Cookset for Backpacking

[dundare]

Continuing my slow transition from dayhiker to more of a backpacker and I have yet another question.

I am going to be taking my wife along on occasion and need a cookset with a lil more to it than I would normally take solo - pot and a fork Anyway, it seems the MSR Alpine Classic Cookset is a pretty good deal.

Anyone have any experience with this or (even better) suggestions for what I should be taking with me...

Cheers,
dundare

 

[Chip]

do you have a stove yet ? as many sets now "nest" and pack away together.

 

[Rick]

Other than boy scout gear, The MSR Alpine has served me well for at least 14 years. It is rough, rugged and kicks butt next to those pansy teflon coated aluminum pots.

Seriously, the only reason I stopped using my Alpine Cookset was that I got the MSR blacklight (Yessss, teflon coated aluminum) which was about 1/2 lb lighter and with the little one, I started doing a lot more car camping which meant more than boiling water and rehdrating foods, but actually cleaning dried stuck foods off the pots. So, while my love for the old stainless steel pot will never go away, I like the lightness and simplicty of teflon, as well as the little pot lid springy thingy that allows you to pick up the lid without fumbling for the potgrippers..
BTW Stainless steel is easy to clean with either snow or sand.

 

[percious]

You gotta go titanium. Worth the investment.

-Durable (hard to dent)
-Easy to clean
-Transfers heat well.

I have the snowpeak cookset (about $40) and the MSR
2-Liter pot. I love both.

-percious

 

[Mike D.]

I have to agree-titanium all the way. I have the msr titan set -2 pots a handle and a lid that fits both. Weighs in at only 10.5 oz and if you use a canister stove you can fit a 12oz canister inside the pots to save space.

 

[DougPaul]

You gotta go titanium. Worth the investment.

-Durable (hard to dent)
-Easy to clean
-Transfers heat well.

-expensive

Actually titanium does not transfer heat nearly as well as aluminum. Makes it much easier to burn food onto the pot. (For the same reason, titanium is also not a very good material for frying pans.)

For boiling water or heating very wet mixtues, both work equally well.

Doug

 

[Warren]

What type of cooking do you plan on doing?

I wouldn't get to hung up on nesting with a stove, I find it's best to pack my food inside the pot, less dead space like you would get with a stove and putting something that has had fuel in it into a cooking vessel never seemed right to me.

 

[vtlukekultv]

msr blacklite is really nice. that's what i like to use when it's more than just myself. pretty light, rugged, and very nonstick. i also used this cookset at school whenever i wanted to make myself dinner. it's a great deal, just be sure to get a frypan, it's about $10 more but it's the one i use the most. when i'm solo, i like to use a little titanium mug with a lid made by snowpeak. i think the mug is about 24 oz, making it a good size for noodles or other "little" foods like that. i recommend aluminum either way if you're planning on cooking for more than just yourself. it's pretty light, and really tough.

luke

 

[McRat]

I've been using the MSR Titan Mini set without complaint. I took someones advice about painting the bottom with black radiator paint and it DOES seem to boil quicker. I got mine new on EBay for $56+ s&h.

I bought this to replace a previous ebay purchase, a snow peak titanium set. This set was turned out WAY smaller than it looked in the pictures, check one out in person before buying. It went back on Ebay and may still be circulating the world looking for the right owner. The auction giveth, the auction taketh away.

A friend of mine has the MSR Blacklight Gourmet and has been using it for 4-5 years, the last year using it almost daily for 'bachelor' cooking. He's a fairly excellent camp cook, in no small part because he has been using the gear as his daily stove. The finish and non-stick coating are still in good shape.

 

[marty]

I have a 1 liter Primus Litech aluminum pot (6.5 oz) that nests my canister stove. I also have a Primus Litech 1 liter tea kettle (5 oz.). Which one I take depends on whether I am cooking or just boiling hot water. Both work great. They heat up fast and neither have dented yet. Highly recommended!