Cooking and Cookwear General

>>906804
The Swedish mess kit is nearly identical, but steel, not aluminium. The Swede is also different in that it is symmetrical, not curved to one side, and slightly bigger. Was issued one, never used it because of weight - lid+pot is 870 grams.

There is also a very similar NVA (East german) kit, which is aluminium - I have used one for a couple of years, sturdy enough, and light. Also comes with a smaller cup insert in the lid - so you get 3 bits, the insert, the lid, and the pot. Lid+pot is 358 grams.

Or - soup, main course, and tea, as we're fed.

And finally there is also a West German variation, which is again similar - because these all derive from the German WWI mess kit, if memory serves correctly. Have not used this.

GSI bottle cup and/or MSR stowaway pot

>>906804
Now I use a flask cup+1L US flask for brewing coffee in the field.

NB! Look for flask cups where the handle bolts do not pierce the cup itself - those are crap & leak.

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>>906804
I got pic related but haven't used it yet. Seems pretty good and sold cheaply as ex-Yugoslavian surplus, however it is also currently used by Serbia.

>>906822
Dude.

Dude.

I seriously hope you do not plan to use this in any survival situations. It is rumored to be amongst the worst designed canteens of all time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WN0Y2TV2ojI

>>906826
THE WORST? OF ALL TIME? O.O

Seriously though, I've never had any of the issues seen in that video. Everything fits together nicely and slips apart fine.

But I guess there could be other reasons that I've not heard of that would make it worthy to have that title of THE WORST IN THE WORLD.

>>906860
Face it dude, you bought cheap commie crap

>>906860
I considered one as an ironic purchase, but cheaped out in the end.

I can definitely see how it is terrible for field use, and cannot immediately think of a worst design than "your canteen, in a weird shape that does not fit the contour of tour body, or hand, is inside this box which you need both hand to open, and even then it takes a while". Not within the last 100 years, anyway.

But, at any rate, treasure it - at least you have a story to tell, you use the world's worst canteen.

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Anyone know if it is bad for my health to cook and eat out of aluminum mess kits? I didn't think it was but I was talking with someone who insisted it would give me cancerAIDS or something. Anyone know if this is remotely true or he was just sperging out? Pic related, my mess kit

>>906864
>>906865
C-come on guys... It's not that bad it's really not... G-g-guys please...

>>906868
Aluminium reacts with air to form aluminium oxide, which when heated with water, created hydrogen dioxide, a pretty toxic substance.
Unless you're keeping it completely dry, you might want to reconsider alumnium for cooking utensils.

>>906868
Oh, I nearly forgot, I've got these as well. Didn't llike the shape in a tight pack - otherwise I don't appear to have any particularly obvious cancerous growths from using them - or the NVA mess kit.

But really - don't worry about using aluminium cookware every once in a while. If you do end up with aluminium poisoning, it will be from other sources entirely.

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>>906871
I've got the world's worst military rucksack to go with that for you - the Polish Puma camo pack. Rumored to be remarkable in how badly it distributes weight, and manages to cause discomfort even at light loads.

>>906877
>>906874
I figure aluminum is like iodine tablets -- terrible for you if you rely on them every day, but fine for a couple weeks of camping once in a while.
I fucking love aluminum. The cheap-ass Coleman messkits you can get for $12 on Amazon are perfect in every way.
-Weighs half as much as the stainless steel equivalent, or less
-Distributes heat better somehow. I make griddle cakes and dutch oven bread over campfires; with aluminum it always comes out perfect; with stainless steel it always burns
-Aluminum is flimsy, but if it bends out of shape it can bend back
-Did I mention it's light as a feather?

I like the flat, more traditional kind OP; the gear is much more versatile.

>>906868
There was a study possibly linking Alzheimer's to excess aluminum deposits in the body, but there's been no study linking aluminum cookware to said deposits.

Aluminium does react with other things to make some pretty nasty substances but you'd have to use aluminium cookware and dishes every single day for years to be exposed to toxic levels of it.

Frankly I just don't like using it because it doesn't hold or distribute heat well, dents easy and makes food taste funny. I'd rather use stainless even if it's heavier.

>>906883
That looks like a bullfrog's goiter.

>>906893
>>906895
I used to an aluminium mess kit because I already have to lob around far too much crap in the service, so every gram really does count. Carrying an extra 500g was unjustifiable as far as my spine went.

Though when I switched I was using an ALICE pack, and me being 6 foot 4 the waist strap under me ribs and provided zero weight distribution. So it was all terrible.

I now use a Vietnam era US meat can, which I was issued in spring. Our military has some rather weird supplies. No boiling water in that, though, but perfect for field kitchen grub.

>>906896
Yes, yes it does. I missed out on buying one. From the marvelous description at that Finnish milsurp site:

"One would assume that since humans have been using some kind of rucksacks for as long as the species have been in existence, it would be impossible to design a bad rucksack as late as 1990's. Well, things that are impossible for humans are no deterrent for the Polish!"

>>906865
I have one, and my friends that I go camping with have a couple. They fit great in the outer pockets of a medium ALICE pack. I removed the bottle and replaced it with a large Esbit solid fuel foldable stove, a fold-a-cup and a small towel.
That being said a Swedish mess kit is a lot better, comes with a windshield and a bombproof alcohol stove, but weighs more and is bulkier.
All in all I prefer the yugo mess kit for making tea, coffee or instant soup and the sweedie for actually cooking in.

>>906883
Have one and can confirm. The adjustment toggles on the straps have sharp metal corners that eat flesh for breakfast. If you want to access anything inside, you have to undo those nightmare mini-metal toggles and then lace the shit back through again. If you get it high enough on your back, the metal clasps that are inexplicably long and overbuilt at the bottom of the straps eat into you. Still, you can buy one for like $7 so it's all good.

>>906901
The rest of my kit is light enough that the extra weight of stainless doesn't bother me.

I love my fucking stowaway pot and I'll shill for it all night and day. I can chuck it right into the coals and not worry about it warping or scorching.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00N7EOB88/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Picked this up for 60% off. I like it because my stove fuel fits in the pots.

>>906804

I use a single steel crusader cup with one of those chinese gas MSR knockoff stoves. I've never understood why people carry multiple containers when all you need is water container + cup. I'm not an ultralight fag but why would you need multiple cups to cook a single pot meal?

>>907405
Field kitchen grub. Soup, suspicious sausages, and very sweet tea.

>>907405

*assuming you're either on your own or everyone looks after their own dinner. Probably wouldn't want to try cooking for more than 2 from a single cup.

I've started just keeping meals in freezer bags and pouring hot water in to hydrate them. A lot lighter and cleanup is a breeze. Used bags can also hold snack wrappers