Pot size for solo hiker.

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BigMonster

Full Member
Sep 6, 2011
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Manchester
What capacity pot for a single person to cook simple meals? So not only boiling water for dehydrated meals but also reheat noodles, cook pasta or rice. Reddit posts recommend 750ml, 900ml and 1100ml.
I'm confused.
 

Van-Wild

Full Member
Feb 17, 2018
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The Crusader mug is 750ml. Plenty big enough to cook noodles or a bag of instant mash with hot dog sausage.

The Toaks 900ml pot also has plenty of room for simple meals.

The 12cm Zebra billy can is 1200ml. Again, plenty of room for simple meals.

The common feature of the three pots is they all have a wide enough lip to allow stirring of foods. They're basically similar to a normal household breakfast bowl. The ideal size for you is subjective and really based on how big you like your meals to be. More food per meal? Bigger pot needed.......

.



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Kadushu

If Carlsberg made grumpy people...
Jul 29, 2014
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Kent
750ml will take 2 packs of instant noodles almost to the brim. It's an economical size. 1 litre or more will give you room for more complicated meals than rehydrating dried food with a bit of room for stirring.
 
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Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
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I think if you cook over spiritus or especially gas, 750 ml is big enough. Especially if you carry effective food with a high energy value.

If you cook under tripod over a camp fire that's made to warm yourself too, the double size is the more handy one. And this may also serve as a mouse proof container for a usual amount of food.

That's why the Swedish, Swiss and German mess kits are relatively large. Especially the German pattern was more or less copied by most European armies sooner or later. I think the German one has 1500 ml.
And the Mors Pot or Pathfinder Bush Pot is even larger (1800 ml) and also allows to cook for two men. That's originally a Canadian air force pattern so far I understood. They surely also had in mind to melt snow.

Most current pots became smaller because most of the clients usually or exclusively use a gaz or spiritus stove in most cases.

The more experienced ones still want a bail to keep the option open to cook under tripod over camp fire if they run out of gas. But most pots are sold without bail. Most people can't imagine that they really cook over a wood fire and don't think about the troubles that they could get if they use more fuel than calculated.

Usually the maker of the pot offers gas stoves and cartushes too and earns the money with the gas. Of course they don't attach a bail to the pot, that would teach the client immediatly that gas is unnecessary expensive.
 
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Tiley

Life Member
Oct 19, 2006
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I reckon the Mk 1 Crusader is great for brews but a bit too small for meals, so I would tend to go for something around the 1 litre mark. In that way, you can cook or brew for two if the need arises and the bigger pan is not significantly heavier and has more room for storing stuff.

Just my thoughts...
 
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BigMonster

Full Member
Sep 6, 2011
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Manchester
I'm pretty much torn between SOTO river pot 1l (145g):


And Sea to Summit Alpha pot 1.2l (185g):


Both will fit my stove and 550ml titanium cup for drinks, and both in anodized aluminium as I hate how titanium burns food.
 
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weekender

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Feb 26, 2006
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I’ve always had great results with my Mors pot from four dog stove it’s lightweight, big enough for boil in the bag and cooking a stew from scratch. Easy to pack.


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Bishop

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Jan 25, 2014
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There's no right, wrong, preferred or traditional volume. The size is more about what you want to eat and how much of it.
 
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Erbswurst

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Mar 5, 2018
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The Mors pot is unfortunately out of production. The closest follower is the Pathfinder Bush Pot 1800 ml.
 
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weekender

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Is it only the 1800ml I thought pathfinder did a 1100ml
Plus there are now the Ti versions of the pathfinder pot


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Billy-o

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Apr 19, 2018
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I find the ones I tend to actually use are about a litre, but sometimes I take two, so one has to fit inside the other ... which isn't very much bigger ... think maybe 1.2L
 

Laurentius

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 13, 2009
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Whatever floats your boat and how hungry you are. I think as a rule an english pint is sufficient or in metric terms 700 of your millilitres.
I reckon the Mk 1 Crusader is great for brews but a bit too small for meals, so I would tend to go for something around the 1 litre mark. In that way, you can cook or brew for two if the need arises and the bigger pan is not significantly heavier and has more room for storing stuff.

Just my thoughts...
Keeps you slim though :)
 
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Wander

Native
Jan 6, 2017
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This is easily dealt with.
Think about what you are likely to be eating.
Then, at home, cook that in a normal, household, pot.
Then empty that into a measuring jug to see how much space it takes up.
Then buy an appropriate sized camping pot.
Problem solved.

For me, it varies between 750ml and 900ml. I have both so I pack whatever is appropriate to what I will be doing. Most of the time it's a 750ml pot (enough for a pack of noodles/tin of soup/sausage and beans, etc).
 

Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
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Sorry, but that's wrong!
If you cook over campfire you need more pot volume than the amount of the food you cooked at home.

The point is that you can't regulate the heat so good as in your kitchen.

Yes, of course, masters of the art can do that, but by far not everybody.
 
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