I have five different packs of varying size as well as the Altoid tin kit. I keep the two littlest packs in the trunk of my sports car, and the two next largest one each in my truck and camping van. The largest day pack is in my home along with the always carried Altoid PSK. In all of these kits except the Altoids PSK, I have a cup or pot along with one type of water carrier or another. Even my smallest kit which is made from a 4x6x3 Bagmaster holster pouch has a Sierra cup strapped to the outside.

Aluminum foil should not be considered a reliable water container but like I said in my earlier post it's plenty useful for other things.

I'm not sure those aluminum baking pans are such a good idea either as a primary pot in a small kit. I think the Sierra cup and similar small metal cups or pots can be carried easily either inside or outside the kit or on your water bottle.

If all I had in a survival situation was my Altoid PSK, I'd hate to have to rely on that container as a water boiling pot (what does it hold, 2-3 ounces?). I'd hope to find something I could make a bowl from and drop hot rocks into it to boil instead.

Edited to add photo of the Bagmaster based kit:

http://www.fenderforum.com/userphotos/photo.php?id=61668

Won't take the image but will go to the photo.

Wikipedia indicates that "Aluminium foils thicker than 0.025 mm (0.001 in) are impermeable to oxygen and water. Foils thinner than this become slightly permeable due to minute pinholes caused by the production process." I think most heavy duty is 0.020mm or less. It may be that years ago every day aluminum foil was either thicker or the manufacturers took the time and energy (extra steps) to get more impurities out during the manufacturing process. It would be interesting to know if aluminum foil became more permeable contemporaneously with the implimentation of the continuous casting manufacturing method.

Has anyone tested Metro Extra Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil for leaks?

[quote=GradyT34]Wikipedia indicates that "Aluminium foils thicker than 0.025 mm (0.001 in) are impermeable to oxygen and water. Foils thinner than this become slightly permeable due to minute pinholes caused by the production process." I think most heavy duty is 0.020mm or less. It may be that years ago every day aluminum foil was either thicker or the manufacturers took the time and energy (extra steps) to get more impurities out during the manufacturing process. It would be interesting to know if aluminum foil became more permeable contemporaneously with the implimentation of the continuous casting manufacturing method.
[quote]

Interesting factoid... not something one thinks about in a normal day...

don't know about heating aluminum foil, but when I was a kid in early 70's I was out hiking and forgot my canteen. Found a spring out of a bluff and made a cup out of the foil I carried back then and it held water for me to drink. -- back when I didn't worry about pollution/organisms in water.

I got it to work. I folded the foil in half twice, four layers. Then I folded up the four sides and rolled the corners to make a box. It held water. I then tried it on my home stove. The heat was too intense and burned two layers but did boil the water. It held water but was destructive. I think it will hold hold up better with heat from a campfire.

In my younger days we used to boil water in paper and styrofoam cups in camp fires.It was a fun trick to show city kids.The cups would burn or melt down to the level of the water in it.We would then burn an empty beer can like it was paper in the coals.I'm not sure of the physics involved but it worked.I think that in Craig's situation the aluminum foil burned because the water in the container couldn't cool the outer layers of foil.

I’ve not field tested it yet, but “Super Strength Reynolds Wrap” aluminum foil appears to be the only aluminum foil that's usualy available that is thick enough to be impermeable to water and oxygen. Although its on backorder until next week at Alcoa’s (Reynolds) store/website ( MyBrands.com ), its usually available there at retail in the 18" x 25' rolls (it is expensive). I thought it might also be thick enough so that a reasonable amount of folding, wrinkles, wear & tear (assuming daily carry) would not create pinholes.

From Wikipedia: “Aluminum foils thicker than 0.025 mm (0.001 in) are impermeable to oxygen and water. Foils thinner than this become slightly permeable due to minute pinholes caused by the production process.”

Below are examples of aluminum foil gauges:

Inches Microns
Standard (generic) 14.000
Standard (extra thick - generic) 16.000
Boardwalk - extra standard 16.000
Standard Reynolds Wrap* .00064 16.256
Standard (generic) Heavy Duty 20.000
Boardwalk - heavy duty 20.000
Heavy Strength Reynolds Wrap* .0009 23.622
Standard (generic) Extra Hvy. Duty 24.000
Super Strength Reynolds Wrap* .00137 34.798
35 gauge aluminum pie pan .01000

***The standard tolerance for Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil is: +/- 10%.

Micron X .00003937 = inches
Millimeters X .03937 = inches
a mil is a unit of length equal to 0.001 inch
micron is one millionth of a meter, or equivalently one thousandth of a millimeter

I use the top foil piece that comes from the family size Stoufer's lasagna meals you can find in the frozen food section. The entire container is foil, but the top is especially thick. The meals cost around $10 but we easily get two meals out of each, plus the free foil. Just my two cents, but it works fine for me.

You'd need a perfectly flat fire to boil using an altoids tin and then be lucky to pick it up without spilling it.

Something the shape of a spectacle case but opening on the end would be easy to carry and the right shape to boil water in.
Anyone know of any containers that shape
S

I suppose an origami cup made out of foil matches that description. And its reusable, and can be used to boil water. Not sure how big you would have to make it to hold a good amount of water.