Alpkit my ti mug

[beenn]

Just wondering if anyone who owns the alpkit my ti mug can give me some advise weather to get it or not?

Also is the mytipot any good?

Just wondering if its strong, durable, how easy to clean, efficient and is it overall a worthwhile purchase?

Also whats the best way to clean it if used in a fire?

Thank you

 

[Paul_B]

Don't own one but do have a vargo Ti-lite which is practically identical and was cheaper in the shop local to me. The vargo version is excellent. I use it for boiling water mostly and also from drinking coffee and hot chocolate from. I have heated up LWWF meals in it too and never had a sticking problem personally. If heating food in it do stir it regularly but I think that is the same with all pots and only common sense really.

Cleaning after in a fire? Well personally I don't use it much in a fire. I use it on gas, meths and esbit stoves. I have used it on my honey stove with wood. If it develops a sooty **** I have no problem with it as it goes in a bag. Clean the soot off but someone once told me leaving the pot black on the base transfers heat better if the soot is wiped off. The inners are easier to clean than an ally pot without non-stick I think. IF anything sticks just get a bit of gravel in there and scour it out. You can't really damage the titanium pot I think. It will last a longer time I think than ally pots. It is tall and thin compared to other pots so if you have really big hands perhaps it is harder to clean. As far as eating food out of it you don't have a wide opening so you have to tilt it to get the last of your meal out.

It is efficient enough to cook. Titanium transmits heat through it when heat is being supplied to it. Thermal gradient keeps that going I think. AS soon as you stop it stops transmitting the heat quicker. In fact the pot won't transmit the heat out of the hot contents and up the pot to where there is no content. By that I mean if you have a boiling hot brew in there the lip won't be hot to touch if there is a gap between the lips and the hot contents level further down the pot. This means you hold the pot close to the lip or by the rapidly cooled handles and drink forgetting the fact the brew is close to boiling temperature. Burnt lips are a good educator as to the differences between titanium and ally's heat conductivity. The contents stay warmer longer. Not as long as an insulated mug but imho a lot longer than ally pot contents and IMHO drinks in it stays warmer for just the right length of time for you to appreciate the brew more. The insulated mug keeps it too warm for too long and the ally cup cools it down too quickly. A happy compromise is titanium.

Sorry for rambling.

 

[Gill]

Just wondering if anyone who owns the alpkit my ti mug can give me some advise weather to get it or not?

Also is the mytipot any good?

Just wondering if its strong, durable, how easy to clean, efficient and is it overall a worthwhile purchase?

Also whats the best way to clean it if used in a fire?

Thank you

I got one my friend , just recently so i have not field tested it but it is Titanium , i,m delighted with mine .

 

[Gill]

I also have the Vargo Ti-lite which is good but the Alpkit is better in my opinion as the Vargo lid is quite an ill fit where the Alpkit fits better .

 

[Barn Owl]

I have a 900ml pot/cup, Tibetan was the name I think.

I don't clean the outside other than a wee rub to get rid of ash or whatever has stuck to it.

 

[beenn]

I currently use a small ss mug, taktonka mug, crusader mug or 10/12cm billy but fancy something a bit lighter
Can only see pasta ect being cooked- nothing too serious.

Just wanted to know as i like to cook on the fire coals. Not too worried about a dirty mug but if hiking i dont want soot everywhere.

 

[Paul_B]

The vargo pot lid can be poor but mine is a good fit. Also check out the evernew range from BPL-UK. I think they have a solo kit that has a pot/mug plus a wider cup that the pot fits in. You can leave the cup or the pot behind of course if not needed. Plus evernew make the best titanium products out there I think. It is thinner guage IIRC but still as good a quality as others make in thicker titanium. Something to do with better technology in the deep drawing process they use. BPL-UK explain it all well. Thinner means the titanium's strength is fully used to make it lighter and there is less thickness for thee heat to get through to thee contents. Not sure if it really makes much difference though but Evernew stuff is nice stuff.

 

[beenn]

Just bought the mytimug!

Thanks guys

Would it damage if cleaned with steel wool? (the only titanium ive had before is a spork!)

 

[Gill]

Why would u need steel wool ? just clean as you would clean your own household mugs.

 

[beenn]

Why would u need steel wool ? just clean as you would clean your own household mugs.

Thats what i mean...:')

The other people in my house dont seem to like the smell of fire so i try to clean things outside in the garden(cold water) and its what works best

 

[walker]

i have a vargo ti lite mug i bought ages ago its a very light cup for its good size, the handles are a tight fit and dont rattle, it boils water fast, i have used it over fire many times no issuies, cup lid works very well and is a good fit.
hope this helps also it fits a nalgene 1ltr bottle very well.
as said befor the vargo ones are a hell of a lot cheaper inc postage from a lot of places.
also you can pick up ex military stainless cups for around £3 in surplus shops eg dutch ones
i use a ex austrian crusader type cup in stainless with fold under handle.
jason

 

[Nonsuch]

I have this one. Excellent - hot drink, cold lips! Big enough to be your main cook-pot as well. Goes on the bottom of a Nalgene bottle (loose fit; snug fit with a bit of Duct tape wound round the Nalgene). Wipe clean or a bit of a scour underneath if sooty. Superb, cheap zero maintenance mug/pot.

Stainless mugs by comparison = burnt lips

Lid is rather sharp edged and doesn't secure at all so I have discarded mine as the mug is always on the bottom of my Nalgene.

 

[ged]

...Would it damage if cleaned with steel wool? (the only titanium ive had before is a spork!)

You shouldn't damage it with steel, titanium is quite a bit harder. I'd recommend trying a small area first though to be on the safe side. You will probably just get very fine scratches.

I only use stainless steel scouring pads, things like Brillo pads which are ordinary steel wool go rusty when damp and stain everything pretty badly.

There's a corrosion issue when different metals are in contact in a damp environment for long periods. I don't know how much of a problem it would be if you kept a damp stainless scouring pad in a titanium pot, I've never tried it. I use stainless scourers in stainless pots so it's more or less a non-issue for me, but you might want to insulate titanium things from other metals, especially in storage, just in case.

 

[beenn]

Thanks for the advice

and to ged.. i dont normally take the steel wool with me- i use it at home so i'm hoping it will be ok

thanks again everyone! Ben

 

[Paul_B]

You can get those spontex foam pads with non-scratching scouring side. I use them at home on everything including non-stick pots. I think supermarkets do their own version at a lower price too.

Ti pots are pretty tough. If you do it to SS pots I'm sure the Ti ones will take it too.

 

[ged]

You can get those spontex foam pads with non-scratching scouring side. ...

Watch out for some of those kinds of pads, because there are some which have an incredibly abrasive backing. The abrasive is also available without a foam pad.

A long time ago my other half used one of them to clean the kitchen window and left deep, permanent scratches in the glass. I wouldn't worry about doing my stainless pans with one but I'd think twice about using them on something titanium and never on anything with a non-stick coating.

These are examples of the very abrasive ones:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Scotch-Brit...?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1314464494&sr=1-10
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Scotch-Brit...?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1314464540&sr=1-18

 

[Highbinder]

I have one, but don't expect to cook for more than one person with it. It's no good for frying an egg, but what's to be expected. Be vigilant with the poor heat transfer of titanium. It's easy to burn whats at the bottom, I've found I need to stir whatever I'm cooking a lot more than if I were cooking in aluminium. It bugs me that the lid doesn't fit well but rather just sits on top, makes for a pain (or rather, the need for an elastic band) for carrying it. Said that it IS AWESOME, you just have to be aware of the limitations and advantages of it.

 

[beenn]

I have one, but don't expect to cook for more than one person with it. It's no good for frying an egg, but what's to be expected. Be vigilant with the poor heat transfer of titanium. It's easy to burn whats at the bottom, I've found I need to stir whatever I'm cooking a lot more than if I were cooking in aluminium. It bugs me that the lid doesn't fit well but rather just sits on top, makes for a pain (or rather, the need for an elastic band) for carrying it. Said that it IS AWESOME, you just have to be aware of the limitations and advantages of it.

may be a stupid question,, but if it comes with a drawstring bag why is a elastic band needed?

Thanks for the reviews too! I know nothing perfect but looking at my other cooking equipment a crusader mug is £17 and lids are £15 on raymears, most other cups do not have lids and the cooksets that do are quite heavy

 

[Highbinder]

I found the drawstring bag a bit tight and fiddly, especially with gloves. Also, how long does a cheap afterthought drawstring bag really last? My solution was to ask Mr Fenna to make me a drawstring leather bag.

It's always in my rucksack when I go out tho! If I plan to do proper cooking I'll take something else too, but the mug is surprisingly flexible and at the weight its hardly noticable in your pack. I've used it to make mash potatos, poach an egg, make popcorn, roast veg, cook bacon, lots of stuff I didn't expect it to handle too well. Mine took a beating last winter making brews over big fires.

 

[beenn]

I found the drawstring bag a bit tight and fiddly, especially with gloves. Also, how long does a cheap afterthought drawstring bag really last? My solution was to ask Mr Fenna to make me a drawstring leather bag.

It's always in my rucksack when I go out tho! If I plan to do proper cooking I'll take something else too, but the mug is surprisingly flexible and at the weight its hardly noticable in your pack. I've used it to make mash potatos, poach an egg, make popcorn, roast veg, cook bacon, lots of stuff I didn't expect it to handle too well. Mine took a beating last winter making brews over big fires.

Thanks for the review!

I dont expect the drawstring bag to last a while and i hope one of the drawstring bags i already own will fit onto it. I have a few and getting more and more...

Will mostly be used just as a mug but i will try to cook in it. Normally take a billy can and mug but if walking a long distance and only cooking small meals and brews i would rather a lighter alternative