Boyscout Popcorn Can Food and Cook Kit

“I ate all the chocolate covered popcorn (in about 4days) and was wondering if there were any impractical (hehe) uses for the tin besides adding to the other three from previous years. Then I dropped my new Wal-Mart grease pot inside and viola - it fit perfectly and left enough room for a weekend's worth of food. It's pretty light and coould serve the following functions:

1. Keep vermin out of my food (but not coons and bears.
2. Maybe serve as a bucket.
3. The lid is a good pan for the esbit to reflect heat and protect the ground.
4. A little stool.
5. A drum (only for Ocala)
6. Protects food from getting crushed.

Cook Kit Spread

Cook Kit Compact

I call it a "Coon Can" but I don't really think it will keep a racoon at bay.”

“We don't use the word "coon" around here.”

“Although the "mural" on the outside of the can is attractive - I might think about repainting it or maybe putting some stickers on it.

UP - I don't have time for you - it is unfortunate that you do.”

“I used the "word" the other day and got slammed for it by a TT regular. Just thought I'd give you a heads up numbnuts.”

“One can only wonder how you used it. It's important to consider the user when trying to discern between a racial slur and a nickname for a playful forest creature.

I'm obviously annoyed, if not slightly angered that you would introduce that sub-thread here. I wonder if you really meant what you said, or were just trying to be annoying.”

“Go to the thread "Ghost"”

“Well Coop, the mural would add a festive element to your winter hiking trips.”

“LOL, "coon" can cook kit.
If the lid fits tightly, it would work for those little thieves.
I like it, your thinking "out of the box".
They, do you pack the strainer part of the grease pot? Is it good for anything?”

“I haven't taken the grease pot out on the trail yet - but I was thinking the strainer would be useful to lay the esbit in when lit - it would serve two purposes: 1) reflect the heat and shorten the cook time 2) protect the ground beneath the stove (admittedly not a real big problem).

Another use my be to pre-pre filter nasty water. Ultimately, I think the strainer can be left behind.”

“The pot lifter and cover to the Grease pot are also questionable as to leave them behind or not IMO - use a bandana instead of the pot lifter and use a piece of foil and a small stone / whatever instead of the cover. In addition why use a sack if you are using the can? Also what are you using for a windscreen - recommend taking a close look at StoveStomper's windscreen/pot stand - it fits nicely in the grease pot.”

“And where do you get the larger tin from? Obviously it sounds intriguing. Not bear-proof, and I would not guarantee coon-proof, although it could be. I'd still hang the whole kit and kaboodle just to be safe. It looks like it would keep out mice and such, and all but the most determined red squirrels in the Daks.”

“HOI - I do agree that it is not the lightweight approach. I do use a screen (I think I used Sgt. Rock's website) but it's inside the pot - I forgot to take it out for the pic. It's not a refined idea - I'll give it a try on the trail soon. I left the bag there to keep the pot from rattling while hiking, but a bandana would do the trick. I need to figure out how much it weighs.”

“The tin Big Coop, where does one get the tin?”

“buy some popcorn from the Boy Scouts Geobeet - that is how you get the tin

btw I usually just put a roll of toilet paper in the tin and leave it at one of the privies - mouse proof toilet paper holder.”

“Psst, hey kid, wanna sell some popcorn?”

“Sorry Geobeet - yeah - it is an annual holiday fundraiser for the Boyscouts - like the Girlscout cookies. I've always got a few coworkers' kids and nephews that are selling them.

The chocolate covered popcorn is my personal favorite.”

“I WAS JOKING ULTRA! geez....I guess sometimes the sarcasm and humor don't come across the internet, but that's why I put the little winky face after the post. Like so: ;)

Big Coop, it looks like you took that picture on our deck, with our gear lol. We don't have a popcorn tin though. (Yet) Good idea!”

“Sass - yeah - I think many of us would have a difficult time figuring out whose is whose if we all threw our gear in a pile. Good ideas like the grease pot spread quickly. Of course, when I had two perfectly good pots already it seems like less of a good idea (to some people.)

HOI - I think I will heed your advice on the mesh bag and the strainer. I might still stick with the lid for now, I'll have to test cook times with a foil lid. Not sure about the handle though, I may try to see if I can use a bandana / multitool combo or something. I do all my cooking in the pot and need to keep it steady to stir, etc. Without any other uses the handle does seem a bit "heavy" - but my fingers were looking for it last time out.”

“1.) fold bandana several times lenghtwise (not diagonally) to form a strap
2.) hold strap between index finger and middle finger of each hand so that if the hands are palm facing down the strap goes over the index fingers and under the middle fingers
3.) still holding the strap between the fingers point fingers down and bring strap up to and around the pot until index fingers are pressing the strap against the pot
4.) put thumbs on strap about half way between the ends and lift pot with the thumbs and index fingers pressing strap against the pot”

“HOI - good technique. I hadn't really thought of any other way besides folding it into a square and pinching the side of the pot. I'll have to give it a try. Who new there was skill involved?”

“Verdict #1 - I've lost my marbles because I just went out and finally bought a postal scale.

Verdict #2 - The boyscout can is pretty heavy. 9.1 oz with lid. That's a pretty frivilous item at that weight.

Other info:

Kit as shown above

Grease pot 2.4
Lid 1.6
Screen .3
Esbit 3.0
Handle 1.5
Strainer 1.1
Mesh Bag 2.0
Can & Lid 9.1
Total 22.0

HOI's recommended kit
Grease Pot 2.4
Screen .3
Foil Lid .3
Esbit 3.0
Mesh Bag 2.0
Total 8.0

Savings excluding can = 3.9 oz.

I can't believe I bought that dern scale - what a geek!”

“You are on your way to the LIGHT SIDE!”

“I looked at your website.
We do use a lot of the same gear.
I have a G4, frogg toggs, and 804s.
I like my GoLite Day Pack for summer, my GoLite Breeze for middle, and G4 for winter packing.”

“StoveStomper - Yeah - I've checked your site out and noticed some similarities in philisophy. It's fun to keep trying new stuff. I am still working on shelter. I have the two tents mentioned on my site as well as the 8'x10' Campmor SilNy Tarp and the Eureka Solitaire. Still trying to pinpoint the best solution for me. Ultimately, I want to go with the tarp but I want it to be bug proof and downpour proof. I like that Henry Shires tarp that you have.”

“the fact that you actually ate boy scout popcorn shows your a brave soul.

that stuff is horrible, i'll give them money( i do donate) before i'll buy it”

“OPIE - I could probably enjoy styrofoam peanuts if they were covered in as much chocolate as the popcorn is.

StoveStomer - thanks for the e-mail!”

“Ya know, my troop has been selling that stuff for years and I have never tried it.”

“hpm..DON"T!”

“That bad???”

“if you riveted a pair of latches on the side of the can it might make it racoon proof.

seal it up along the bottom edge with a bead of silicone and you could haul water in it too

and what exactly is this grease pot thing i keep reading about? what is it? what do you use it for? why is it so good? seems to be the thing to have, from everyone here raving about it
same for the SilNy tarp...is it like a hammock/tarp combo or something?

later,
-nate”

“NVC - if you prefer to use a tarp vs. a tent then Silicone Impregnated Nylon is your best combination of waterproof, sturdy and lightweight. Campmor has one of the better deals around on an 8'x10' tarp .

The grease pot is a cheap ($6) aliminum pot from walmart that is quite light and does the trick for solo one pot meals. It's price, size and simple lid mak it an attractive choice. My grease pot is pictured above.

I got the grease pot idea from others here and finally saw it on the trail when Humanpackmule brought one to Ocala.”

“ Picture of the tarp in my back yard.”

“well if you want recommendations then I would suggest StoveStomper's combo windscreen/ pot support and lose the esbit stove - just burn the esbit fuel on a piece of foil or a small piece of shapped aluminium; instead of the mesh sack I would use two or three plastic grocery bagsand I would use that for the food bag as well as for holding the stove - if the bags get dirty from esbit gunk just throw them away and use new ones. Secondary uses for the grocery bags include vapor barrier for feet if needed and depending on how good the bag is it is also possible to use one to carry watter back to camp.”

“Oh boy HOI, you know... Nigal once got called irresponcible and dangerous for suggesting that, lol. It does work though...if there aren't any holes in yer bag. ;)”

“yep - Nigal and I have both received a little flak from the same remarkable individual - in my case it was over using a grease pot to begin with - shrug - it works well and is lite just don't try to bake in it as y'all proved”

“Birch proved that! I don't think it's too important to have muffins on the trail, lol.”

“There are two. One is aluminum, and sorta squatty; The other is stainless, taller, but not nearly as big around. I did a search at the WM site, but couldn't find either one.

http://home.att.net/~elcboomslang/wsb/media/110963/site1004.jpg

shows a pic of the aluminum one, if not very good, but I couldn't find a pic of the stainless one. If anyone has links to the other, would they post them?”

“I've never seen the stainless variety there.”

“I have the stainless grease pot and so far no problems. My pocket pocket fits right in it.
I searched the Wal Mart web site with no luck.
I did buy mine at Wal Mart.”

“another pot seen at some Wal Marts: Ref 00042 : Aluminum Jar This is the one Sqt. Rock refers to on his site. I am trying it out these days along with a Ti .8 L pot.”

“the Boy Scout microwavable popcorn is as good as Orville's though it doesn't come with a can.”

“I've been trying to get my hands on one of those for some time now.
No Wally World anywhere around me has them (and I have looked hard!).
The PU 00041 0.65 Qt one looks like an excellent Solo pot/cup.

I would like to try one with my stove/windscreen designs.

If you have an extra, send me one and I'll send you one of my stove/windscreens for that size (keeping the pot for myself).
I love tinkering with this stuff.

Just an idea, I know you make good ones yourself and don't need one of mine.”

“Hey, did anyone else get an email from JG, asking for $19.95 for the stove and an online book? (seriously) What a schyster...he shoulda just offered to sell his stoves from the get-go! Paying shipping is one thing, and no problem.
I don't think we'll be trying one out. Already have a couple of alcohol stoves that work great and weigh less than his model.

Limpy, use denatured alcohol.”

“Sassafras, I got the same email. What a crock of sh1t. I haven't responded back to his email yet but I will, of course it won't be what he is looking for..lol”

“I arrived at the same conclusion in rapid order Sass. Further, he was using isopropyl alcohol in his stove, which is why he got soot on his pot.

Why would I spend $20 for a tunafish can? I could buy a dozen of them at that price and get the tuna for free!”

“lol Geo.

I haven't responded yet either Ewk...best to wait a few days. =)”

“Stove Stomper - I was in the same situation - no Wal Mart around me had them either - I had to get one through Sgt. Rock which led to a very interesting and round about way of getting the pot since somehow Sgt. Rock's ground control (aka wife) shipped the pot to PedXing and then I had to have PedXing send it to me - its good to have friends is all I can say (smile) What I was thinking might be a good idea is to contact one of the US distributors for IMUSA (see website) and see if there is a more reliable way of getting one of these "jars" than trying to get one through Wal Mart.”

“Not a bad idea, as I'm more interested in the 0.65 Qt size.
Thanks for the link.”

“I responded politely. It was out of character, but I just wanted to put it behind me and get on with life.

But good gosh, you take a tuna fish can without doing anything else and put alcohol in it, ... I don't need complex directions for that. The Pepsi stove at least takes some thought to produce. And I suspect it fires hotter as well.”

“I got the same e-mail - scoffed and thought "I wonder who else got this? 'Cuz I don't know anybody here who would pay for something like that."

I think he's trying to raise dough for a trail trip and doesn't quite understand his market yet.”