Mugs & Cups

GSI's mugs have no BPA in them, most hiker mugs made of plastic, unless they were of Lexan, are made of other plastics, often recyclable as well. So it isn't like you need to worry about that at this point in the game.

1 cup capacity is at the low end in the scale. 12 to 14 ounces is more normal. This allows you to have 8 ounces of liquid and not slop on yourself. You can find 8 ounces ones, look for the measuring mugs that are sold for a $1 or so, or come in "mess kits".

But overall, do look at GSI's website and see their full line. They make many mugs you may not have seen. Come Feb. 2010 there will be even new ones out.

I think a lot of people use their titanium mugs as pots, so they don't have the weight of both. I have the same GSI mug as you do (although on my scale it's only 1.7oz :)); the combined weight of that and a Heineken pot with foil lid is 2.8 oz. I'm not sure I could find a titanium mug with the capacity of the Heineken pot that would be significantly lighter than that. Obviously, titanium is more durable, but at a steep premium.

I guess something with about 10-12 fl oz of capacity is what I want. I had a look at GSI's site but I didn't see anything else in this range.

I'll have to visit the 'outdoor shop area' of Vancouver sometime soon and check out all the shops with my scale in hand. There is an area with probably 10 outdoor shops on the same block. Who knows what I'll find. I might find some $1.50 mug from Coghlins that weighs in at an ounce.

Someone recommended to me a Lipton "Soup at Hand" cup. It weighs about an ounce and holds 11.5 ounces, and the lid helps keep my coffee warm for the time it takes to drink it. I've carried in on several trips, and it works out pretty well.

I mulled this over earlier this year. I started looking at the "disposable" plastic cups and bowls from ZipLoc, from the 1 cup thru the 2.5 cup sizes, and finally settled on the 2 cup size with the threaded cap. It weighs 1.7 oz including a 2" band of bubble wrap to act as an insulator for hot drinks. It acts as a mug, measuring cup (has 1 cup graduations), and storage container for my coffee, tea, Splenda, fire steel, and a tiny MSR towel. There are lighter ZipLoc options, but the threaded top means I can also use it to carry 2 cups of water in a pinch without leaking or worrying about the top popping off.

I’m very fond of my Snow Peak Titanium Single Cup I, which holds about 10 oz and weighs a mere 1.1 oz. With the addition of a homemade cozy, it still weighs well under 1.5 oz.

I like the Swedish foldacup. It's basically a folding plastic kuksa.
http://www.magellans.com/store/Picnic_Gear___Glasses___CupsFP589?Args=
also sold under the Coghland's brand.

The specs indicate 7 oz capacity and 1 oz weight but it actually holds 8 oz to the brim and weighs 0.8 oz. It of course folds in half and will fit in a tiny space. If you don't need more capacity I highly recommend it!

Hmm….the Snow Peak Titanium Single Cup does look like mug perfection with the addition of the cozy to insulate your beverage.

GSI Cascadian Cup
'Strong polypropylene, won't burn your lips, 12 fluid ounces capacity, 1.7 ounces weight and US$1.75: it can't be too bad!'

from
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/gsi_outdoors_cascadian_cup_spotlite_review.html

Cheers

Dan: I agree, but would have been nice to have a lid as well.

http://www.gsioutdoors.com/detail.aspx?s=2&c2=21&p=77162&lu=%2flist.aspx%3fs%3d2%26c2%3d21&

(They come in 4 colors) What they are is a mug that has a washable neoprene sleeve, a sip it lid that goes on firmly and also a cup that fits over it. The mug, wrap and lid are 2 ounces and it is 14 ounces with markings inside for measuring.

They take a beating and will last a LONG time (Still got mine going for over 2 years of weekly use)

If you had a JetBoil PCS, you could leave the mug at home.
24 oz capacity, washable neoprene sleeve, a sipping lid and bowl. Add the french press and you'll have freshest hot coffee for more than just a few minutes. :)

> If you had a JetBoil PCS, you could leave the mug at home.

Forgive me, but the PCS pot is aluminium, is it not?
In which case, you might well have the 'freshest hot coffee', but you might also have badly blistered lips.

Cheers

So, I've been using an IKEA plastic cup. It is exactly 1 cup, so is excellent for measuring quantities (dual use), plus has a bunch of fun colors and weighs a little less that 1oz. Fits perfectly into my Ti kettle with my white box stove inside. It works fine for coffee, and is perfect for my fave lunch time treat – chicken noodle soup!!!

Oh, yeah, and the six pack cost like 99cs.

"In which case, you might well have the 'freshest hot coffee', but you might also have badly blistered lips."

Hi there Roger!
…the lid of the PCS is made of some flexible material in which I use the pour spout for sipping my coffee. No blistered lips here. :) Cheers

I really like my orikaso folding cup. It works very well and is incredibly light. It packs flat so there is no wasted pack space. It can double as a plate/platform to put food on etc. I'm not sure if they sell them anymore though

I use an 8 oz. plastic Ball freezer jam jar with screw on lid wrapped in bubble wrap. Total weight 1.3 oz. I use it as a measuring cup, coffee mug, and brux guard disinfecting container. It does not leak and barely fits inside a screw top Zip-lock container that I keep my Caldera cone and stove in. The jars also come in a 16 oz. size.

James….that Ikea cup sounds great as long as the handle isn't annoying. Sub-1oz is great. I wonder if there are light but insulating plastics that could be used to provide some additional insulation in a mug and still keep it really light (ie. about an ounce). I think a 10oz, plastic insulated mug would be great. They could make it a double wall with really thin walls and some plastic foam or something in between.

I just use a McDonalds coffee cup with lid. Weighs nothing, very strong and durable, and pretty cheap, considering coffee comes with it. When it begins to get weak, I buy more coffee. Great for measuring as well.

Pretty much any vessel can be wrapped in Reflectix or even smaller mylar bubble wrap. That will produce a light and effective insulated mug.

So, the IKEA cup isn't insulated and doesn't have a handle, BUT, since it is really small (1 cup), it stays plenty warm enough for your morning coffee / chicken soup. I have a cozy for my Ti kettle, so if I have something that needs to be kept warm, I simply fill up the cup multiple times. I've even found the cup handy for stuff like refilling my water bottle from really shallow streams where my bottle is too tall to hold underwater.

Hey Sarah,

How do these pie shaped ones compare to the squat round nesting version? I have been eyeing the later the mug/bowl thingey.

Terry

Terry,
I very much like the pie shaped 14 ounce ones better than the squat round 20's. Fit nicely in the hand and very stable!