I've used the Walmart grease pot for years, but one of mine recently suffered a, uhm, newtonian accident in my car trunk when my tote of car stuff slid into my bag of camp stuff. They're light, but not very strong.

This morning, while at wally world, I concluded that they no longer make these things. Oh well, anything good gets discontinued anyway and I have the one in my BOB still. But I did spot kitchen cannisters. I picked up a 1.7 liter one for less than six bucks- the only thing that I don't like is that the lid is glass. OK, that's what some aluminum foil is for. I'm not sure if it heavy aluminum or stainless, but it's tall and narrow so it should be more efficent on a coffee can stand. I'm thinking that it might have better luck as a camp pot. And it fits in a spare watch cap to keep the contents warm.

I'm going to be doing a couple of tests over the next couple weeks, but I have tested it's abiltiy to serve as a rice cooker if you add boiling water to rice, capped with aluminum foil and covered with a beanie. Worked very well.

I think I have seen the Mirro grease pots in the local Walmart. Might be able to get you one, if you'd like.

Another option are these Open Country cook pots that are available at almost any outdoor shop.
I used to sell these to folks who were on a budget and they are a great value.

http://www.rei.com/online/store/Search?storeId=8000&seq=41&query=cookware&orig=cookware&noalias=1&cat=5760721%2C5760724%2C5760715%2C5760717%2C40003467&vcat=REI_SEARCH:P3

Ironraven


I also was having problems trying to solve my cook pot problem, Then I bought a swedish cook set with the stove. That solved my problem. You might look into geting one of those, Mine also resides in the rear of my truck and nothing has harmed it yet, it is made to be beaten around by the troops and survive, so a car trunk schould be nothing.

And at around $15.00 or less in not a bad deal, just make sure the top of the stove or the cap is not cracked.

I have several large enameled metal mugs that are good for cooking. They hold about a quart, which should be ample for one or two people. I've found a couple of them at Goodwill for a buck apiece. A piece of foil serves as a lid.

Sue

I've three of them, I bought them for the stoves. The pots are great for car camping and at home, not so great for sticking in the trunk of my car when I might have limited fuel to heat with, or in BOB, where it's just to heavy.

MAYBE i'm a bit confused here..but..walmart grease pots??
coffee can stands?? i can see this as an last chance,going
thru a pile of junk in the wake of some disaster,do or die
kind of deal..but as a starting point it seems kind of hopeless...are you talking about using this stuff to see if
some day when you have nothing real to work with you can make
odds and ends work or is this it for you..real high quality
stoves and cooking gear is cheap for what it will bring you
in the end..hot food..boiled safe water..



in the foreground is the HUGE cook kit i take on wilderness
canoe trips and it allows me to live in the lap of luxury.
with two Sigg bottles of coleman fuel i can have 2 big hot
meals a day..warm water for bucket baths and even a short
burn in a shelter to take off the chill for two weeks..the Peak stove in
it's case/cook kit would be enought but i like pancakes
so the fry pan go's too..the big pot to bring water in camp
and the odds and ends to make things easy..if you wanted
a REAL kit that you could depend on and not just fool around
with or have for a "just on a wild chance need" i would take
a Peak type stove and a couple Sigg bottles of fuel in my
trunk..

Uhmm, yeah, "HUGE" is the operative word for that kit.

When it comes to cook gear for camping or BOB, I take a page from the ultralight crowd. It is a good place to save weight. My coffee can stand/stove is lighter than your fuel bottles are empty, costs nothing, and works with alcohal stoves, solid fuel, and wood equally well. The design has also been adapted by others to work with slender liquid fueled stoves.

The cannister boils a liter of water happily, weights maybe 6 ounces. The grease pot weights less than 4 ounces and does the same, plus it has a lid and a steamer tray. Either runs less than $5. Your fork weighs how much?

As for depending on it, got a question- can you think of a cooking vessel that will hold 1 liter safely, max about 1.5-1.7 liters, weighs a quarter pound, and will take having 50 pounds of gear slamming into it sideways? That's the scenario the crunched the one I carried in my car. I've used this kind of gear for 20 years, and this is the first failure other than having to retire a stove/stand that after two years in storage was a nice red color, and some soda can stoves that just failed. This type of gear has been proven for almost a century by Boy Scouts (in the good old days when you MADE most of your gear) and nomadic refugees (always good people to look to for what works when the stuff hits the fan), and is carried by people who through hike the Appalachian and Pacific Trails (who usually have a clue, even the superlighters are kinda crazy).

My gear is also not that different from what you are using in terms of size or durability, only that it didn't come with the same mark up or brand name. Now, I don't bother to carry anything like that monster pot because I'm not a canoeist or car camper, everything I carry, I CARRY. As in put in a pack that goes on my back, and then I WALK. And I don't need anything that big, I'm usually solo. I don't fry in the woods because I don't bother to carry oil or grease that isn't already in a food item, and if I'm going to carry the fats, I'm going to eat them. Fats are too heavy to waste like that, and the smells of frying carry too far and attract too many nuisances ranging from deer mice to 'coons to porcupines to bears. As for the extras... A pasta strainer? A pie pan? Silver spoons?

OK, I guess I can see the pasta strainer- the steamer for my pot can be used that way to. But the pasta strainer is such a one dimensional thing. The tray that I call the steamer for my grease pot also holds a lot of the little stuff like my seasonings, spare matches, tea, etc.

Mass and volume also come into play because what I call camping gear is what goes into my BOB. I don't waste my time worrying about name brands or spiffiness. It has to balance effectiveness, bulk, weight, and cost. Grease pot + stand + trangia stove (heavier than the soda can ones, but more reliable IME) + fuel bottle (aluminum) + esbit tabs (back up) + lexan spoon and fork + a few spices + scrubbie (for clean up) is maybe 3.5 pounds and costs me less than 20 bucks. For cups, I've got one on the bottom of a nalgene, plus a half sized nalgene, plus a mess tin that I carry part of my survival gear in. I'm someplace were a small fire can always be built if you aren't an idiot about it, and when ash and smoke are out of the question, the esbit and the trangia can, have and will cover me for a few days.

As for "get real stuff", I'm not going to bother to reply to that. Other than to ask if maybe you want to rephrase that?

Gentlemen, I think you've now properly identified the two near extremes in portable cooking tools. I'd say that based on your combined identifications, folks ought to be able to come up with a myriad of variances to suit their needs and tastes. You've cited excellent examples of "get real stuff" for most any situation, from improvised to well planned. You are to be commended for your excellent cooperative presentation here.

Good job identifying the diversity prevalent in today's market. All practical examples to be sure, and well identified as to application. The incorporation of a humorously challenging tone (that is a humorous tone, right?) speaks of your lighthearted yet firm conviction to each of your preferred and effective approaches.

I think you've hit it, ben. There are two extremes here. Well, the extreme of heavy is an RV with Emeril Lagasse in a duffle bag, with the extreme of light being a canteen cup and plastic babyfood spoon, but...

BIG kits have their place, but it is largely restricted to people who have a support vehicle, or a big enough party to split the gear so one guy carries his socks, lunch, water and the kitchen. If I had the space in my pack, I'd probably be tempted to go with a bigger kit. Heck, I've got a 40 quart stock pot that I consider part of my bug in gear.

On the other end is small, fast and light gear. I've never planned on having a vehicle the entire way- that's plan A. Plan A is canceled by the need to bug out, plan B doesn't last very long either; plans C though Z4C involved using a pack. While I'm not an ultra lighter, I look at their gear because I'm to home base, if the stuff hits the fan, my plans involve me being on foot. Ounces hurt. I've never had the space for a bigger kit, and I'm not sure I'd ever want it as I'd rather have the cold weather gear in that space. or more water. Or a sherpa.

I used the set up I described and an ammo can that I turned into a mini BBQ to cook about 2/3s of meals one summer I lived in the dorm while working for the school. It works. And anyone who's seen me knows that I LIKE good food.