Any suggestions?

4.0 to 4.6" in diameter. 4.5" would be ideal. With lid. With handle. 0.75 to 1.5 liter in capacity. Preferably stainless. I might consider aluminum (but I'm not sure about that after having read about some of the negatives - possible Alzheimers link, etc.)

The Snow Peak 900 seems to fit the bill. But I'm not sure of the diameter. Is it bigger than 4.65"? And it's ridiculously expensive titanium - I don't really want that.

This will be part of an emergency cookware kit. Rarely used. So no expensive high end stuff need apply.

Thanks!

LL Bean has some backpacking cook sets on sale - including 30% off a Snow Peak titanium set:

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/502037/0/Relevance/1?nav=ln-502037#1


REI is also having a big sale - several cook sets at significant discount. I find REI customer reviews particularly insightful.

http://www.rei.com

Is this for backpacking? Or for the car?

+1 on the MSR stainless cookset that NightHiker recommends. I have a couple of those pots in my office BIB. Got them several years ago. I've used them now and then to heat soup, or fix pasta and sauce, when I have to work late. Good pots, and when not in use you can store stuff securely inside them, thanks to the clamp-down lids.

My hiking / emergency pots include either a Primus LITECH Pot made from anodized aluminum or a Zebra 12cm SS Billy Can. Both are just over 5" in height with the lids on and 4.75 inch inside diameter.

The Litech weighs 225 grams and has a capacity of just under l liter.

The Zebra weighs 550 grams and has a capacity of 1.5 liters without the top bowl insert. With the bowl insert in place, the capacity is 1 liter.

The Litech and the Zebra will both fit a MSR Pocket Rocket stove plus a fuel canister and a lighter and each lid closes fine. With this arrangement, there is the versatility of either a gas powered flame, or either pot works well over an open fire.

Also there is the lengthy and informative "and a pot thread from last year. Plenty of ideas for an emergency pot in that thread.

Is the diameter really critical? I just measured my favorite small kit, a mimi-Trangia which I often use with a Pocket Rocket. It is about 5 1/4 inches in diameter. I also wouldn't worry about the aluminum-Alzheimer's link because 1) you are specifying infrequent use, and 2) I understand the link has been discredited.

I usually go for aluminum or titanium for leight weight,since most of my use involves backpacking or similar activites where weight is critical. Otherwise, stainless steel is fine, and really bombproof.

Look in your kitchen pantry for a suitable sized can of food. Open. Consume food. Clean can, sand or file the sharp edges. Add a wire bail. You are good to go.

You might consider going to your local thrift store.

It might take a few visits, but you will find big and small pots and pans there.

You don't specify how you will store or transport them, but if you don't want the handles, you can shorten, remove and toss, or store them separately, or replace with a wire bail.

Just a few bucks and you can have a nice backup set.

I read that the Altsheimer link was discredited, but I can't remember where.......

You might consider going to your local thrift store......

Yes. I am looking specifically for a pot that will fit down INSIDE this firebox and set on top of it's "firesticks" (little support rods). http://foldingfirebox.com/ The walls of the firebox will come up surrounding the bottom of the pot. This is for when I'm using the firebox as a potholder/windscreen for a Trangia burner.

For sitting ON TOP of the firebox, anything will do.

Roar and Byrd give 2 of my favourite suggestions - make your own or go to Second hand store, improvising if you need to. I'm taking great satisfaction from both lately, and love the gentle impact on my budget too.

Based on your updated criteria that the pot fit inside the stove in the link, have you thought of using a small coffee can which measures 4" OD by 5.5" tall?

The diameter may not be critical, unless you specifically want it to nicely hold a standard 1L Nalgene water bottle, which is a space-efficient solution to the question of "what are you going to cook or boil water in?" which has been the subject of at least one previous thread. I like my REI TI cookset (cup and pot), which goes with me on every hike, because I'm going to carry a Nalgene water bottle with me anyway, and the additional volume/weight is negligible.

GSI makes a similar-diameter version in stainless (just the pot) for a lot less: GSI Outdoors Glacier Stainless Cup/Pot

That's what I'd get for occasional use...

Regards,
Steve

Thanks for the ideas everyone. That stainless steel glacier cup may be the best solution for me. Or a cheap empty coffee can. Bigger cooking jobs would be done with the pot on top of the fire box with a wood fire inside. Warming up a drink would be easier with an Esbit tablet or Trangia stove inside the fire box as a windshield. I was thinking that the "pot inside" idea would provide better wind screening.

For my back-up, I'm currently using a large (32 oz) Pirouline cookie SS can with tight fitting SS lid, which holds a med size tin can (1078 mL) which is nested with a small tin can (458 mL) homemade woodstove. (Inside the little can also goes a lrg garbage bag, 1 piece aluminum foil, 2 tea lights, a mini bic, 1 fire steel, 1 tube of vaseline, a film canister of strike anywhere matches and cotton balls.)

The Pirouline can holds every very nicely and it all nests together. It's a pretty light set-up and I can use both the large cans for boiling and cooking in if I need to.

not exactly an answer to your question, but an option if you are looking for a relatively inexpensive work/car kit...purchased 2 of the Swiss Ranger Volcano stove sets (new old surplus)for $20...you get an aluminum cup w/handle, spun aluminum bottle with cork top, and stove that nest together... opened the fuel feed hole to accept a Sterno can (also Trangia burner)...if heating water in the bottle you need to drill a hole for a cross pin stop higher than the production one...one for the house, one for the car...taped the sterno can to the base of the stove with a length of duct tape...

I was looking at the Firebox too. It is definitely interesting but a bit on the heavy side. The extra versatility with multiple fuel types is somewhat dubious. After all, if you are using an ultralight alcohol stove or use Esbit fuel why would you spend $50 bucks and 2 lbs of weight for a pot stand? Still -- it seems to work quite well as a wood burning stove and it appears to be engineered quite well. Folds down to the size of a DVD case. I wonder if they considered using a thinner gauge of metal for the stove to save a few oz.? Moving to titanium will save weight but will the price point double?

+1 on the Primus Litech. I really like the size and the pouring spout on the pot helps prevent spillage.

The link between Alzheimers and aluminum has been discredited. http://bit.ly/sL1VJq

Yes, the firebox stove is heavy. It is solidly built and very strong and stable. It's not for backpacking though, unless you have a strong sherpa to lug it around for you.

Another +1 on the Primus Litech.

I have several of their 0.9L kettles which come on my trips or go into my various BOB's, BIB's, etc. I've come across them for as little as $5 at garage sales, so why not? I don't need them to be pretty.

By the way, that's a fabulous photo. It ought to be on a Bushcraft or survival "how to" website or book.


HJ

That picture makes me want to get out there. It' the epitomy of campfire cooking to me!

I now think that Primus LiTech will be the pot I should get. They are relatively cheap.

http://www.amazon.com/Primus-LiTech-Trek-Kettle-Gray/dp/B002BU4CHY/ref=pd_sbs_sg_6

I'll add some little item from Amazon for $1.50 to bump the total price up over $25 so I can get the free shipping.

If you scroll down that Amazon page to the user reviews, the first one (by user "Kennon") lists the dimensions that he measured. He says the pot base is 4-5/8" in diameter. That's 4.625". I measured my firebox inside dimensions again, very carefully, and found that the minimum i.d. is actually 4.7". So this LiTech looks like it will be the biggest pot I can squeeze inside the firebox, which is what I wanted in the first place.

Haertig, I re-measured my Litech. The bottom OD is 4-5/8" which is the same as the reviewer suggested in the Amazon review. The Top OD is 4-3/4" due to the flare to fit the lid/pan so you should be fine with this pot. Also the rubberized handles can take a lot of heat/abuse before they melt off. A good example is the handle on my Primus kettle that is in one my photos I posted in this thread yesterday.

Thanks Jim and Bacpac for the compliments. On that trip, we had taken my SO's niece and it was her first real lesson of outdoor skills. It is important to note that we left the area cleaner then we found it. We removed all traces of the fire, the tree branch and moved the rock back into it's original location.

AWESOME!! Way to go Teslin!