Cook pots

I have the AGG 2L pot; it's awesome. So light, so minimal, and you can pick up the lid with your fingers.

But yeah it wasn't cheap getting it to Canada.

You could try the people who apparently manufacture those pots for AGG:

http://www.opencountrycampware.com/products/?category=800&subcat=400&id=289

They sell an uncoated aluminum version which is lighter and cheaper, and has a bail handle! I don't know what their shipping is, but how much can it be on a $10 5-oz product?

Brian

I just recieved my 2 Quart uncoated pot from opencountry. I live in Toronto…they really take you to the cleaners on this one!

PRODUCT QTY PRICE

4368-0085 – 2 Quart Aluminum Kettle 1 9.95
Shipping Ground 17.50

TOTAL 27.45

I know I don't carry exactly what you want….but I will say this: I don't take Canadians to the cleaners in my online store. It doesn't cost THAT much more to ship a light box. At most for a pan that size a company should be charging no more than $10 for shipping.
(Hence I seem to be getting more Canadian orders these days! ;-)

Thanks Sarah, whats your store called? I was looking for a 2L light pot, if you stock them that sounds really reasonable.

I think AntiGravityGear wanted something like 16 for just the pot and the cozy for shipping. It just reeks of gouging to me, especially as these pots seem to have a fairly short life span b/c their so thin.

Man, you'd think that e stores would WANT to get part of the Canadian market with the economy the way it is, there may not be a lot of us, but I could see cheap, easy Canadian orders (from the customers perspective) as a great way to supplement the bottom line. Might make a real difference to many smaller to medium sized businesses. Anyways, rant over.

search campmor.com for "open country" to find cheap stuff

Robert – Sarah's store is on her website: freezerbagcooking.com
It has lots of interesting information.

Part of the reason companies don't like doing International shipping is it throws the system off if you do mass shipments via say UPS or FedEx using automatic software for labels. For them to do a Postal shipment they often have to send a human down to the local post office. If you use the USPS Postal system like I do, it isn't an issue to mail to Canada or wherever else (I think I have shipped to nearly every country in Europe now). I go in 5 days a week to drop orders off, so whoope-doo if I have to mail something with a customs form. ;-)

If items can go into a padded mailer envelope, even better – it gets really cheap then.

3 lbs to Canada with Airmail is about $11-12 now. So $16, while high…well it is covering everything including time. I usually take a hit on International shipping (such as today I shipped a package to Australia – I ate half of the shipping). But, it all washes out in the end though. It is often also very hard for people out of the US to get gear on top of it all.

I do know though that with my old job my boss would often only do International shipments once a week (which I never understood!) It drove customers up the wall.

Hi Robert! My thought on this is that the most expensive way to ship was used. To go cheaper USPS, don't go priority, delivery confirmation, or signature confirmation as these all add a premium fee. Just request your stuff to be shipped plain first class. UPS may be even cheaper.

Hi Sarah

> I usually take a hit on International shipping (such as today I shipped a package to Australia – I ate half of the shipping).
It wasn't to me, but I salute you anyhow!

Cheers
Roger
Sydney, Australia

Thanks all, for what its worth, Campmore's shipping too Canada is really quite reasonable in comparison although it is 10 dollars.

I've noticed that the big boys, backcountry.com, moosejaw, campmore, ect are a lot better with international rates then the smaller stores. Its not as inexpensive as shipping in the states, but for most items from backcountry.com shipping is less then 15 dollars to have it couriered and that includes the tariff.

I think thats a business model that many of the smaller stores should adopt. If you made it easier/affordable for me to order from you I would more often!

Many thanks to those like Sarah who already are very fair to their international customers. We appreciate it and we will buy from you!
Speaking of which – I'm going to have to take a closer look at your site Sarah, it looks like a great idea!

My solution was to buy a JetBoil 1.5 L. pot withthe "Flux Ring" heat exchanger bottom. (Not to be confused with the Flux Capacitor Drive in my Millenium Falcon)

The "Flux Ring" is a heat absorbing ring of corrugation spot wielded to the pot bottom and reduces cooking time and thus the amount of fuel I need to carry. That's how I save weight cooking.

Eric

How much does the pot weigh with lid? I note that Primus sells their "flux ring" pots separately, but they're quite heavy.

I've never found a "high-efficiency" system that weighed less than a Caldera Cone for a weeks' walk or less.

For example, if the "high-efficiency" device or system weighs 6 ounces more than the lightweight system, it has to save you 6 ounces of fuel to be worthwhile. 6 ounces of alcohol is about 8.4 fluid ounces of alcohol, which is something like 16 pints boiled on the Caldera Cone.

Unless I'm hiking for more than a week, cooking for a group, or baking/frying and making dishwater, I really don't make more than 16 pints on almost any trip. (Melting snow, of course, is another story…)

Put another way: if

Caldera+ultralight pot+fuel for 16 pints = other stove+"fluxpot"+0 fuel

…I'm not getting ahead on a normal trip. In that situation, the crossover point will more likely be at around 30 pints, which is great if you're doing a week with a group. But then again, when you get up towards 30 pints a canister stove may weigh less anyway.