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Mountain house bag as a pot?

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Sep 16, 2010 at 4:41 am #1263349

Adam Kramer
BPL Member

@rbeard
Locale: ATL, Southern Appalachia

was reading an unnamed heavy mag this morning and read a reader tip who uses his mountain house bag as a pot. can you really boil water in this thing over a stove/fire. obviously, it would be messy, but wondering if it can be done (ie, will it withstand the direct flame for 5 min). anyone tested?

Sep 16, 2010 at 5:17 am #1646062

CW
BPL Member

@simplespirit
Locale: .

I'm betting they just use it for eating out of and add hot water. I don't think it will withstand a flame but I haven't used Mountain House products in years so I obviously haven't tested it.

Sep 16, 2010 at 5:45 am #1646064

todd
BPL Member

@funnymo
Locale: SE USA

Yes,

you can boil in virtually any container. With the interior coating, etc I wouldn't want to consume the water afterward.

In addition, it won't last for many uses.

Sep 16, 2010 at 7:58 am #1646096

Scott Lehr
Member

@lehrscott4
Locale: Louisville - KY

You can boil in the bag no problem but you have to keep it quite a ways above the flame and it takes forever. I have even boiled water in a plastic 20oz mountain dew bottle in this manner, but the bottle was badly distorted and it took about 45 minutes with the bottle hanging about 18 inches above a fire.

Sep 16, 2010 at 8:35 am #1646109

Adam Kramer
BPL Member

@rbeard
Locale: ATL, Southern Appalachia

does anyone know if you can put one of those bags on direct flame? coals?

Sep 16, 2010 at 10:43 am #1646139

Travis Leanna
BPL Member

@t-l
Locale: Wisconsin

>does anyone know if you can put one of those bags on direct flame? coals?

I doubt it. I'm no chemist, but the only reason this works is because the water inside continuously absorbs the heat energy from the fire. In addition, any material that is not touching water, i.e. the upper part of the bag, will melt.

You can boil water in a paper cup by setting it in the fire, but every bit of the cup that isn't touching the water burns off.

I think it'd be just a messy, fussy, hassle.

Sep 16, 2010 at 11:24 am #1646156

Kevin Babione
BPL Member

@kbabione
Locale: Pennsylvania

As Travis mentioned, you can boil water in a paper cup by simply putting the cup full of water on a flat spot in the fire. The cup will burn down to the water level but the water will come to a boil.

I've used this technique with a Starbucks cup to soft-boil an egg. It's a fun "parlor trick."

Sep 16, 2010 at 12:21 pm #1646170

Sarah Kirkconnell
BPL Member

@sarbar
Locale: Homesteading On An Island In The PNW

Direct contact with heat, no. The bags do burn in a fire (or more likely melt rather than burn but they do ash up).

Sep 16, 2010 at 12:57 pm #1646183

EndoftheTrail
BPL Member

@ben2world-2

I have reduced aluminum cans to mere ashes over a camp fire. I guarantee same result with MH bags unless there's plenty of water inside — in which case the fire will still singe it, but won't totally incinerate it.

Two other issues to think about: stability and evenness of cooking.
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