any ideas whats the difference between the Toaks 1100ml and the Mysolo 1100ml?

http://toaksoutdoor.com/titanium1100mlpot.aspx
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/MySolo-c ... 61802.html

They are identical size and weight.

[stry]

Dan, re the 1100 pot - It has always seemed to me that bigger pots take up pack space out of proportion to the actual increase in the volume of the pot. They are also harder to pack in such a way that the hard edges aren't directly against the pack body. I would prefer to take nothing bigger than necessary.

Reducing all this stuff a little, over time, has let me come down to a smaller and approx. 800gram lighter pack for short trips. Well worth it.

Although I carry only one pot, I have not been able to get by comfortably without also having a mug. Apart from the convenience of having a cup of soup or whatever while cooking, the mug is also handy for pre soaking dehi stuff, scooping a drink out of a stream during the day etc.. Army issue plastic mugs have a healthy capacity (sorry I don't remember what) and at 50 grams weigh less than anything commercial of comparable capacity, not counting the unusable with hot liquids titanium and aluminium offerings.

Without following Corvus' example of profligate consumerism, you could perhaps stretch the budget to a couple of purchases, rather than trying to make one size cover all use

[Bubbalouie]

Bubbalouie, I was just about to hit the buy button on a 750ml Toaks when I checked to see if my silly silicone mug would fit and it doesn't. So after making some more paper mugs and trying them all out for size I am now leaning towards the 1100ml again! I know 1100 sounds excessive and to be honest it is a bit but I measured my trangia pot and it holds 1000ml, albeit full to the brim, so I don't think 1100ml is too bad if it works for my kit.

It is only 23mm larger in diameter and the same height as the 750ml. So while its a touch large in hand assuming I didn't use the handles, it fits the larger gas canister if needed and having a larger surface area for the gas to heat on the base should be an advantage.
The contents rattling around is a possibility but I think I can over come that. My shoulder strap has an annoying squeak that drives my mad if I let it!

Any feedback on using the 1100ml pot vs the 750ml? Perhaps I should give up on the silicon mug and just use the one pot for all? And likewise perhaps I should stop liking the idea of being able to fit a 230g gas canister in my pot!

Thoughts?

Personally I think you should prioritise comfort & function over pure weight savings. That's a complicated thing to balance (larger and heavier compromise comfort and function in other areas).

Overall it's a marginal increase and if it makes your trips more comfortable go for it. You're still out in front compared to your current kit and the larger size is a bit more flexible in a few regards.

Personally I intend to use the 650ml pot as a mug, I have in the past used a 750ml pot and it worked, though it felt a little awkward. My other half uses a 550ml pot as a mug and she quite likes it (especially for soup). Here it really is a case of what works for you.

There's another thread where Moondog55 has pointed out that titanium can scald lips if you don't let things cool a little. I am pretty confident you can avoid this with your collapsible mug.

[DanShell]

Thanks everyone for the very valuable advice.

I have finally made my purchases. I can and no doubt will make changes at a later date but as it is I am happy with what I came up with.

MySolo 1.1ltr Titanium Pot 138g
BRS 3000T Ultra Light mini Titanium Gas Stove 25g
Titanium Windshield 9g
Alocs Folding Spork 32g

So thats a total of 204g which as I said previously removes over a 1000g from my current set up!

Oh and it all cost less than $90 so even the good wife will be less cranky with me when she wakes up in the morning and see's the purchases

It is my first Aliexpress transaction so fingers crossed it goes ok. Hopefully It will all arrive before winter

[corvus]

(Without following Corvus' example of profligate consumerism, you could perhaps stretch the budget to a couple of purchases, rather than trying to make one size cover all use

)

stry ,
Have you not come across "collectors " before ?? bought my first one "Trangia" around 25 years ago so at 14 that equals .56 stoves /burners per annum hardly "proliferate consumerism " considering the time span hardly a rapid increase in numbers IMHO however I think that the BRS 3000-T will be my last one ,or will it ??

[stry]

Corvus, in my circle of similarly addicted enthusiasts across various activities, it is described as "GAS" - Gear Acquisition Syndrome.

Having GAS isn't such a bad thing

Should I hang my head in shame for selling my 40 year old alloy cased Optimus a few years ago ?

[corvus]

Corvus, in my circle of similarly addicted enthusiasts across various activities, it is described as "GAS" - Gear Acquisition Syndrome.

Having GAS isn't such a bad thing

Should I hang my head in shame for selling my 40 year old alloy cased Optimus a few years ago ?

Wonder what the cure is ? as I have just been reminded that I have another two stoves so that makes 16

[north-north-west]

Corvus, in my circle of similarly addicted enthusiasts across various activities, it is described as "GAS" - Gear Acquisition Syndrome.

Having GAS isn't such a bad thing

Should I hang my head in shame for selling my 40 year old alloy cased Optimus a few years ago ?

Wonder what the cure is ?

Bankruptcy.

[Moondog55]

The TOAKS pot in the link does go on sale quite often as they look the same I am going to go out on that particular limb and say they all come from the same factory
Setting up a factory to deal with titanium is probably such a huge investment that there are few of them I'm thinking. The differences between my MSR Titan cup and my TOAKS cup are so small I can't see any
And Stry ? Yes, hang your head in shame, it should have been polished, then framed and hung on the wall for all to admire

[corvus]

The TOAKS pot in the link does go on sale quite often as they look the same I am going to go out on that particular limb and say they all come from the same factory
Setting up a factory to deal with titanium is probably such a huge investment that there are few of them I'm thinking. The differences between my MSR Titan cup and my TOAKS cup are so small I can't see any
And Stry ? Yes, hang your head in shame, it should have been polished, then framed and hung on the wall for all to admire

MD,
I agree with you that they all come from the same factory my Tibetan titanium 550 mug is exactly the same as the Toaks 550 and the My Solo ca05 one.

One of the stoves I forgotten resides in my sons shed and the other is my ancient SVEA 123 Climber which he keeps all shiny and polished for me and resides on display on the Kitchen Cabinet

[corvus]

Corvus, in my circle of similarly addicted enthusiasts across various activities, it is described as "GAS" - Gear Acquisition Syndrome.

Having GAS isn't such a bad thing

Should I hang my head in shame for selling my 40 year old alloy cased Optimus a few years ago ?

Wonder what the cure is ?

Bankruptcy.

Well n-n-w I guess Bankruptcy is no cure for my GAS as I did proper retirement planning 35 years ago and now can live on the Aged Pension with a wee bit of play money

[skog]

After reading through the thread, correct me if I am wrong, but is the main disadvantage of a jetboil the inability for it all to fit inside the pot/jug?

I was thinking about buying a jetboil, but now I am not so sure

[Bubbalouie]

After reading through the thread, correct me if I am wrong, but is the main disadvantage of a jetboil the inability for it all to fit inside the pot/jug?

I was thinking about buying a jetboil, but now I am not so sure

My jetboil fits everything the toaks pot fits, only problems are weight (still very light, and for longer hikes lighter due to efficiency) and that you wouldn't want to use the pot as a cup (so a bit less flexible). This assumes a boiling only usage pattern.

[DanShell]

I was very tempted to buy the jetboil titanium but price and versatility dictated my final decision.

[Eljimberino]

I get at least seven nights out of a 100g gas canister on the jetboil. 3 cups of tea/coffee and dinner.

Got rid of the orange stand, cut the handle off and never bothered with the simmer thing.


Ride On

[magoo]

But note that anything less than 7 days and the lightest jetboil will be heavier than the regular canister stove setup.

http://adventuresinstoving.blogspot.com ... r.html?m=1

[Gadgetgeek]

Just to share my current set-up and thoughts.

Generally when I'm on camp-out the food prep and cooking is managed by me, but performed by my students/clients. Either by trangia or fire and cast-iron. In these cases there is a shared kitchen kit, either packed in by the group or with the food drop (depending on age group, and program goals)

For my own personal use and that of the group's teacher or leader (they are often not outdoors people as such, and a little comfort goes a long way to keeping them happy), generally hot drinks and porridge. I've got an MSR micro-rocket, and a snowpeak trek900 set. Its been going really well, I generally use an orikaso set of tableware. I pretty well always have the option of lighting a trangia in the morning, but someone has to clean it, and since that someone isn't going to be me, it seems a bit unfair to put that on someone else. If the whole group wants hot breakfast, then they can make that happen easily enough with what they have at their disposal.

One thing I have been noticing is that due to the very high humidity I'm often in, its difficult to get the pot fully dry, so storing the fuel can (I use 230s) has led to some rust stains on the inside. I've decided to try using the pot to store all my tea and coffee kit, as well as the kitchen/cleaning stuff. The stove and canister will have to find a new home. I'm a bit concerned that the corrosion could lead to a canister failure over time, which wouldn't be a fun time. No idea how likely that is, but something Id rather not risk. As for the stove, its a bit of a laser beam and so the thin titanium is not a perfect combo for it, but that being said, it gets the job done well enough, has quite good simmer control, and is tiny and light. A wider head stove might allow me to cook a little better, but I'm not really making pancakes and eggs in it. As long as I can make a sauce and boil up a carb, it will get the job done, and its quite good at those things.

As to why I've gone this route for my setup, it means that I maintain a high level of familiarity with the set, and know whats going on regardless of it being a work or personal trip. the set is quite light, but allows a large margin of flexibility, for example if needed I could supply 4 of my students with something to eat out of (unlikely as for every kid that forgets to bring a plate there are three who have a full four piece mess set. but still nice to have) The orikaso is easy to clean, I can pop it open, hand it to a kid and there are no odd little gaps for food to collect, unlike a lot of the silicone stuff. I have the option of cooking "real" food or boil-up, and can take larger pots and pans if I'm car camping or the like. the pot is functional as a mug, and sits well on the stove. I have a smaller nalgene sized "canteen cup" that is very fiddly to keep on the supports as it is just a little small. I opted for the snow peak set mostly due to availability at a reasonable cost.

The only things I'm likely to add at this point are a pot scraper, a spatula/spoon, cannister base and possibly a wind guard. And I'm thinking I'll add some silicone tape to the rim and handles of the pot. I also recently picked up a cheap ceramic folding knife off the bay, its not too bad and very light so that might become a permanent part of the kitchen. its easy to clean, can pack wet, and is a good food prep shape. it might be overkill to also pack a food knife considering all the other sharp things I carry, but I like to be able to share the duties, plus it will keep food gunk out of my swiss army knives.

[Mark F]

I use a Jiff cloth as a general wiping cloth - condensation, spills in the tent, pots, cutlery etc. I store it in my pot wrapped around the canister to prevent clanking when on the move but it also prevents the problem you are trying to solve.

[Gadgetgeek]

I tried that, but it never really dries for me, so no matter what I do I end up with a high moisture environment, and a rusty cannister.

[Strider]

That's why I use a chux. Dries in about 10 seconds

[corvus]

I tried that, but it never really dries for me, so no matter what I do I end up with a high moisture environment, and a rusty cannister.

You could like I do pack the gas can elsewhere,so easy to stuff in, also how long are you are you keeping the cans in your pots that they rust

[Gadgetgeek]

depending on whats going on, it has sat in there for a couple weeks, but I've had rust spots after a day. I wonder if the titanium is reacting in any way in particular? I wouldn't have thought so. Packing the can outside works better, as it means the pot can stay packed to go. I don't always get that much notice as to the program. I am generally very careful about cleaning and packing my gear after every trip, usually a near full wash-down of everything. But I like to then get everything in order so if something comes up, I'm not scrambling. I'm not a terribly organized person by nature, I need to work pretty hard to keep everything in order, so I'm all about the kit.