Cold Soaking Containers

Talenti gelato containers and plastic peanut butter jars both seem like popular options.

I have used the jars mentioned in this post quite a bit for hot rehydrating and they are very sturdy and 52 grams in either the 12 or 16 ounces size.

. THESE work well

I bought a Talenti gelato container and it had these large bumps on the bottom that pushed up into the container which would make it impossible to scoop rehydrated food back out and clean it.  So I did what any good backpacker would do and ate all the gelato.  I will check out the peanut butter jars and the Polypropylene Straight Sided containers.

Talenti Gelato jars and plastic peanut butter jars work well – good size, good seal – until you wash them in the dishwasher.  Then the #1 PET / PETE plastic gets a little, well, plastic, and deforms.  So if you want to get them really clean between trips, hand-wash them with dish detergent but in warm, not hot water.  I’ve never tried pouring boiling water into them but maybe people are getting away with it because it is that hot for only a short time and it immediately mixes with the dehydrated / FD food which is room temperature.  The counter argument is that if you ruin it, darn!, you have to eat another pint of gelato.

Pro-tip: You can remove the printing from a Talenti jar with acetone.  Because the lettering has to weigh something, right?

Anyway, a much higher-temperature (and lower-temperature) plastic is HDPE.  Gatorade powder comes in such a jar:

Even sturdier (because the contents cost so much) are protein-drink and other body-building supplements that come as powders.  Look in the #2 plastic recycling bin or in the dumpster behind Gold’s Gym:

I have never had a problem with using a Talenti container but I also never use a dishwasher, I wash everything by hand and have never had a problem getting food out of the container but everybody is different.

THIS  also works well. The cap never leaks and the black absorbs solar energy. I add water to my dinner in the AM then reheat for dinner but could be eaten as is because the meal has been reconstituted. This method also saves on fuel and weighs in at 1.8 ounces. I have tried zip lock baggies in the past, but they always leak. I wish it were peanut butter and not coconut oil, I would have dozens of these containers by now.

Or perhaps don’t soak.  Home-made granola with whey isolate, milk powder, etc.

Anyone who has experience with above containers and the Crotch Pot care to comment?  The latter is so light!

How long are your trips? I ask since I do go no cook at times but never soak anything. But I am talking three days.

Ken T., what do you eat for your evening no cook meals?

Thanks AXEL J for the coconut oil container suggestion.  I picked one up at the health food store, its 16 oz. and HDPE.  It looks like it will do the job very well.  No bumps on the bottom either.

“I’m reusing my Talenti jars. Are they microwave and dishwasher safe? Talenti’s clear jars are not microwave or dishwasher safe, but we love when our fans practice “pint-cycling.” Check out our Instagram page to see how others have reused their pints long after the gelato is gone. #pintcycling!”

New cold soak eat hot or cold System, from storminstovesystems.

I bought some of these at walmart. Weight the same as the Talenti containers but have more volume and measurements on the side. Might take up a little more pack room, but are microwave safe #5 plastic, lid works great, and seems easy to clean (don’t have the ridges and weird inside lip on the bottom like the Talenti)

Gusseted bottomed ziplock bags. I’ve never found the need to carry a stiff and sturdy container. All my cold soaked meals rehydrate within 10 mins. No need to carry anything extra

Has anybody used the Cnoc cold soak bags?

I have used the Vecto water bags for about a year and a half and they’re awesome. The cold soak bag is the same design. Just wondering if I should try it out. Have never cold soaked, but would like to try it out next season.

I recently bought two of these Snapware 2-cup containers and I quite like them.

Each one of these containers has the following characteristics:

• A weight of 2.9 oz on my scale (including lid)
• Made of polypropylene (#5 plastic), dishwasher/microwave/freezer safe
• Completely watertight and quite rigid
• Capacity of 16 fluid oz
• Rounded inside profile at the bottom, making cleanup very easy (no corners!)
• Currently (as of February 2020) available inexpensively ($7 USD) and as a single container (no need to buy a whole kit just because you want one piece in it)

While these containers weigh about 1.1 oz more than the ever-popular plastic Talenti jars, I consider them vastly superior in just about every other meaningful way.  Those plastic Talenti jars simply aren’t watertight, and I’m still kind of baffled that people use them to hold liquids in their packs.  They will leak, and they will warp with heat.  These Snapwares won’t.

I think I’ve found my perfect watertight food container for backpacking!

I found one of those coconut oil containers, the black one above, many years ago. Thing is indestructable. It’s a crime those are disposable.

I cut the top off to make a cup. A talenti gelato container nests inside perfectly. And my short-handled ti-spoon tucks in between. I made a reflectix cozy for the coconut oil cup. Now I have a cold soak jar, a cup for whatever purpose, including hot coffee, if I decide to both cold soak and boil water for coffee.

I kinda want a crotch pot. I tried to make one for my trail yogurt that I like to make, but the thing I made leaked and then I smelled like sour milk the whole time. I make yogurt on trail with Nido. Just mix up some strong Nido in a bag and add a spoonful of plain yogurt. Keep it close to your body all day, and all night if you can, or not, doesn’t matter that much, and you’ll have yogurt for breakfast.

I use these zip lock bags for cold soaking now. They are very high quality and do not leak when zip locked. The added bonus is I can also use them to solar heat water for a shower even though I think the original intent was to use them as a stoveless option but I use them for cold soaking and water heating. I would like to get more but can’t remember where I purchased them!

@axel-t those look like mylar bags…. am i right?

@dmusashe i like those! now if they only made lightweight leak proof aluminum versions….., i know

@stormin-stove-systems can you give some descriptions about your system? i’m really liking it!

“Gusseted bottomed ziplock bags. I’ve never found the need to carry a stiff and sturdy container. All my cold soaked meals rehydrate within 10 mins. No need to carry anything extra”

Please list some 10 minute cold soak meals.

Whole Foods brand gelato now comes in a polypropylene jar similar to a Talenti container. It has recycling code #5 PP.

Advantages over Talenti jars:

• Heat Resistance (it does not deform if you pour boiling water into it)

• Weight 20g vs 38g (jar only, we already recycled the lids)

Also the Butter Cookie flavor is pretty good although maybe a little too sweet.

I like the versatility of my Vargo BOT 700 titanium pot.  If you want to cook with it or cold soak something it does both and its super lite.  It also holds a fuel canister and my Soto windmaster stove inside with no problem.  Ryan did a good review on it so I linked it below if you haven’t seen it yet.  If you are just cold soaking then this would be probably over kill and you can find something cheaper like the jars others mentioned above.  I like to do both while on the trail so this fit the bill perfectly.

https://backpackinglight.com/vargo-bot-700-review-first-looks/