Let’s talk about cook pot lids

[Bob Gross]

As many of us have found, we can cut some weight out of our gear by tossing a heavy metal lid and using something pretty skimpy. To understand this better, we might ask the question: Exactly what does a cook pot lid do?

If you are just boiling water, heat and steam is given off from the water surface, and if you can contain that somewhat, you will get a quicker boil time and waste less heat and fuel. You probably do not want to have a completely tight lid, because then the steam would be under pressure and could blow the lid off in your face. That's one reason why lots of lids have at least one little pressure relief hole. That way, you retain 99% of your heat but it never gets unsafe. Some use a pasta pot with a lid with multiple holes in it, and that is so you can drain out the pasta water easier.

If you have a tasty stew simmering in the pot, then keeping the lid on is probably a good thing. It emits less odor for the wildlife to find. It keeps the juices condensing and running back into the simmering pot, so that keeps the stew from drying out so quickly.

Some of us use titanium for our cook pots, but aluminum for the lids. The lid never seems to get subjected to flame temperatures, so anything will last as long as you don't stomp on it. Personally, I do not like the aluminum of a turkey roaster pan because it tends to have sharp edges on it. Multi-layer aluminum foil seems to work OK for me, and the edges are soft. Some are using plastic or carbon fiber lids.

One guy had a lid that was crude but effective. He had a circle of ordinary corrugated cardboard covered with aluminum foil.

Some lids have handles. Mine doesn't. Some like wooden handles, plastic handles, or any solid wire handle that will fold. String loop handles are even lighter, but you have to put a twist in the loop so that it doesn't just sit on the lid surface.

–B.G.–

[Jerry Adams]

My Ti Evernew lid weighs 1.3 ounces. It would be possible to save maybe 1 ounce if I had a lighter one. I'm too lazy to do anything about it.

One thing I don't like is that if stuff falls on the lid, it can fall into the pot because the lid is inset into the top of the pot.

It would be better if the lid was on top of the pot so stuff would just fall off the edge, not into the pot.

But, then you want condensed water that collects inside the lid to drip back into the pot, not onto the ground, so you want the edge of the lid rolled so drips fall into the pot.

Sort of like those heavily advertised gutters designed so leaves and needles stay out of the gutter.

[Bob Gross]

I try to keep leaves and needles out of my cook pot.

–B.G.–

[michael levi]

my .6L Evernew pot lid is titanium, thats plenty light for me.

[Jerry Adams]

But that picture shows how stuff can fall into the pot

Not a big deal – but Bob created this thread which provoked me into complaining…

[michael levi]

True the lid design isnt the best but it seals okay, and its not like im cooking in a fire often.

What i like about my pot is the weight , its made out of thinner titanium (read this somewhere) than a trek 700 for example.

evernew .6 = 3.3oz
sp 700= 4.8oz

not really sure on those numbers just googled real quick.

[Justin Baker]

I have been stoveless using wood fires to boil drinking water with a pot with no lid and it sucked! I probably could have just sterilized my water with the amount of ash that got in there. It was almost impossible to find an actual lid for my canteen cup, so I ended up buying a new pot for that exact reason. I tried tinfoil, but I really prefer something that just lasts.

[michael levi]

Alright I just weighed it.

.6L pot w/ lid – 3.2oz

Lid – .6oz

If your lid weighs 1.3 alone thats heavy imo, what model is it?

[Jerry Adams]

Evernew Ti 900 – the classic

0.6 oz saves 0.7 oz compared to 1.3 oz

combine that with a bunch of other 0.7 ounce savings and it will be noticeable

[Andrew Weldon]

I used to bring a lid, but I've since switched to simply foil. I use foil for a windscreen as well. Lasts about a week without any issues.

[Anonymous]

"I tried tinfoil, but I really prefer something that just lasts."

Try cutting out a piece from an aluminum pie tin, sized to fit your pot with enough extra to bend over the sides of your pot to keep the lid in place. You can trim out most of the bent over material, leaving only enough for 3-4 tabs, if you really want to pare the weight down. The material is semi rigid, durable, and shouldn't weigh more than .25-.3 oz at most.

Edited to add semi qualifier to the rigid statement. It's not exactly sheet metal, but it is rigid enough to make a good pot cover.

[Bob Gross]

Tom, don't you end up with sharp edges on your aluminum lid?

Or, if I cut my aluminum and end up with more sharp edges, there ought to be a way of softening or smoothing them. I just hate to slice up my fingertips for a hot meal.

–B.G.–

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

It's tough to beat the Ruta Locura carbon fiber lids if you've got the right size of pot. The R.L. lids are super light (~0.2oz), adequately strong and they don't let any stuff fall into your pot as some have expressed concern about here.

[Anonymous]

"Tom, don't you end up with sharp edges on your aluminum lid?"

Yes, but you can crimp the side tabs inward to create a dull edge on the only surface you have to worry about. The rest of the cut edge is pretty much out of the way.

"I just hate to slice up my fingertips for a hot meal."

Just add them to the pot for a little extra protein. ;0]

[Anonymous]

"It's tough to beat the Ruta Locura carbon fiber lids if you've got the right size of pot."

That sounds pretty cool. Any idea off the top of your head how much they cost?

[Harald Hope]

snowpeak, ti, narrow style, something like 900 ml, lid 0.69 oz. Durability? Lasts forever. Shape? Good, water goes back in pot during boiling, holds steam in nicely during cozy cooking, and keeps the food smell from the cozy a bit too. Sharp edges? None. Has a little handle, easy to pick up. I like how titanium holds no heat, it's actually my favorite feature of it. Lid also works well to keep windscreen in place, it's a bit taller than pot, so the lid covers it all when it's packed up. Easy to wash, easy to prop up and dry. I guess aluminum would save a few grams, give or take, but not worth thinking about, plus I'll never find a lid that has the same fit anyway. Function trumps here. I actually tried making one out of flashing but decided it was really a waste of time.

Better places to dump weight, most of my ounces are trimmed now, only thing left is the tent. Saving a few 1/2 ounces here and there just ends up saving an ounce or two at a certain point, not pounds, and that's just not actual weight that will change anything in any trip I ever take. More about clothing brought, how much, etc, rain gear, and that stuff.

Even tried the victorinox classic to see where else I can trim some weight, just to see how that is, on a recent trip, fine as a toy, but it's not a knife, conclusion? If I want a knife, will need to carry a knife, though the classic has decent small working scissors, but the rest of it is largely useless except as a short cutting edge like a razor blade would have. Though I do now see why some people suggest razor blades vs that little thing, there isn't as much difference as I thought.

I think diminishing returns is the operative phrase. Food is the real place I can get the weight per day most optimized (plus of course body weight). Pemmican rocks, fats rock, 2 oz of olive oil per day saves you more weight in calories than almost any small mods you do to other kit, along with a few big ones.

With my base weight now, I walked down a mountain in roughly the same time it took me to walk up it, much to my surprise, I'd allocated the 30 minutes per 500 feet ascent, and it just didn't happen, and that's all I need to see, that's good enough. Knees are not complaining either.

So what does a lid do? It holds in a bit of pressure, and makes stuff boil faster. So my guess is, a standard, well fitted lid, saves you far more in fuel weight than a light lid saves or foil does. Diminishing returns again. Plus solid lids rattle nicely right when it starts to boil.

[Bob Gross]

My cook pot is 5.25" in diameter on top. My current lid weighs 3 grams.

Yes, I hate to slice up fingertips for a hot meal, but it does bring a whole new meaning to the term "finger food."

–B.G.–

[Anonymous]

"but it does bring a whole new meaning to the term "finger food."

LOL. ;)

[Jamie Shortt]

I admit to only doing this once in an attempt to push the boundaries of simplicity but my lid was my bandana folded over and placed on top of the pot. It worked just fine.

But on my last few trips I have found a cat food can top with a spectra loop works extremely well and weighs/costs almost nothing.

Jamie

[Mark Cooper]

http://rutalocura.com/images/pots.jpg

update: I just ordered the 450ml "pot" from rutalocura so I'll see how the lid works. 1.9oz savings vs. my Evernew pot and lid. Will test with Fancy Feasts alcy stove.

[Franco Darioli]

Apart from when I need to melt snow , I use a 550ml pot with a CF lid.
That lid is lighter than the provided Ti version, stays on, and can be picked up with bare hands when the pot is boiling .

http://rutalocura.com/Carbon_Lids.html
Fits loose over a Snow Peack 700ml pot but still better than the one the SP comes with.
(it was a gift from Josh)
Franco

[Simon Wurster]

I used to use a lid for heat retention and as a cap to keep the contents in-place during transit. These days, I only use the lid for heat retention. It's a homemade folding lid that weighs 0.1 oz.:

Here's a closer look, showing the underside:

By loosening the screw, the three panels allow the lid to collapse. Then it can be inserted inside the pot:

For clarity, I removed the silicone lid-lifter made from oven-liner material that's looped over the screw post.

All of this fits inside the SP600 pot (lighter, scrub pad, Dr. Bronner's soap, and pot gripper not shown, but they too fit inside).

And for travel, I simply invert the SP 600 over the Foster's mug, and with the silicone lip band, the mug stays in place without a net bag:

The lid is made from a 99 cent ice tea can (cut the top and bottom off, flatten). The center screw is a screw post used to hold together 3-hole punched documents–I pick them out of the garbage at work. Each third is cut a little wider so the panels overlap when the lid is fully opened. The lid was made with a protractor, a compass, and a pair of scissors.

Here's a family of pots with folding lids (SP 600, SP Solo Cup, SP Bowl):

[John Donewar]

Simon / Einstein,

That sound you hear is my applause for an outstanding application of form follows function.

Your cook pot lid solves the equation for weight, storage and venting.

It might be a slight bit heavier but I bet you could add a turned down rolled edge on the lid's circumference and address Jerry's issue of stuff falling on the lid.

I've got to try this with an empty Fosters can. The lid of my 2 cup flat bottom Fosters can cook pot weighs 5 grams or 0.17637 ounces.

My lid is 3 1/4" in diameter and I believe your Snow Peak 600 is 3 7/8" in diameter.

I've got a couple of plastic "cord pulls" that could be re-purposed with a little work and threaded to receive a plastic or nylon screw.

No I probably won't see any decrease in weight but it will satisfy my need to tinker. LOL

BTW I love the material source! ;-)

Party On,

Newton

[Sean Rhoades]

That is a very cool lid idea Simon.

[Jason G]

I made my self a clone of a Caldera ti fissure (with a few slight design tweeks) and made a lid out of the remaining Ti foil. and then just made a small tab lid handle out of aluminum tape.

lid weighs 4 grams
entire set up weighs 5.3oz

[Author]

Posts