How goes your going pot gripperless?

[USA Duane Hall]

I forgot my pot gripper for my non-stick pot lid late last Summer when I was fixing pancakes, so had to use the standby, a sock. In an effort to save weight, what works best besides the gripper itself? I'd hate to get some oil or pancake mix or even bacon grease on my sock or glove, not a big deal if only out for one night. I was wondering if anyone has a better item, I'd hate to think in ones effort to save a tiny bit of weight that they drop the mornings hot water or worse, the evenings meal due to a sock or glove losing its grip on the pot although the pot gripper could lose its grip too if not attached properly. Or even burning the sock or glove. This got me thinking looking at those .550L ti pots at Litetrail I believe who has the pots everyone wants. :( Too bad, I got a new Evernew .6L pot and Caldera Cone last Summer for future week long, Summer bp trips. The .550L pot would only shave a tiny bit, but something to think about down the road in an effort to get to UL status.
Duane

[Cayenne Redmonk]

If your pot is Ti, leave 2mm of room at the top and pick it up with your hand.

[Harrison Carpenter]

My current cooking system is a SnowPeak 600 mL Ti cup, which has its own foldable handles; the only "pot grabber" in my pack is a bandanna. I know that looks flippant– pardon me…

[Backpack Jack]

I use my Gerber Dime multi tool, it goes with me all the time, so no added weight.

[Ben C]

Potgripper? I have never had one. I would use a wire bale if I needed a handle. But the lip of a bowl is not very hot. And I typically have a glove; its pretty stable.

[USA Duane Hall]

The Litetrail .550L pot is handleless, that's more why I asked. Still does not make sense as the lid is hot on my old Olicamp pot, the lid is hot enough that I have to drop it quickly when the water is hot for Via, the pot has to be hotter. OK, I'll check it out next trip out, but that frying pans still gotta be hot its aluminum and shallow.
Duane

[David Thomas]

The standard, folding pot grippers are universal – they fit any pot rim. You, on the other hand, only need the gripper to fit ONE pot – yours. Hence, it needn't be folding, just with a slot cut out which is a snug fit to your pot. I'm thinking aluminum flashing wrapped over a tongue depressor and slotted for your pot's lip would be (1) strong enough and (2) about a 1/3 the weight of the universal one from REI / Cabella's.

[Bob Gross]

Stainless steel wire bale

–B.G.–

[David Thomas]

I tried a tongue depressor and the small bit of wood at the pot end split. So I tried 1/8" plywood and it worked well. I wrapped it a little more than once, hammered it flat, pop-riveted it in two places, and then used a jigsaw to cut a slot. I tried the pot with 5 pounds in it and it was fine. For MUCH heavier pots, I'd use the concept but make it deeper, at least on the pot end.

It came in at 14 grams versus 45 g for the Primus universal pot lifter. And it cost, well, scraps and two pop rivets, so about $0.13.

I'll post pictures from another computer, this one is being bothersome.

[Gary Dunckel]

David, you're making me crazy–I can't imagine this pot lifter you're describing. Pictures, pictures, I gotta have pictures. Don't tease me like this, not on Christmas Eve. Santa knows where you live, and he has lots of lumps of coal!

-B.G- says, "Stainless steel wire bale."

I say "Titanium wire bail."

[Bob Gross]

"Titanium wire bail."

I find titanium wire too difficult to find in a small length (1 foot). Plus, it isn't cheap. The amount of weight saved would be tiny.

The stainless steel wire was free to me.

David would like big lumps of coal to make a fire under his titanium grill.

–B.G.–

[Justin Baker]

Bandana.

[Gary Dunckel]

Bob, didn't you recently buy one of my FireFly mini grills and a set of 4 Stix through QiWiz.net? Dang it, if I'd known you needed a foot of titanium rod for a bail, I would have tossed that in for you. It's cheap enough when you buy as much titanium as I do. You know, scraps and leftovers. Next time you buy something from me, be sure I know that you need a bit of rod, and I'll PIF some.

And so that's it–David is stockpiling coal lumps. Or maybe, of all things, he's spending X-mas eve with his family.

Have an enjoyable Christmas everyone!

[Bob Gross]

My pot bale was done in stainless last spring, so I didn't need any titanium rod or wire after that.

The FireFly mini grill was a gift for a friend.

Yes, David can probably get some real pretty colors started on the titanium pot if he uses a fire from coal lumps.

–B.G.–

[Colin Krusor]

Titanium wire fishing leader in pieces of about the right length for a pot bail are available right now on ebay for less than $4 (shipping included). I made one for my BPL Firelite 0.9L pot with wire of this type and it works great. I attached it by drilling two very small holes near the rim on each side and weaving the wire through those several times, then heating the bent wire with a propane torch to relieve the strain. The wire is tough but thin, and it's hard to see in the dark. I've considered putting glow-in-the dark paint on it or a bit of white hollow braided fiberglass cord.

[USA Duane Hall]

Thank you for the ideas. I was thinking stiff stuff like bailing type wire. Doh!
Duane

[John Donewar]

Duane,

Would Malin LC10, 131 pound test, .024 wire diameter, coated (coffee color), stainless steel wire leader material make suitable bail material for your project?
It is for sale at my local Academy Sports and Outdoors location for $2.49 plus tax for a 42 foot roll.

$4.00 for Ti or about $2.75 for coffee colored stainless.

Here's how mine looked when I finished.

Below is the link to the construction thread with a lot more pictures and how to details.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=66158&skip_to_post=568047#568047

Ti is cool but if you use the stainless your pocket will be heavier when you're done. ;-)

Party On,

Newton

[M B]

Bandana if pot is small enough to grip in one hand ( foster pt )

[USA Duane Hall]

I don't really have a project, but looks like I have one now.:) I wish my Foster's pot looked like yours. I couldn't hear that video that was posted earlier this year on how to make the ridges in a Foster's can, I have the opener. I'm currently using my old Olicamp pot, then have the REI .9 ti pot and the new .6 Evernew one, both those have handles too. Not sure the bail wire would work on something wide and shallow versus narrow and deep like the Fosters. I can play with my Olicamp, it's my original which I've had before ti got so widely accepted. Plus, this was more aimed at a pot gripper for a frying pan and I don't use bandanas, I could cut up some old leather glove finger tips then I guess. The frying pan is only used on weekend trips where a little extra something is to be expected. I sure miss pan fried trout since I've cut gear back, but then too, the fishing hasn't been good except for last year in the Mono Creek drainage area where I did great.
Duane

[Colin Krusor]

"Ti is cool but from what I understand given the same dimensions Ti is heavier than stainless and stainless is heavier than aluminum. If you use the stainless your pocket will be heavier when you're done. ;-)"

I completely agree about pocketbook weight, but, just for the sake of trivia, Ti is not heavier than stainless steel given the same dimensions. The various stainless steels have a density of around 7.5 g/cm^3, while the various titanium alloys have a density of around 4.5 g/cm^3. So, given equal dimensions, a titanium part weighs about 60% of the same part in stainless steel. For a wire bail, the weight savings for using Ti are probably similar to the weight of the two extra dollar bills that you'd also lose, so, it could be argued that you could double your weight savings by using Ti. :)

[John Donewar]

Thank you Colin for correcting my error.

I do appreciate it. I'll correct my post right after the nap that follows Christmas dinner. LOL

Party On,

Newton

[Tony Ronco]

+1 for the Bandana if you're already carrying one.

If not, then an alternative which is much lighter & works well are Dritz Thermal Thimbles.

They come in a three pack – the two biggest sizes work great on your thumb & index finger (I ditch the smallest one). It allows you use your thumb and index finger to comfortably reach around & lift your hot cup/pot. They also allow you to grip a hot handle (but pots with handles aren't part of this thread)
They are made of heat resistant silicone, which is easy to clean (if needed) and dry in a flash.

I hand sew some very light gauge spectra thread between those two thimbles to tether them "together". The whole "system" weights a very light 0.16 oz on my scale. You can get them cheap for $4 if you deal shop or $6 if you pay MSRP.

[John Donewar]

Cool Idea ;-)

Party On,

Newton

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

I developed severe carpal issues in both hands in the final months of my last pregnancy. I still have issues 10 months out. To the point I can't grip things tightly.
So…I bought one of these on a fluke. It works. I paid $10-11 for it or so, on sale.
http://www2.dupont.com/Kevlar_Gloves/en_US/products/ove_glove.html

Anyhow, I can actually grip hot items with my useless claws when I am having issues. And I have flexibility. If you have carpal or arthritis in the hands, consider this. It isn't the lightest, but it WORKS.

[Alex Eriksson]

The classic Mechanix Wear mechanics gloves are prefect for me. Reasonably heat resistant and generally versatile for all sorts of situations on the trail. I tend to find myself desert camping exclusively right now where it's never a bad idea to have some hand protection especially if going a bit off trail.

Years of mountain biking taught me that any sort of random small fall can lead to cuts and gashes on my hands that can easily ruin my day. So when it comes time to extract my hot Ti pot from my caldera cone on goes my right-hand glove and, depending on how hot the handle is, I may grip the handles on my pot directly or use the left glove as an additional layer like a potholder. When I'm done I've attached two tiny gutted paracord loops to the gloves and they clip to a small s-biner clipped to a belt loop or my pack's waist belt.

Definitely worth the whopping $18 I paid for them at Target or maybe it was Autozone.

[Author]

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