It's not camping nor hiking gear - I already have that. It is emergency gear small enough that it fits a pocket, for those occations without my backpack / daypack. Sacrificing comfort, convenience and efficiency for small sice.

I'm not arguing that, I'm just can't see how a wider mouth (with the volume - constant) can do the job better. Scoop, compact with a stick, scoop again, compact again... What I'm missing?

In short, I think 3/4 inch is quite a narrow slot to fill... and I'm very confident that the "U" cut version will be more effective.


Making a U-cut at the outward curve side will let you scoop much more effectively because of the wider opening. On hard snow you use it as a carpenters plane iron, all that is "shaved off" goes into the boottle.

And when the first snow is (partially) melted you want to add more snow, using your hand or whatever else you have available for the job. (Snow is best melted in a water/slush mixture, so use the first water as "seed" to melt more snow). Expanding the opening will greatly simplifly the job of adding more snow and compressing it inside the pot.


Perhaps I shouldn't be as persistent about what will work best when I haven't tested it. I am 100% confident I'm correct about this, having done my part of mucking about in the snow and all that. But let's just say I do my bottle my way and I promise to back to tell you if it works out the way I wanted, shall we? If I'm wrong I'm not afraid to tell you, that's just a shared learning experience.

Deal I hope to finish mine on this long weekend. And plan a snow adventure for 6 days on New Year week.

anyone know what this is like?
The Sock

http://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/shop/c...eel-534979.html

Haven't tried one but I also saw a couple styles at this place

They also have canteen cup lids there.

Certainly beats the military chemical heaters i.e. flameless ration heaters if you want your 24hr ORP boil in the bag meals hot enough but you'll need either a plastic or double walled cup if you want to drink a hot brew out of one of these. The Hexamine and Fuel Gel are pretty messy though but they do work (esp with the Hexitabs ). The set is pretty indestructible though and not much can go wrong.

Personally I would go with something a little lighter, faster, controllable and efficient such as the Gelert Blaze PZ Micro Titanium Folding Gas Stove (Markill Peak Ignition Copy) and Primus Etapower 1.2 litre pot (Etapower pots are extremely fuel efficient and will over time will save money due to the cost of the expensive gas canisters).

http://www.worldofcamping.co.uk/shop/gelert_blaze_pz_micro_folding_gas_stove__2642

http://www.ultimateadventurehardware.co.uk/item/Brand_Primus-EtaPower-Pot-12L_91_0_282_0.html

Or even the Swedish Trangia cookset if cost is a factor.

http://www.ronniesunshines.com/swedish-trangia-stove-mess-billy-camp-cook-p-988.html

Wish I had followed this thread back in November. This is one of my concerns. I have the GSI cup that fits over a Nalgene. I have made an entire kit around it and carry it in my briefcase daily as well as slipping it in my pack when I'm outof doors.

I'd love a container that I could use to hold a pocket kit that would also double as a cook pot. Problem with Altoid type tins (aside from size) is that they are oriented the wrong way.

30 years ago, as a kid in Scouts, someone was giving us a wilderness survival class and I remember him pulling a metal band-aid box out of his "survival pouch" and saying he kept it in there to use as a pot to boil water. I've always thought that something like that would be about the correct size (maybe a little big) for a pocket kit. But the Band-aid boxes had seams, were made out of tin, and are largely unavailable now.

I'd really like to see a "band-aid" type box made out of stainless steel (or titanium) similar to my GSI mug (i.e., no seams and similar handles - a snug fitting lid is also part of my wish). Such a kit would fit in a cargo pocket for outdoor pursuits but would not necessarily be my EDC pocket kit. I am constantly looking for such a beast but to no avail.

I've always considered the cup-over-Nalgene to be the best currently available solution.

I'd like to see a molded plastic insert with a metal lid that would fit snugly into a large sierra cup, with the plastic bowl serving as a container for a survival kit, and the sierra cup with fitted lid serving to boil water or cook in. It's easy to hook a sierra cup handle securely under a belt or strap for convenient carry.

Vargo makes a large (750 ml) Sierra Cup with lid that comes close. It is fiendishly expensive ($40).

I have been fiddling around with a standard size Sierra cup. A plastic "I Can't Believe It is Not Butter" tub can be fitted to the cup, tacking it in place with Gorilla tape. Unfortunately the plastic lid can't stay on when boiling water. I am fiddling with a lid made from aluminum flashing, but it is defintely a work in progress.

I agree that the cup over canteen (I like a Gatorade bottle rather than a Nalgene) to be the best combo available right now.