High Sierra Topix

to answer js-hill's questions-- I only take one pot so scratching with nesting is not an issue. I still like the nesting set, because I use a different size depending on the size of the group I am with. I actually have a smaller solo pot for when it is just me. The smallest of the nesting pots is the one that gets used the most.

To clean, I put cold water in the pot after use and let it sit while eating dinner. I then clean it with my fingers! Occassionally I will use a pinecone or small fir swatch as a scrubber. When I cook it is a full time job- I turn the stove down to simmer when I add food to the water and stir a lot. I NEVER burn food. If you clean it right away or at least soak it in water if you wait to clean, it is easy to clean. If it is still greasy inside, I just wipe it out with a small kerchief I carry as a towel - or use a few squares of toilet paper. I do not try to get it spotless. The next meal I will boil water in it and so it automatically gets sterilized. I use a titanium spork to stir. I have had these pots nearly 8 years of heavy use and they are almost good as new. The one pot I use the most is a bit discolored. When home I scrub the outside with a brillo pad just to get soot off, then put the pot in the dishwasher.

To be honest here -- the $$ for the pots did not come out of my pocket. I am lucky that my kids are always asking "what do you want for Christmas" and then they pool thier money and get me really nice but not absolutely necessary backpackgear. As much as I love the pots, I really do not know if I would have bought them on my dime. Now that I have used them for years, I would pay the price if I ever need replacements.

I actually spent a good share of my backpacking in the past with the ultimate cheap pot- a tin can and pot grips and a free wooden paint stir stick. #10 can works great if cooking for 4. There are lots if different sizes- a lot that actually nest well. When finished with the trip, the "pot" would simply be discarded. You have to avoid tin cans that are coated inside. This was about 30 years ago and you could find simple, plain tin cans that were not coated. To clean the can, if we ever burned on food, we would scrape it out with sand or gravel. Snowballs make good scrubbers too.

WD wrote:

When finished with the trip, the "pot" would simply be discarded.

My first trips into the Sierra involved a similair setup. A one pound shiny new coffee can with a clothes hanger wire fashioned into the bail. We cooked on an open fire using grills that seemed to be always available at the obvious camping spots. It was always ritual at the end of a trip to toss the blackened can into the first available trash can a recite a brief mantra of thanks to a job well done. We have come along ways have we not? The pack is lighter, our choice of how we prepare meals is so much better now.

I need a new kit, I think I am goign to drop the coin on Ti. I will always have my array of aluminum pots avaliable for when I do more than boil water.

On the subject of pots n pans.
Does anyone here have a complete official "Boy Scout" mess kit they would like to get rid of?

East Side Hiker wrote:From what I've heard, aluminum cookware is very bad for you. There are so many things to sort out as research results give us more info about how different materials impact us.

That's been debunked, I thought.

I'm sure I'd be dead by now if that were true. My folks had aluminum pots and pans. Besides, hard anodized is quite a bit different than the regular old dent-able soft aluminum pots.

AlmostThere wrote:

East Side Hiker wrote:From what I've heard, aluminum cookware is very bad for you. There are so many things to sort out as research results give us more info about how different materials impact us.

That's been debunked, I thought.

I'm sure I'd be dead by now if that were true. My folks had aluminum pots and pans. Besides, hard anodized is quite a bit different than the regular old dent-able soft aluminum pots.

Well.. not dead.. just the supposed Alzheimer's link.. Still fry my pork on my great Aunt's old aluminum pan from the 50's.. embrace the chemistry..

rlown wrote:
Well.. not dead.. just the supposed Alzheimer's link.. Still fry my pork on my great Aunt's old aluminum pan from the 50's.. embrace the chemistry..

http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_m ... eimers.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That's what I meant...

I think things that are truly bad for us are going to be the ones we least suspect. Like all the PTFE loaded items - Goretex, Teflon lined pans, etc.

Thanks again everyone for your input. I think I'll go weigh my old alumunium pots and see what they weigh. I don't think they are that much heavier than titanium so it may not justify the cost of buying expensive titanium pots. It's been interesting hearing everyones' opinion. Happy trails!