Titanium Cook's set

[Jman]

Oh yeah, and some other considerations are the type of handle - is it easy to use? Is the handle secure, or will you end up dumping the whole thing because you got burned or it slipped out of your grip? Also, does the stove and/or fuel fit into pot? This may be convenient not only for storage but also taking up less space in your pack.

Personally I use an Evernew Ti Kettle - not too big, not too small, has a relatively wide base and my Primus Alpine Micro and Snow Peak GigaPower fuel both fit into it. And all of it only weighs 1 pound!

[jon]

MSR has a new cookset out called the Blacklight, lightweight nonstick aluminum. Have yet to use mine yet though.

[philfort]

I've got the Evernew cookset (1.8L and 2.3L pots I think). Good handle system - no pot gripper to lose.

Expensive, but worthwhile - it's all I use now. The pots are thin though, so they're mainly good for boiling water.

I don't think the aluminum Blacklite's are near as light the Ti pots.

[verticalswamp]

My Ti pot is very beaten. It has not withstood the trials of my pack terribly well, but if you pack accordingly, it's lightness is fantastic.

Doesn't Twight say Ti is good? Then why are you asking these silly questions? Do you doubt Twight? Die infidel, die.

[kevin]

Titanium is a great material, but it doesn't work miracles. A 2 liter titanium pot will be one to two ounces lighter than the aluminum blacklite pots. Saving ounces is definately important in the mountains, but the price difference is phenomenal. A set of two blacklite pots is about $30 whereas one Ti pot will run around $80. If you want to save weight, put that $50 towards a good light pack or sleeping bag where the weight savings may be measured in pounds instead of ounces. If you've already done that and still have money to spend, then start thnking about things like Ti pots and spoons and stuff. That's my opinion at any rate.

That said, I have both a set of blacklite pots as well as a snow peak Ti kettle (that I found cheap) and prefer my blacklite pot because it boils noticably faster. I think that's do more to the pot vs kettle design, but its still something to think about. Basically, I agree with Jman, Ti pots are a great way to go, especially with the nonstick coating, its just a matter of justifying the price.

kevin

 

[Beck]

MSR gave me a set of Blacklites last year, I don't think the coating is very durable but you can burn noodles to the bottom and cleanup with a scrap of TP- A reservation I have on using the Ti pots is a lot of this Ti metal we're seeing in outdoor gear is surplus Russian Ti shit that gets melted down, I'd be worried about the alloy content of the Titanium cause you're not getting JUST Titanium, I wouldn't want to be drinking or cooking in a pot made of Cesium or Stronium. Maybe it's an unrealistic fear, I don't know. Expensonium,though, that's a different alloy and sees to invade most climbing gear, you see it it clothing now, too.

I reccomend sticking with the aluminium pots, they say it doesn't cause alzihimer's now and the British Bulldog pots are the absolute best and most pack friendly shape out there, buy Bulldogs if you can get them!

[therock]

Ah come on fellas. I always use G'mas old cast iron skillet and nuttin ever sticks to it. I also smacked a coon on the noodle wit it one time when the varmint was fetchin to abscond wit my vittles.

[Illimani94]

I used a set of the Blacklite pots on the Wonderland Trail this summer. Light, good heat transfer, staggeringly easy to clean. Even the boiled-over cream sauce (don't ask!) came off with a bit of scrubbing with a scrap of Scotch Brite pad. Heat transfer is good too. Titanium is lighter for sure, but enough to justify the cost?

[Neri]

For a while I’m entertaining the idea if getting a new cook set - Titanium in particular. My questions are

Dose it worth the investment? What are the Pro and con of it? Any recommendation of make and/or set?

------------------

Neri Carmi

nericarmi@yahoo.com

[Jman]

An obvious drawback is cost. But if you can afford it, I see no other disadvantage (assuming you are using it only to boil water). The weight savings can be substantial. If you like to actually cook meals, then a non-stick/teflon variety would probably be better.

Here's a link to an interesting comparison on titanium pots. Basically what I learned is that the wider the base of the pot, the more efficient it will be at heating (tall and narrow is very inefficient, too little surface area to conduct heat), hence less time and fuel wasted. Painting the bottom black may help, but only minimally.

http://www.backpacking.net/stoves-pots-comparison.html