Ti-lite mug, crusader cup, pans with metal side handles.

[Asa Samuel]

Hey,

When you guys use things like the crusader cup, ti-lite mug or any pot with metal side handles over an open fire or even on a honey stove? It seems to me that the handles would get red hot even if you were cooking over the embers with the handle pointing out of the fire!

Do you always carry a heat-proof glove or cloth or something or do they not get that hot?

Cheers,
Asa.

 

[Neumo]

I have started to carry a standard Trangia pot handle which solves the problem. It al depemds on the fire, stove & mug if you end up with hot handles but the pot gripper deals with it all. You can also get the pot off with sticks if you are feeling lucky.....

 

[Retired Member southey]

I find that with my mug that the handles cool very quickly whenfolded out, I always tend a glove of some sort with me(i love nettle tea but am not man enough to strip leaves bare handed all the time) as well as multi tool pliers or a trangi pot handle thingy. but i allway hear my wifes words of ridicule when about to handle cooking things," of course its hot, its been in a fire, goon" she is very careing.

 

[drewdunnrespect]

well i use the crusader and it never seam that the handles get hot but then again maybe its to do with position i dont know drew

 

[Shewie]

A leather glove is good and so is a pot grabber, one to try though is to create a fire shadow with a strategically placed rock or log. This keeps the flames from actually licking up the handles and warming them up.

 

[woof]

I always take a pair work or gardening gloves with me, but as Shewie says placed to one side is an excelent idea.

Rob

 

[Stuart69]

I always carry a small soldering mat with me. They're cheap and have loads of uses. I can either use it to grab hot things or put it under a stove for insulation and to prevent ground scorching.

 

[lamper]

I keep half an old tea-towel in my bag and use that....

 

[g4ghb]

I carry a pair of leather gloves (that I will be gutted when they die / I loose them as they have moulded themselves to me and are soooo comfy i often forget I'm wearing them till I think..... 'hmmm my hands feel a bit warm.....)

I also make a pot lifter out of a branched stick (shaped like a 'tick' - the 'well done you have got the question correct' type not the buggy type) and use that to remove pots from the fire before I remove lids / pour etc

 

[Paul_B]

If you use a tick stick on side handles won't it just empty the contents over your fire?

One thing I have seen recently that I have tried to buy separately is a little silicone thumb and finger gripper thing that comes with one of GSI outdoors uber lite solo pots (heavy if you include the gripper, lids, cosy and other excess stuff that comes with it (or 85g for just the pot and gripper plus foil lid for next to nothing). Anyway it comes with a pot that has no handles or the usual metal gripper thing. I must admit the silicone gripper does look a really good idea. I understand cookshops actually sell silicone heat protection things. Not sure if gloves or what but I'm sure for camping one of those products from a cookshop suitably cut down and mutilated to the bare minimum needed to lift pots off the fire. Then you can always take the handles off completely to save weight. (Sorry weight obsessive gear freak in da house).

BTW I've found trangia style grippers don't work on all pots.

 

[Neumo]

There are some good ideas here. The 'Fire shadow' I must try, as that is a proper bushcraft solution: simple & clever. I must get a pair of decent leather gloves but have not found any I really like yet.

I always carry a small soldering mat with me.

I had a quick google on these & they look interesting. Can you put something like a Honey stove on it, where some hot ash will fall through while the fire is going without it getting too damaged?

 

[g4ghb]

If you use a tick stick on side handles won't it just empty the contents over your fire?

fair point but in my defence I forgot to mention I only use pots with a 'bail'

- however depending on your side handle design you could use a forked stick (y shape) The forked end must be small enough to fit through the handle you then twist through 90' so that both legs touch the bottom of the pot. I can visualise what I mean but not sure my description is helping........ this needs a handle that has an elongated hole in the top though.

 

[g4ghb]

I'm sure there was a thread about making a wooden handle that clips to a crusader type mug but can't find it - anyone else remember it / find it?

 

[Nonsuch]

Ti cools down very fast !

NS

 

[Neumo]

Ti does cool down fast but I usually have the problem when the water has boiled & I want to get it off the burning fire to put it into the tea cup. One thing I have been doing recently is to put a bail arm on all the pots I use on fires (well all except the Ti mug but I am thinking about it) so that you can then practice all the different types of pot holder/tripods that you can make from bracnches, as demomstrated here by Uncle Ray:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RMlyUY3X4A&feature=related

 

[Dozza]

My two favourite/useful things on my first recent foray: Pair of leather/rigger gloves (£2 and useful for all sorts like playing with the fire, gathering wood etc) and a British Army DPM smock (£10 off Ebay - new - 7 huge pockets where I had all the essentials stuffed).