MSR Titan Kettle

[John Chan]

Great primary pot for 1 or 2 if you are going to boil water and add. I have even used it for cooking rice (you’ll need a pot cozy). I gave it a 4 because of the flimsy handles but I guess for UL cook gear that’s par for the course.

[Roger B]

Putting it simply it holds water and the water boils. With a pot cozy you can cook a meal. The handles save carrying a pot holder and the lid whilst tight ensures that the water boils in a timely manner (you can always use “foil” for a lid to save weight). As for weight well maybe there are lighter pots around but for me It works.

[Greg Vaillancourt]

My herd of Ti pots has grown to 4. I have this MSR, two Snow Peaks and a Vargo.

It is among the lightest Ti pots, is well finished, and has good capacity. It is quite a bit lighter than the Snow Peaks and doesn’t leave Ti dust on your hands like the Vargo.

[Rick Dreher]

Noting the shape isn’t the most efficient for squeezing every btu from the stove, the MSR kettle remains a very good single-pot option. It packs nicely, works well with small to medium stoves, pours well and the lid really, really stays put.

I once considered the lid too tight until I realized I can easily pry it off using a spork handle in the spout, eliminating spillage when opening. Now I can better appreciate the safety aspect.

Like all pots with built-in handles, they either need to be folded away when using a windscreen, or some accommodation made to pass the handles through the screen. There’s no handle insulation to melt off.

Mine’s the original Japanese-made version–I presume the latest Thai-made issue maintains the material and build quality.

[Glenn Roberts]

This is the pot I use a great deal of the time. It's tall enough to be a mug, but wide enough to avoid the stove flame overlapping up the side of the pot. The lid fits great, the handles work fine – but there are two minor quibbles.

The first is that there are no measuring marks on the pot. This would be a very, very useful addition. (Snow Peak and Evernew are great about putting these on their pots.) I've overcome this by adding a Titan mug, which holds 12 ounces and therefore makes a serviceable measuring cup. (The freeze-dried entrees and Uncle Ben's rice I usually cook each need 12 ounces of water.) The mug also fits the Pocket Rocket stove I use, so I can use it for a small pot to make a cup of tea or cocoa.

Second, the pot misses by a quarter-inch being able to store a 113g fuel cylinder and Pocket Rocket stove inside the pot. The additional height would also make it a full one-quart capacity. Seems a real shame that they didn't make it just a tiny bit bigger. (Note: their ads show that you can store a Pocket Rocket and cylinder in the pot by angling the cylinder and putting the stove in the vacant space. I haven't been able to reproduce this, nor could anyone at the store where I bought them.)

[Benjamin Smith]

I used this item on my recent Sawtooths trip. It worked great – stable, tight lid, strong – but I have one dilemma. I am a boil-and-set type cooker. This means I’m only boiling a cup or two at a time, so most of the capacity of the kettle is wasted on me. When I do occasionally cook soup/rice/pasta, the lid is so tight that it’s almost cumbersome to remove the lid to cook/stir. This means I wind up leaving the lid cocked for easy access…

Eh, it’s a minor gripe. Very nice piece of gear, just probably too much capacity for me.

[Ryan Jordan]

Also one of my favorite pots. I like the fact that the lid is very tight because I don’t have to carry a stuff sack to contain my cook kit in my pack; however, the tight lid makes it hard to check the water/food if simmering a meal with the lid on. Even when the pot is pulled off the stove and set on the ground, it requires no small amount of force to remove the lid. Albeit, a minor pick at a solid product.

[b d]

The lid being tight, so it boils well at higher altitudes (or high for us) and the handle on the lid make it easy to use and is my favorite aspect of this pot.

The next best thing about it is that it holds a small cannister of fuel, my Snow Peak Giga auto blaster, AND my back up Esbit ultralight with some fuel tabs (bought the bulk, lower priced ones when I got the Esbit at the Gear Shop – still haven’t used it, haven’t needed to).

Because it has the tight lid that stays in place without a bag and I can wrap the aluminum foil windscreen piece I carry (also stored inside the kettle) on the bottom of the pot if it ever gets gucky from the Esbit or a wood fired bushbuddy — so use of the MSR Titan Kettle also avoids a stuff sack thingy to carry it around in (as mentioned by RJ above).

The pour spout is a real plus as well, since there are two of us sharing it and we pour hot water into other containers/cups/food bags. And, I hate spilling boiling water when I just spent all the time to heat it and pump filter it or carry it, etc.

I scratched a 1 and 2 cup line on the inside which really helps when heating water for freeze dried packages that take 1 or two cups.

The handles are easy enough to use, but they are a bit small as someone else mentioned — but I use my blue capilene glove liners to pick up the pot when i need to.

If the lid is to tight, I sprayed some barbeque strength pam on it when I first got it and that seems to have done the trick. It is tight but doesn’t stick.

I love the little hole in the top so that I can see when it is steaming, although I can’t avoid popping the lid to see if its really boiling yet when I’m hungry.

I stopped carrying my other Ti lidded (Snow Peak) pot and drinking cup. As an extra cooking aid, when I feel like it, I take a cooking bag/pouch from a Mountain House meal package. I can use it as an extra pot, bowl, bag to hold hot water for washing, and I also have used it as a windsreen or under the stove surface to reflect heat and keep the cannister off the dirt and tinder. My main use of the cooking pouch is for holding food or hot water if I need to — for example I put powdered mashed potatoes in the salvaged and saved cooking pouch and pour in water, stir em up and let em sit, same with dehydrated hamburger, or a baggy with freeze dried corn or peas, etc.) That pouch also can serve as a “stuff bag” cover for the pot when it is put back in the pack.

I do still carry a Snow Peak Ti plate — which I also use as a frying pan (tricky but can be done with a light weight pot holder thingy). The plate can hold the food, once cooked, while I start heating water for tea, “sweet coffee” (what we call the powdered Cappucino stuff), or get water ready for some other treat or job.

Even got rid of my Ti cup since the pot works fine for everything, and who cares if there are bits of food in the powdered Cappucino when yer out in the wilds — better than most bugs or dirt.

So ditto to those who use and appreciate this MSR kettle, pot, cup, bowl thing. I give it a 5 since it is the only pot I need to carry, so it had better be a 5 or why would I be carrying it?

[James Pitts]

I bought this pot for my son for his birthday along with a Pocket Rocket and some fuel… it was a package deal. He was thrilled. I liked the rubber band it came with and do this now with my other pots rather than use a stuff sack. Anyway, my son does very well with it and I have used it once in the field just for kicks. It's a great product.

[R K]

This item is really good for the following reasons:

• good size for 1-2 people
• resonalbly lightweight
• good fitting lid
• lid handle stands up on its own and is insulated
• has a pour spout
• perfectly nests a 8 oz. MSR canister and Brunton Crux stove.
• lets you know when water is boiling without having to remove the lid

The only thing that could be better is if it had measuring marks on the inside.

[George Matthews]

Have used it since last year. I like its weight (except for the lid). Do like the fit of the lid though.

It seems to be a durable pot. I like the spout.

I think it's a good addition to your gear collection.

[Joseph Aulwes]

I purchased this "kettle" along with a Pocket Rocket. I like how snug the lid is.
I wish I could store the 4oz MSR fuel and Pocket Rocket inside the kettle. I have managed to fit the 110 Snow Peak fuel and Pocket Rocket inside the kettle with the lid completely closed.

[dave hollin]

this is my cook pot, kettle and cup. beautifully made, strong, light and comes with a good lid and a pour spout

why would you need anything else when going solo?

my weapon of choice!

[Chad Ellertson]

I bought this when I bought my MSR Pocket Rocket about a year ago. I really baby this pot. Its great for boiling water for pouch meals. its capacity makes it a stretch for 2 people if your want hot drinks with, it only has a .85 litre capacity. So I usually use a 3 cup capacity. The tight fitting lid works for it, in my case. Mine is a bit less tight fitting than others I have looked at. I can adjust it while on my alcohol stove or my pocket rocket. The only problem I have had with it is trying to fit my pocket rocket and a 4 oz fuel bottle in at the same time, like MSR claims you can. Its perfect to stow my alcohol stove, windscreen, heat reflector, my cup, my bowl, and my folding spork. Great pot, highly recommended.

[Dave Wilson]

Ive had one of these for 6 months, and where i agree the lid does seem a little tight as first after a while you realise the benefits of this and learn to take it of easier. Ive used it to boil rice without a cosy although i think that sounded like a good idea, will try it so thanks for that. A pot cosy is something id never really considered before. Good to hear that the bushbuddy fits inside as im purchasing one in the near future :)
The kettle itself is slighty weighty but i feel this is just because its more durable than other similar capacity pots out there.

Measuring on the sides is the only improvement i can think of. I think for 2 people i would prefer something a little larger. More of a 5 than a 4 imo.

[Sebastian Ventris]

You can always just rest the lid on top of the pan while cooking if the stiffness is an issue.

[Monty Montana]

Even though I already have a couple of pots, I decided to pick up the Titan last spring. Two things I appreciated right away were the lid handle, which can lock in the upright position so fingers don't get burned when removing it, and the pot handles, which angle away from the base of the pot, providing great leverage when lifting it when full. The steam hole is another fine detail. The weight is about 15 gm more than the similar volume Anti-Gravity Gear pot, but then the AGG pot has no handles. The diameter is 1/2 inch less than the AGG pot, which makes it less desirable for use on an esbit stove, because the smaller diameter makes it slower to boil by maybe a minute. But it works great on my Crux, and both the stove and canister stow inside, no problem! So, I'd rate it between 4.5 & 5.

[Jay Wilkerson]

The MSR Titan Kettle is a gem for boiling H2O and for using it has a bowl. It's size allows you to store a fuel canister Snow Peak stove and maybe some spices and coffee. I drilled about 8 little holes in it's lid to be able to drain water out of it a little easter. This works quite well when boiling pasta or rice. You can also leave the lid home and use a flashing lid which save about 1oz. Over all a great pot. Highly Recommended

[Ryan Dunne]

I like this pot. I'll be using it for a long time since it's the only thing i can use with my caldera cone. :-P

Like Ryan was saying, the lid is very tight and can be seen as both a strength and a weakness. With the caldera cone, it's really easy to pull off though, since you can hold the cone and pop the lid off. The aluminum on the caldera cone cools off really quickly too.

The pour spout is perfect for making coffee. I used to just drink it with the grounds in it (cowboy coffee) until i realized how easy it was to get rid of them. Just put the lid on and pour the coffee into a cup or something (mouth?). A little bit of sediment might pour out with it, but it's really easy to do. I use course grounds to minimize this.

i got mine for like $30 with a pocket rocket stove a couple years ago. :-D

[Brandon Sanchez]

I love this thing. It weighs more than other pots but what it weighs is not so important to me, all titanium pots are virtually weightless in my book.

As far as features, I love the spout and lid. The lid doesn't just sit on top of the pot, it nests in so i can pick it up by the lid lifter with even a cup of water in it. Its nice so you dont need a rubberband or case like SnowPeak pots. Also the lid stays put when you pour water out the spout which is nice.

I've never 'cooked' in it really, just oatmeal and boiling water for bagged food and it does these just fine.

I use it with Skurka's cat-can stove. Alough I think the Evernew or REI .9L pot is ideal for the cat-can stove because the base is a little wider, this does the job is more or less the same time for the same fuel. About .7oz of fuel for 2cups boiling.

I pack it up with a bandanna inside first. This keeps things from scratching the pot, is used to clean the pot, and lifts the hot handles. Next goes in the windscreen. Its just aluminum foil as tall as the pot when inside. Next goes in the cat can, matches, mini bic (cant have too much firepower), medicine measureing cup, and then the lid on top. Its self-contained, efficient, lightweight, and indestructible.

Ive thought about the fancy Bush Buddy ro Ti-Tri but why fix it if it aint broke?

[Dug Shelby]

Love this kettle.

My impressions after using it for a while now:

[] It's wider, squat profile is really well suited for the type of home-made cat food can stoves I use most. The flame throws perfectly on the bottom and does not waste fuel at all. (if you're wasting fuel with a pot/stove setup, more than likely you need to switch it up).

[] It fits inside my modified Ikea pot stand/wood stove holder like it was made to do so.

[] Fits everything in my cook kit inside.

[] As far as measuring goes, and it not having measurement lines: really? How often do we use our kits, and how many times would I need too see where one or two cups fill the cookpot to? We remember pin numbers, license numbers, passwords…but we can't remember a simple visual? Take your Titan kettle to the kitchen right now, measure a cup of water, pour it in, burn the approximate fill line to memory. And if your backcountry recipes are THAT complex, then I'm impressed. Emeril meets Survivorman. Ok, rant over. I just don't see how you can knock a point off a rating for that. Learn yourself sumthin' goodly on where the fill lines are. It's not brain surgery.

[] Seconds as a cup really well. It's basically just a big cup anyways.

Downsides: haven't found any yet. Not really looking. It does what I want so I can do what I want while camping.

[Daniel Pittman]

Use it with a fancy feast stove. Cut a wind-screen as tall as will fit inside the kettle. Store your stove, matches, mini bic, fuel, bandana, olive oil, s&p, Dr. Bronner's, etc. inside it.

Oh, and where they weld the handle brackets to the outside it leaves burn marks on the inside; use those to gauge water level. Use a spoon handle or knife blade in the spout to pop the lid.

[Author]

Posts