[mscureman]

This is the one area where I have absolutely nothing in my bag. I'm a general use kind of guy, so I'd like to get one or two things that I can use for lots and lots of purposes. I love quality stuff, but I'm on a really thin budget, so best bang for the buck wins. I'm leaning toward the Nato kit (bottle, cup, cooker thingy) for water carrying and/or just a Nalgene that everybody seems to really like. I saw the 700ml titanium cup online and that seems like a helluva nice piece of gear, too. Any other thoughts/recommendations?

Oh, and my dream is to have a Kelly Kettle one of these fine days.

[ozarks dave]

my favorite is my stainless steel 10 dollar walmart mess kit. i have other stuff but i always tend to use this set as it was cheap, stainless, and just right for personal use. ive also got a coleman max set of cooking pots. probably the most expensive peice of cookery i own set aside my kelly kettle. i would also like to get one of the Nato kits as well. just cant justify buying one when i dont need it. if i needed it. i would already have it lol.
i plan to buy some more decent gear after the first of the year(get my year end bonus on new years eve!), and i want some top end goodies. also plan to buy a 3 day pack from mac, few more firesteels. couple of quality tarps and i wasl also thinking of getting a side of leather. a whole cowside that is... might just make a leather 3 day pack. how cool would that be?

[Ron Fontaine]

There is alot to be said for "simpler is better". I spent many years carrying old gator aid jugs as water bottles (still often do) and an old fire blackend tin can with a wire handle as a cooking pot. Truth be told, these items work just about as well as any brand name gear, but over time I've accumulated the "finer" gear and so tend to use that because I've got it.

Some gear is just brilliant, such as a Leatherman Wave or Leatherman Surge

[ozarks dave]

if i had a 60 dollar double walled insulated supercharged totally awesome drinking cup id probably never use it.

[Ron Fontaine]

ozarks dave said:

if i had a 60 dollar double walled insulated supercharged totally awesome drinking cup id probably never use it.

Yeah, but what if it had a built in cup holder?

[ozarks dave]

simple. id marry it:p
p.s. it better be made of adamantium too. titanium or stainless just wont cut it metalwise

[pocomoonskyeyes]

OK you two careful or some manufacturer will come in and think you are serious and make one for sure!! My cup is one of those blue enamel jobs, if my coffee starts getting cold I just move it closer to the fire!

[Hagusofnwn]

The Bush Buddy Stove video was featured on the SurvivalTopics site, which I thought was a great idea. It does not use a lot of fuel and will pack inside of your cooking kit if it's the right size. They indicated that the Snow Peak Trek 900 was used to pack the stove. I know there are a number of other cup/pot sets that should work as well. I have not got around to something that would contain a stove yet, so am still looking around.

[ozarks dave]

pocomoonskyeyes said:

OK you two careful or some manufacturer will come in and think you are serious and make one for sure!! My cup is one of those blue enamel jobs, if my coffee starts getting cold I just move it closer to the fire!

got one of those. use it for everyday drinking. also got a stainless 18oz cut with a wire handle i got for 2 bucks at a garage sale. says made in china so i know it cant be too expensive.

[carolina168181]

I carry my enameled mug and I cook with Coleman 3 piece cookwear set-its about 12 yrs old.I also use the "plier" type cookwear handle to pick up the pans,that cost me about 3.00US

[Celticwarrior]

My Snow Peak Multi Compact Cook Set is all titanium. A little pricier in the beginning, but a LOT lighter and more durable than anything else. Along with it, I carry a MSR Titan Titanium Kettle with lid just for water boiling and a 450 ml. Snow Peak Double Wall Titanium Cup that nests inside it. A set of MSR Alpine Folding Utensils, roll-up flexible cutting "board", a Ka-bar Knives 1300 Hobo knife (detachable fork, spoon and knife that link together into a single pocket knife unit) and a P-38 can opener on my keychain round out everything I need for any outdoor dining experience. I usually carry a small thermos bottle as well, since you can put pasta into it along with boiling water, and then cap it. The heat and steam pressure will cook the pasta in minutes, and then just strain off the water, pour the pasta onto the plate and add rehydrated sauces. Also a great thing to keep some hot tea (or coffee, or cocoa) for later on the trail in winter.

For a stove, I almost exclusively use the Sierra Zip Ztove, a wood or coal burning stove with a blower fan. I have replaced the "AA" battery unit with the optional "D" cell unit they sell, and a single lithium or high-power alkaline D-cell will last me a couple of weeks. I carry a few, for backups, and a spare battery pack. In winter, I pack a ziplock bag with a handful of match-light charcoal briquettes, just in case, but for the most part I just use whatever wood or pinecones might be around as fuel, and they will boil water in a flash. It's a great little stove, since I never need to worry about packing in liquid (spillable) fuel or heavy gas canisters. It will work at any altitude, as long as I can gather or carry fuel for it. Small as a Coleman Peak stove, and not bad for weight.

Hope that helps.

[George]

It is quite funny, but I am not sure why is that more expensive items in my possession get used less as I treasure them too much and I wouldn’t take it too well if they get damaged.

Items that are recycled, repaired, dug out from mountain of other items in second hand store or some garage sale are happily used and quite popular with me.

[Ron Fontaine]

George said:

It is quite funny, but I am not sure why is that more expensive items in my possession get used less as I treasure them too much and I wouldn’t take it too well if they get damaged.

Items that are recycled, repaired, dug out from mountain of other items in second hand store or some garage sale are happily used and quite popular with me.

Your not alone. Often the "old hands" use old, dented, washed out looking gear while the newbies often have the latest and greatest brand new looking gear that requires much care to keep pristine.

[Big K]

I just got a Texsport 2 Quart pot w/ hanger w/ a 6.5" fry pan lid.

It is made of stainless steel so I can put it directly on the hot coals.

[Ron Fontaine]

I generally carry a Bush Buddy wood burning (or anything else that burns) stove that fits perfectly into a titanium pot. It burns fuel that is readily available (sticks, bark, pine needles, leaves etc) and throws plenty of heat to boil water and cook food. A nice handy kit, though a bit pricey compared to a tin can hobo stove and soup pot.

[Gopher]

A friend bought me a snow peak titanium solo cookset. It sits only once used in my "gear stash" for a rainy day.

I have been using a frazer farms meatballs & gravy tin for the past year to heat water.
People ask why I use an old can when I can easily afford something better. I ask them to define "better" and no one can really give me a good answer.

I like a good old fasioned fire but I have a peak 1 for extream cold(naphta) and a brunton raptor which I am very fond of.

[TaintRight]

Kelly Kettle, 700 mil titanium cup, 2 qt Army canteen and a fork...

Anything more just adds to dishes to be washed.

[mscureman]

Thanks guys. Good information to balance against my apparent tendency to dream a little too big.

[mscureman]

Big K said:

I just got a Texsport 2 Quart pot w/ hanger w/ a 6.5" fry pan lid.

It is made of stainless steel so I can put it directly on the hot coals.

I saw that setup. That's one of the ones I'm considering, too.

[ozarks dave]

most texsport is made in china i believe(im pretty sure) but ive got quite a bit of their stuff. its actually made well enough to survive decently. ive been considering ordering a few more items from them. better than coleman imo.