Looking for cooking pot recommendations

[action.jackson]

I have always run canister systems like Jetboil or Windburner but I just picked up a Whisperlite I want to use for backpacking and mountaineering to melt snow as well as maybe cooking up some food besides just boiling water. I plan on using it on a November elk hunt in WA too. Anyone have a strong opinion on the pot I should pick up to use with it? I was looking at this one from MSR but am open to suggestions.

Ceramic 2.5 Liter Pot | Nonstick Camping Cook Pot | MSR®

Perfect for 2-4 adventurers, MSR’s Ceramic 2.5 liter camping cook pot features our durable Fusion® ceramic coating, for premium, nonstick performance at camp.

www.msrgear.com

 

[Old_Navy]

Check out Toaks, I'm running a a multi-piece set that nests.
1350 ml pot inside that goes 900 ml pot
next 450 ml cup inside the cup goes my alcohol burner.
On top is a 145 mm dia. frying pan that doubles as a lid for the big pot
or I use it as a plate with handle to eat out of

 

[Lawnboi]

MSR makes some pretty awesome sets for cooking. Don’t normally come with me backpacking. But car camping/canoe camping they always do

 

[Desk Jockey]

+1 for msr. I had a set of Teflon non stick from them for a long time and they finally pealed. I have an alpine set and some alpine stowaway pots that are decades old and still going strong with dozens of trips. Titanium pots are light but $$$ and they can dent and bend.

for solo, I use this guy.

Amazon.com : Olicamp Hard Anodized XTS Pot (1-Litre) : Camping Pots And Pans : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : Olicamp Hard Anodized XTS Pot (1-Litre) : Camping Pots And Pans : Sports & Outdoors

www.amazon.com

the heat exchanger is cool but TBH I think you get more bang for the weight using a wind screen.

 

[Marbles]

Toaks are good pots.

I like this one for melting snow or cooking for multiple people.

TOAKS Titanium 1300ml Pot

TOAKS Titanium 1300 ml Pot – ultralight pure titanium (4.6 oz/133 g with lid), internal oz/ml gradations, corrosion-resistant, nests with smaller TOAKS cookware for compact packing.

www.toaksoutdoor.com

Use this one when only cooking for me and not needing to melt snow.

Toaks Ultralight Titanium 650ml Pot

TOAKS Titanium 650 ml Pot – ultralight uncoated titanium pot at just 2.8 oz (80 g), 0.3 mm thin wall, folding handles, internal oz/ml markings, includes mesh sack, nests with fuel canister or stove.

www.toaksoutdoor.com

Raw titanium is nice because you can clean them with sand, place them in an open fire to cook, Etc.

I had a set of GSI non-stick, great pots with high quality non-stick; but I got tired of dealing with non-stick and gave them to a friend. I also no longer have non-stick in my kitchen, just don't like it.

 

[action.jackson]

Thanks for the replies! I’ll check out Toaks. The non stick kind of turns me off since I really don’t think I’ll need it and it would be harder to care for. The stainless steel MSR seem bombproof but they’re a bit too heavy to backpack in 4-5 miles for skiing and hunting.

Anyone have strong opinions on size for mostly one person but sometimes me and my wife? Have you ever wished the 1.3l held a little more? Toaks have a 1.6 with pan lid as well.

 

[Marbles]

The 1.3 L has always felt like enough to me. It will hold enough for two dehydrated meals. Though if you want a hot beverage as well you will need to boil a second pot. It is also large enough to be convenient when melting snow. I find the 650 ml gets annoying for this as I'm constantly having to add snow to it and need to melt multiple pots worth to fill up on water.

I can see the 1.6 L being nice for two people in winter.

I have the 130 mm diameter 1.3 L. The 145 mm diameter of the 1.6 L would change how it packs and what could be packed inside of it. The 130 mm fits a standard isopro canister with about 1 cm of space between canister and pot sides. The 130 mm will not fit an MSR Whisperlite Universal, the 145 mm probably would.


Wider pots are more fuel efficient and will boil faster in cold weather.

 

[meta_gabbro]

Make sure you know how large 2.4 liters actually is. That's more than half a gallon. I think that might be about right for braising a small rabbit or a squirrel, but most backcountry meals aren't going to need that much space so you might be better suited with something closer to 1 or 1.5L in volume.

 

[learl]

I have that msr pot, got it for when I backpack with my girlfriend. It’s nice and fits my whisperlite + windscreen inside. The nonstick is good if you actually intend to cook food directly in it, pretty easy to wipe clean or bring a small sponge/scrub pad. If buying again I’d get a smaller pure titanium pot in the 1.3-1.6L range, as others have pointed out 2.5L is fairly large. If you want 2 hot meals + drinks I’d boil water twice. I’ve been very happy with my Toaks 550ml pot.

 

[mcndrew]

What Marbles says makes a lot of sense.
If im eating dehydrated food from a bag I just use a JetBoil type stove; which, is often the route I go if i’m alone.

Ive cooked simple meals for two in the SnowPeak Trek 1400 (ml) set which looks similar to the 1600 Toaks set. Titanium is great and the 1600 size looks like an awesome compromise size (big for solo, but where is the fun in cooking for only yourself?).

Ive always appreciated two pots if i‘m making water from snow and making an actual (not mtn house meal in a bag). Bigger is better for snow melting.

My winter set is the MSR 2.5 and 1.5L pot combo. MSR seems to switch their coatings up, but whatever the coating is I always prefer to avoid PTFE etc. . . .

 

[action.jackson]

So I figured I would give an update here. I went with the “solo” MSR 1.3L aluminum non stick pot. Hopefully the whisperlite fits in there!

The Toaks frying pad lid looked kind of chintzy. Seems like they’re titanium cost way less than anyone else’s though so not a bad option for the weight.

I may look at getting a second bigger pot in the future that would be useful for a basecamp situation or car camping, that’s still light enough I wouldn’t mind packing it in a few miles.

Thanks again for all the replies guys!