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#206355 - 05/27/22 01:19 PM Light weight Thermos?
Jim M Offline
member

Registered: 11/23/03
Posts: 430
Loc: Kitsap Peninsula, WA
Especially in winter, I sometimes carry my hot tea in a very nice thermos that I purchased at REI. It weighs 11 ounces. I was wondering if this is a place I might save a few ounces? any one know of a light weight thermos that keeps things hot?
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#206356 - 05/27/22 03:30 PM Re: Light weight Thermos? [Re: Jim M]
DustinV Offline
member

Registered: 01/31/10
Posts: 190
Loc: Lakewood, CO
Are you using the lightweight version of a Hydro Flask? If so, does it keep your drink hot a reasonable amount of time?

Not sure you'll get much lighter for a durable metal bottle, but if you have one of those old OR bottle insulators for a Nalgene, maybe do some experiments at home to see how well long they'll keep your drink hot. I know Nalgenes are supposed to handle boiling water. I wouldn't try it with a Smart bottle or similar.

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#206359 - 05/28/22 05:08 PM Re: Light weight Thermos? [Re: DustinV]
Arizona Offline
member

Registered: 02/26/02
Posts: 301
Loc: The Southwestern Deserts
Are you looking to cut your stove and still have a hot beverage? I had a Hydroflask years ago but gave it away several years back. No good answer but I’ve used titanium bottles of various size that came with neoprene sleeves. I haven’t tested how long a hot beverage remains hot but keeping water from becoming too cold or too hot has been the issue here. It might stay fairly warm for a couple hours if it is also protected in a pack. I wouldn’t expect piping hot for any extended time.

The double wall bottles all come with a weight penalty. Your lightweight option might be a titanium bottle with neoprene sleeve or with some extra insulation like wrapped in a fleece. It’s cold out, you stop for a break, put on fleece and drink a hot beverage. Sounds pretty good and fast.

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#206372 - 05/31/22 09:41 AM Re: Light weight Thermos? [Re: Arizona]
4evrplan Offline
member

Registered: 01/16/13
Posts: 913
Loc: Nacogdoches, TX, USA
Good idea Arizona, the Neoprene probably would be lighter than a double wall. But, as far as insulation goes, neoprene is pretty heavy. I wonder if it would be better to wrap it in Styrofoam?

I have a thin plastic to-go container, the kind you get soup in from a restaurant, that I put inside a Dairy Queen drink cup and then cut off the excess Styrofoam hanging off the bottom. I haven't ever actually used it though; it's just something I was messing around with. If I have the time, I'll put some hot water in it and see how long it stays hot. One nice thing about it is the to-go container has a lid. I need to glue foam to the top and bottom of it as well. But, even if it works, that wouldn't be appropriate for to carry hot liquid inside your pack with. It would be too easy for the lid to come off or for it to leak. Might be just the thing for an extremely lightweight food bowl and tea cup. It might also give some insight into how well Styrofoam could work on a bottle with a better lid.
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#206375 - 05/31/22 12:21 PM Re: Light weight Thermos? [Re: 4evrplan]
Arizona Offline
member

Registered: 02/26/02
Posts: 301
Loc: The Southwestern Deserts
Styrofoam is an excellent idea. Your experimentation is super valuable.

Another method I’ve found to really work well with very light weight and low bulk is Reflectix. A pot cozy made with Reflectix keeps a hot pot steaming after a full hour. It is fairly easy to construct a Reflectix sleeve that will really perform. That is an inexpensive alternative. A double layer of Reflectix is hard to beat.

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#206376 - 05/31/22 12:37 PM Re: Light weight Thermos? [Re: Jim M]
Glenn Roberts Online   content
Moderator

Registered: 12/23/08
Posts: 2208
Loc: Southwest Ohio
This may not fit your hiking style, so I apologize if it's not helpful. The most ultralight solution I can think of is to stop and brew a cup of tea when you want one - eliminates the need for a thermos entirely. (Don't say, "but I have to bring more fuel" - you're currently bringing the fuel to brew the tea that goes into the thermos; that just gets used at the brew-stops instead.)

Like I said, this may not fit your style. It works for me, but I'm light and slow, not light and fast. I've always got time to stop for a few minutes. I also tend not to hike in below-freezing temperatures, so if you're carrying a hot drink while hiking in bitter cold, this solution might not fit you, either.

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#206399 - 06/05/22 08:59 PM Re: Light weight Thermos? [Re: Arizona]
Jim M Offline
member

Registered: 11/23/03
Posts: 430
Loc: Kitsap Peninsula, WA
What I do is take my tea (or coffee) in a thermos on day hikes. On overnights I would take my MSR Pocket Rocket. I did happen to take my MSR PR on a long day hike to an obscure place the other day and it was a pleasure to have a full pot of tea and share it with others.
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#206400 - 06/05/22 09:03 PM Re: Light weight Thermos? [Re: Glenn Roberts]
Jim M Offline
member

Registered: 11/23/03
Posts: 430
Loc: Kitsap Peninsula, WA
Glen...
thanks for that reply. As I mentioned a minute ago in another response, that is what I did recently and I liked it. I am the sort that likes to stop and smell the roses. So a long lunch stop is common for me and allows time to fuss with brewing a cupa.


Edited by Jim M (06/05/22 09:03 PM)
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#206406 - 06/06/22 10:18 AM Re: Light weight Thermos? [Re: Jim M]
BZH Offline
member

Registered: 01/26/11
Posts: 1189
Loc: Madison, AL
In my experience, for what you are trying to do, the best bottle is one of those narrow necked vacuum insulated bottles. This style:

Amazon Insulated SS bottle

Anything lighter will not insulate as well. I sometimes use this style bottle while biking:

Polar Sport bottle - insulated

They don't insulate as well, but carry more liquid for less weight.

If you really want to drop weight, as Glenn suggested heating it up at your destination is probably better. If you are just making tea, you can do a lot lighter than a pocket rocket. I think you probably would end up lighter than a vacuum insulated bottle with a light weight plastic bottle, a lightweight Ti or Al cup, and a lightweight esbit burner with a quarter tab:

https://www.amazon.com/Esbit-Ultralight-...32871&psc=1

You could also swap out the esbit for an alcohol burner:

http://www.woodgaz-stove.com/fancee-feest.php


Edited by BZH (06/06/22 10:20 AM)

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#206408 - 06/06/22 01:24 PM Re: Light weight Thermos? [Re: BZH]
Jim M Offline
member

Registered: 11/23/03
Posts: 430
Loc: Kitsap Peninsula, WA
BZH
thanks for your comments. over the years I have had many stoves. on summer trips I successfully used an alcohol (CAT) stove, and also a DIY Esbit stove [and windshield/pot stand] that weighed 2 ounces at most. Recently I have got my base weight down very low. It isn't easy to explain why I went back to the MSR pocket rocket. I suppose for (imagined?) convenience partly. If you discount the weight of the fuel ...the stove weighs 3.5 ounces and the steel canister weighs about 5 oz. So the weight difference is only about [(5+3.5)-2] = 6.5 ounces. If my full pack with consumables weighs 20 pounds, 6.5 ounces is only 2%. I consider anything less than 5% insignificant. There are several items I really don't "need" that I enjoy having that fit into that category. For example a 1 ounce plastic cup for my tea, and a wee dram of scotch.
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