You do know I have trouble with common American slang don't you? And now you want me to write in Hyrogphics? Why I bet once I start doing that the entire internet will collapse! err I didn't see nuthin..... ;-) mac

I have acquired a variety of pots and pans over the years, so I generally select a good size for the trip and the amount of cooking I wish to do, which is typically pretty basic (boil water - add stuff - eat).<br><br>When I pack my gear, I put a fair amount of effort into filling the interior of this cookset efficiently. I really don't care whether it mates with the water bottle or not. If it packed full, it is not wasting space in my pack.<br><br>In my opinion, all those water bottle holders, etc. on those cool daypacks and fanny packs are just style and window dressing. In really rough and brushy country, you need a sleek silhouette and a pack that is smooth and tough, the better to slip through the chaparral. All that fancy crap just hangs you up.

This thread prol should move to the campfire forum, 'cause it's more about purposeful outdoor gear than survival gear... anyway:<br><br><blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p> I put a fair amount of effort into filling the interior of this cookset efficiently<p><hr></blockquote><p><br>I agree. I can't say that I have aquired a great deal of cooking gear over the years, but rather enough to cover a spectrum of intended purposes. A 2qt AL kettle with tight lid, a SS nesting set (largest is 2 qt), and a teflon coated AL skillet. Of that stuff, by far most of the time I carry the 2 qt AL kettle, battered and blackened. Two stuff sacks made from muslin - one has my grub in it and fills the interior of the kettle. The kettle slips inside the other to keep from transfering soot and grunge to the inside of my pack.<br><br>Been fiddling with an MSR 1.7L (?) tea kettle off and on, but it's not as versitile and the bails are unsuitable to hang the durn thing from, so it probably won't make the cut. I can make new bails with some 9 gauge wire - better shaped for campfire use, so I might try it out modified a few more times. Haven't bothered to make stuff sacks for it yet; just put the grub in a zip lock carried inside the kettle.<br><br>I won't give up some sort of canteen cup, tho. What has evolved for me has been to make (ice/snow) and/or boil water in the kettle and eat/drink from the canteen cup, although there have been many (recreational) occasions when I used a canteen cup for everything. If I'm really feeling self-indulgent, I add a plastic mug - I've wandered back and forth on the mug over the years. Car-camping with the Scouts in the MidWest is driving me crazy... too much junk dragged out every trip. (OK - dutch ovens are great - but I don't have horses to carry that stuff!)<br><br>Don't use a campfire for cooking nearly as often as I used to. Have always carried some sort of stove - still have the Svea 123 I started out with, tho I retro-fitted an Optimus cap and priming pump years ago when they became available. Used it long enough to rebuild it twice. But I don't remember the last time I used that stove and the eldest is coveting it, so I will probably pass it on. Mostly use a first-model Peak I <gasp!> or a first-model MSR XGK. Yes, the Peak I is relatively heavy, but it just works so well...<grin>.<br><br><blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p>you need a sleek silhouette and a pack that is smooth and tough<p><hr></blockquote><p><br>True enough. These days I use a Kelty Slickrock for shorter trips - I confess to usually having a Jansport zippered pouch rigged up on the outside (back, on the daisy chains) for convenience, tho. Hard for me to adjust to from an old-style Freighter frame and Moose bag (old style, not current one), tho - interior organization habits are still developing with the Slickrock. The Kelty isn't large enough for my sanity on winter or longer duration trips, either, but it's not that big of a deal to me. If I ever get my down bag repaired, the Kelty would be large enough for most of those trips as well.<br><br>I think I understand what you meant by the fooforas on a lot of current packs. They don't pull my trigger either.<br><br>Regards,<br><br>Scouter Tom

<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p>The alternative is to base your carry on a GI web belt to carry your ALICE- clipped canteen, clipped on pouches, etc. But then you still need some kind of daypack or alternate gear carrier for other essentials that won't fit on the web belt.<p><hr></blockquote><p><br><br>Well, if you were to use web gear to hang everything from, why not use a butt pack (the original fanny pack) for the rest of the stuff? They were designed for exactly that purpose... I have little personal experience with them - school-house only - because I always served in units that were better equipped to travel by shank's mare. But what you describe is what the butt, er, "combat pack" was used for.<br><br>Personally, I'm not crazy about the idea - web gear seems to invite getting caught on everything it possibly can get caught on, and things tangle up everytime you take it off. If you can stand the weight around your midsection (I don't care for fanny packs; others like them), a web belt, canteen, couple of pouches, and perhaps a butt pack with a stiffener in it would work OK. It's hard to get a butt pack to ride correctly without the harness, tho. Wouldn't a bookbag sized day pack be cheaper and simpler?<br><br>Just my 2cents worth...<br><br>Scouter Tom<br>

Andy -- Thanks! That's exactly what I was envisioning, I just hadn't seen one for sale.<br><br>Might be a little smaller, but it looks like you could use it just like the military canteen cup. Now if they just made a stove that would fit, too . . .<g>

I am using now a pack that I bought in Wal-Mart. It is called "Shell and Game" carrier. It has a belt and two smaller pouches on front and a larger pouch in the back. I subtituted the belt with a regular leather belt because the web belt twisted and did not keep the pouches in place. Besided I can attach a military cantine with the clips to the belt. I tried it this past December while I went hunting and worked fine for me<br>after I replace the belt. I wear a hunting coat with a game bag and big pockets and the belt on top of them. The bulk of the pockets and game back of the coat prevent this belt and pouches to slip down.<br>The thing cost me less than $10!!. I was tired while hunting to have a backpack and this solved the problem for me. Give me full mobility. Besides when I sit down it is easier to remove than the back pack.<br>Have anybody had any experience with this carrier?

Hello , All --<br><br> Thanks for the great responses on the above subject.<br><br>You know, I got to thinking (dangerous, that) after rereading the thread on oven bags versus condoms, etc., for emergency water storage and carry.<br><br> I've already converted to a roaster bag in my PSK (two, actually -- they fold awfully flat).<br><br> But this thread started talking about outings where you've already planned on taking a water container with you -- a canteen, Nalgen bottle, or some such.<br><br> If you settle on the traditional mil-spec canteen and nesting cup in a fleece carrier (as I seem to have), the question arises -- what if I need to carry more than a quart of water? What if there's an opportunity to stock up, and a likelihood that water will be difficult to come by down the road? <br><br>There's always the larger canteen idea, or the folding water bag idea, but that's extra gear & bulk for a day hiker, or someone who just needs to carry water back from the stream to the camp site.<br><br> Then it occurred to me that a couple of oven bags would slide right into the canteen cover (under the cup, perhaps, or alongside the canteen.)<br><br> Then you could fill the milspec canteen PLUS the roaster bag(s) -- and carry the canteen separately (or in backpack, daypack, etc.) That would then solve the problem of "how to I carry a roaster bag of water securely?" -- if you knotted/tied the full roaster bag and carried it INSIDE the canteen cover for protection, and ease of carry. In a pinch (dishwashing, inconvenient camp site, whatever) you could also press the canteen cup into service as a third carrier/protection device for the bag.<br><br> That seems to make sense to me -- if you've got a milspec canteen setup to start with. Now you're able to carry two or three quarts of water with no extra gear when you don't want it.<br><br> Meanwhile, if the spare bags in the bottom of your canteen rig are unused as a water carrier, you've got extra clear bags that could be used for other purposes -- leaf transpiration water collector, dry storage, or whatever. <br><br> You could probably also slip a trash bag or two inside the canteen cover for other uses.<br><br> I've been trying to figure out the best (for me) day hiking kind of kit to use any time I'm off the beaten track. I think this idea, plus a couple of compass pouches for PSK & first aid kit and a knife meets the requirement. <br><br>If I want to add a poncho, I see that Bri9gade Quartermasters has a neat Danish surplus poncho carrier that puts a rolled up poncho on your belt, too.<br><br> Should all fit. What else could a guy want?<br><br> Keep those good ideas coming!<br> Regards -- Karl<br>

I just increased my redundant water containers also. My main carrier is a 5qt. G.I. unit with two 1 qt. saddle canteens. My rucksacks contents are roughly segregated into various poly bags and one is carried in a pocket. I just acquired some of the water retort bags from Mainstay. I didn't think highly of the concept until yesterday. I was in a huge mall when a massive headache struck. I had my aspirin in the PSK. Ever try to find a drinking fountain or restroom in these places? I now have a few slipped into various pockets. Is it much? No, but if I had to take a med or literally "wet my whistle" to signal for help it's there. Another strategy, sadly impacted by irresponsible people, is to cache water and a few basics. This was an old courtesy in many regions. I had a 5 gallon container plainly marked for an archaeological project where walking in to one site was arduous. It walked back out with some visitors who emptied it. I caught them at the cattle gate!

Just got mine today. I bought two and they are super. Only complaint: they're heavy and perhaps overbuilt.

I finallly got around to trying out my pop can stove with my Snoe Peak aluminium pot. I've tested the stove before but not to actually cook anything. Two things pop out right away. <br><br>One, it can boil 2 cups of water in about 4 minutes with no wind, and I mean a rolling boil. I was impressed. I did the test with my kids and we tossed in a pack of Raimon noodles after I took it off the stove. The kids thought it was great. My younger son said we should take a hike up Camelback Kames, A glacier formation near us, and have llunch on top. <br><br>Two, the falmes are too vigorious. They licked up the side of the pot, wasting heat and burning fuel way to fast. The cause must be that the holes are too large. I used my smallest jewlers twist drill. Next time I'll know better. Use a small point, like a sturdy pin, to poke the holes. And try to keep them as small as possible. If they end up too small, you can always use the pin to ream them a bit biger. I can't do that becasue mine are too big.<br><br>I'll try mixing up a little JB Weld and fill in a few of the hole near the can edge and see if that works. If not, I'll just have to build a new one and chalk it up to experience.