It transfers heat more rapidly than other materials, so real cooking can lead to scorched food if you dont watch it. Some of the links in this article may be affiliate links, which means we may receive a small percentage of any purchase you make. 750 mL is right in our target zone for a good volume for a solo trekker (or a group trekker who cooks their own meal). Its greatest convenience is that the lid stays flush against the pot, meaning you can use it like a kettle--controlling liquid as it comes from the spout without worrying that the whole lid will fall off and spill water everywhere. Photo by Liz Thomas. Photo courtesy Whitney LaRuffa.
They also are slightly more efficient at using fuel and cooking quickly. Its a top seller at REI and Amazon and a favorite of Section Hiker, Well Traveled Mile, and Adventure Junkies. The MSR Ceramic pot is an aluminum anodized pot with non-stick properties that doesnt use PFOA chemicals that some people choose to avoid. The lid is rolled, which gives it extra stability and reduces the risk that it will warp. If youll be cooking for more than one or two people, its available in a Ceramic Two-Pot Set as well. But cookpot lids can get quite sophisticated when it comes strainers, spouts, and handles. Lightweight backpackers may only want to boil water for a freeze-dried meal, so can get away with lighter weight titanium pots. The snug lid on the MSR Titanium kettle also makes it reliable and not leaky when straining noodles. It fits a small backpacking stove and 110g fuel canister (see our Best Backpacking Stoves guide if youre looking for a stove that will fit this pot). At 1.1L, the Halulite may be too large for some solo backpackers. What makes the Toaks Titanium 750 mL our favorite of the vast and sometimes overwhelming Toaks Titanium collection is its compact and convenient shape and size. The GSI Pinnacle cookset includes more than 20 pieces of cookware. Backpacking cookware should also try to maximize surface area hit by your backpacking stoves flame. Photo by Liz Thomas. For this reason, we think the MSR Titan Kettle will give you almost everything we love about the Evernew for a more reasonable price. However, in our experience (and those of customer reviewers) that size/shape combo was much more prone to going from circular to oval and becoming slightly warped. Different pots have different handles, insulation lids, and lips. Photo courtesy Liz Thomas. Titanium cookware is about 45% lighter than steel and stronger than aluminum, according to Outdoor Gear Lab (see Sources). But couples found it to be the perfect size for two people. But to find the pot from that list that will work best for you, you need to think about your outdoor needs. Its handles fold away and keep the lid in place when youre storing your pot in your backpack (a nice feature compared to the TOAKS, which requires a rubber band to keep it in place). To research this guide, we used our own experience and paired it with review-based meta-research. Thats why we considered pots of different weights. For two-person groups, the same set is available in a double set (two of each item instead of four) for a better price. Instead, be prepared to use potholders or gloves to handle your material. Outdoor Gear Lab reports that a cookpot can transfer heat better if it has heat exchanging fins on its base, like that found on the GSI Pinnacle Pot, our winner for group backpacking, camping, and bikepacking, and bicycle touring. Its also a bigger pot than the Halulite, so well suited for two people. Sign up with your email address to be the first to know when we release new gear reviews! Anodized aluminum is, in our calculations, about 150% heavier than a titanium pot of the same size. The set include a large 9 skillet that folds into the pot, compressing down to the size of a Frisbee. This is widely considered to be the ideal volume range for most solo or couple cookers according to numerous forums on Reddit, Backpacking Light, and my favorite backpacking book,Ultralight Backpackin Tipsby Mike Clelland. The 750 mL, in comparison, can handle getting banged around in a pack better. Most of our picks have notches in their material to indicate how much water is in your pot and help with measurements. Just like cooking at home, lids keep heat inside your pot which reduces the amount of fuel needed to boil water (and also time to do so).
All the pieces nest together to reduce space in your cars trunk or backpack. If youre avoiding non-stick cookware, but know you want to do more than boil water in the backcountry, we recommend the MSR Ceramic Solo Pot. But it also means that youll need care when draining water. as you consume it over many meals). An slight spout at the lip makes pouring from this pot easy. The GSI Pinnacle Cookset includes 2 pots, one frying pan, 1 pot gripper, 4 plates, 4 bowls, 4 sippy mugs, and a welded sink/stuff sack. The MSR Alpine Stowaway is affordable but still thoughtfully designed for backpackers. But really, it was just an excuse for good eating. It definitely doesnt fit a box of Mac N Cheese. Campers concerned about durability and price may prefer a stainless steel pot. The exception is if you are out in the boonies in a place where it will be impossible to replenish your fuel supply, as some international trips. waterways and cause serious ecological problems, footwear, teva, chaco, bedrock sandals, xero shoes, keen, keen newport, dani reyes-acosta, Gear Reviews, backpacking, Hiking, Thru-Hiking & Backpacking, Travel & Lifestyle, Footwear, gear list, backpacking, thru-hiking, main, hiking, footwear, hiking boots, hiking boot, lightweight hiking boots, lightweight hiking boot, salomon, hiking gear, backpacking gear, nicole snell, camping-related, The Best Personal Locator Beacons and Satellite Messengers, The Best Water Filters and Purifiers for Backpacking, The Best Baby and Toddler Hiking Carriers, The Best (and Brightest) Headlamps of 2022, Best Pot for a Group/Best for Bikepacking. Photo by Liz Thomas. You can save weight with smaller pots, but having carried a 550 mL before, our writers have found its annoying to have to boil water multiple times to get enough water for a full meal. If you do go with the 550 L to save weight, its important to note it doesnt fit a full ramen packet. After all, if you carry in the fuel, youll want your cook system to be as efficient as possible. For this story, were only considering cooking pots, although the GSI Pinnacle cookset that we recommend includes a pot, pan, plates, bowls, and mugs. The pot lids come with easy-to-lift strainers to make draining pasta water easier. Photo by Liz Thomas. Theres some evidence that this isnt healthy to consume, and as with all chemical exposure, risks increase with repeat exposure (i.e. ), When looking at the GSI Pinnacle Cookset, its clear that the designer has backpacked and camped a lot with the goal of eliminating every common complaint a cook set user could have. Mugs work for left and right-handed people. Stainless steel is the only material that manufacturers suggest will be ok if you put it in a campfire. A snug lid keeps heat in better, but some aluminum foil can do the trick, too. Its the perfect size to make a freeze-dried meal (plus have extra hot water for hot cocoa). If you want a non-stick backcountry pot that doesnt use Teflon, the MSR Ceramic Solo Pot is a well-designed, nicely featured pot that will meet your needs. Like all Titanium cookware, the Toaks 750 mL cookpot is best if you boil water most of the time and are prepared to use a lower temperature when you do cook. The GSI Escape 3 L with Frypan was one of the most clever pieces of gear we saw from tens of thousands of other innovations on display at Winter Outdoor Retailer 2020 (read our full story on innovative gear at OR 2020 for other items that made our list). Titanium is quite good at cooling quickly, so if you have patience, it shouldnt be a big deal. Its one of the widest and squattest pots we considered and will fit a 110g fuel canister and small backpacking stove (see our Best Backpacking Stoves guide if youre looking for one that will fit this pot). Titanium and stainless steel are sensitive to discoloration in the area closest to the flame. Learn more. If youre cooking eggs, fresh meat, or veggies, go with hard-anodized aluminum. Here at Treeline Review, Im Editor-in-Chief and oversee all of our outdoor gear guides. The flat system also works well for lightweight backpackers who are feeding a group but dont want to carry an extra-large backpack to do so. These fins have welded or soldered a circular ring of corrugated metal that captures heat, preventing it from escaping it to the sides.
This is in contrast to Teflon and other chemical non-stick materials, which some scientists believe could potentially have harmful effects on human or ecological health. Outdoor Gear Lab reports that these heat exchange rings can boil water 24% faster than pots without (see Sources). Most importantly, everything is dishwasher safe for when you get home (so dont bother doing dishes if youre out for one night. The Toaks Titanium 750 mLfoldaway handles and pot lid provide just enough easy gripping to get the job done without adding unnecessary weight. This seems minor but makes a world of difference when cooking. Related: The Best Baby and Toddler Hiking Carriers, Sizes available: 3L (just pot), 2L (just pot), 3L with skillet, Weight: 1 lb 2.3 oz (2 L pot); 1 lb 13.4 oz (for 3L+skillet). An Amazon reviewer found a quick way to fix thisjust use rubber bands. That seems like a breakfast disaster waiting to happen, but its a testament to the secureness of the lid system. I,,)d& DOq'WFL0{NpvTG>r2x1!dr${=R7R_.}V@kmo 2+pq}&w.enYAO?x '+efRSJUbN,KXN&N]`X2R1gr^5F~R1:pV0. What we were left with is the top cookpot models for most backpackers and campers. The most stand-out feature on Evernew pots is that all the handles are insulated (not just the lid like on the MSR Titan Kettle). We havent tested it yet, but are more optimistic that the TOAKS 900 mL D115mm has the rigidity of the 750 mL version that we recommend. The hard-anodized aluminum pots and pans heat evenly for real cooking and frying in camp. If you want to purchase one pot to cover the entire familys camping or backpacking trip, the GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Camper cookset is the most widely recommended all-in-one set-up we saw. Dual locks keep the lid in place while traveling. Occasionally, a piece of gear comes along that changes the way we think about gear. That can be a boon if youd rather not burn yourself when removing a pots lid. ARE YOU COOKING, SIMMERING, BAKING, OR BOILING WATER? We also read numerous posts on forums like Reddit and Backpacking Light to inform our decisions. The MSR Titan also makes ramen, rice, and Mac N Cheese or a freeze-dried meal with some extra cocoa water to spare. To make our short list, all cookpots had to come with a lid, preferably with handles. All the cooking pots we considered have multiple review sites recommending them as well as happy customer reviews. My book, the National Outdoor Book Award-winning Long Trails: Mastering the Art of the Thru-hike, has chapters on gear, cooking, and nutrition all of which are relevant to finding a good cookpot. But in recent years, Evernew has reduced their US distribution, driving up the price, shipping, and making it more difficult to return items. To complete the meta-review, we read the dozen top articles on cooking pots and analyzed them to determine the most popular models recommended across multiple review sites. With Teflon or PFOA non-stick coatings, over time and with heat, the chemical components can flake off and enter your food. If youre looking for tips on other backpacking gear, check out our: Best Backpacking Backpack guide, our Best Backpacking Tents guide, or our Best Backpacking Sleeping Pads story. It has an anodized aluminum pot that looked like a promising competitor to the GSI Halulite. The Evernew Titanium UL Pasta Pot is our Runner Up for Best Upgrade Titanium Pot. The TOAKS 750 mL is the perfect balance of price, weight, and usefulness. We purchased and used the TOAKS 900 mL D130mm (wide) for thousands of miles but ultimately found the 750 mL version (our Overall/Budget Pick) to be a size and shape that better holds up to the weathers of backpacking. If you intend to fish on your backpacking trip and cook what you catch, or just want some breakfast eggs, anodized aluminum will handle subtle temperature differences better than titanium. This story may contain affiliate links, which help fund our website. The Ceramic Pot lacks a spout (like on the MSR Titan), but the lid does have an ok strainer for draining out pasta water. Its a good option if you like the 750 mL version but want a little more space. To make our short list of cookpots, all the pots had to be of a size and shape that could hold a 110g fuel canister and a small backpacking stove. Then, we cooked outdoors with the top contenders. The GSI Escape comes with every thoughtful and convenient feature a cookpot user could want: insulating handles, insulating thumb grips, and a pasta strainer. Group guides who are cooking for multiple people may want to consider efficiency. The cookpots we considered work best with backpacking stoves vs. putting over a campfire. If you have a pot that does not have a notch system, we recommend this practice at home: fill your pot with desired measurements then put your camping spoon into the pot. Spouts turn a pot into a kettle, especially if they stay on well like on the MSR Titan. The Evernew Pasta Pot has long been our pot of choice and would have made our upgrade pick, especially with the dual insulated handle feature. Related: Best Waterproof, Freezeproof Camera, The foldaway handle on the MSR Ceramic pot was the easiest and most intuitive handle system we saw on a cookpot. Like the genius of foldable kayaks, GSI perfected the flat-lying foldable cookpot. We researched 24 of the most popular hiking poles from Leki, REI, Black Diamond, Gossamer Gear, Cascade Mountain Tech, Montem, and Costco. We spent 150+ nights testing the best headlamps for brightness, battery life, comfort, and ease-of-use for backpacking, hiking, running, climbing, and camping. Meanwhile, the sides are foldable silicone and the lid has integrated straining holes for draining pasta water. The downside of the GSI Pinnacle Cookset is its expensive. The MSR Ceramic Solo Pot also has an insulated pot lid and handles to prevent burns while cooking. The Optimus Terra Solo Cookset on a February trip in Idaho Panhandle National Forest. Eating from a Toaks 750 mL pot on the Continental Divide Trail. Chances are if youre car camping, youll want to show off your backcountry gourmet skills to friends and family. Due to recent articles about potential dangers associated with non-stick materials like Teflon, many outdoors people are thinking more about the coatings on their pans. We wanted to make it a winner, but the Evernew has significantly cut back their US distribution and this pot is getting increasingly difficult to find except at specialty shops or on Amazon. This Evernew pot has a thoughtful pour spout lip, as found on the MSR Titan. Meanwhile, sometimes mugs can be too mug-like to work well as a pot. Photo by Brian Davidson. When you click on the links to purchase gear, we may get a commission, without costing you an extra cent. Weve found that squatter titanium pots can also be more susceptible to warping and turning from circular to ovaloid. Squatter pots like the TOAKS 900 mL D130 wide pot that we tested, can have some benefits. Photo by Liz Thomas. Thank you for supporting our work and mission of outdoor coverage for every body! Because cookware can afford to get wet (unlike stuff that needs to stay inside your backpack to stay dry, like your warm clothes). As mentioned above, thru-hikers, alpine climbers, and bikepackers with fast and light goals will likely prefer a titanium pot. Youll also want plates, deep bowls, and mugs as well as a frying pan. Recent REI reviewers havent had the same problem with this pot, so its possible that different suppliers were given access to different designs. Nonetheless, the Snow Peak Trek is a great pot and highly recommended, especially if you can get it on sale. We create reader-supported, objective gear reviews independently selected by our editors. Its a spectrum. Its more durable than titanium as well and comes with a non-stick coating that prevents meals from burning to the bottom. If you like the ceramic non-Teflon features of the pots, there is also a Ceramic Skillet in the series. There is no additional cost to you and the decision to buy something is up to you. If youre car camping, chances are youll be cooking on a grill or two-burner Coleman Classic Propane Campstove. The Halulite is an affordable, reliable, durable option for backpackers who want more versatility in cooking than offered by titanium cookware. The GSI Pinnacle pot can be used with the skillet to prepare more elaborate meals. Its worth noting that while we love the MSR Titan Kettle, theEvernew Pasta Pothas almost the identical design with an additional feature that we adore: in the newest models, the handles and the lid handles both have rubber insulation.
The MSR Titanium Kettle has the lightweight and design aspects we love in the Toaks 750 mL with some extra features that put it above the other pots we tested. The Evernew Pasta Pot on the Arizona Trail. Its more expensive than other aluminum pots, but you wont have to worry so much about scratching the surface, so its possible it could have a much longer lifetime than similar pots. Material: AluminumSizes available: 1.1 L, 1.8 L, 3.2 LWeight: 8.6 ozInsulated handle or lid? The only complaint we saw after reading hundreds of customer reviews is that for some of the newer models, fuel canisters may sometimes not fit in the pot snug enough to snap down the lid. Weve tried pots without handles like the original version of theVargo Bot(a bottle-pot that comes with a screwable lid but no handles). Our writer reports, I got the [this pot] purely to save on weight knowing I just needed to boil a little water. Customers also complained about plastic plates scratching. While Im known for breaking the Fastest Known Time on the 2,181-mile long Appalachian Trail (womens self-supported) and for first known traverses of the Wasatch Range and Chinook Trail, Ive learned to relish the joy of a leisurely backpacking trip with multiple hot meals throughout the day and plenty of warm beverages. But the Snow Peak Trek is in an uncanny valley of more expensive and better featured than our budget/overall pick while also being less expensive but not as featured as our upgrade pick. Photo courtesy Liz Thomas. Just dont expect any refunds if you change your mind. Photo by Liz Thomas.
We tested the top 10 sun hats to find the best sun hats for hiking, backpacking, and other outdoor activities. Different outdoors people have different Willingness to Carry Weight. The lid is fairly loose, which means its easy to pull it off.
All the pots that made our shortlist meet our minimum criteria to be an excellent pot. Its the favorite cookpot of those going fast and light like thru-hikers, alpine climbers, and bikepackers. If you intend to put your cookware directly into a campfire, stainless steel is the only material that manufacturers recommend can survive that kind of flame. The only complaint weve seen (and its true for most Titanium pots except for the MSR Titan) is that the lid doesnt snap into the pot. It is relatively compact. As this pot is larger than the others we considered, we were pleased to see that it can also fit a 450 mL mug inside. The TOAKS 750 mL is also a great shape to give the titanium pot some extra durability. See our Sources section for links and more info on specific articles that we found useful during the research phase. Its a bestseller at REI and Amazon and is highly recommended by Outdoor Gear Lab, Well Traveled Miles, and Adventure Junkies (see Sources). Material: Teflon-coated hard-anodized aluminum/polypropylene/nylon, Sizes available: one size serves 4 people, Insulated handle or lid? Unlike the TOAKS 750 mL, the MSR Titan Kettle lid always has a consistent fit, whether youre cooking a meal or stashing your cook set in your backpack. While we recommend anodized aluminum for car campers, if you know youre the type of backpacker who goes all out on making a backcountry feast, lightweight anodized aluminum cookware will be your best friend. Especially long trips (7 days or more between resupplies) may also require you to worry more about fuel efficiency. Im a lover of foodpreferably hot. This is perfect for bike tourers or backpackers who want to fry meals as well as boil water. Anodized aluminum conducts evenly (its often used as a material for the pots and pans in your kitchen, too). A cookpot also may have residual soup or soot on the outside, so keeping it outside your pack is good practice to reduce the chance that food odors and juices may end up on your sleeping bag. Real ingredients (aka, not pre-packaged freeze-dried or dehydrated) are more sensitive to temperature changes while cooking and will appreciate how hard-anodized aluminum can evenly spread the heat across the pot. They can be too tall or tippy when boiling water and have stability issues. The best notch systems are visible from the inside of the pot. We also wished that the Toaks handles and pot lid handle were covered in insulation as we find on the excellent contenders, the Evernew Titanium UL pot and the Snow Peak Trek. As far as Titanium or Stainless Steel cookware, theres no non-stick coating. As a hot food aficionado, Ive cooked dinner and lunch and hot coffee on many a chilly backcountry trip. The author using the TOAKS 900 mL wide-sized pot on the Pacific Northwest Trail. Hard anodized aluminum has a better heat distribution than other materials, making it better for cooking real ingredients. The Halulites shape allows for it to work well as a pot, bowl, and mug without being awkwardly shaped for any of those uses. Yet fits and packs away neatly into the largest of the two pots that it comes with. All rights reserved. The Snow Peak TItanium Trek 700 Mug is our runner-up for Best Titanium Cooking Pot and has long been a favorite of backpackers and was mentioned by Adventures Junkies and Section Hiker. The captured heat is redirected towards the inner circle of the pot to speed up cooking. They tend to be less tippy than tall pots. The MSR Ceramic Pot has a shiny non-stick bottom, a lid with insulated handle and pasta strainer, and an insulated handle thats easier to attach/detach from the main pot than the handle on the GSI Halulite. What convinced us the MSR Titan Kettle is the best pot titanium solo upgrade pot is that the lid snaps onto the pot, staying in place as you pour and allowing you to control the flow from the spout. Titanium spots when exposed to heat sources, so dont expect your pot to look like new for long. Because the fry pan essentially doesnt add any additional bulk to the system, it makes it easier to pack in a pan to cook caught fish in the backcountry. While at first glance, this could be convenient, in the field we found that its too small to fry up anything but a minnow and too pot-like to snap on the pot like a normal lid. The Halulite is 8.7 oz for the 1.1L version. The 0.775 L size is the one we recommend for most solo adventurers. Note where the water level reaches on your spoon and make a notch on your spoon with a knife or oil-based Sharpie.
The MSR Titan is a wide-mouthed titanium pot with a convenient spout and insulated pot handle. The affordable Optimus Terra Solo is our Runner Up for Best Budget Aluminum Cooking Pot. The MSR Titan kettle has a sturdy lid that most users find very convenient, a pour spot, and an insulated pot lid. Its not just free of PFOAs but PTFEs.