Kupilka Classic Drinking Vessel

in keeping with the theme, it should not be "authentic wooden chopsticks". it should be a blend of plastic and wood so that the benefits of each compound cannot truly be used. i'm thinking:

"propriety dynasty chopsticks". a complex blend of space age polymers and authentic hardwood from the trees that grew right inside the great wall itself…

He made me. Honest…..

To the tune of 'I'm a Believer'

I thought Ti was always meant for drinking cups
No plastic, wood, or aluminum for me
Grey and light was it
That's the way it seemed
My cup, pot and spoon were a dream

Then I saw Kupilka! Now I'm a believer
Not a bit o' doubt in my mind
I'm in love! I'm a believer
I couldn't leave it home if I tried.

Gram weenie naysayers simply just don't understand
Seems the more I explain, the less they get
What's the use in trying'?
They are all such pains
Aesthetics, to them, you just can't explain

Then I saw Kupilka! Now I'm a believer
Not a bit o' doubt in my mind
I'm in love! I'm a believer
I couldn't leave it home if I tried….

I've been humming that in my head for the last 10 minutes. No intention of buying a kupilka myself, but I might buy the album.

I suppose you could use the Kupilka cup as a deadman anchor in snow……

I love how people are arguing about the merits of a $30 cup on a forum where people regularly spend $400+ on a 8'x5' tarp.

Now lets talk about frivolous…."but its 2 oz lighter!!!!"

Kupilka's seem to be a trend right now, as far as BPL selling them they're in demand and sells produce revenue. If someone wants to carry one it's fine by me, it's their pack weight.

check this wooded drinking vessel out, it's one I carved

This is what I use. The ultimate UL backpacking approach – multi-use item.

That is a beautiful carving, J J.

>>>I love how people are arguing about the merits of a $30 cup on a forum where people regularly spend $400+ on a 8'x5' tarp.

Now lets talk about frivolous…."but its 2 oz lighter!!!!"<<<<

$400…what tarp are you buying, and where from?

And that is another bad comparison. Shelter is something that can be vital to comfort and survival when out. I am sure I will be just as safe and comfy next trip without a Kupilka.

It kind of seems like a few guys are taking offense at people ragging on a piece of their gear. There is a theory that when a person has to defend a purchase so vigorously, it is often due to underlying regret. Buyers remorse anyone?

"It kind of seems like a few guys are taking offense at people ragging on a piece of their gear. There is a theory that when a person has to defend a purchase so vigorously, it is often due to underlying regret. Buyers remorse anyone?"

It kind of seems like a few guys simply can't rag enough on other people's enjoyment of a rather simple item. There is a theory that when a person has to criticize so vigorously, it is often due to underlying jealousy. Kupilka envy anyone?

I can certainly see the beauty of the item,especially JJ Mathes, but to me, it doesn't justify the price/added weight to my kit. Like others have said, though, i don't have to carry it so knock yourselves out.

>>>It kind of seems like a few guys simply can't rag enough on other people's enjoyment of a rather simple item. There is a theory that when a person has to criticize so vigorously, it is often due to underlying jealousy. Kupilka envy anyone?<<<

Kupilka envy?

Not when I picked up this bad boy for about a buck!

Cheaper, lighter, and it can measure!

JJ, now that's some exceptional craftsmanship! Nice job!

JJ – beautiful work!

Doug – LOL – fantastic – you've greatly exceeded expectations!

Hand carved vessels and story songs – we're journeying towards Middle Earth – all thanks to the Kupilka.

"It kind of seems like a few guys simply can't rag enough on other people's enjoyment of a rather simple item. There is a theory that when a person has to criticize so vigorously, it is often due to underlying jealousy. Kupilka envy anyone?"

Until it comes in cuben, I can wait.

"Until it comes in cuben, I can wait."

You know I already have Chris Zimmer working on one! ;-)

Go with the Dyneema Handle….

I think the cup looks neat. Rally neat. Too neat. It would look better than any cup I have in my house so alas, this one isn't for me.

>>It kind of seems like a few guys simply can't rag enough on other people's enjoyment of a rather simple item. There is a theory that when a person has to criticize so vigorously, it is often due to underlying jealousy. Kupilka envy anyone?<<

Call me crazy, but isn't it called "flaunting" when someone goes outside after christmas/birthday/whatever and talks up about how what they got is the best, most expensive, and most beutiful item.

If it works for you go for it.

But this is the thing about the internet, you are making a public statement and people are right to point to the weight/functionality/price of such an item in relation to other such similar items. I mean, if there where no critcism allowed on this website then no improvements would ever be made.

I guess it really doesn't matter one way or the other, but that's my 2 cents.

"Call me crazy, but isn't it called "flaunting" when someone goes outside after christmas/birthday/whatever and talks up about how what they got is the best, most expensive, and most beutiful item.

If it works for you go for it.

But this is the thing about the intetnet, you are making a public statement and people are right to point to the weight/functionality/price of such an item in relation to other such similar items. I mean, if there where no critcism allowed on this website then no improvements would ever be made.."

Hahahahahahahahah …. er ….. I mean, excuse me? I don't really recall anyone 'flaunting' anything in this thread, and certainly no one talking about the kupilka being "the best, most expensive, and most beutiful (sic) item" they got at Christmas or anywhere else.
Just some people talking about something they like, and others talking about how unnecessary and overpriced the thing is. Sounds like a pretty standard BPL forum discussion to me.

Also not sure who said no one could criticize, I didn't read that in any of the posts either. Lots of disagreement/discussion, but that's to be expected, no? Or are you implying that people can criticize, but no one can disagree with the criticism? Doesn't sound fair to me if that's the case.

Oh wait, I know I know! Perhaps you were reading a different thread, and inadvertently replied to this one! It happens, I'm sure.

I think we are just having some fun here. Aren't we? I mean, if we can't poke fun at each other, who then? The guys over at Backpacker.com are too easy….

But it is funny how we are okay to carry this cup but have an issue when one pack weighs 3 oz more than another.

Seriously though, it is a neat cup.

is how people can gloss over a cup with such an interesting traditional heritage, nordic laapland finnish hunting/hiking cup made from the burl of an arctic birch and not even bat an eye while posting why not just buy a plastic cup from REI or some such. I see both sides of the coin but to overlook the beauty/tradition of a kuksa is to miss the point of one.

http://www.youtube.com/user/jimski123

Some people eat taco bell, some people go to the French Laundry…

To me, I was stoked to learn, if even just a little, about a tradition and way of life I previously had no inkling of.

The Kupilka is unique in that it incorporates the traditional w/the modern. I love the style, history and backround of the traditional cup. Something about handmade renewable resources feels good.

Looks like a great way to drink tea/coffee/water with a part of nature.

To each their own…I'm glad I ran into the information and hope that mine will last for 30 years if I get one and live that long.

To simplify…woodworking is cool & the Kupilka is pretty neat too.

Having a hard time understanding why this attractive, if slightly weighty, little cup has generated such strong feelings. Maybe its not about the kupilka after all..

Kupilka = Luxury items should not be allowed on UL backpacking trips

or

Kupilka = Don't tell me what I can bring…

I have no doubt you're right on both counts! But really, isn't it the silly that seems to generate the strongest feelings on these forums, for some unexplained reason? Kinda just makes you shake your head sometimes. Or, another way, these forums too often devolve to bathos, which elicits pathos from us gentler souls……

I even typed that with a straight face, if you can believe that!

Mysterious indeed!

As I follow this thread in bewilderment, bemusement, and horror, an entirely new level of personal involvement has emerged…

I arrive home from work today to find a package on the porch.

Funny, I'm not expecting anything. Stranger still, the return address is my own, yet it had been postmarked from the other side of the country. Last I checked, I haven't been on the other side of the country. Curious indeed.

I open the box carefully; I am a teacher…you never know when an anthrax bomb from a disgruntled ex-student might arrive. The contents are wrapped in paper, pretty lightweight. My first thought is that it's a commuter mug of some sort…

Behold!

Mysterious Kupilka!

A smile has been brought to my face.

I suspect I know who could be behind this, but as this person has chosen to mail it anonymously, I suppose I'll end my inquiry there and revel in not knowing for certain and simply take joy in the mysterious ways of this world.

Now, being a potter and full-time ceramics teacher, I have a keen appreciation for form and tradition, especially in utilitarian vessels of all sorts. I've spent countless hours of my life drooling over and trying to recreate the rustic simplicity of, say, an ancient Japanese chawan (rice bowl). So when I discover a new form, I'm pretty excited. I'm fairly new to Finnish designs, though I have seen the kuksa before. As this Kupilka thread has come up, I've been looking into these traditional forms and their history a bit more.

Rudimentary searching has told me that the kuksa traditionally needs to be carved by oneself or given as a gift, but not purchased.

Whether this is true or not, I believe there's an important point here, a point familiar to artists and touched upon by other cultures as well: that an object made by hand or given as a gift carries- if the recipient chooses to acknowledge it- meaning and life beyond the object itself. It signifies training, skill, a time and place, a relationship. It commemorates an occasion or the person that gave it.

Without context, objects are just objects; dumb, lifeless things that serve a purpose. But with history, when given as gifts or when made by a human hand, objects can take on entirely new meaning, elevating them, making them more than the mere materials they're composed of. Sentimental? Maybe.

But try living the unsentimental life, the life without art and metaphor and symbol, the life in which no meaning is ascribed to any event or object, and see how devoid of meaning that life becomes.

This Kupilka I'm holding here, regardless of it being made in a factory in Finland, was given as a gift. That means something, it has a life and a history now.

So now I'll faithfully be filling my Kupilka with my coffee and whiskey and wine. I have to honestly say, for something made out of plastic and wood by a machine, it's a pretty darn cool little cup. And you can't break it on the trail. And it sure feels light enough to me. The Mysterious Kupilka will gladly receive a place in my kit.

And it matches my pEnis gourd.

Thank you.

I would have thought it even funnier if it was Matt Perry that had anonymously received it in the mail.