This thread prol should move to the campfire forum, 'cause it's more about purposeful outdoor gear than survival gear... anyway:<br><br><blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p> I put a fair amount of effort into filling the interior of this cookset efficiently<p><hr></blockquote><p><br>I agree. I can't say that I have aquired a great deal of cooking gear over the years, but rather enough to cover a spectrum of intended purposes. A 2qt AL kettle with tight lid, a SS nesting set (largest is 2 qt), and a teflon coated AL skillet. Of that stuff, by far most of the time I carry the 2 qt AL kettle, battered and blackened. Two stuff sacks made from muslin - one has my grub in it and fills the interior of the kettle. The kettle slips inside the other to keep from transfering soot and grunge to the inside of my pack.<br><br>Been fiddling with an MSR 1.7L (?) tea kettle off and on, but it's not as versitile and the bails are unsuitable to hang the durn thing from, so it probably won't make the cut. I can make new bails with some 9 gauge wire - better shaped for campfire use, so I might try it out modified a few more times. Haven't bothered to make stuff sacks for it yet; just put the grub in a zip lock carried inside the kettle.<br><br>I won't give up some sort of canteen cup, tho. What has evolved for me has been to make (ice/snow) and/or boil water in the kettle and eat/drink from the canteen cup, although there have been many (recreational) occasions when I used a canteen cup for everything. If I'm really feeling self-indulgent, I add a plastic mug - I've wandered back and forth on the mug over the years. Car-camping with the Scouts in the MidWest is driving me crazy... too much junk dragged out every trip. (OK - dutch ovens are great - but I don't have horses to carry that stuff!)<br><br>Don't use a campfire for cooking nearly as often as I used to. Have always carried some sort of stove - still have the Svea 123 I started out with, tho I retro-fitted an Optimus cap and priming pump years ago when they became available. Used it long enough to rebuild it twice. But I don't remember the last time I used that stove and the eldest is coveting it, so I will probably pass it on. Mostly use a first-model Peak I <gasp!> or a first-model MSR XGK. Yes, the Peak I is relatively heavy, but it just works so well...<grin>.<br><br><blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p>you need a sleek silhouette and a pack that is smooth and tough<p><hr></blockquote><p><br>True enough. These days I use a Kelty Slickrock for shorter trips - I confess to usually having a Jansport zippered pouch rigged up on the outside (back, on the daisy chains) for convenience, tho. Hard for me to adjust to from an old-style Freighter frame and Moose bag (old style, not current one), tho - interior organization habits are still developing with the Slickrock. The Kelty isn't large enough for my sanity on winter or longer duration trips, either, but it's not that big of a deal to me. If I ever get my down bag repaired, the Kelty would be large enough for most of those trips as well.<br><br>I think I understand what you meant by the fooforas on a lot of current packs. They don't pull my trigger either.<br><br>Regards,<br><br>Scouter Tom