Snip> I had some replica zebra-style billys from one of the bushcraft kit emporia (forget which one.) They looked similar but had a little plastic section at the joint between the handle and the pan (to keep the handle upright). This useless design got burnt in use. The billy still works fine but it was an annoyance before the warped plastic was chipped-off. <Snip
I use Zebra billies these days because they are good, solid and well made.
They are not the lightest and the handle design does not pack well because they are not actually designed to be billy cans, they are designed to be lunch / tiffin boxes. That is why they have the little plastic clip when they are supplied which is the first thing you take off if you're going to cook with them.
I then removed the bail arm and replaced it with a brake cable that packs better.
Having done this you might think I would have been just as well off if I had started from scratch with a tea caddy and you'd have a point.
The problem is that I have quite a few cooking pots that I have tried over the years and the thickness and conductivity makes a great difference to your ability to cook properly.
I'm not talking about boiling water here which seems to be most peoples "measure", I'm talking about hot spots and even heating.
My Zebra billy is about three times the thickness of a billy I made from a tea caddy and food burns and sticks like crazy in the thin one.
The stainless steel army trangia pots are great to cook with, just like a domestic saucepan but the weight is a serious pain and mine now lives in the van and never sees the inside of my bergan.
My experience of Ally pots has always been plagued with tough cleaning jobs, presumably because they do scratch easily. The newer hard anodised versions may well be better but I have not tried them so cannot comment.
Teflon? I have a good heavy gauge Teflon frying pan that I love. It's treated with care, lives in the van and I don't hump it around with me very often.
Most of the camping style pans I've seen with Teflon lose their coating very fast, I just don't think it's thick enough to be resilient
Again I can't comment on the brand shown. If they are rated by Mors they might well be worth a look because Mors certainly doesn't mollycoddle his gear.
I have a Titanium pot that I like for weight but I never do anything but boiling water in it because that sticks like B
y
Personally I think the Zebra billies are a good compromise between weight and performance.
