Best material for pot/ziplock bag cozy?

I made one out of Reflectix from the hardware store. Foiled bubble wrap. I also bought one from trailcooking.com (Sarah's joint). Fleece with velcro closure and cool colored patterns! The Reflectix is lighter, the fleece is easily washable. Take your pick.

I know that this was the fabric of choice once upon a time thought I believe Sarah has found something else that she prefers.

Insul-Bright

Consider the temperatures when and where you will be using your cozy.

I used reflectrix in a cylinder shape (padded my Heineken pot) and it worked so well that I often burned my lips and I always had to wait for the food to cool before I could eat it. Yes, the material and shape were too efficient for my circumstances.

Mailing envelopes with bubble insulation are adequate for me. They are cheap, come in different thicknesses for different sizes, easy to cut, and serve a second use as insulation under my head.

Sarah had some "UL" cozies she made several batches out of. The outside surface is metallic. Unfortunately, she was not able to get more material. I bought four of them. I really like them; they really hold the heat, and are lighter than her standard cozies!

Being in the UK you may find the products mentioned are not available – this is the case in Australia (or at least I haven't stumbled across them). Just use a windscreen shade which is made of reflectix (or something very similar) from your nearest auto accessory shop.

Might u consider saving the weight and just putting the freezer bag under the insulating layer you're already wearing in camp?

Go the car visor route. I bought a $5 truck visor and made two bot cozies and have half the visor left. I just left my food in the pot. Also for finishing the edges and taping it all together go to your local hardware store and pick up the tape that is used for duct work. It is a metal tape and super adhesive. Worked great!

Some one here suggested this a while back and I like it. Just use an old mountain house bag. I just put everything I'm reheating into a freezer bag then use a mountain house to store the freezer bag in while it rehydrates.

Yes, I still use Insul Bright. I love that fabric! It is made in the US I might add. And yes, I still make cozies you all! Sadly the really cool metallic silver ones were a very limited run (wahhhhhh, I loved those!)

The absolute best pot cozy is made out of an EVA foam pad.

This can be used as a pot cozy plus it is stiff enough to hold the freezer bag alone, so freeing up the pot to hold delicious hot chocolate.

see link, scroll to bottom of the PDF to see a picture of the pot cozy.

Mine is blue.

http://www.andyhowell.info/Colin-Ibbotson/colin-esbit-stove.html

The one thing to remember about any cozy be it for pot or bag is that flexibility is as important as durability – and even weight. If it doesn't get small you have a packing issue.

This was why I never made our FBC Cozies out of Reflectix or similar. It doesn't get small, you can't clean it easily (it gets a stink). It is bulky to put it bluntly.

Anyhow, that was how we went the fabric route. Washable and packable and as a bonus very light ;-)

Hey Sarah – I tried to PM first, but it wasn't available. Is this something like the reflective material for cozies? http://www.diygearsupply.com/cgi-bin/shelf.cgi?numb=65

I've been using that material for cozies for my personal use and it works amazingly well. I've been using Climashield and Insultex with it, but I bet Insulbrite would work fantastic! I may try that.

Full Disclosure: I run that store – DIY Gear Supply, so I was hesitant to post – I don't want to come across as a salesman to my fellow DIY gear builders. It's just something I found in a very limited batch and has worked very well for my own projects.

Yes…the stuff I had was discontinued (I had gotten lucky and bought up all that Seattle Fabrics had at the time). It was the very thin silnylon, on both sides. Fab stuff, it increased the temp ratings on our cozies by 5-15* on average. Lovely stuff and very UL. Ahhhh….miss it!

Anyhow, Scott, you'd love Insulbright. I buy it on the rolls. It is easy to sew and handle but wow does it shed – and dull rotary blades as a fair warning. I cut outside and wipe up with a wet cloth to keep it away from my kids and cat. You pair that material (the nylon) with IB and you have a winning combo! BTW, IB is a mylar inner with flocking on both sides.

I bought the reflective fabric from Scott (above) and used two layers, with shiny side facing inward, and between the reflective layers, I added a layer of Insultex (also from Scott). This has worked out well because it is flexible, packable, washable and still weighs only 1/2 ounce.

Reflectix equivalent in the UK is Thermawrap, available in big rolls from B&Q. BobC at backpackinglight.co.uk used to sell smaller pieces of this.

Alternatives: closed-cell foam 'camping mat' from the 99p Store.

Of just re-use bubble-wrap Jiffy Bags, or, even better, Jiffy Foam bags or sheet; the microbubbles in Jiffy Foam (EPE foam) provide better insulation, since they don't allow air circulation within a big bubble, unlike bubble wrap.

Is this reflective coated nylon washable? I'm wondering what the reflective coating is and how it's applied to the fabric.

Scott, I just visited your site for the first time, and I'm very impressed. Several items that I have had a little trouble finding elsewhere for my DIY gear projects are available on your site at reasonable prices.

Do you know the weight of the reflective 30d fabric?