All About Pot(s)
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Well, about two brands of cooking pots, really: G4Free 4 Piece Camping Cookware & the Optimus Terra HE.
G4Free 4 Piece Camping Cookware
Optimus Terra HE
As with almost everything these days, there is an overabundance of often confusing and contradictory information for an overwhelming array of choices for backpacking gear. This includes something as seemingly simple as which pot to bring on your camping trip.
The simple answer to almost everything you’re going to purchase is this: Buy the best you can afford, only as much as you’ll need, don’t sweat it if you have to use low end crap, and take care of your gear as best you can. If this means you have a cheap aluminum cup or an old pot from Goodwill dangling off your Walmart backpack, wear it proudly and ignore anyone who says otherwise.
Low end cook kit. Cheap, fugly, works.
The key is getting out there and doing something and the rest will follow. I have more respect for the guy or gal getting it done on the cheap than I do for the well-heeled person using the best they can buy – or conspicuously consuming the best and then not using it.
There will come a time when you’ve outgrown that crappy pot but by then you’ll know what you want and will find a way to afford it. Until then, let me tell you what I chose.
My very first backpack cup was that aluminum cup, which at the time I bought from Wal-Mart when I was testing the cat food stove – see my review of that here.
I bought the G4Free 4 Piece Camping Cookware set after reading multiple reviews, including one of my more respected review sites .
If you take a look at their reviews, you’ll note that everything else is $50-100+. Go to REI and find a titanium pot and you’ll spend more for that than the freakin’ pack you’re carrying it in. Crazy.
My brother went middle of the road and chose the Optimus Terra HE with a heat exchanger on the bottom, onto which he anodized fill-levels on the inside.
It’s pretty cool, and at $30 for two pots it’s not too expensive. I’d give this one some serious thought, mostly because it has the pour spout on the bigger pot. The biggest issue I have with this set is that the heat exchanger on the bottom, while demonstrably faster at boiling water and therefore conserving fuel, it is a little more prone to damage and being a little smaller than the pot doesn’t fit well on larger liquid fuel stoves. I believe the handles to be covered in real silicone however, which means they won’t melt easily. Also, the handle on the smaller stove is a bit odd but does help to lock everything in place.
I only have secondhand experience with the Optimus Terra HE, but my brother has crossed the country three times by motorcycle using this as well as at least two several thousand mile car camping trips so it’s not a bad piece by any means. While you will be limited to nesting smaller fuel canisters inside, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The canisters last a lot longer than you might think and are almost always available everywhere. Honestly, my brother’s set-up is probably better than mine, but note that it’s both smaller and more expensive, which goes to my statement about getting what you need and can afford. Also, mine just flat worked with no major hiccups and I even ended up helping my brother cook a few times, so better is relative to the user.
On mine there were four separate pots in roughly two sizes: Two smaller wide but short pots and two larger tall pots, each nesting into the other, all into a nylon stuff sack. I mocked the stuff sack at first but now religiously use it. Just dang handy and reasonably durable.
The best part of this kit is that a mid-sized fuel canister fits perfectly inside, with just enough room for the MSR Micro Rocket
WORD OF WARNING: I currently only have three of the four bowls because I utterly destroyed the 4th.
Sorry for the fuzzy picture. Just opened the package, inserted the fuel bottle, only got it out after utterly destroying the cup. Live and learn.
When I was trying everything out, I stupidly put the fuel canister bottom down into the bowl and put everything together. Unfortunately, this created a near perfect seal and I was never able to get the canister out. That’s not completely true. I got it out with pliers, a hammer and an utter disregard for personal safety leaving the pot a mangled mess. Thing is, I’ve never missed it. Four bowls is a ton to use on a typical trip and three works perfectly for me.
Point of fact, I usually only use two of the bowls: The tall pot and one of the shallow cups. The tall pot happens to have fill gradients stamped into the metal, which is quite helpful when measuring out water.
No fancy glamour shots here. I personally use, abuse and rely on the stuff I review. That’s the remnants of a burned pad thai dish. It’s coming off, slowly. Probably could have washed the pot a little more for the picture
I should further note that I rarely actually cook directly in the pot. I have and it works okay, but it’s very easy to burn on the intense heat of the canister stove. My first camp meal on the TAT was pasta a la flambe al dente. Basically burned pasta on the bottom with half-cooked pasta. Mmmmm… I still ate all of it though, even if the scorched bottom has lasted awhile.
This brings up another point about camp cooking. You really have two choices. Either you’re going to cook and/or eat food directly in the pots or you just need to boil water. I tend to opt for the latter. Most commercial backpack meals allow you to eat directly from the pouch and my fancy zip-loc methodology is much the same.
Here’s how I cook:
First, I put a measured amount of water into the pot and set it to boil.
Second, I put the zip-loc bag with dried food inside directly into the shallow cup and open the top.
Third, about two minutes later I pour the water into the bag inside the cup and seal it up.
Fourth, a few minutes later, depending on my patience I open the bag and eat. The cup keeps the hot food from burning my hands and eating from the bag means I don’t have to clean anything up.
Fifth, I put everything away and wait for everyone else to start boiling water.
I really only have a few negatives for this set, none of which are terribly concerning to me.
Crappy handle coverings:
The expensive brands will have non-melting silicone handles which is very handy to have. I’d spend a little more for that, or maybe buy some silicone dip and do it myself. It’s really only an issue if you either forget to unfold the handles (guilty) or use it on a larger stove where the flames go outside the pot (also guilty). This melts the rubber on the handles, but they quickly congeal when removed from heat. Very much not a deal breaker, just something to consider. Honestly, I always have gloves on me on any vehicle, be it leather riding gloves on my motorcycle or leather work gloves in my Jeep, so even if I didn’t have rubber handles I wouldn’t care.
INSERT PICTURE WITH MELTED HANDLE HERE
No pour spout:
All cookware sets should have at least one pot with a pour spout. Nothing quite as fun as pouring boiling water over your hands as you ham-fistedly try to pour a small amount into a small opening with only a wide pot lip to use. Just something to work around. Or, given the price of this kit, just bend one by hand and sand it down. I’ve just lived with it.
Size:
If you’re going ultralight, this is not your kit. You’re packing something the size of a Nerf football and that takes a lot of space in a small pack. Where it does come in handy is in situations where it’s you and your three friends and you’re the chef. 3 people, 3 pots, 3 zip lock bags. Get them boiled and eating with two pots, pour the boiling water into your bag, transfer the bag to the quickly cooling pot (they are aluminum, after all), and pack it all back together into one little kit.
For $18 you cannot go wrong with this set and will be very happy with it. Just remember to only put the canisters in upside down.
Oh, one last side note. You’ll be tempted to make some coffee in these on a nice cold morning. I recommend against this because you’re putting likely very hot water into an aluminum pot which is has good thermal conductivity. Put simply, you’ll burn your lips and can’t drink your coffee until it’s more lukewarm. It’s doable, just not the best idea, which explains why I do it all the time. If drinking hot beverages is in your plans, get a better cup.
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