Food for thought, steel $6.00 UL cook kit

[Ali e]

I use a $6.00 steel MSR alpine bowl. It weighs 3.6 0ounces and holds 27 ounces of liquid. This is lighter than many like sized titanium cook sets but virtually indestructible. With its wide and rounded bottom it is also very officiant and I don't have any issues sticking it in an emergency fire. I use this bowl and my .50 cent plastic spoon for 90% of my meals
while on the trail or at home. Just a cheap and light alternative. Ali

[Unknown abc]

Interesting, but heavy. A pot cozie made from Reflectix would weigh less. But If you simply have to have a bowl, get a plastic one. If you are in an area where fires are allowed, Paper dishes are the lightest way to go – just burn your dishes! (except your pot and my precious Light my Fire Spork)

[Ali e]

Evan, I use this for a cook pot and bowl. Is it heavy? I'm such a rookie. I tend to be a bit hard on some stuff so i like how strong the bowl is. Its also easy to clean. Ali

[Brad Groves]

Hey-
You might also check out the Snowpeak Titanium bowl–1.6 ounces, ~same volume as MSR Alpine bowl, $15.95.

[Unknown abc]

Oh, now thats a differant story. I thought you were using a bowl and a pot. No, thats not that heavy, actually. If you have some other gear like sleeping bag or Insulation Layers that are kinda heavy, use your money wisely and replace those first instead of worrying over 1 ounce.

– Evan

[Roger Caffin]

Hi Alan

Those SS pots are not that bad, actually. A bit heavy compared to Ti and Al, but very functional. One criticism of them is that the base is a bit small so they are not quite as stable, but that's not a killer.

I agree with Evan: I would focus on the bigger items in your kit before worrying too much about the pot.

Cheers

[Ali e]

Thanks for the input. I'm not a huge tecnoweeni but incredibly lazy. While I have always just used a day pack and army poncho with liner I decided to step it up a bit in the last few years. I have a golite jam2 unmodified and a western mountaineering 30 degree bag, one pound 5 ounces. I use a ridge rest cut to 20x about 40 and a basic can alcohol stove. Other than that basic light clothes and a few liters of wine in my platypus.

Is this considered fairly light weight by BPL standards? while most of my long hikes have been in central America or the south pacific I have been fortunate enough to do quite a bit on the west coast from Mexico to WA. I am preparing to do the AT and am hoping to keep my base around 8 lbs including a journal and canon G9. I am not mailing anything ahead as I don't like schedules so I don't know what food I will be eating but I will continue to work with alcohol stoves till I get it right. Ali

[todd]

Alan,
Yes, the Jam & WM bag are lightweight….as is your sleep pad. Many use those same choices. They should serve you well. 8 lbs is good, too.

And, alcohol stoves are fun, aren't they?

Todd

[Dale Wambaugh]

3oz? Horrors! [grin]

First principle of UL hiking: someone will ALWAYS find some lighter gear. It's an on-going process.

You have dome a great job and an 8 pound base weight is wonderful. Your ability to get down to Spartan basics is what really does it. You have surpassed the basics and the rest is just chipping away.

Some day you might lose you steel bowl or come across the ultra-fantasmagoric-anti-gravity-alloy pot for $1.98 and make the change.

In the mean time, keep hiking. I hope you can get out in the woods enough to wear that pot out— we should all be so "cursed." [grin]

[David Wills]

I've been wanting to try that Ti bowl for a while, but im pretty happy with my 5 oz 1L SS pot w/ pie pan lid. It was a gift without any accessories, but im pretty sure its the pot from the snow peak solo stainless steel mess kit which runs for about $12. Its got ample volume (I eat a lot), durability, flat bottom to use w/ a supercat stove, and folding handles. It was my first pot, and no matter how many others I get (4 or 5 to date) to replace it, I keep going back. At 5oz, the weight is still pretty negligible. I think the snowpeak 700ml mug weighed only 1 oz less last time I was trying to replace it.
More power to those who dont want handles. Thats a nice looking preliminary list Alan. When are you leaving on the AT?

[Ali e]

David, we are hoping to start the AT in April but we still have much to sort out. We will be riding our single-speed mountain bikes from Neah Bay WA to Key West FL. We are building trailers to carry the dogs. From there we will hitchhike to Georgia to start the trail. Once we complete the AT we will flip a coin Heads more hiking in the US, tails we set sail aboard our engine-less 24' sailboat for a 10 year circumnavigation. We plan on hiking every region in the world including a trip to Everest. We aren't wealthy so creativity is essential. There are many issues with international travel and dogs so this will also weigh into our destination choices. Our proposed budget is 6k per year. Alan

[Huzefa @ Blue Bolt Gear]

>tails we set sail aboard our engine-less 24' sailboat for a 10 year circumnavigation.

Am I getting this right – you will be traveling for 10 years?

[Ali e]

We will be gone as long as it takes. We want to climb every mountain and see every shore. The clock is ticking and every second counts. Our UL philosophy carries into every aspect of our lives. While some people set out to conquer the world I just want to see it. You can learn a bit more if you are interested at http://www.boatyardpirates.com

[Huzefa @ Blue Bolt Gear]

wow. I dont know what to say. I am 19. I only hope that someday (soon) I can fully understand what you do. Thanks for sharing this!

I wish you both a Happy new year and great adventure!

ps I agree. This article is brilliant!
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/00032.html

[Angela Zukowski]

Really great article. Thanks for posting, Hufeza.

Really great goals. Good luck on your journey Ali!

[Ali e]

Huzefa,
If you want it bad enough you can have it. When I was 17 I walked out the door with a round trip ticket to Hawaii and $300.00 nearly four months later I returned with more cash than I left with. Two days after returning from Hawaii I knew I could not fit back in with my old friends or lifestyle. I sold all my crap and headed for a year in Mexico with less than a grand. If you want out go now. You don't need much money or gear. When it got cold I would buy a blanket for a few bucks. Food is cheap and you can always find a way to get a bit of cash. Every day you wait will make it harder to escape. Every journey begins with your first step. Ali

[Christopher Holden]

"Every day you wait will make it harder to escape. Every journey begins with your first step."

Truer words have never been spoken.

[Author]

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