Hiking cooking pots

[kmcgreg]

Hi..I am looking for cooking pots to hike with for 4 people. Mainly dehyd food but also porridge and occasional cook up.
Considering msr quick 2 pot set

Includes: (1)1.5L nonstick DuraLite™ DX pot, (1) 2.5L hard-anodized pot, (1) Strainer lid, (1) Talon™ pot handle.

Dual Cooking Surfaces: Ultralight hard-anodized aluminum; one non-stick and one uncoated for maximum versatility.
Compact: Efficient nesting design saves valuable pack room.

Or msr base 2

Includes: (1) 1.5L nonstick aluminum pot, (1) 2.5L nonstick aluminum pot, (1) Strainer Lid, (1) Talon™ pot handle, (1) Packtowl® (to prevent scratches when packed)
Easy Clean-Up: Scratch-resistant, nonstick aluminum

Height 5 in / 12.7 cm
Diameter 7.75 in / 19.7 cm
Weight 1 lbs 0.2 oz / 459 g

Any ideas on choosing between these or other suggestions.

[forest]

Have you considered the evernew ti pots, specifically the wide base ones.

No idea if they would be cheaper but they all stack within the next smaller/larger pot.

Trail designs in the US is a good source and offers fair shipping prices.

[Maelgwn]

For me. 2.5l l would not be big enough for four people. I use this size for one pot meals for three people and its pretty much spot on.

Evernew ti pots are good but the non stick coating is not very durable. Probably not a big deal really.

Cheap aluminium pots from a general camping store are also good. Cheap, lightweight and effective, especially I you don't walk a lot or don't need this pot size very often.

[quicky]

One pot that I have found to be very handy is the pot that comes with the Jetboil Group Cooking System.

It sits perfectly atop my Windpro, has the flux ring, with the lid and base that can also be used for chopping board, plate or frisbee...or nothing at all.

http://shop.jetboil.com/index.php/1-5l-cooking-pot.html

I use this when heading out on longer snow trips with mates. Not what you'd call UL, but ticks all the right boxes otherwise.

[Wolfix]

I have the MSR Quick 2 Pot Set and I can testify that the pots are excellent. Had chicken in sauce on a simmer on my Whisperlite Intl. The only drawback is that you can't use lock the lid onto the small pot with the handle if you only want to take one pot, but that's not a big deal to me as the Whisperlite stays stuffed in there anyway.

[kmcgreg]

Ok I have a MSR windpro ii -Sounds like the Quick pot 2 or base 2 set may be a bit small for 4?
so another option would be the MSR Flex 3 Pot set:
2.3L Nonstick DuraLite DX aluminum pot
3.3L Hard anodized aluminum pot with Strainer Lid and
Talon Pot Handle
The SPECS

Weight: 555 g
Packed Size: 22.23 x 13.34 cm

[sim1oz]

It really depends on how you cook. We use a 1.8L pot for 4 people, without any problems. But we usually have multiple 'courses' for dinner, eg. a hot drink or soup followed by a re-hydrated one-pot main course then dessert, so we don't need a huge pot. Occasionally, if we have room in our packs, I'll add a 1L kettle as well. With that one pot, we've done some standard food and other things which are a bit more creative, including scrambled eggs, fresh bread rolls, sticky date pudding, nachos (fresh avocado for the guacamole). We try to do our food preparation in an order which avoids cross-flavouring so that we don't need to wash up the pot until the end. If you are boiling water or melting snow to drink, you will need a larger pot.

Why don't you test out a meal at home to work out what size you really need? To my mind, the less you carry the better it is for your back.

[maverick]

I think the flex 3 is a good compromise. I use the base 2 and and also the flex 4 system. The flex 4 is designed for 4 people, but I only use it 4wd camping and in the kayak. Too big and bulky.
I would be comfortable with using just the one 3.3 l pot, if just doing basic meals and using 1 stove

[Nuts]

We use these, all the sizes up to the one with double handles (4l ?), the 2.3L titanium (exo?) pots are a good size, big enough to store things in and easy enough to clean. The wind pro stoves hold the weight but efficiency seems to take a bit of a dive any bigger than the 2.5l (perhaps only noticed when it is really cold). Rather than go too big we always go to a second pot (often a second stove) as it works better for sauce / staple meals (ie say pasta in one 2.3l sauce in 1.5l) sim1oz is right, depends on what and how you cook.

The titanium version seems flimsy but they are very tough. The drainer lids loose that red ring, otherwise the talon handle works well, no drama with a lot of use over 3/4 years. The duralite is a good coating but needs a bit more care, their frying pans are very nice.

Shop around, not at all the cheapest options.