I'm planning to build a PSK, but not sure what container to use for it. It's not a pocket version, but something I can throw into my pack when I think I may need it.

The current options are Otter box, tupperware, 1L SS water bottle, an old SS lunchbox I have, and nylon bag.

Otterbox is very strong and waterproof, but the box itself takes up a lot of space, and there aren't much space inside a 2000.

Tupperware is waterproof and relatively compact.

A stainless water bottle would be strong and waterproof, and can be used as snow melter and water boiler if needed, but content inside would be hard to access, and the shape would be hard to carry.

The old stainless lunchbox I have is not waterproof, but can boil water, and easier to carry and access than a water bottle.

A nylon bag like this or this would be easiest to carry, to fit things inside and access them, but of course they aren't waterproof, or used as water container.

So any thoughts/suggestions?

The problem with otter boxes and stuff is that they have no other use except to carry your PSK. Thats why I pack mine into a soup can. I can use that can in an emergency to boil water, to carry water or to cook with. This way every part of my PSK including the container has a good use. A small coffee can with the snap on plastic lid is very useful. Just wrap tape around it a few times and it is reasonably waterproof.
The round shape dosen't fit in a pocket as comfortable as a flat tin would, but it still fits. Just like anything in life, there has to be a compromise.

Yeah I don't really like the otter box compare to other options. The ideal container for me would be something like the SS water bottle but wide body and mouth like a soup can, but I've never seen anything like that.

If you want to drop the coin, look at the snow peak solo cook set(titanium or ss)

They are larger than a can, but the same shape. It has a lid and a second cup on the bottom. I rarly venture out without mine, but I use it too often for a PSK carrier.

Err yeah, $60 for a container is a bit over my budget lol.

If you're looking at a SS water bottle, you still need to have a big plastic or nylon bag as well. Because when you need the water bottle, you need something else to carry your kit in.

The only wide-mouth SS water bottle I've found worthwhile is this one (Filzer Kewl Water Bottle):

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442629165&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302696609&bmUID=1268967370897

The entire rubber-plastic top is removable, so it's very fire-friendly. Mine has an inside diameter of about 2" (max).

BTW, if you boil up tea in one of these, plan to set it aside for a while. Must be the shape; even though it's single-wall, it takes a long time to drop to a friendly temperature.

EDIT: don't know why the hyperlink is wonky. Sorry 'bout that, but cut and paste works.

How about using a wide mouth 32 oz Nalgne bottle for the kit storage?

You can fit a lot of kit in one these bottles which can be carried in your back pack or attached to the outside on a lashing strap etc. Since you always need water, carry a SS bottle that can be used for boiling the water if needed.

Heh, that's exactly the one I'm looking at. The mouth is still a little small, accessing content would be hard without dumping everything out first.

Of course a few ziplock bags will be included no matter what I end up using.



If I use that, I might as well use a SS bottle for storage, no? For actual water use I still prefer a transparent one so I can see how much is left with a glance.

Doug:

Those are good bottles, I was looking at them in an actual MEC store just over an hour ago...

Here is a clickable link to the bottle

It depends....Are you carrying the PSK in case you loose your main backpack? If this is the case, then having both bottles gives you more options.

My PSK is alays based on the scenario that it is all the gear I would have to work with if I lost my pack.

On the other hand if you think you will never loose the pack then the SS bottle will suffice.

BTW, the SS bottle Doug mentioned. The diameter of the lid is much smaller then it looks in the photo link.

True, but either way with a bottle container (and most other containers), if I lose my pack the bottle is likely gone as well since it'll be either in or attached to the pack. Haven't quite figured out how to solve that yet.

Good point...

My EDC/PSK is this MEC bag. It has a shoulder strap long enough to be carried cross shouldered which is my preferred method. There is also a belt loop that can handle any belt up to about 2" wide. Downside, the bag is not waterproof so anything that needs to be kept dry is in zip locks.

That's one of thing things I have trouble deciding, have a hard container that's waterproof and boil water, or soft container that's not waterproof but more likely to be attached to me.

I decided long ago that a kit attached to me is more important. I always have a 500 ML Nalgene bottle that is attached to the bag's strap and depend on water treatment tablets for my drinking water.

my thought on this is than it should be something you can cook in.the SS box could be sealed with one of the many tapes out there now,duct tape being the most common.

I recently bought a couple wide-mouth Kleen Kanteen SS bottles
http://www.kleankanteen.com/products/wide/klean-kanteen-wide.html

I don't keep any kit in them.
pocket kit is in one of these:
http://dirt-bike-gear.com/accessories.html

I have also been through this and previously done some searching on the net and have found the following items:

Trangia in general are just too bulky, clumsy, just the wrong shape for a PSK. For normal camping, they are OK.

Trangia matlåda större - Trangia foodbox larger
Matlåda i aluminium. Mått: 20x13x7cm Vikt: 245g - Foodbox in aluminum. Size: 20x13x7cm Weight:245g
http://www.pinal.se/trangia-matlada-stor...ign=kelkooclick

and a smaller one
http://www.pinal.se/trangia-matlada-liten-p-494.html

and one with a handle
http://www.pinal.se/trangia-matlada-med-handtag-p-495.html


British Army Aluminium Mess Kit set
http://www.surplusandadventure.com/shop/...tin-310458.html
Good for cooking and keeping stuff, these are not water proof.

Mini Mess Box
95g, 13 x 9.5 x 3cm
http://www.qmstores.co.uk/gbu0-prodshow/BC-CN550.html
Watertight - remember to remove the rubber seal before cooking and replacing it afterwards.

SIGG ALU BOX MINI, 6.7" x 4.6" x 2.4
http://mysigg.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=307
Watertight - rubber seal

Crusader Mess Tin
BCB International
http://www.bestglide.com/crusader_mess_tin.html
Also a bit on the bulky side

I use one of these Witz cases for my PSK.

I saw a guy use a mini-loaf pan for a PSK container; about 5.75 in. x 3 in. x 2.1 in. You can get them in 3-packs at the Big Blue Retailer for around 8 dollars. I bought a pack to see how it worked out. Still building and packing.

Standard Disclaimers

This somewhat overlaps with the looong thread "... and a pot". http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=188249&page=1. Lots of interesting angles to this problem.

The holy grail of PSK container and cooking pot is yet to be found - all those compromises between capacity, ease of use, shape and bulk. Thseng found a source for square, flat containers, no welding seams (page 13 of the "...and a cup" thread) which probably would be a winner - but hit a dead end due to minimum production requirements. If someone has confidence in their ability to sell more than 60.000 of these then that project may come to life...

I was in on that thread. If some one wants to venture out on the 60,000, I'll take at least a couple. There's a start.

Nalgene now sells the Guyout Designs stainless bottle. It's shaped like a wide-mouth Nalgene bottle, but the body is all stainless steel.

http://www.amazon.com/Nalgene-Stainless-Steel-Water-Bottle/dp/B001O0LX9C

If you can get to one, Target stores sell stainless steel coffee cans. They fit on the end of a 32oz Nalgene. With the lid, they're kind of bullet-shaped. I think they're under $10, hiding somewhere in the kitchen storage area. They also sell a smaller and larger size for sugar, flour, etc. I need to buy some or at least take pictures since I can never find any online.

Is the Nalgene/Guyout item a double wall product? I seem to have trouble either finding double wall SS bottles, or actually determining if the bottles I see in the store are of double wall construction.

The Nalgene is single wall. What I don't like about SS bottles is that they sweat a lot more then other materials. This is ok when you are only ever keeping the bottle on the outside of your pack. However in the hotter temperatures, I prefer to keep my 2nd bottle in the pack so that the water stays colder longer. With the SS bottles (regardless of brand) ensure that the bottle in the pack is kept away from such things as clothes and socks. I speak from personal experience on this one...

Curious if anyone has tried one of the many styles of the GSI bottles with the DogBone for wrapping duct tape around?

No perks just asking

Also I've seen discussion about rewrapping duct tape around other items. How easy is this to do, and when you go to peal it off, has its lost any of it's integrity from being unwound and rewound?

I have not used any of the GSI bottles, but I like to wrap duct tape around Bic and Mini Bic lighters to always have some on me in a small amount of space. Duct tape fits around the mini bic perfectly, and makes it easier to hold on to.

I wrap duct tape around one of my hiking poles, and it seems to be unaffected and quite reusable, even after periods of a year or more. Hot storage conditions would probably degrade the tape.

I have one of these Nalgene SS bottles also. With a mouth opening of just 2 inches and a bottle depth of 7 inches, outside of a survival situation, I cannot see how you could "cook with them often" unless you are warming up water or a watery broth soup based dinner. If you scorch and burn any food in these bottles, it is not going to be easy cleaning and scouring the inside of these bottles...

I can think of a lot better containers to cook with.

Several freeze dried meals (Mountainhouse comes to mind) are sold in pouches into which you simply pour hot water to reconstitute a meal that would certainly be acceptable for survival situations. You can also roll your own.

As long as you have that nice cup of tea you will be fine.

That sounds pretty darn intriguing. I'll try that on one of my longer bike rides. I'll bet it will be a nice change from the ever present Clif bars.

Just tried to pack things into the 1L stainless lunchbox I have, it's just a little bit too small.

Damn it, so either I'll have to omit some stuff, or I'll have to go with one of those bags.

Forever faithfull to Clif 'Black Cherry Almond'...but I might try the mint/chocolate idea too.

What about a hard anodized, machined aluminum container with dimensions of 2-1/2"w x 4"l x 1-1/2"d. Comes with a lid but no latches to reduce overall profile, just tape or rubber band shut with a piece of bike innertube.

Any opinions?

What is weight and cost on that?

Here is something I have been looking at for smaller kits:



But I really like the widemouth Klean Kanteens for larger kits. Here is a blog post I did. At the time I was using the narrow mouth models which didnt work as well for survival kits but work great for a water bottle and improvised boiling solution.

http://austereprovisions.blogspot.com/2010/01/aqua-est-vita.html

Good timing, one of the pockets on my psk ripped open so I need to look for something else. Mine is a pocket kit so it needs to be small enough and flexible enough to move with me.
I was using a leather key case which is basically a small wallet had some cash in the wallet pocket, change, zipper size compass, bandaids, etc in the zip pocket, lighter, arc AAA flashlight in the outer pocket and a gerber ridge knife in the other flap.

I realize now I don't need all these keys, since I've moved I don't have to keep things locked up as tight as before, I used to have a bunch of gear locked up in my garage. So i really need a small wallet with small pockets to separate things.

Wow, that looks like and expensive way to make a container. On the other hand, it does give me ideas...