IMUSA 10cm pot tips

I don't think I have any tips but I’ll be glad to tell you what my cook kit consist of. It’s pretty straight forward. I did cut the handle off of the mug. They just get in the way. I use a piece of carbon felt as a pot holder and made a cozy out of Reflex Tec. Also made a lid out of heavy duty aluminum foil with Reflex Tec attached to the top of the lid. I use MBD Atomic or Mini Atomic not sure which for a stove. A hardware cloth 21X6 for a pot stand and heavy duty aluminum foil for a wind screen. The weight of all the above plus a plastic mesh stuff sack is 144 gm or 5 1/8 oz. Not the lightest but it is compact and works very well for me. I do have a have cuben fiber stuff stack ordered from Zpacks but that will lower the weight only a few grams but it sould make it look pretty.:)
Mike

Thanks for the info,and it sounds like you have a pretty good setup. I like that stove, and thought about getting some of that felt from MBD. I didn't really think to use the reflex, but that is a great idea. When you cut off the handle, was it hard to keep the rivets from coming off so the mug didn't have any holes in it?

I purchased a 10cm mug a little over a year ago, and I have used it on 3 week long trips and a handful of weekend trips since then. A few things that I learned a long the way that work for me are:

1. Less water works best! Sure, I dont get super soupy ramen, but I can fit 2 packages of noodles into the mug. Perfect!
2. I used an aluminum foil top for the first year, and recently purchased the aluminum lid from mini bull designs. I think it works WAY better, and I highly recommend the lid over the aluminum foil cover.
3. I added carbon felt over the handle, also from MBD. Huge improvement, little weight gain.
4. I added a livestrong bracelet from MBD over the lip so that I would not burn my lip. Less necessary than the other improvements, in my opinion, but I like it nonetheless and will not be taking it off.
5. I have been using regular kitchen-grade aluminum foil windscreens with all my cook gear for 3 years now, and I use it to teach Colgate University's lightweight backpacking programs, and it has been wonderful. Sure, each windscreen will only last a few one week trips, but they are pennies to make and lighter than anything else I have found. I just pin it down with rocks/sticks if the weather gets too nasty.

Hope these help!

Evan

I use the 12cm IMUSA pot since I like the extra capacity, especially no boil over when cooking noodles. I too cut off the handle but was concerned with the rivets leaking and wanted a cleaner finish. So, I drilled out the back of the rivet just slightly under the diameter of the back of the post, punched it through, sanded and shaped the post to just fit inside the hole, reversed the rivet cap to sit on the outside of the pot, JB welded it in place, and finished the inside of the pot smooth with 00 steel wool. I then added a stainless steel bail wire handle and 1 cup graduated indents on the side of the pot. I purchased a solid Al lid since I use it to strain pasta for some dishes and don't want it to blow away. I made a cozy, Al cone, esbit stove, and a stuff sack from a recycled Tyvek postal envelope. Pot height is held with some metal hanger inserted through the cone. Cat can is for extinguishing unused esbit (don't like the smoke or flare up when blowing it out). Total kit weight w/out fuel=7oz

A note on using Esbit/Cone combo; I occassionally achieve 3 cup boils with one 0.5oz tab of Esbit. 2 cup boils no problem with fuel left over.

Myles; I leave the part of the handle that is up against the mug. So no problems with the rivets.

Gerald; How did you and what did you use to put 1 cup graduated indents on the mug? I carrie a measuring cup for now I'm not sure how to do this.
Thanks
Mike

Like this;

I rounded the edges of the actual piece of wood that I used to rest the pot on so as to reduce deformation. The piece pictured is not rounded and is used for illustration only. I started by lightly tapping the washer to make a starting mark then slightly increasing the force until I achieved the desired depth being careful not to dent the entire wall or puncture the side of the pot.

*Note:Please do not share nor distribute any of these Lo-Tech Redneck trade secrets ;)

Great info guys, this is very helpful, especially about the rivets. Also, I was thinking about the 12cm, just for that purpose of nesting capacity. Looks like I will definitely be purchasing some of the carbon felt, and lid from MBD! I am very excited about the input thus far, thanks everyone!

Thanks Gerald: Your Redneck secrets are safe with me
Also I got the Cuben Fiber stuff sack from Zpacks this morning. Brought the weight down to 4 7/8 oz. More than I was expecting.

Mike

Gerald, you are a pot wizard my man! Wow!

I also use both the smaller and larger IMUSA pots. Not sure which is the 10cm?

– I use the smaller for solo trips and the larger for trips with my son.
– My lid for the larger pot is a plastic lid from another pot. My lid for the smaller pot is the plastic top from a oatmeal carton (the old round type).
– I use a really crappy super cat stove and it always works.
– my wind screen is tin foil
– I put duct tape on the handle of the smaller pot and haven't bothered yet on the larger pot (the handle gets really hot, but I like the handle when using as a mug)
– I also put small dents in both mugs at the 1 cup and 2 cup levels to help with recipes. I used the pointy end of a can opener to put a small dent in the aluminum but the giant hammer method looks good too!

This set up is fail proof so far, super light and cheap. I also have a pocket rocket canister stove and GSI aluminum pot but I seem to always take the IMUSA when I go to grab gear

That set up looks pretty good to me. The 10cm is the smaller of the two pots. Does the duct tape work pretty good keeping the handle cool? I have seen all kinds of things from fiberglass wicking, to carbon felt. Also, with the plastic lids, has the pot ever gotten hot enough to melt the lids? Silly question I guess as you wouldn't use it if it did. Also, is it difficult to get that type of lid off the pot after cooking when the pot is hot? Thanks for your info.