Cookware

“What kind of cook set do you use. I'm thinking of trying This for my first set.”

“I have an aluminum non-stick coating evolution cookware set. It works great, even heating, easy clean up, light and fairly durable. The only draw back is that you can not use a metal spoon to cook in but since I use my lexicon "spork" to do all my cooking it is a mute point. Good gear and not too expensive.

Sparky”

“Sounds good, I've got a couple of different things that I mix and match depending on what I plan on doing”

“NNN - My sis has one set up and likes it alot. Clean up is a snap with that set up. I keep telling her that she doesn't need to bring all dat stuff. I just use an aluminum 2.5 cup pot w/lid and eat outta the freeze dried bags. If I need a plate, I just use my frisebie...”

“I just received my Sierra Trading Post and they are having a HUGE sale on Backpackers Pantry.... If you go to www.sierratradingpost.com and you can find it under cookware. Check this out and you could save a few bucks on some good cookware!

Spary”

“I take either a 1 liter stainless steel pot or if I'm going real light, I'll use a .5 liter pot.
Unless you do lots of fancy cooking don't buy a whole set or at least don't take the whole dang thing. Too much extra stuff. I have NEVER in my life used or even seen an entire cookset being used on a trip.”

“Any recommendations on the best lite frameless pack, Golite- Breeze, GVPGear-P4, LWGear-One Pound Pack”

“Right now I have a 2.9 ounce Wal-Mart pot with the handle removed that holds at least a quart of water. More than enough for my boil-and-eat style. Cost me about 2.9 bucks.”

“nnn you dont really want a pound and a half of pots, do you? all you really need is one pot w a lid, most of the time.”

“I was only planning on taking one pot. This particular brand isn't sold seperately. I like the fact that the lid doubles as a frying pan and it seems relatively light and durable.”

“Steve Hiker - that sounds a lot like the grease pot that I use much to bacpac's disapproval”

“What burns me up is that in order to purchase a 1L or 1.5L pot, most manufacturers MAKE you buy a whole set of cookware.

Ba$tard$!”

“If you wanna save some money, get to your nearest Target store & look for the Eddie Bauer stainless steel cookset. My local store has it for ten bucks now. It has three pots, from 1 l. to 2 l. in size, all lids double as frying pans. Naturally you would not want to carry the whole set but it seems like a pretty good value for the price.”

“How much does the Target set weigh?”

“...go for the GSI stuff...but get the hard anodized version of the bugaboo set....it's much better the the teflon version...and do what the other posters recommended and just take one of the pots with you. If you really need a fry pan, bring one of them with you otherwise bring some "foil" and use it as a lid...it's much lighter.Peace”

“Seems if the weight is an issue, or for that matter, the number of pots, it's a simple solution..spend the money up front, and buy a titanium pot in the 1.3 ltr or 2 ltr size...boil water to cook and cleanup with, in one pot. COST? yes expensive, but most of us here will admit to a life long association with backpacking and backpackers...think of it as an investment in the future, one you will not have to make again....The pot I bought is an evernew titanium 1.3 ltr pot bought at REI on sale for 45.00.......With the exception of a small two piece nesting set of aluminium pots it's the only cookware I now carry...”

“NNN,

Sierratradingpost.com is selling the pots and skillets (Backpakers Pantry) buy themselves if you are interested.

Just trying to help out.

Sparky”

“Titanium is good if your only boiling water. From what I've heard, you can't cook in them because the food burns and sticks.
I want to leave my dining options open.”

“Campmor had some really nice Coleman Peak 1 stainless Steel sets on sale. I got one for $12. It included a pot with bail, pan. plate, cup and spork. Good quality too. You want to stay away from aluminum as it may damage your health.”

“It's been proven that Aluminum does not damage your health. The latest studies show this.”

“what studies?? Everything I have heard says that aluminum can lead to brain diseases later in life.”

“I know that when I was first starting out BPing, I heard the same things. There have been a couple of threads on this board where disscussion has taken place on the subject. These are not my only sources, I think I have heard this on NPR and such, but I don't really keep tabs on exactly where I hear things like this. Can anyone out there provide more info on this???”

“I've been working in a factory for almost 18 years making aluminum windows and I'm fine.
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WD”

“I've got the GVP G4, and while it's a great pack, it does have a few drawbacks. For me, it doesn't provide enough back support, so I have to wear a back brace when I'm using it. This is a small thing, since the hipbelt on most packs feels pretty much the same.

The other major drawback to the G4 is it's not structurally sound enough to attach my Clip Flashlight to, so if I want to tent it instead of tarp it, I gotta take my other pack, which is HEAVY.

But for a few days backpacking, using a tarp and not carrying more than about 20lbs, it's great.

As far as cooking gear, my wife found a Chinese cookware set that came with a 1L pot, a lid that doubles for a skillet, two graduated 1 cup cups, and two thin aluminum plates. I ditched the plates, added a light plastic bowl (one of those ziploc disposable bowls) and my MSR pot handle. I also pack the windscreen for my esbit stove in there. It came with this crappy thin leather strap to hold the whole thing together, I made one from some 1" webbing and plastc buckles and it works great. Dents a little easy, but WTF.”

“
Found this link to the Scientific American page.

There are a few other links on the page that can be followed.

This isn't the first time that aluminum has been demonized. Check out this link for historical info on aluminum as the bogeyman.”

“NNN, I haven't weighed the set. Maybe I could do that when I get home from work tonite, if I happen to think about it.”

“I never did understand why S.S. became so popular. Besides being heavier, it's a poor conductor of heat. You waste a lot of fuel just heating air. Most AL is coated now so shouldn't be a problem. Acid foods cooked on bare AL were thought to be a health hazard. REI sells an Italian-made black AL set that's fairly cheap.”

“I have evolution which has been demoted to family camper camping, MSR stainless steel which is so beautiful I haven't been able to part with it, and new titanium which is too cool. Best part is that it dents easily so it doesn't look new forever. On solo trips, I take one small pot with lid, spoon and insulated mug.”

“Thermal conductivity in W/m·K for selected materials
(~300 K except where otherwise indicated).
metals conductivity
aluminum 237
chromium 93.7
brass (273 K)
120
bronze (273 K)
110
copper 401
gold 317
iron 80.2
lead 35.3
mercury 8.34
nickel 90.7
platinum 71.6
plutonium 6.74
silver 429
steel, plain (273 K)
45 - 65
steel, stainless (273 K)
14
tin 66.6
titanium 21.9
tungsten 174
uranium 27.6
zinc 116

nonmetallic elements conductivity
diamond 895

Hey... He is right, SS actually sucks for heat conductivity.

But SS has a better insulating value so the food doesn't cool off as quick. Plus its more corrosion resistant.

Maybe the best bet is a pot made of diamonds...since that is a good conductor of heat?”

“You should see what these thread look like on a cooking board...people get really hot (so to speak) over whether cast iron is superior SS or copper-clad SS or whatever. And don't mention that you have an electric range, sheesh....”

“BP I use cast iron at home but I bet my 15" pan weighs more than WD's whole pack”

“buga boo is nice stuff, but... the anodized is nicer. I'm using the anodized from GSI, nice stuff”

“So, I use the small covered aluminum pot that came in my Boy Scount cookkit from 30+ years ago. It holds about 3 cups and is small and lightweight. My 'cooking' is limited to boiling water, so this works great for me. You can still buy these inexpensive ($5.00) cookits and borrow the pot for the trail.... My stove, MSR Pocket Rocket, fits inside the pot.

No very sophisticated, but it does the job. If I know I am going to really 'cook' and want a larger pot, I do have a MSR coated 1 liter pan.”

“Short Trip, I bet I still have that same pot (and kit) somewhere. I used it A LOT in the early days. It would be about 37-38 years old now. Gotta dig it out and admire it.”

“BTW, titanium doesn't score much better than the SS on conductivity, so I guess I'm glad my new pot is anodized aluminum.”

“Hard anodized aluminum is tough stuff. The thing is its only aluminum treated with a sulfuric acid bath, which reacts out with the surface molecules, making the surface relatively impermeable. One good tomato-based dish simmered in an anodized pot for a few hours will remove all of it though. Found that out the hard way with one of my mom's soup pots. Had to throw out all that homemade spaghetti sauce. D@mn!”

“Now I'm glad I only use my pot to boil water and rehydrate meals.”

“Have you ever left aluminum foil on a tray of lasagna? wow. eats right through.”

“Open country makes aluminum cookware. Campmor sells individual pots.

http://www.campmor.com/webapp/commerce/command/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=13892&prmenbr=226

http://www.campmor.com/webapp/commerce/command/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=13888&prmenbr=226”