Today's easy addition: a tin cup

A tin cup (or metal water bottle) makes boiling water possible, if slow. You can then make tea or hot coco. Camping stores carry them and -- Hint of the day -- get one to fit the bottom of your water bottle for easy packing.


File under: kits, beginner, water, hunting, EDC, survival, car kit and cheapskate

I like those blue-enameled metal cups. They come in different useful sizes, suitable for different types of packs. They're sturdy and can take quite a lot of abuse. And you can pack stuff into them so very little space is wasted.

A cup is useful infinite times. There's just no way you're going to heat water in a folded piece of aluminum very many times.

Sue

I had a friend (long dead I am afraid) who was captured by the Japanese and spent most of WW2 in a prisoner of war camp.

I once asked him what he had most missed and he replied that it was his mug which had been left in the vehicle when captured, together with the rest of his kit, and he had not been allowed to collect.

He said that having a mug would halved the deprivations of the camp.

I still have and treasure my GI issue canteen cup and (aluminum) canteen. Canteen nests in cup and both go on carrier on the belt. IMO a great combination.

I assume they are still available via the surplus stores.

I got mine at a surplus store, BWS, and tney're 1/2 of my favorite bits of kit.

Around my canteen, either a Nalgene 1L bottle or a Gatorade 1 qt bottle, I place a Snowpeak 700 (cc) cup/pot. It fits quite snugly, with just enough space to accommodate a windscreen. I can heat/sterilize all the water I need and cook all my meals in this container. For once, this is a valid use for titanium.

I have always wanted to get my hands on a titanium mug. They are so versatile. As well as an aluminum bottle or equivalent. Just haven't found what I want for the right price.

Ti mugs are great. Unlike aluminum and stainless steel, Ti does not react chemically and so doesn't alter the taste.

Find one you like and just buy it; consider it an investment, it won't wear out.

IIRC a 1 liter Nalgene nests inside a Snow Peak 700 Ti Mug.

Don't worry - they will never (well, hardly ever) be available for the right price. Just bite the bullet and get one - you will be glad you did. That has always been my experience when purchasing something that seemed very pricy but that also offered real advanages. Way deep in the woods, the initial cost can seem rather trivial when your gear is keeping you snug and warm.

For backpacking I'm using an Evernew companion cup at 400 ml. It's all I need. Cost about 20 bucks.

It's quite dreadful to hear this: if such a small item would have provided that much comfort, the conditions were terrible indeed. Very sorry for your friend.

At the same time, I can't help but imagine what uses he might have put the mug to? I assume you can use it to contain food, either for immediate consumption or for storage. You can also use it to store other stuff. Perhaps for morale. Maybe trading for something you urgently need. I can't see using a mug for digging. Did your friend ever explain?

Da Bing, who thinks the tin cup might turn into his easy addiCtion

You can also fit a 110g fuel canister, gas stove, mini-bic lighter and a small pack towel inside one and still close the lid. Or an alcohol stove, wind screen, lighter, folding spork and small towel. One of my favorite bits of gear, I have several.

A nalgene bottle will nest in an Olicamp stainless cup. You can then take both the Nalgene and the Olicamp stainless cup and nest both of those inside a Zebra 12cm Billy Pot (without the billy pot's lid).

http://www.amazon.com/Olicamp-Space-Saver-Cup/dp/B0059QHNWS

http://www.bushcraftoutfitters.com/Zebra-Loop-Handle-Billy-Pot-12-cm-zebra-billy-12.htm

*grins* I EDC a Space Saver Cup, and have one in my ditch kit. They are very nice, but I'm looking for the Space Saver Mug (24 vs 16 oz) but they seem to have been a limited run item.

Hot tip- if you have a side cutting can opener, find a coffee can. The ends are the right size to serve as a lid for both the Olicamp and GSI cups (same parent company I think).

Thanks, good info. For the record if anyone from Snow Peak reads this -- You need lids for the Snow Peak Titanium Double-Wall Cup, both 450 & 600. What's the point of a double wall mug if it just cools down due to having no lid?

Evernew has just such a setup for their double wall cup that is about this size. It comes with a gorgeous flexible lid that securely snaps onto the rim. The problem is that, perhaps due to differential expansion when holding liquids, there is a persistent dribble when in use.

Otherwise, it is a very fine, well insulated cup. Without the lid, you are encouraged to quaff your liquid and hit the trail. No dawdling around camp......

I was about to post the very same thing, good thing I read the thread. A Gatorade 1 quart fits perfectly with just a little slack, the Nalgene is a little looser but no biggie. It's a wonderfully lightweight version of an excellent setup. It saves a lot of weight over a Lexan Nalgene and a stainless steel cup.

The SnowPeak Hot Lips gadget is overpriced but it works well.

This lengthy thread from last year has 19 pages of good ideas and thoughts on the best pot/cup/container for just about any needs...

There you go, Snowpeak have fixed it for you...if only for the 300ml and 450ml double walled ti mugs

http://www.snowpeak.com/450ml-mug-insulation-lid-mgc-053.html

The simple cup (titanium) became one of my quests last winter. Here's my Snow Peak Trek 700. Weighs 4.8 ounces. No more day hikes outside the Beltway without this cup/pot in my pack.

http://www.rei.com/product/708071/snow-peak-titanium-trek-700-mug

This REI titanium "Sierra Cup" is with me whenever my dog is because it is her drinking cup. To my surprise, after years of carrying them online and in their stores, REI is not currently selling this item. They are still selling a stainless version.

http://www.rei.com/product/607224/evernew-titanium-sierra-style-cup

Tin cup is super important and overlooked. Its not enough to have 100oz camelbak if you can't put purified water in it (given you have lost or don't have any alternate means of purification than fire). I have a Ti cup but it's too narrow to nest a Nalgene bottle. I have the GSI stainless steel cup that perfectly nests a 1L Nalgene round bottle and I recently bought a Nalgene Oasis (GI canteen) which I can use my canteen cup. I am starting to prefer the Oasis as the footprint is smaller in my pack but can't add ice, harder to scrub out.

DON'T OVERLOOK THE TIN CUP. GREAT POST.

Aha. I repeat myself. I contain multitudes...

Yep, I have more than one also. I don't have any in "tin", but I have both stainless and a few in Ti. The Ti Snow Peak 450 double wall mug is used daily. The 700 not so much, but it's a better all-around mug for cooking, eating & drinking.

Will the Snow Peak 450 double wall mug fit on the bottom of a nalgene bottle?

No, not even close.

Having established that cost is no object, how would you rate the Snow Peak 700 ml vs. the MSR 850 ml Titan Kettle? Thoughts?

MSR Titan kettle at MEC

I'm willing to give up 150ml of capacity and opt for the Snowpeak's excellent packability with a Nalgene or Gatorade bottle nested in it, while saving $13 along the way. Not that you can't nest a bottle in the Ti Kettle, just that it's not quite as efficient.

Part of my reasoning is that I've had great results using the 700ml Snowpeak for a party of 2 hikers, so I know for me it's enough volume. If you bump up to 3+ in the party, or start needing to melt snow, the 850ml capacity doesn't help much over the Snowpeak and you still have to go to a larger vessel.

The Snowpeak 700 is actually worth the cost in this application. It is very tough, providing shielding for either the Nalgene or Gatorade water bottle, and is adequate for one or two easily. For a larger group, I tend to go with aluminum, which can be jsut as light, although not as tough.

My Sigg Tourist cookset, a very lightweight thin aluminum set, only lasted me for thirty-five years. My Snowpeak 700 is probably immortal.... I tend to shy away from stainless, except for car camping.

I carry my single walled, 400ml REI Ti cup everywhere. Its very small, but thats the point. I wanted something I could throw in my EDC bag/daypack and forget it was even there. One of the best investments I've made.

The problem with some TI cups is that they do not tolerate repeated high heat cycles and will warp after awhile which is troublesome for the TI cups that have a fitted lid.

I use a SS cup that has provided years of usefulness and will probably last for the rest of my hiking days. I am not a weight weenie when it comes to gear so I don't worry about the pros and cons of TI vs SS weights.

I would think that warping is not a problem if your cooking technique is basically boiling water. My SP 700 seems to handle that process just fine. Just don't let it run dry....

I am a weight weenie. While the law of diminishing returns does apply to the process of lightening your pack, years of mountain SAR taught me that searching out lightweight, functional (key word) gear was well worth the effort. Lighter equipment may or may not be more expensive.

The best way for any person to be a weight weenie is to lose some body lbs. There are not many people that cannot afford to do this. It would take a lot of expensive TI and other lightweight gear to make up for 5 -10 lbs of lost body weight...not to mention the obvious health benefits.

I haven't put any of my titanium over a flame so have no idea about whether it'd be prone to warp or how much of a problem warping would be. Good to know that could be an issue.

For me, the Snow Peak 700 is an emergency item only so wanted it to be as light as possible.

I don't backpack and if I want a hot beverage on a day hike will carry a thermos.

You make a really good point. My concern for shaving pounds and ounces was probably at its height when I was running marathons and was also quite active in mountain SAR. My pack weight was usually around 45 pounds, occasionally up to 50, and a lot of it was mission critical material whose weight and bulk were fixed -radios, first aid items, climbing gear and the like. Everything that could do double duty, displayed versatility, or that was a bit lighter was welcomed.

The benefit was that I was able to respond immediately with my pack and stay in the field for two to three days, in either the desert or the mountains. There was a lot of seasonal adjustment - one of my colleagues remarked that in the summer our packs became "giant water bottles," and anything but lightweight. There is no getting around the need for water.

Currently, I must admit, I am not in marathoning shape, but I get along reasonably well for an old guy....

Back to your point - at one point, I did work at trimming my weight, getting it down to about 170-175; the improvement in my vigor and endurance was well worth it. Body weight is an excellent starting point for improving performance.

The bottom line is that there is precious little benefit to dragging around a lot of excess weight. Every bit shaved off will enhance performance. And yet, like so many other things, it is possible to carry this process to ridiculous, unproductive extremes.

Heat from backpacking type stoves are not a problem, however wood fires are. I have an old TI cup somewhere that is warped from far too many exposures to hot wood fires. The warping is to the point that the lid does not close and the cup sits with a bit of lean to the left.

Do a test run at home if you've got a gas range. That way you'll also know how hot the handles will get. I've never had a problem with Ti stuff warping, but as others have said, never leave Ti empty on a flame.

The only cookware I know will not warp is my stainless GI canteen cup. Then again, its a solid hunk of steel.

More pics of my Snow Peak 700 -- packed with some helpful items in a crunch. The smaller cup next to it is an Evernew titanium "Sierra cup" that serves as my dog's water cup. I have a Sierra cup in my rucksack whenever I walk her around town in addition to longer day hikes outside the Beltway.

The 700's contents are: Lipton soup mix, two packets of cocoa, Bic lighter, two firesteels, two firesteel strikers, Vaseline, cotton balls, Katadyn Micropur tablets and Doug's MK5 knife.

Am thinking I should take the soup mix and cocoa out of the original packaging and put them in more malleable zip lock bags.

The Evernew titanium Sierra cup, which REI carried for years but does not currently, weighs only 1.6 ounces (45.4 grams).

http://www.rei.com/product/607224/evernew-titanium-sierra-style-cup

I have the same Snow Peak 700 which has had some use and still in great shape. I also have the smaller snow peak single wall in one of my smaller kits. Good stuff and light in weight for the packs.

I love pics of used gear. I'm going to purchase a stainless steel cup.

As part of a larger emerg kit, I just made an SOS kit for a boat, designed to be small, inconspicuous, float and ALWAYS be on board, even if the larger kit is removed. I put key basic emerg gear (fire, water purification, signalling, sheter, navigation, first aid, light and food) in a Nalgalene. I put that in an aluminium can and duct taped them together. A metal vessel for boiling water was one of the key items I wanted to include. The can was cheap and easy.

Thanks for mentioning this ... I recently bought a Jeep and have been tossing my emergency gear in the back of the vehicle. My titanium cup is still in the garage - so I'll transfer it this morning.

Ian said ... "I had a friend (long dead I am afraid) who was captured by the Japanese and spent most of WW2 in a prisoner of war camp."
You knew somebody VERY special there.
Nobody went through a rougher experience than those guys !!!

Pete2

I have been carrying a gi canteen cup for .....wow..60 years. I was given one by my next door neighbor. He was a paratrooper during ww2.

He highly recommended it as the most useful item he carried. I agree.

Although the canteen I carry now is plastic, the cup is still a heavy duty
GI stainless steel one. Wish I still had the original but there have been several improvements.
Nomad

Will that stainless steel cup fit in the 10cm (not 12cm) Zebra Billy Pot?