I got the Maxpedition bottle holder today. It's a cool bag but this isn't going to be a completely "off the shelf" rig. The 1.5 qt bain marie I have is just a smidge to big to fit. The lid, which is the largest diameter item, will fit and I can get it all the way down to the bottom of the bag, but the lip of the pot prevents it from going all the way in. So I'm left contemplating what to do about it.

My first idea is to use a different pot. The 1.25 qt is a bit thinner and very well might fit fine. Although if it was made to fit the same opening as the 1.5 then the lip will probably be about the same size. I forgot to mention that I also bought a smaller one that's tapered a bit- it fits tightly in the bag. Unfortunately, they didn't have a lid for the second one. So I could use it just fine, just wouldn't have a lid. And I was really wanting a lid to keep ashes out if you boil right in the fire and to keep the heat in to boil faster.

The second idea I had is to mod the pot by cutting the rim/lip off. The pot would fit very well in the bag then. Of course, then the lid wouldn't fit tightly or I'd have to do without it.

Perhaps the best idea came from this very thread, from hikermor! He mentioned taking all the insulation out of his Maxpedition 10 x 4 bottle holder, creating a lot more room. The Maxpedition bottle carriers have pretty thick insulation, but to me it's unnecessary- it's not going to keep a bottle cold for very long, certainly not overnight, nor would I care if it did. I'm pretty sure my 1.5 would drop right down to the bottom under it's own weight without all that insulation. The downside is I'm not very comfortable with sewing. In fact, a couple days ago I bought a needle and a spool of thread to fix a seam on a pair of old sweats just to see how to do it because never in my life have I ever used a needle and thread! Still, taking out has to be easier than stitching it in, right?

One last issue- the more I put in the bottle section the less I can cram in the pocket. If I wasn't married to the whole bain marie pot thing I could get a lot of gear in that front pouch.

Decisions, decisions!

BTW, hikermor- how did you go about removing the padding/insulation? I could sure use some advice and guidance!