Titanium Pots

People have asked me what pots I use, so I thought I'd list out my collection and make a few comments as well.  I've listed all the weights below which may be useful in and of themselves.

	Item	Capacity (ml)	Pot (g)	Lid (g)	Total Grams	Total Ounces	Total Pounds
1	Snow Peak Trek 1400	1400	125	62	187	6.60	0.41
2	Snow Peak Trek 1400 with cheap Al lid	1400	125	29	154	5.43	0.34
3	Evernew Ultralight 1300ml	1300	94	42	136	4.80	0.30
4	Snow Peak Multi-Compact 1000ml	1000	100	64	164	5.78	0.36
5	Snow Peak 1000ml with Evernew 1300 Lid	1000	100	42	142	5.01	0.31
6	MSR Titan Kettle 850ml	850	97	36	133	4.69	0.29
7	Snow Peak Multi-Compact 780ml	780	81	51	132	4.66	0.29
8	BPL Firelite 550	550	66	14	80	2.82	0.18

General Comments
Notice first off that in lines one and two that I've listed the same Snow Peak Trek 1400 pot.  The first line is with the stock frying pan lid.  The second line is with a cheap aluminum lid that I bought in a Good Will Thrift Store.  I have lost my stock lid, so I'll have to update that column later, but I'm confident that my 29g aluminum lid (which works perfectly fine) is far lighter than the stock lid.

I also think that a titanium frying pan isn't a very good option for those who want to cook.  I much prefer aluminum fry pans which distribute heat far more evenly.  With titanium fry pans, I usually wind up with a lot of burnt spots.  Also, I find that the handle on a frying pan lid gets in the way.  I much prefer a simple loop or knob atop my pot lids.

As with lines one and two, so also with lines four and five.  Again, I've substituted a lighter lid for the frying pan lid that comes with the set.  I lose weight and gain ease-of-use.  I hate that frying pan lid handle and much prefer the simple loop on the lid of my Evernew 1300ml pot.  Since I very rarely ever take both a 1300ml and a 1000ml pot out on the same trip, using the 1300ml lid for the 1000ml pot works just fine.  On those rare occasions where I need both pots, I just suck it up and take the frying pan lid.

Recommendations
1.  Materials.  Titanium is light, and titanium is strong, but if you want to cook real food, get aluminum cookware.  I find that titanium tends to scorch foods too easily.  Titanium is great for boiling water and melting snow. When melting snow always start with some liquid water in the bottom of the pot.  That liquid water will help distribute the heat more evenly and efficiently and will help to protect the pot from warping.

2.  Size.  I find that around 1000ml is the most versatile size for me.  If I were going to just get one pot, I'd probably get something around 1000ml in size.  Why 1000ml?  Well, here are a few reasons:

• Efficiency.  Smaller pots are indeed generally lighter and more packable, but smaller pots tend to be narrow.  With a narrow pot, a lot of the heat from a stove gets wasted up the sides.  I find that my stoves are much more efficient with a 1000ml pot with "traditional" proportions (wider than tall).  I do notice, though, that my new 1300ml Evernew pot is a real "bargain" in terms of weight (see above table).  It will take slightly more room in my pack, but weigh less than my 1000ml Snow Peak Pot.  My 1300ml Evernew pot may become my new "go to" pot.
• Practical cooking capacity.  I find pots less than about 750ml to be impractical.  Not only are they inefficient due to wasted heat, they also lack enough capacity for me to boil enough water for dinner and a hot beverage in one boil.
• Carrying Capacity.  I like to be able to store my stove in my pot.  With a 1000ml pot, I can lay a Clikstand (for example) down flat inside.  I can also carry a lighter, an alcohol stove, a small fuel bottle, a spoon, and my windscreen inside.

A 1000ml Snow Peak pot can carry an entire cooking set up inside.

• Safety.  Also, I've had a lot of boil overs with small pots.  I tend to boil at least 500ml (about two cups) at a time.  With a 550ml pot, there's not much distance between the water line and the rim of the pot.  A boil over when working with a gas stove could be quite dangerous since the boiling water could overheat the canister causing a flare or in some circumstances (if the canister were already quite hot) a canister explosion.  Not good.

So there you have it, a few thoughts on pots.

Thanks for joining me on another Adventure in Stoving,

HJ

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The Clikstand (alcohol) -- A Brief Introduction

I recently featured some tests of the Clikstand with Trangia burner.  For my general thoughts about the Clikstand stove system, I suggest you check out that link.

In this post, I thought I'd show the Clikstand with Trangia burner in a little more detail, and I thought I'd show you my typical day hike configuration.  My overnight hike configuration is the same, only I'd carry more fuel.

First, a pot of about 1000ml in capacity with "traditional" proportions (wide not narrow, short not tall) works well with the Clikstand.   Smaller pots don't fit well with the span of the Clikstand.  I tried a 780ml Snow Peak pot and an 850ml MSR Titan kettle on the Clikstand, and neither was very stable.  See the Clikstand compatibility information at the bottom of this post for more details.The other big advantage of a pot of about 1000ml size is that all of the of the components will nest inside the pot (Clikstand, burner, small fuel bottle, lighter, spoon,windscreen, and fuel measuring cup).

A 1000ml Snow Peak pot containing all the components necessary to operate a Clikstand/Trangia combination.

The same set up as above with the pot lid removed so that you can see the contents.

The Clikstand is quite compact in terms of stowage.  To better appreciate just how complete the set is, let's take a look at all the components spread out.

All of the components of my Clikstand/Trangia set up on display

Now, let's take a little closer look at the central components.  Note the roughly triangluar piece with the circular cut out.  This will form a "deck" and hold the burner.  The burner can be seen just above the upper point of the triangular shaped "deck".

The central components of my Clikstand/Trangia set up.
Top row, L to R:  fuel bottle, Trangia burner, lighter
Middle Row, L to R:  fuel measuring cup, Clikstand "deck", telescoping spoon
Bottom row:  the Clikstand's "walls"

Let's take a closer look at the Clikstand's "walls."  Note the tab on the left side of each piece, the slot on the right side, the "hooks" to the right of the slot, and the projection on the top of each piece.   The slot and tab connect the walls.  The hooks hold the windscreen.  The projection supports the cook pot.

The three identical stamped pieces of stainless steel that form the walls of the Clikstand burner stand/pot support

The Clikstand is first formed from the three identical pieces of stamped stainless steel (there is a titanium version as well; see below).  The tab from one piece is fitted to the slot in the next until all three pieces are connected, forming a triangle.

A fourth piece, the "deck" that you saw in earlier photos (roughly triangular in shape, with a cut out for the burner) is then fitted within the triangle.  The deck "clicks" into place when inserted properly, hence the name "Clikstand."

The three identical pieces form the "walls" and the fourth piece is emplaced as a "deck" within the walls.

The Trangia burner is then placed into the cutout in the center of the deck.  A windscreen is then placed onto the "hooks" that extend from the slotted end of each of the wall pieces.  Note:  The windscreen shown is not a Clikstand windscreen.  The windscreen is a BPL titanium windscreen.  The Clikstand I bought was used and did not include a windscreen, so I included one of my own.

Clikstand with Trangia burner and windscreen in place.

A pot is then of course placed on the assembled burner and stand.

A Clikstand with a 1000ml Snow Peak pot in place.

The regular stainless steel Clikstand with brass Trangia burner isn't the lightest set up out there (see my thoughts on the titanium Clikstand below).  Indeed, many will argue that a small upright gas stove will be as light or lighter, even when you factor in the weight of the steel canister that a gas stove requires.  True, but the Clikstand has a several advantages over a gas stove: 
1.  Windproofness.  Upright gas stoves are typically quite vulnerable to wind.  The Clikstand functions very well in wind (although its fuel consumption will typically go up)
2.  Foolproofness.  The Clikstand has almost nothing to go wrong on it.  There is no delicate thread that you might cross thread.  There are no "O" rings or gaskets to crack or dry out (well except for the one in lid of the Trangia burner, but that gasket does not affect the operation of the stove).  There is no tiny, single jet to clog.  There is no Lindal valve to get stuck open (It happens!  Ask me how I know!).
3.  Fuel availability.  To get a gas canister, you generally have to go to a specialty shop.  Alcohol, at least in the US, is far more available.  Stove appropriate alcohol is available at gas stations, hardware stores, cleaning supply stores, paint stores, and even some grocery stores and pharmacies.  Availability is particularly important when traveling by air and you don't want to burn a day gathering supplies.  Who wants to drive around looking for a specialty store when you could just grab some alcohol from the first hardware store you pass?  For information on what alcohols are appropriate for stove use, see my post on Alcohol as a Stove Fuel.
4. Alternative fuels.  Not only is alcohol fuel widely available, the Clikstand can run on alternative fuels.

• One alternate fuel is hexamine, which is commonly sold under the brand name ESBIT.  Hexamine is  a little smelly and leaves a residue on the bottom of your pot, but it is very light and convenient.  You'd have to rig something up in the cut out of the deck of the Clikstand, but that shouldn't be too hard.
• Another alternate fuel is wood.  Yes, you heard me right, wood.  The Clikstand is either stainless steel or titanium, both of which will withstand heat quite well.  You can pile small sticks and such in the body of the Clikstand and burn them.  You will of course blacken the pot, stand, and windscreen in the process, but there are times where having an alternative fuel source like wood (which is often available where there are no stores or points of resupply!) could come in really handy.  Note:  As of this writing, I have not tried my Clikstand on wood.

5.  Silent operation.  Don't underestimate the value of silence.  I love to be able to hear the natural world that surrounds me when I'm out in the wilderness.  Experience the Zen of an alcohol stove!

COMPARING THE COST AND WEIGHT OF TITANIUM vs. STAINLESS STEEL
(All prices in USD)

	Steel (g)	Ti (g)	Weight Savings (g)	Conversion Factor	Savings (ounces)	Steel Price	Ti Price	Price Difference	Cost per gram saved	Cost per ounce saved
Stand	94	57	37	0.035	1.3	$29.95	$59.95	$30.00	$0.81	$22.99
Screen	37	20	17	0.035	0.6	$14.95	$19.95	$5.00	$0.29	$8.34
Subtotal	131	77	54	0.035	1.9	$44.90	$79.90	$35.00	$0.65	$18.37
Burner	111	34	77	0.035	2.7	$15.95	$45.95	$30.00	$0.39	$11.05
Total	242	111	131	0.035	4.6	$60.85	$125.85	$65.00	$0.50	$14.07

MY THOUGHTS ON THE TITANIUM VERSION OF THE CLIKSTAND
The difference in weight between a Ti Clikstand and windscreen and a stainless steel (SS) Clikstand and windscreen is 54g (about 2oz), for which you will pay an additional $35.00.  $35.00 is a bit much to pay for two ounces in weight savings, although it may be worth it for some.

The argument for going with the titanium version is more compelling if you get everything Ti (stand, screen, and Evernew burner). If you get everything Ti, you would save 131g (4.6 oz) -- which is over a quarter of a pound. But, to do this, you must pay an additional $65.00 over the price of the standard SS and brass components. In other words, the price more than doubles if one gets all Ti components. For $125.85 I can get a very nice petroleum based liquid fuel or gas stove. $125.85 is simply too much for an alcohol stove. One would really have to be an alcohol stove aficionado in order to pay that kind of money.  Note:  One could save some money if one were to by the components as a set.  Still, even as a set, the titanium components cost significantly more than the conventional SS and brass components.

Add to that the fact that there is no lid or simmer ring on the Ti version of the burner, both of which are very nice features of the Trangia burner. Moreover, the Evernew Ti burner is generally less efficient (but faster) than the Trangia burner according to the tests that I've seen.  A less efficient burner means that you will have to carry additional fuel, thus eroding at least some of the weight savings that you just paid so dearly for.

I'd love to try a Ti set up, but for those prices?  I can't quite justify it just yet.

VIDEO COMPARISON TITANIUM vs. STAINLESS STEEL

The following video was made by Hendrik who is from Finland. The video compares a titanium Clikstand set up (including the Evernew titanium burner) with a stainless steel Clikstand set up with a conventional brass Trangia burner.  You can view Hendrik's interesting and informative hiking and lightweight backpacking blog, Hiking In Finland.  The blog is in English and includes a lot more than just information pertaining to Finland.


There you have it, a very brief introduction to the Clikstand.

HJ

Appendix

CLIKSTAND COMPATIBILITY INFORMATION (Copied from Clikstand.com)

Pot Compatibility:
Minimum pot size 4.2” (106 mm) diameter or larger. Maximum recommended pot size 8.0” (203 mm) diameter. For pots, cups or kettles smaller than 4.2” (106 mm) diameter click here (Note this link leaves my blog and goes to the Clikstand site).

Windscreen Compatibility:
Maximum pot size 5.9” (150 mm) diameter.

Burner Compatibility:
Maximum burner diameter 2.75” (70 mm), maximum burner height 2.5” (64 mm).

Pot Size Required for Storage:
Minimum pot size required to store Clikstand, windscreen, and burner inside 5.2” (132mm) diameter, 2.8” (71mm) height.

Related posts and articles:

• Getting Started with Alcohol
• DIY Alcohol Stoves -- Basic Design Considerations
• Cold Weather Tips for Alcohol Stoves
• Is Ethanol Worth It?
  
• Caldera Cone Alcohol Stove Review (on Seattle Backpackers Magazine)
• Caldera Cone Review Supplement -- Additional Photos and Technical Appendix with Weights
• The Clikstand Alcohol Stove System Review
• Caldera Cone vs. Clikstand Alcohol Stove Tests
• Trangia 27 Alcohol Stove System Review
• The Caldera Cone's 12-10 Burner
• The Trangia Alcohol Burner
• What's the Best Alcohol for Stove Fuel?
• What Is Meths?  (And how is that different than Methanol?)
• Going "Green" with Stoves:  Alcohol and Biodiesel

Disclaimer:  I am in no way affiliated with Clikstand.com nor do I have any financial interest in any product displayed on this page.  I am merely a satisfied customer sharing his experience.

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Stove of the Week: Tibetan Ti Wing Stove

Well, another week has passed, so it's time to post another stove.  This week, the stove of the week is the Tibetan Ti Wing Stove.  At 12g, the Tibetan Ti Wing Stove is one of the lightest backpacking stoves there is.  Every investigation I've read lists hexamine as the lightest overall fuel, all things considered (stove, packaging, the fuel itself).


 
The Tibetan Ti Wing Stove is a solid fuel stove.  It is typically used to burn hexamine cubes or tablets.  ESBIT brand is shown on the left and Stansport brand is shown on the right.  ESBIT is the "name" brand and is generally more expensive but is also, at least where I live, more widely available.  

The Ti Wing stove can also burn other things like military trioxane (toxic), Wetfire Tinder, etc.

OK, let's head out to one of my local test beds, the Verdugo Mountains of Southern California.


Finding a suitable spot, I unfold the three "wings" of the stove and place an ESBIT cube onto the burner pan.  Note that I've displaced the cube to the right.  Sometimes the cubes are a bit hard to light.  Being able to get a flame under the cube helps substantially.


And after a moment, we have flame.  Note that the flame is quite yellow.  Apparently the US military abandoned hexamine as a fuel because of this yellow flame and went to trioxane instead which has a much more subtle, blue flame.  Trioxane is however toxic both in terms of touching the fuel and in breathing the fumes.  Use trioxane with care.


Ti Wing Stove in use


Hexamine isn't a powerful fuel.  If you're used to the boil times of stoves that use petroleum based fuels, hexamine will be considerably slower.  Hexamine's power compares favorably to alcohol.  Nonetheless, in fairly short order, we pass the "tea test".  


The steam is a bit hard to see, but for you doubters, here it is, a full roiling boil:


And now, for a delicious cup of tea.


There are a couple of downsides to hexamine.  1) It's generally the most expensive fuel out there and 2) it leaves a brown residue on your pot.  It wouldn't be so bad if the residue were a hard residue, but, no, the residue is sticky and gooey and gets all over things.  I bring a plastic bag to put the pot in after use.  The good news is that the residue comes off with ease.


One nice thing about hexamine is that it can be blown out.  You do not need to burn the entire cube once lit.  As it cools, hexamine forms these odd crystals.  


Finally, tea enjoyed full well, I fold the wings of the Ti Wing Stove.  She's now ready to be stowed.


A most compact package.  The stove weighs a mere 12g (less than half an ounce).  The pot less than 3 ounces.  For less than a quarter pound, I've got a nice set to brew up with.  This is the lightest, most compact set up out there for hikers, hunters, mountain bikers, etc.  It's not the most powerful or versatile.  Definitely not one I'd want to have along in foul weather, but very light, compact, and easy to use.

I went hiking with my daughter yesterday by the way.  We had a fabulous time sitting by a creek together.  She enjoyed splashing her feet in the water.  Daddy enjoyed a break.  Can you see the family resemblance?  


I hope you've enjoyed this, another installment in my "Stove of the Week" series.

HJ

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