As far as I can remember, I’ve been fiddling with my pocket-sized PSK (see Updated fishing/hiking PSK thread) so I could wear it on my person in wilderness scenarios. I wanted it to be pocked-sized so bad that I got really frustrated when it came to choosing a container to boil water in. I wanted something that would fit in a 5” x 7” polyurethane Aloksak waterproof bag. I've seen members using aluminium foil and oven bags, okay, but I wanted something sturdier… couldn’t find anything suitable.

Which got me thinking…

Some people have recommended a simple empty soup can to boil water in… I think that’s a great idea, definitely seems cheaper than a BCB mess tin or even a Primus LITECH kettle I was considering. The can could hold all my PSK items, including a large orange garbage bag… However, this kit would have to live in my backpack or fishing bag…

I know that there’s always is a risk that I might be separated from my backpack when hiking. I am aware that I could be left with nothing if my fishing boat flipped over and I found myself swimming for shore… But does that justify the pocket-size obsession? I NEVER leave my backpack when hiking, and I always have a fishing bag (and fishing buddy for that matter) around when I fish (water, gloves, food, etc…).

I’m giving the soup can PSK a shot and will only keep a BIC lighter, Photon and Victorinox One-handed Trekker on my person.

Any thoughts on this?

Do you have a can openner that cuts the side of the crimp? That will work best. A conventional, top cutting can opener might leave somethign that feels smooth, but your gear will take a beating from it. So will your lip if you have to use it. Also, with the side cutter, you get to keep the top as a lid. Better boil time, you can use it to fry minnows, maggots and grasshopers, and it will improve the water resistance of your kit inside.

(And if you make a two part kit, using this and a smaller can, the lid let's you make a double boiler type affair, so you can cook/boil water, and heat water from your bottle for tea.)

Try to find one the plastic pet food saver things, that go on top of a can of pet food. If you picked the right size soup can, one of those (with or without the saved lid) will give you decent water resistance. With the lid, you also get a small space for stashing things like snare wire between the two lids. Without those, if you have the metal lid, use two wide rubber bands to keep the lid down.

Slip it into a pair of quart sized freezer bags, and the entire thing fits happily into a mil surplus pouch designed to hold three M-16/C7 mags, or a number of digital camera pouches. Very little bulk, very little weight. (I've never built one of these or anything....)

Really good is to have this on you, and have in your kit a hobo cooker made from a coffee can in your bigger bag. Run two pieces of stiff wire (I killed a coat hanger and used it's bones) across it. That will set the first couple of inches of the soup can into the stove, and things will cook nice and fast. If you are using an methynol stove, poke some holes in the coffee can at the right height and bring a second set of wires, and if you've made your air holes in the hobo stove the right size, it will look like you are cooking over a rocket once it's warmed up.

Hi ironraven!

Thanks for your reply.

I intend to boil water over a fire, without a stove. I would use a branch to make a pot support, like in the Michel Blomgren videos. I'd poke holes on each sides of the can and make a handle with the steel wire I have in my PSK. Then i'd hang the soup can off the branch and boil away! <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for your tip regarding the cutting of the lid... i'll pay attention to that as I experiment with different cans and sizes.

I really think that your PSK is very, very good. To bad if you would be moving away from it......IMHO.
But of course you have to experiment to see what works best for you. Personally: I would keep some HD aluminium foil in my PSK as a back-up, and a kettle, tin etc. in your pack.

If you want something you can keep on your person you can look into the new SIGG classic bottles, they have a cup that is shaped like a pocket bottle (where they keep alcoholic drinks in) and I guess it is about 0,4 liter in size an can be carried in a large trouser or cargo pocket.
http://www.sigg.ch/en/html/images_sports/ov_blackretro.jpg

Rick

Most cans now have a plastic film on the inside to protect the food from getting a metalic flavor.
If you "cook" with a can you will probably burn out the inside of the can first to remove the film. If you leave the plastic intact it can be toxic when heated.

You might have rust issues when using a metal container, and how do you plan on sealing it up? My first PSK (it wasn't called a PSK back then, just "emergency stuff") was stored in a metal band aid container. It was probably about double the size of an altoid tin. The top was sealed with electrical tape to keep the contents dry, but that also prevented easy access to the contents. In a way, that was good because I wasn't tempted to steal the lighter out of it all the time when I couldn't find one. But it was bad because I didn't open it often enough to check on the contents. When I finally did open it after a few years, I found the inside just covered with rust, and most of my stuff ruined.

Moral of the story: Metal can rust, even if sealed and kept dry, and check your stuff often.

I think if you plan on carrying this in a backpack and size isn't an issue, I think there are better containers than a soup can. Those side cut can openers are great for opening cans, but even with those the lids don't really fit back on very well.
What about using a Nalgelene bottle, can you boil water in those? Or maybe a coffee can with a resealable lid?

Once you get to the can sized survival kit, why not go all out? Mine is a polycarbonate nalgene bottle nested in a Snow Peak Mini Solo Cookset. I sorta like THIS -- using a Snow Peak 700 with a coffee can to use as a stove. Mine fits in a small nylon sack to keep it all together. A nalgene bottle can carry lots of in lieu of water and there are no problems with the can edge cutting things inside. YMMV

If you're going with a 5x7 Aloksak, you might think about using the small (8 oz) Sierra Cup. It is flatter than a soup can and will fit into a 5x7. It is Stainless steel so you won't have to worry about rust and that 5x7 Aloksak can be slipped into a belt pouch of similar size or a cargo pocket on pants jackets, etc..

Well, JIM's flattering comment about my Aloksak PSK made me rethink my strategy... it's true that being able to "wear" the PSK in a cargo leg pocket is a nice plus... I will add the whistle I had forgotten and some HD aluminium foil to it.

Which leaves me looking for an ideal container for my backpack or fishing bag.

I like the small 8 oz cup idea, however while i'm at it, why not go ahead and purchase something more versatile... The Snow Peak Ti mini cookset looks nice... Being so light, I could simply stuff small items in the cookset to avoid wasted space. And it's easier to access items from this cookset than from a wide-mouth Nalgene.

I still like the Primus LITECH kettle Michel Blomgren uses in his bushcraft videos. Since in a survival situation I would boil water over a fire, the Primus kettle appears perfect because of the handle... The Snow Peak Ti cookset looks more versatile however. I don't know which one to choose. The kettle seems bulkier and harder to pack, but goes for 16,50 $ CAD. The Snow Peak cookset goes for 56 $ CAD...

Questions, questions... lol <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />