Separate post so I don't drift the "Make My PSK Smaller" thread.

Several of you mentioned your stainless steel cup in that thread, much like one I currently own. I want to upgrade to a titanium cup (with folding handles), one in which a Nalgene bottle will nest.

My dilemma: single-wall or double-wall? I'm considering this...



...or equivalent, whatever will work with Nalgene bottle. I want DW because my experience with DW stainless cup is that it keeps contents warmer, longer (granted, downside is that it packs larger).

But, I'm wondering how a DW cup will perform when used as a cooking utensil, or to boil water. Does the DW-construction appreciably increase the time to boil/cook vs. SW-construction? For that matter, how does titanium itself influence cooking efficiency vs. SS, if at all? (I'm trying not to let the significant price difference influence my decision)

Thanks for your feedback.

Dan

The reason I carry a stainless cup is for boiling water in. A double-wall would be the exact wrong thing to use for that. The double wall is for insulation. That insulation can be used to keep what's in it warm, if it started out that way. But it will also keep the contents from getting the heat of the flame!

+ I'm not sure I would want to heat aDW cup .... What will hapen to the air between the two sealed walls ?

I`m getting a larger snow peak 700 or 900 so I can use it to prepare meals with on my stove <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I also have that one you mentioned and boy is it light and nice. (Single wall).

I am not positive about this, but I don't think a 32 oz "wide mouth Nalgene bottle will nest inside the Snow-Peak 450. I have the 700 Ti cup and the 32oz bottle fits perfectly.

Good luck.

Correct the 400 and 600 ml SnowPeak cups (single wall) do not fit on the bottom of the 1L Nalgene bottle.

The 700 fits perfectly and you must use a single wall for cooking. Here are 2--700mL SnowPeak Ti mugs and a bottle.

Do not use double wall to cook in. Not only is it extremely inefficient, but there are hazards, such as are mentioned previous.

When I am in the business of eating in a survival situation, nothing I would put in my single wall cup is gonna be there long enough to cool off much. As soon as the liquid cools enough for me to gulp, if such is the case, that is what I do. This is much different from camping, even with a backpack.

I can maybe understand titanium, but why stainless? It is heavy, and in a survival situation I would think aluminum would be preferable. I've primarily used aluminum cookware in my backpack trips all my life. Heck, even just aluminum foil would be suitable.

I guess a stainless cup isn't much to consider weightwise. Certainly it will be more durable than aluminum.

I also go single wall but the sole purposes for my cup are cooking and boiling water in.

Thanks guys for the valuable feedback. Clearly, double-wall ain't happenin' for cooking/boiling. So, it's a Snow Peak 700 titanium single-wall. Thanks again!

Dan

I picked up my SnowPeak 700's on ebay from a fellow in Washington. They were quite a bit better price than at the backpacking stores. I particularily like the lid which allows proper steeping of tea.

Will sheet aluminum - as in an aluminum cup - withstand the heat of wood fire coals? I chose stainless steel because I thought it is more melt resistant than aluminum.

I just chose SS because it was cheap and available and fit my bottle. Had Ti been at the same store I would have been just as likely to chose it even though it would have been more expensive.

Sheet aluminum will not stand up to any flame source as well as steel or Ti, it will work for a limited period of time. I would think for a survival situation it would last plenty long enough.
I've used the same throw away pie tin for melting wax over a low flame for a couple years now, and it seems to be doing just fine. It is getting a little beat up, but it still does the job.

Given time, even cast iron will not hold up to repeated firings. I can already see wear on my oldest skillets which are used often enough in open campfires. Ti will likewise ablate, as do any metals subjected to oxidizing action, just at different rates.

In fact, there are dutch ovens made of aluminum, some have been used over open fires for years. They do wear, but they remain just about as usable as anything else.

For survival, though, I don't reckon there's that much advantage of aluminum over steel insofar as weight is concerned. The only other concern then would be price, which can be significantly different.

The weight savings of aluminum vs stainless are large. Did you mean Al vs Ti? Question is why pay for titanium instead of aluminum?

I guess a titanium mug is better to hold in your hand and drink from because of Ti's lower heat conduction. I like titanium (or ceramic or Lexan) spoons for the same reason.

Isn't TI more conductive?

Go with the single wall,you can heat stuff up with it . the dbl. will deform with direct heat . If you want to keep the content's warm slide and old sock on it. the sock come's in handy as pot holder/wipe down / bottle insulater

No, Al is much more conductive than Ti.

Hate it when I'm wrong.

S/S Oli cup $5.99 at Campmor.
I don't mind cooking on a fire with this one.
You can carry 2 on a Nalgene bottle. Top and Bottom.

Yes, aluminum vs stainless, and you are right, but at the scale we're talking about, I think the relative weight for one cup in the pack will feel indistinguishable based on what it is made from, maybe even two.

Whenever I go camping I carry 2 stainless cups - 1 nests with my nalgene; and 1 military canteen cup with nesting stove stand, which also is the perfect size for my backpack's side pocket and for holding survival gear. The nalgen cup I bought because it was cheap and nesting, and incidentally the bottom(both inside and out) is shiny enough to work as a mirror(both regular and signal, although I've never tried it as a signal mirror).

I carry a second cup so I can have tea or other hot beverage while using the other as a bowl(and not getting my nalgene dirty, although it would probably be fine for tea). I also like the nesting stove stand, although I've never really used it(except as a radiator to cool down a hot beverage-I think it's made of aluminum) and I honestly don't how well it would work without solid fuel. Having a second boiling container can be valuable in a survival situation, to purify twice as much water in the same time, or to use one as a shovel, hammer, collecting wild food, etc., even carrying coals or a small fire if you don't have matches. I also often travel with inexperienced or unprepared people, and an extra cup is always handy.
Eventually I will probably replace one of them with a titanium cup, mainly for the corosion and heat resistance, but not until they become cheaper or I become richer.

I also have doubts about the strength of titanium, I don't know if it can stand up to the abuse of survival or even regular use, especially if improvised for some of the above purposes. There are many misconceptions about titanium, and I'm a bit unclear on it myself. Saying that titanium is simply stronger than steel is meaningless, unless you define what you mean by "stronger". Remember that titanium is 40% as dense as steel. With an equal weight of titanium and steel, titanium is stronger, but several times the volume. At an equal strength, titanium is about 45% lighter. What about at an equal volume? This may be the most important question for general use, and I'm not really sure the answer. According to this site, titanium is half as strong(and half the weight) as steel for a given volume . This would explain why it is almost never used in knife and sword blades, where volume is critical.
The point is that titanium is not a miracle metal. It can be stronger, lighter, or both, but also weaker and lighter, than steel. It all depends on the volume, and of course alloy. As far as titanium cups go, the volume seems about the same as other materials, so it is most likely weaker than steel. Sorry for the rant, but I hope I corrected some myths about titanium.