lightweight cookware

[Heartnurse]

Taking a small backbacking trip and looking for lightweight cookware suitable for cooking for two. I've read that titanium, though a little pricey, is among the lightest versions. Anyone have experience with a particular set they just love? Any must-haves?
Thanks.

[swoosh]

i'd look into aluminum. the titanium is kinda overrated imo...

[jasonklass]

Hey Heartnurse,
It really depends on you're backcountry culinary style. I agree with hikingPA to some extent but you should consider not only the material of the pot, but also it's design. There are both great and terrible aluminum and titanium pots. Are you just boiling water for dehydrated meals or are you actually cooing meals to share IN the pot?

For the former, I would recommend the MSR Titan Kettle (titanium). Great pot with a spout that makes pouring water into a Mountainhouse bag easy. Plenty of capacity for two people if you're just boiling water for coffee and rehydrating meals.

For the latter, I would recommend the Antigravitygear 2 Qt. pot (aluminum). It has a large capacity for 2 people to cook in and share a meal. It's a lot cheaper but also heavier and requires a pot gripper.

Maybe if you can give us a little more info on what you plan to bring food-wise, we can give more specific advice. <br><br>Post edited by: jasonklass, at: 2008/04/02 03:41

[Heartnurse]

Thanks for both replies. As far as culinary style, I guess we're more likely to do camp "cooking" but nothing too labor intensive. Baked beans, couscous...hmm, come to think of it, I'm not entirely sure.
Thanks for even raising the issue as part of the cookware decision!
Thanks also for the suggestions on pots depending on our needs

[swoosh]

also try to get a pot that is black in color. it'll help the heat spread faster

[desdemona]

What are you recommending hikingPA? I think I am renting from REI for a trip (or 2-3) this spring/ summer, but they don't rent out pots and so. Just want something to do hot water basically.


--des

[swoosh]

if money is an issue and a little space isn't, an old pot laying around the kitchen would work just fine imo. you can always check the local goodwill or swap meet. i just picked up 2 16 oz stainless steel mugs (brand new and super light) at a local flea market for $1.50 a pop. a homemade lid out of heavy duty aluminum foil would make that a simple boil water/eat out of pot for less than 2 bucks...

if you'd rather buy a hiking specific set let me know and i'll see what i can look up. i personally most often use a black gsi 1.0 liter pot w/ a lid that doubles as a frying pan. my gal bought it for us

[KevinOnTour]

Wood fires work well enough for me. At least, thats how I prefer it. But I do have one of those old aluminum/steel duel burner stoves from like 50 years ago. Still work perfectly and never lets you down. Might be a bit heavier than something you are looking for though.

[noob]

For my cookware, I just bought an aluminum, boy scouts style mess kit that contains an aluminum pot, skillet, and plate with a 1/2 cup measuring cup. The pot's small, but it'll hold enough water for a Mountain House type meal or two or three cups of coffee/tea. And the skillets nice to have if you're doing powdered eggs or corn beef hash or anything like that. For the stove, I like the Esbit stoves best. My brother and a couple of friends of mine use white gas/propane camp stoves, but I don't think being able to boil water one and a half minutes faster is worth the extra fuel weight.

[natchez]

an aluminum, boy scouts style mess kit

certainly a good idea! B)