The Vargo Ti-lite Titanium Mug is an excellent bit of kit. Highly recommended. Rather than put in a Naglene bottle, a 110 butane gas canister, Optimux Cruz folding stove and brew kit fits just perfectly inside.
Optimus Crux stove? lol. It just so happens that I have an Optimus Crux stove which I carry on overnight trips. Good piece of kit. I was kind of thinking that for day hikes, where I don't normally take my stove, that a metal mug/canteen cup would be great for emergencies or even just a cup of tea. The stove in the mug idea is great (I do that with my mirro pot now), but for day hikes, sliding the Nalgene so that essentially no room in the pack is consumed seems like the way to go.
Total weight excluding the brew kit is 435gms and allows about 3 days cooking capability for 1 person using British Army Rat packs (foil sachets heated in the Mug with the boiling water used for beverages) or lightweight dehydrated Reiter meal sachets. 2 Days during the winter. A folding Ti spork fits nicely inside the Vargo Mug as well.
What the Sam Hill is a brew kit? Portable beer? Dude, that would be cool!
The British Army and Reiter packets sound like good E-rats. I assume that they keep for extended periods. How's the taste?
I actually prefer the Standard Aluminium Sigg Bottle 144 grams with the Neoprene cover 82 grams - Total 226 grams. It is much lighter than the steel Sigg bottle and can be used as a hot water bottle on cold nights with the neoprene cosy. It also keeps the bottle from being affected from small dents during small knocks.
What's the advantage of the Sigg aluminum vs. the Nalgene? The Nalgenes are also good for a hot water bottle. Never had a leakage problem.
The Sigg bottle can be/is used in conjuction with a Smartube drinking tube with appropriate adapter at 83 grams. A backup 2 Litre Platypus folding water bladder is also carried. A Smartube adapter can also be used with the Platypus bladder if required.
I carry a 3L Nalgene foldable "cantene" (sic) as a backup. My standard water load (not necessarily all full, depending on the hike) for day hikes is:
1 Camelback, 2L
1 Nalgene lexan bottle, 1L
1 Nalgene foldable "cantene," 3L (why can't they call it a collapsible water carrier or bladder? Or at least "canteen," the normal spelling)
That gives me up to a 6L capacity which is enough for even extended day hikes in hot weather. If I take a shorter hike, I can leave the "cantene" behind.
Has anyone tried the Esbit stove? I was thinking that a little stove would be good to carry in cold weather on day hikes. Not sure I want to carry even my little Optimus Crux. The Esbit sounds like about what I want. Anyone used one?
Are the fuel cubes ruined if the packaging is punctured?
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