I recently flew to Fresno to do the High Sierra Trail and saw the stewardess serving coffee in these disposable cups that caught my eye. They were especially interesting to me since I had just aborted my ti snow peak mug in the interest of weight savings for this trip. From a few feet away, the cup material appeared to be different… not styrofoam, not waxed cardboard a la Starbucks, etc… No cardboard sleeve seemed to be required… WTF? I asked if I could have one. The stewardess looked at me a little odd, no doubt wondering about my motivations, and handed one over. First thing I noticed is that the cup was unbelievably light! Very airy. Turns out they are made by a company called Incycle from recycled water bottles using a proprietary method where micro bubbles are infused in the plastic thus giving it its insulating properties. I brought the cup on my trip and it worked fantastic. Stored in my pot it held up fine. You can hold freshly boiled water in it without feeling any excessive heat whatsoever in your hand. Also, they do not crack if crushed. They merely deform as far as I can tell and can be reformed easily. I should further test the durability, but so far my Alaska airlines cup has held up to two trips for a total of 13 days on the trail with no issues. They clean up very nicely and easily with soap and water to be reused. Downsides: 1. They are small. 8oz. Makes for a strong cup of Via. Stores easier in your pack though. 2. No lid for insulation. Doesn't seem to be too big of an issue. I drink my coffee pretty quick on the trail. No time for it to get cold. 3. The company went out of business! Too bad. Seems like a great idea. The cups are still avaliable on Amazon. I picked up a pack of 23. Think a cup could easily last a season or more so it looks like I'm good for a while. Just thought I'd share. I've learned a lot reading up on old and new threads here. Think this is the first meaningful contribution I've made. Hope someone else gets stoked on this! Don't think I've seen this posted anywhere before. Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/InCycle-Cup-8oz-Insulating-Cold/dp/B00SKRCROM
15 grams for the cup, 5 for the lid. A bit large for most, but still a pretty decent weight. I did not try to crush it by squeezing, but i did put quite a bit of pressure on it from the top with no sign of damage. $1.49 at 7-11. Manufacturers website: versalite.com. Edit: their website shows a 12 and 16 oz cup as well. Edit # 2: This cup is made from polypropylene, not Pet.
