Advice: Upgrading Your Camp Cookware
I’ve been doing more camping and I’m finally in the market for new pots and pans. I’m planning a few longer backpacking trips, so I need something compact and lightweight that I can use to cook for myself, but I like the pots that you use. Can you recommend something similar that would work for me?
So you’re tired of using the sticky aluminum camping pots and pans that you bought for pennies at that yard sale years ago? Ready for something that makes cooking a camp dinner predictable, easy to clean up and compact to pack? I got lucky and was gifted a set of titanium cookware a few years ago and it changed the way I looked at preparing meals in camp. I’ve used my pots nonstop ever since and had many opportunities to compare them with the gear my friends use and love, so now I’m back to share my recommendations for the best camp cookware available.
Pros: Entirely stackable with room to add additional accessories. Pot lids are different than most competitors: they’re plastic and lightweight and have tabs on top for easy removal (no handles or potholders needed). Vents on the lids let out enough steam to keep the lids from bouncing or making noise. Cons: Heavier duty pots than some competitors.
Pros: Pltralightweight titanium packs into a mesh stuffsack so it can be dip-rinsed in a creek or packed up to dry while on the move. Cons: the titanium discolors after being heated, leaving a permanent “stain” that some people think makes the pots look dirty. Smaller than you might think – really only serves one person.
Pros: lightweight, easy to clean and totally nonstick. Cons: Silicone-coated handles sometimes get slippery, making it tough to get a strong grip on a heavy pot. Note: I wanted to include the exact pots I use but it appears they’ve been discontinued…but you can still find them here.
Camp cooking is one of those things that seems to be shrouded in mystery. I always get incredulous looks when I talk about how much I love to cook outdoors, and questions like, “isn’t it hard?” and “isn’t it dirty?” but having a nice set of pots makes cooking – even several dishes, even at night and in the freezing cold – rather enjoyable. But in addition to having good tools (and taking proper care of them), it’s just as important to plan what you want to eat ahead of time and even prepare what food you can before you’re out in the field, which makes for minimal work. Taking care of your gear means being prepared with everything you need to clean up too – biodegradable soap, a small sponge, a few paper towels or a bandana, a miniature spatuala and a few trash bags are all things I pack in my cooking gear to help me do a good clean up job.
Get cookin!
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Titanium is horrible for cooking, but great if you’re only boiling water. The Open Country line of hard anondized aluminum pots are lightweight and cheap. Much like home cookware, it’s rarely worth buying a prepackaged set. Much better to just buy the individual pieces you need. My wife and I usually do freezer bag meals if on harder trips (multiple days and 15-20+ mpd) and titanium works for that. If we do a shorter trip, group trip, lower mileage days, etc. we carry hard anondized aluminum (usually a fry pan) and real (fresh) food.
I’d be curious to see your cookware setup – I love it when it all comes together after a long search and you finally feel like you have everything you need! My titanium pots are great for cooking food and are very non-stick, I love them. But I can see how some, like the Snow Peak, might be best for just heating water.
The problem with titanium is it’s a really poor conductor of heat. On top of that, they have to make it super thin to compete with aluminum on weight which results in hot spots (it’s often said that you can burn water in a titanium pot). Again, great for boiling water but not for much else.
I just picked up a set of hard-anodized aluminum pots made by Open Country (no longer in production, but can still be found as old stock in a few places). The set includes a 3 cup pot (~700 ml), 2 quart pot (~1.9 L), lids for both, and a pot grabber for $40. Weight of everything is 11 oz (~312 g). The smaller pot is perfect for solo and the larger is perfect for when my wife is with me. I also have an older GSI non-stick fry pan that we’ll often carry if making pancakes, etc. I believe the weight on that is around 7 oz, and unfortunately have yet to find anything much lighter. The only time I’ve ever carried a set of pots was on my first trip when I didn’t know better. Now I only carry what I know I’ll need.
My SO and I have had our eyes on the GSI cookset for a long time. After dealing with a cheap pots and pans, we decided that it’s worth the upgrade and slight extra weight for good food! Also, I was totally sold as soon as I saw the stainer lids.
Yes! After using a friend’s GSI set up in the Olympics I was sold. The lightweight lids and the super-stacking nature of the pots make them great for backpacking. They’re definitely on my list for when I’m ready to upgrade to a 4 person set.
I use Evernew’s Ultralight Ti Pot. I took it with me on my thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. It is an absolutely WONDERFUL choice. I never ran into any problems with it. And I’m using it again for my next thru-hike of the Continental Divide Trail. I use the smaller pot which is roughly 20fl oz capacity and it weighs 3.4 ozs. I never needed anything larger. That was the most prevalent cookware on the trail (not including jetboil)
http://www.evernewamerica.com/ECA251.htm
Those look like great pots! I haven’t used them so I wonder how similar they are to the Snow Peak. Do you ever have problems with food sticking?
My wife and I love the GSI Dualist. It’s not the lightest, but does the trick for us. I’d like to add that the pot lid works as a strainer for pasta and the bag that keeps everything together is a great sink for clean up after. To me, this set was very thought out. It’s worked wonders for two seasons for us and I see no end it sight.
Great reviews!