Pots for 2 people/couples

[Alina G]

Hello,
I was wondering what do you guys recommend in terms of cooking pots/dishes, utensils etc. for couples.
What sort of pots, sizes, materials, brand names etc. are good?
I have considered titanium before because of the light weight but then I read that it burns easily?
Thank you in advance.
Alina

[Mike M]

our meals (save fresh trout which are grilled) are all boil in the bag, so we're only boiling water for supper (and mornings for coffee and hot cereal)- we use a SP Ti 900 pot- it comes w/ a fry pot lid, never used that feature and it was fairly heavy- had a custom aluminum lid made for it which shaved some weight

the 900 is plenty large enough for our needs and it nests our stove, canister, utensils and a small towel

if actually cooking, I'll defer to someone else

[Tommy Franzen]

The Open Country 2qt. pot is a great size for cooking meals for two people. If you plan on 'cooking' in the pot (anything other than boiling water), I would not recommend titanium. I wouldn't recommend titanium at all actually, but that's another debate. Best deal for the money is the hard anodized 2qt. pot w/ lid found here: http://www.traildesigns.com/cookware/open-country-2-quart-hard-anodized-pot

[Jen Churchward]

My hubby and I have had reasonable success cooking meals with a Jetboil group cooking system (the one with the big pot). We made orange chicken and rice for dinner and eggs, bacon & hash browns for breakfast with it. It's kinda heavy and bulky though… and since most of the time we eat dehydrated meals, we decided to replace it with a Jetboil Sol Ti.

[Charles P]

I second the open country pots. Inexpensive, light, and will last a very long time if you let them. That said, if you want a whole 'cook system', this MSR set-up doesn't look bad. http://cascadedesigns.com/en/msr/cookware/simple-cooking/quick-2-system/product

[Mathew MacDonald]

My wife and spent 5 months using a MSR Titan 2 Liter pot sharing one spoon. We would just take turns eating out of the pot. It is 6.5 oz for pot and lid, 4.3 oz for pot without lid. As long as you are paying attention to your cooking, food burning is not a problem with titanium. I did a quick google search of the MSR Titan and it looks like it may have recently been discontinued or is no longer sold as a single pot. I bet you could track one down if you wanted it.

Most of the time lately we use the Jet Boil Sol ti and freezer bag cook. So much easier and no dishes!

[Yuri R]

We have 2 pots:

MSR Alpine Stowaway 1.1L stainless steel
– plenty big, but kind of heavy. Great quality though and is tough enough for many years or use and abuse.

MSR Quick 1 Titanium 1.3L
– light, thin, not as durable but again – light.

Quality and design wise – i prefer the Alpine Stowaway, but weight wise Quick 1 is the winner.

Both allow to quick a decent sized meal for 2 adult males after a long hike. The set can be complemented by a 10 or 12cm Imusa aluminum mug from Walmart (around $3 each) for a big cup of tea/coffee/chocolate in the morning/evening.

[Stuart R]

If you can still find them in stock, I highly recommend the Coleman Exponent Non-stick Cook Kit.
This is a pair of non-stick anodised aluminium pots with a unique grooved base that effectively prevents the pot from sliding off the stove when not perfectly level. I wrote a mini-review here http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/reviews/display_reviews?forum_thread_id=62183

[Richard Scruggs]

Big factor is what kind of "cooking" is to be done.

If just boiling water for hot drinks and to rehydrate food in a ziploc with cozy, then titanium does it with greatest weight savings for the pot used.

A pot that's better than titanium for meals "cooked" in the pot would (for two people) be a hard-anodized aluminum pot.

For two people who sometimes want to boil water for drinks and rehydrate food in ziploc, but sometimes want the option of "cooking" in the pot, an Open Country 2 quart hard-anodized pot (sold by Trail Designs) has plenty of capacity for the weight.

It can boil water for two hot drinks plus enuf water to rehydrate two meals, or do two hot drinks and then "cook" a meal by adding ingredients to hot water remaining in the pot.

For utensils, use long-handled titanium spoons.

Plus pot lifter to handle pot, along with two cups for drinks, and a ti bowl for meals (if not using ziploc bags to rehydrate the meals, in which case eat from bags).

Edited to correct the source I identified for hard-anodized Open Country 2 qt pot; it's Trail Designs, not Titanium Goat (at least not that I know of).

[Alex H]

I agree with the Open Country too. We use it for up to 4 people but mostly for two. We actually cook food in it, easy to clean. As light as most titanium pots and at least 1/3 the price. 7.2 oz. with the pot lifter. Have used one for years now. Trail Designs has it too.

http://www.traildesigns.com/cookware/open-country-2-quart-hard-anodized-pot

Curry for 4, eaten by 3. I also use a Ziplock brand storage container for a bowl (17 gms).

[Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear]

We use an Evernew 1.3 liter pot for the two of us. The 1.3 liter size gives us enough head room for cooking meals in the pot. It is also a good size when we make breakfast (instant oatmeal and hot coffee for two). Best regards – Jon

[Greg F]

I am a big fan of the 12cm IMUSA mug or the classic grease pot. Both are light weight and somewhere around 1.3L in capacity. They are also dirt cheap. I would only recomend these if all you are doing is boiling water or boiling pasta. Any kind of simmering or frying leads to a terrible mess.

Both are available at End2end trail supply and I don't think you can find a more economical solution to your cooking needs.

[Sam Sockwell]

Not educated enough on the subject apparently. I was just about settled on our 1.9 L ever new, and we do some cooking on the trail, rice and pasta dishes etc. Easy to pair the Open Country as part of a package from Trail Designs caldera Cone for example, but where' s the rub with Titanium cooking?

Thanks, Sam.

[Charles P]

Ti doesn't distribute heat as well as aluminum. And its expensive.

[Terry G]

In my opinion, a 2quart pot is way, way too large for two people. For two, I typically take my .9 liter MSR Titan Kettle and find it more than ample. I would look for something in that range. These include:

Titanium:
MSR Titan Kettle
Snow Peak 900
Evernew Pasta Pot

Aluminum:
5 cup Bush Pot from Four Dog Stoves
IMUSA Mugs (10 or 12 cm are 24 and 44 oz capacity respectively)
I am sure GSI makes something in this range

When there are four of us, I use a 1400 ml pot (the Snow Peak 1400) which is still less than 2 quarts. I only boil water for dehydrated food or hot drinks and very rarely cook in the pot.

I would go with either Titanium or Hard Anodized Aluminum without a non-stick coating. It is difficult to take the care necessary to prevent non-stick coatings from flaking off in the backcountry – metal utensils and banging around all damage the coating.

For a bowl, I use the twist-lock container from Target with a reflectix cozy.

Here is my mug bowl setup:
(https://dpcr19kltm61a.cloudfront.net/backpackinglight/user_uploads/1334077432_61323.jpg)
I am still on the fence about the mug because the rim gets very hot but the bowl has worked great.

[Julie R]

"I agree with the Open Country too. We use it for up to 4 people but mostly for two. We actually cook food in it, easy to clean. As light as most titanium pots and at least 1/3 the price. 7.2 oz. with the pot lifter. Have used one for years now. Trail Designs has it too."

Alex H. – Does the Open Country weight of 7.2 oz included the weight of the lid as well as the pot lifters? or do you use something else for the lid? Thanks

[zorobabel frankenstein]

For the past 3 years we have been using a 650ml stainless mug (77g + 17g Al lid) and one spoon. Used for ramen mostly, eaten out of the mug by taking turns.

[Tony Ronco]

Have you considered a Stanco Grease Pot? It works well for two people.

40 fluid oz = 1.3 Liter capacity

3.7 oz (for both the Pot & the Stock Lid combined – definitely very light)

$ 6.14 in cost (definitely more affordable than other pots on the market).

… It also comes with a grease strainer, which can be left at home.
Or if you like a Bakepacker type insert, then you can trim the rim off and turn it upside down in the bottom of the pot, where it will nicely approximate a Bakepacker at zero cost.

You can also shave off almost 1 oz from the lid by getting rid of the large plastic knob. A bead, or paper clip are two of the possible substitutes.

The pots are available here:

[Richard Scruggs]

Julie — re your question to Alex H about weight of the Open Country 2qt pot with both a lid and a handle, don't know if his Open Country 2qt has the same weight as the hard anodized aluminum Open Country 2qt pot that I have, but the weight of mine is 6.20 oz with its lid.

The pot handles I use add either 1.3 oz (aluminum pothandle like the one shown in Alex H's photo) or 1.0 oz (MSR pothandle with red handles) to the pot/lid weight.

Using the MSR pothandle, the pot/lid/handle combination totals 7.2 oz.

Note that Open Country makes at least two versions of the 2 qt pot — the hard anodized version like I have, and a simple silver aluminum version that also comes with a bale.

I have the simple version also, and its weight including lid & bale is 7.39 oz. A separate pothandle isn't needed with the "simple" version since it has the bale for picking it up, as you can from the photo at the following link:

http://tinyurl.com/Open-Country-at-REI

The "plain" version of the Open Country pot costs less than the hard anodized version (even at its current "on sale" price at Trail Designs' website), but I like the hard anodized version for use with Trail Designs' Caldera Sidewinder because it fits (no bale to get in the way), plus the hard-anodizing seems to make it a lot stronger.

Here's a link to a BPL review of that Sidewinder setup with an Antigravity Gear 2qt pot, which I believe is/was made by Open Country so that it's probably the same pot as sold at Trail Designs —

http://tinyurl.com/Review-Sidewinder-2qt-Pot

The Sidewinder for the 2qt pot also fits the Evernew/REI 1.3L Ti pot (w/minor accomodation re use of stakes), and the Sidewinder works with pots having a diameter smaller than the 2qt and 1.3L — as described for an AGG 3 cup pot in the above review.

All of which brings up another consideration besides what kind of "cooking" your going to do (just boiling water vs actually cooking in the pot vs both) — and that is what kind of stove you'll be using with the pot.

The 2 qt Open Country pot works great with a Sidewinder caldera stove, and everything can be packed away in the pot. But a different pot might better meet your needs if you're going to use a another kind of stove, especially if you don't need/want 2qt capacity.

[Alex H]

Julie, Richard said it all. Mine was actually from Anti-gravity gear but I think was made by Open Country. 7.2 oz with the lid and pot lifter.

[Cody Croslow]

How well do the anodized pots handle open flames? I recently bought and have been using a wood-stove for my cooking, and am sorely tempted to buy one of these open country 2qt pots, but I'm a little worried about the heat and the char-effect on the bottom.

[M B]

I find the evernew 1.3L with built in folding handles perfect for 2. Has pour spout molded into lip, and can easily be poured with one hand using the handles , very important when pouring water into freezer bags, especially if solo.

A full pot is enough for making 4 packs (2 each) of easy mac and 2 cups of coffee/hot chocolate. I can boil it on about 1.25 fl oz (1 oz wt) of alcohol.

[Devon Cloud]

I like this pot for two people.. I have a big appetite though, I am a big guy. titanium is expensive but pretty indestructable. If you are using a wood burning stove (best way if you ask me) the flames move around on the bottom of hte pot so you don't have hotspots like you would with an alcohol stove.

That being said, you will get 20 different answers from 20 different people. One thing I have found on this site is everyone's way is the best and there is arguments for each design. They are all functional, it is just personal opinion on which one you feel comfortable with.

[Barry P]

Sorry for late response.

“I was wondering what do you guys recommend in terms of cooking pots/dishes, utensils etc. for couples.
What sort of pots, sizes, materials, brand names etc. are good?”

+1 on the 1.3L evernew TI mentioned. 4.8oz. – love those handles.
We (wife and I) do freezer bag cooking. We use that pot on a White Box alcohol stove. Actually, I’ve fed 5 with this setup. Meal time for all 5 took about 40 minutes.

Utensils: we just use long-handled Ti spoons.

-Barry

[Jon Fong]

I find that the 1.3 liter size is perfect for us. I cook in the pot and need a tough surface that is easy to clean. In that regard, titanium is great. I can and have cleaned it out with sand and rocks before. The pot still looks shiny and new. My 2 cents – Jon

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