Camping cookware "bail handle" question

M

Mike-The-Knife

Joined
Dec 6, 2011
Messages
1,301
Ok , so for the last while now I have been thinking about going Titanium for my camp cooking . Right now I have an old untreated aluminum set that I've had for like 35 years now ($hit , that makes me sound old) . Anyway my old set consists of 3 pots that all nest one inside the other with lids that double as small pans with those double fold out handles . Plus each pot has a bail handle on it .

So here's the thing . Without paying a small fortune for my new set , I can't seem to find this sort of a pot in Titanium . What I mean is that what I see are either pots with just flat lids and a bail handle or pots with lids that double as a small pan but both the pot and the lid have those double fold out handles and the pot has no bail handle on it . I actually use the bail handle on my pots at times as I hang them over the fire . And I have used my lids as small fry pans at times too . I DON'T need it to be a 3 pot set . So far I found a nice pot by TOAKS with a bail handle but the flat lid and I also found a little set of 2 nesting pots by Keith that comes with 1 lid that can be used as a pan , but the lid AND the 2 pots all have the double fold out handles and no bail handle .

So my question to all of you is , what do you find more handy ? A pot with a bail handle or a pot with a lid that doubles as a small pan but has no bail handle to hang it ? OR does someone know where I can get such a pot in Titanium ? Or do I need to buy a pot with just a lid and buy a separate Titanium fry pan too ?


...............................................
HOLD MY BEER AND WATCH THIS !
 
I have seen Ti pots with bails however only standard lids not the combo lid thing.

For those who never seen the Ti pot with cup/frypan combo lid thing in action here yea go. Snow Peak 900 if I remember correctly. The lid/cup/fry pan on the stove with host pot on the ground.



There is also another time honored tradition. The tea kettle. In this case a GSI wide top SS kettle.

 
There's really nothing special about titanium (except its about the coolest metal ever.) :)

Really, I have lots of stuff made from titanium, but from a practical standpoint, and especially for cookware, it's nothing special. If your aluminum pots do what you want, keep them.
 
Woods Walker said:
I have seen Ti pots with bails however only standard lids not the combo lid thing.

For those who never seen the Ti pot with cup/frypan combo lid thing in action here yea go. Snow Peak 900 if I remember correctly. The lid/cup/fry pan on the stove with host pot on the ground.



There is also another time honored tradition. The tea kettle. In this case a GSI wide top SS kettle.

Click to expand...

Snow PeakTrek Combo Aluminium Cookset
Trek 1400 And 900
$49

To add bails.
Bush Pot 5 Cup Bail Kit
Bail 5 1/2" wide...will flex
$4
Bush Pot 8 Cup Bail Kit
Bail 6 1/2" wide...will flex

Or
Fold out handles but Flat Lids
Bush Pot 5 Cup Hard Anodized (Mors)
$25
Bush Pot 8 Cup Hard Anodized
$32

Also
Trangia Kettle (1.4l)
Most kettles are only 1 liter

I personally use for camping
Open Country 2 Qt. Covered Kettle
Aluminum wtih a bail and a flat lid
$11
and
Metal-Ware Open Country 2-5 Cup Coffee Perk
Aluminum with folding handle, no bail
$15
 
Last edited:
I started looking at Titanium because of the supposed health risk associated with the use of bare Aluminum cookware . However I'm not in the woods camping most of the time .

Hmm ............. maybe sticking with my old set is the way to go . Any more input anyone ?


...............................................
HOLD MY BEER AND WATCH THIS !
 
As a project for adding your own bail / chain I'd look at somewhere like steep and cheap for 40 bux worth of Stoic Ti 1.6L Pot + Fry Pan Set.
 
I've got an MSR pot and I have this same complaint about the lack of a bail. I'm considering just drilling a couple of holes in mine and adding a wire-bail. I've tried to do the wire-around-the-lip make-shift bail with mixed results, but abandoned the idea. You could always have some lightweight wire and wrap like a basket around the bottom of the pot so it can be removed.
 
That's almost certainly the route I'd take. I'd use small snap link swivels from the fishing tackle collection. Ones that could take the weight, with plenty of headroom to spare, would still be very small. The size of holes required would be 1mm at most, so you could get them right up near the top. Between the swivels I'd probably recycle a length of old brake / gear cable [from a tredder] passed through a bit of silicone tube, with a small loop at each end crimped through the swivels. Tiny bit of aluminium folded over the wire, crushed with pliers and trimmed with a Stanley, makes a lazy crimp. Clip it on when I need it. Easier and smaller than the pop rivet route.
 
Yeah I was thinking about just taking one of the bail handles off my Aluminum set (handles are stainless) and finding a way to put it on a new Titanium pot that has a pan lid . I guess I might have to go that way .

I really thought I'd just hear from someone who would say "yeah sure , brand XXXX has that kind of pot"

Geeze you'd think that if someone put enough thought into a cheap made in Hong Kong camp set 35+ years ago to make a THREE pot nesting set with each pot having a bail handle and each pot lid being a pan/plate/bowel with hold out handles , that someone today would have thought to make at least ONE dam pot with a bail handle and a pan type lid :confused: wouldn't you ?

I'm going to keep looking before I buy one and modify it and if I find one I'll let you all know where to get one .


...............................................
HOLD MY BEER AND WATCH THIS !
 
Mike, perhaps the SnowPeak Titanium 3pc Cookset?
900



Regarding handles... My sense is that attached flip out handles like on the Snowpeak work best for cooking on a camp stove. Less need to reach over the flame of the stove with expensive plastic clothing. Bails work best for wood fires I think. I still use my bailed Open Country aluminum pots on my stoves though. But, I prefer the handle styles, especially if I have to stir the pot while it's on the stove.

Lastly, as other have noted, not a huge weight savings from aluminum to titanium.
 
Panzertoorp , I have seen the TOAKS pot with the bail handle and they also make the same pot (without the bail handle) with a pan lid . What they don't seem to offer is the pot with the bail handle AND the pan lid :confused:

Pinnah , I get what you're saying . And you're right that the fold out handle is better when you need to stir the pot . But I often hang my pot over an open wood fire when out hiking or snowshoeing .

Maybe I'm chasing my tail on this one . I guess if I wanted to drop a REAL load of cash I could buy both sets to have both type pots ????


...............................................
HOLD MY BEER AND WATCH THIS !
 
I would get a Toaks 1300 with bail, 750 ml with bail and a small fry pan and be done with it. i have never found the perfect kit
 
Mike-The-Knife said:
Geeze you'd think that if someone put enough thought into a cheap made in Hong Kong camp set 35+ years ago to make a THREE pot nesting set with each pot having a bail handle and each pot lid being a pan/plate/bowel with hold out handles , that someone today would have thought to make at least ONE dam pot with a bail handle and a pan type lid :confused: wouldn't you ?
Click to expand...

Most people who buy these types of pots don't use bails which is why they aren't that common. I had never seen anyone cook with a bail until I got on the forums. I still don't use one. :D
 
Well to be honest Shotgun , I do nearly all my cooking on either my Coleman propane stove (car camping) or my Emberlit stove . But when I'm out hiking or snowshoeing I often do this to make a pot of nice hot tea .

4gf21cbvkbozcrxeqbka3uvce278043768_2_zps55212cbf.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]


...............................................
HOLD MY BEER AND WATCH THIS !
 
Mike-The-Knife said:
Well to be honest Shotgun , I do nearly all my cooking on either my Coleman propane stove (car camping) or my Emberlit stove . But when I'm out hiking or snowshoeing I often do this to make a pot of nice hot tea .
Click to expand...

That's all I meant. Most hikers have a little stove they carry like you so the demand for a bail is pretty low. You take into account that bushcrafters(who are the ones that use them the most as far as I can tell) tend to be cheap SOB's that wouldn't pay titanium prices.:D



That was a joke bushcrafters. Don't hurt me. :D
 
LOL Shotgun , that's pretty good :thumbup:

Panzertroop , I did look at the TOAKS again today and noticed you could buy just a pan sepperatly . So I bought the 1300ml pot with the bail handle and the pan that is the right size to hit it . So even better I guess , as now I'll have the pot with a lid PLUS the pan and could use both at the same time .

With shipping to Canada it came to over $100 though :eek:


...............................................
HOLD MY BEER AND WATCH THIS !
 
Mike, I think you are on the cutting edge of a new market segment.... Ultra light bushcraft.

I'm trying to wrap my mind around a combination of Ray Jardine and Mors Kohanski. Hold on a minute... It's making feel a bit woozie....

Our woods in NH get more densely packed traffic than I suspect your Ontario woods do. As much fun as an open fire is, it's not something I feel comfortable with doing anywhere I can reach on skis within a daylight. I know of some privately held lands in VT where I would feel comfortable harvesting wood and leaving (buried) ash, but that's a working forest and there's very little hiker impact in there. But in the USFS lands I frequent in NH (and in VT), wood harvesting and fire pits are very, very noticeable.

So... I've just settled on using the Emberlit as a compromise. Here's a shot from making hot chocolate for the family on a day tour. Not entirely sold on the Stanley pot but my kid gave me to me and being a good dad, we're using it for the time being.


Hot Chocolate by Pinnah, on Flickr


I'm not entirely sure about the cost/benefit of Titanium pots myself. For a pot in the 1L it's about a 4 oz savings. That's a quarter pound and that matters when driving pack weight down. I'm considering Ti to go with my BatchStovez alcohol stove for trips where the Emberlit won't go (up high in the boreal and alpine zones in the Whites). But for ski touring, I think I'm sticking with the Emberlit for now.

Great shot by the way!!!
 
Interesting and timely thread. Although I will be breaking out the snowblower today (thought we might be done with that :rolleyes:), I have been looking over the camping equipment as I do every spring. My very old set was acquired well before internet shopping. I like the bails on my three pot nesting aluminum set ... for the open fires as well as for roping over a river bank to take water, or to place the pot 'out' further to take water from a deeper location. The pan lid sheds rain when the pots are left out. These attributes suit my camp style. There is one fry-pan lid for the large outer pot. This lid has a bracket for small handle. The middle pot has a bail but no lid or bracket. The inner (coffee) pot has an 'inset type' lid, pour spout, bail and bracket. To this set I added an aluminum grab-handle from Canadian Tire.

The newer cookware always interests me. Some great ideas here. Who knows, I may find a replacement kit ... without soot.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top