Solo Ti Pot recommendations

[Steve H]

I did a search & it’s been a while since this topic appeared – although I found some good info.

I have and like my Evernew Ti 1L pasta pot & it’s good for 2p.  However, seems excessive for solo.  What do you recommend for solo (just boil/rehydrating only) to reduce weight & size?  I’m thinking maybe 550ml – 700ml.  Would work double duty as mug.  Needs to nest my small fuel can & Pocket Rocket Deluxe.  I noticed the Toaks have reg & UL, any issues with UL rigidity?  Do you think it’s worth having a solo setup for occasions I’m just boiling water for 1p?  Does a 550ml leave enough for a hot drink (not a requirement)? Do you take the lid or handmade a foil replacement?  I understand similar width to height is advantageous.  Seems 550ml is adequate, am I right?  Thanks for any advice.

[Packman Pete]

I usually use a 550mL Toaks UL pot. Never had an issue with rigidity. It probably won’t fit the pocket rocket, though. It’s plenty big for rehydrating and small enough to drink from.

[dirtbag]

If you go Snow peak 600ml titanium cup,  you can get a small canister and pocket rocket 2 in there.

[Brad W]

No issues with Toaks UL. I got the 750ml UL and it’s lighter than my older 550ml. I like the bit of extra room in the 750ml and it’s has plenty of room of stove, lighter, towel.

[David Sugeno]

My Snowpeak Trek 700 is one of the few pieces of gear I own that I have never been tempted to replace.  I think I’ve been using it for about 8 years now.  It just fits my PR Deluxe and a small canister, I don’t think you could fit them into anything much smaller.  The mug is perfect for my morning coffee, my evening bourbon, and boiling water for meals.  For my needs, it is perfect.

[Matthew / BPL]

I like the Toaks 550 although I don’t cook much. I have their 750 as well and it fits the same TD cone and lid I like. I appreciate the modularity.

I use a lid from 4 Dog Stove. I have subbed out the wood knob for a short piece of silicon tube. I can weigh the lid if you want. I was tempted to purchase a Ruta Locura lid at one point but I discovered it was only a couple grams lighter.

[jscott]

Hey Mathew, how was Humphrey basin and environs?

[Matthew / BPL]

I’ll post a trip report soon. :)

[Steve H]

Appreciate all the input.  Right now I see my best options are 1) use what I got for everything & get over it; 2) get a 550 & pack my Pocket Rocket Deluxe elsewhere, or 3) get a 750ish for solo.

[Bob Shuff]

No one has mentioned the Toaks UL 650. I think it’s a sweet spot for solo. I switched to an Evernew 750-ish pot because my 650 did not have volume markings, but the new one does.   That plus a Ruta Locura lid (if you can find one would be my choice, with a home made reflectix coozy

[Mole J]

Yep. My Toaks 650 lite (80g Inc lid) just about fits my Soto Windmaster with a 100g canister.

I don’t use it much though as when testing, I found that  to boil 500ml of water, my Soto plus Jetboil pot takes half the time and just over half the gas than when using a titanium pot, and JB pot is more wind resistant.

I only choose gas for it’s boil speed and convenience so the JB pot is  the winner.

Usually backpacking we use alcohol or Esbit for lightness.

 

[Steve H]

Re Toaks 650 mL, I was under the impression it could not accommodate both small canister and Pocket Rocket Deluxe.  Does anyone have personal experience with this?

[Bob Shuff]

I originally used the Toaks 650 with either a FlatCatGear Snow Leopard alcohol (or esbit) setup, or maybe an older SP GigaPower.  Either way I keep a folding spoon, bandana, lighter packed in the pot.  I’ve gone away from nesting the canister (or alcohol) in the pot, and usually stuff that one of the outside pockets of my pack – maybe just being overcautious.  the alcohol setup is lighter and more fun (fiddly), but for sure less reliable in wind.  Not answering the question I guess, but the Windmaster fits with the alcohol setup and the fuels outside – just saying…

In addition to a plug for FlatCat, I always like to plug the MSR WindBurner if you are really expecting windy conditions.  It did the job on a windswept Catalina beach where Jetboils failed even behind a large pile of rocks.  I’m sure the Windmaster, which is good in wind, would have failed there too.  It’s all relative, and it’s not light, but if you want the fastest and most windproof the MSR is my pick.

There was a great article about the best small pots by Sparky Hikes back in 2015 – I just went to look for the link and it’s gone.  Too bad, because that article fueled my obsession for making the lightest solo cook it, and made be fork out for a Ruta Locura lid that I still consider one of my favorite pieces of gear (is that wierd? – it’s just a formed carbon fiber disk)

Toaks Light 550 (no handles) and a Ruta Locura lid with a Gram Weenie Pro, QiWiz short Ti windscreen and LiteAF stuff sack comes in at 3.8 oz (no spoon, bandana or lighter included in these weights)

Evernew Ti cup (760FD – EBY270R) and the funky Evernew lid with the Snow Leopard 2.0 setup and a homemade cozy and cuben stuffsack comes in at 5.5 oz.  The nag I have with this is the pot is slighly narrower than the Toaks pots, so it doesn’t fit the Ruta Locura CF lid, and the Evernew lid is all metal.

Evernew has the wide 600 and 900 pots as well.  I didn’t try the Evernew 600, but saw it at one of the SoCal GGG events a few years back.  The Evernew 900 (ECA252R) with a Flat Cat Gear Bobcat 2.0 Ti Light setup and Lite AF insulated stuff sack is only 6.3 oz – if you prefer a wider shorter pot and a little more volume this is the bees knees.  It will fit a small canister and the Windmaster stove, but you have to take the plastic cap off the canister for the pot lid to close.

[bradmacmt]

Seems 550ml is adequate, am I right?

Yes and no.

A solo pot (or any pot) is not just about volume, but also about size (geometry/dimensions) and weight.

For my criteria a solo pot not only has to be able to boil enough H2o for a typical 1-man FD meal (16 oz’s), but it also has to be able to house a 110 g fuel canister AND stove.

Size (or better “size efficiency”) is just as important as a pot’s volume and weight. Many “solo” pots are light and have enough H2o volume, but don’t have the size (dimensions/geometry) to swallow both a 110 canister and stove.

For my criteria, the one solo setup I could find that worked was the Evernew Ti Solo Pot Set (750ml pot /400 ml cup). I’ve tried most of them!

https://evernew-global.com/products/ulseries/eca278r.html

A 110 G fuel canister, folding spoon, scrubbie, mini-bic, and either the MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe or Soto Windmaster (w/ 3-prong support) will fit inside it with the lid on.

I believe it is the perfect compromise between weight, volume and space efficiency… nothing I’ve seen works as well.

Pot alone:

Pot and cup:

[Steve H]

Bradmacmt-  that’s a nice cook set.  Your criteria are sound, and thanks for the pics.  Evernew has proved high quality to me as well.  I have the 1L pasta pot (4 oz) & am impressed.  This might be too close to what I already have though.  My criteria for this pot/cook set is to reduce size & weight significantly (compared to my current pot which stores everything like yours) & use as both pot & mug.  Just the 750mL pot is an option, but still pretty close to what I have.

Perhaps I keep & use my set for when I’m with others for shared capacity, & get a 550 or 650 (~ 2.5 oz & smaller) for solo & just pack my Pocket Rocket Deluxe outside the pot (somewhere).  Maybe still in the same sack, maybe elsewhere.

[bradmacmt]

Hi Steve, as part of my quest I ordered the 1L Pasta Pot, but found it significantly bulkier than the solo 750 pot, so I sent it back.

[Steve H]

Hi Brad, yeah sure looks like it.  Perhaps that would have been a better choice before I bought the 1L (or perhaps the 1L pasta pot works as well or better for 2).  Either way, I have that pot & it works well enough for 2.  Yours is a nice setup, but the 750L you have with the long handles probably isn’t ideal for use as a mug, so I’d have to buy/pack the nesting mug that comes with it too – which gets me back over 5 oz.  Really appreciate all the time & info you shared!

[Matthew / BPL]

Since we are talking about separate mugs and bowls…

Toaks makes (made?) a nesting set of bowls that fit around their 95mm diameter pots. Their additional weight is offset because you can leave the lid at home. They work acceptably as a mug. I can weigh mine if you’d like.

Also MLD’s 450 (now 470?) mug is nice. With an Esbit or alcohol stove you can nest the MLD 450 inside the Toaks 550 pot.

[Brad W]

Toaks 750ml works great as mug. Handles are perfect for that. 3.6oz and fits everything and then some.

[Steve H]

Brad W – but it’s my understanding the Toaks 750 won’t accommodate the Pocket Rocket Deluxe (& fuel can).  Is that how you understand it?

Bradmacmt – You say the Evernew 750 WILL accommodate the Pocket Rocket Deluxe AND small fuel can right?  Perhaps the domed lid helps with that.  But the handles on the Evernew 750 I don’t think are ideal to use it as a mug (of course you have the accompanying mug if you want to add that – I don’t really.

Matthew – thanks for the heads up on the Toaks nesting bowls.

Question: if you had a Toaks 550 or 650, stored your fuel can in it, PRD wouldn’t fit – where would you stash your PRD stove?  Or would you simply not take that path (even if it’s very light) & find a pot solution that can hold it all?  Thanks!

[Brad W]

@Steve H I have the Soto Amicus which is similar size and it fits. I will take a picture tonight and post.

[Steve H]

thanks Brad, but I think Amicus is substantially smaller.  Read quite a few posts where folks can fit a Soto or BRS but not the PRD (ugh).

[Bob Shuff]

I’ve been checking in on my mobile device lately, but happen to login from my PC and the photos look great.  Is this the new website or people are just upping their game on pics.  I’ll offer the following for the 3 solo-ish kits I mentioned above:

 

For the Toaks 550 – it is the lightest and most compact set I have, but you could find a marginally lighter alcohol stove.  It will not fit a cansister and my Soto Windmaster with tri-flex stand, but it will fit the alcohol setup and the Windmaster without the canister (YMMV with PR Deluxe):

 

The Evernew cup I have is ever so slighly narrower than the Toaks, so even though it is taller it will not fit the canister and stove.  Maybe you could force it since the Evernew is thin gauge Ti, but I wouldn’t.  Like the Toaks the stove will fit with the alcohol setup if you pack the canister elsewhere.

The Evernew 900 will fit both with a little room for accessories, but it’s not really a mug.

Smaller stoves, like a BSR will probably fit in even the 550 with the canister, but I really like the Windmaster, which I believe the PR Deluxe was based on.

[Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear]

Try the Evernew pot with the canister inserted sideways.  Put the burner into the concave of the canister it it might all fit.  My 2 cents.

[Steve H]

Thought I’d thank everyone for the input & close the loop.  I ended up getting the Toaks 650. With my MSR PRD in the bottom & a fuel can (bottom up), & flipping the lid upside down – it’s sits nicely on the bottom of the fuel can & w maybe less than a 1/4 protruding evenly a silicone x-band keeps it all nice & tight enough.  We’ll see how she does in the backcountry.  Thanks!

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