Tea cup

I have done a search and cannot find anything acceptable. I am looking for a light weight tea cup. I have tried single walled ti cups and don't like them at all. I have a double walled ti cup that I like but would like something lighter. Not interested in paper cups or the like. What do you use?

Get a styrofoam cup. Coat the inside with shellac. (an organic, edible, food-grade material). Wrap duct tape around the outside. It'll last quite a while and weighs next to nothing.

Concerned about durability? Bring along 2. Still weighs next to nothing.

If you want to go lightweight, use clear or tan packaging tape instead of duct tape.

I favor a Sierra Club style cup, fabricated from titanium - lightweight, tough, and versatile. When car camping, I use an insulated plastic REI mug with cover (12oz) or stainless steel double wall mugs8oz). The plastic mug is light enough that it could go backpacking.

I try to go ultralight but allow myself some heavy items just because I like 'em so much. One of those is an insulated, plastic mug from Campmor. The "Thermo Measuring Mug', #82540-B, weighs 5 1/2 ounces (6oz listed) but it works oh-so-well and costs only $5. It holds 12oz and features measuring marks. FYI, certain plasic caps from food items, specifically the cap found on containers of Progresso bread crumbs, fit the mug tightly...tight enough to allow shaking for mixing beverages.

Once I put a tea bag in the mug's hot water and walked away for ten minutes. Despite the mid-30's weather, I burned my lips on the hot tea when I came back...but not on the mug itself. That's another good use of the cap...it keeps the bugs out of the brew...

I've seen a virtually identical mug at REI.

FB

I tend to just use my titanium snowpeak mug. It gets the job done and if youre worried about it losing its heat too fast you can always make a reflective insulation pot cozy for it.

REI insulated mug in cold weather. 14 oz Nalgene any other time. I like the Nalgene for shaking up powder mix items, like protein powder or hot choc. A 14 oz Nalgene takes up less space and fits in my bear can when I've eaten down the food a little. Easier to measure with too.

I prided myself in taking a styrofoam cup for a while. But it took so much energy to keep from crushing it that I broke down, went to Walmart, and bought a 12 fl oz plastic kids cup that is very sturdy. So I increased my pack weight up from 0.03oz to 0.7oz. Peace of mind came knowing I can smash my pack w/o worrying about my mug--- all for the price of 0.67oz.

-Barry

why do so many people insist in using a separate mug for drinking out of? i have always just ate, cleaned out the mug then had some tea shortly after.... thoughts?

I can't see having a separate cup, either. Since I do freezer bag "cooking" (really reconstituting dried food with hot water, not cooking), I boil a full pot (550 ml), brew tea in the remaining water and drink out of the pot. No extra weight and no cup to clean--just rinse out the pot so my next meal isn't mint flavored.

I don't insist on anything. I do like to have extra water left over for a "bath" or a second cup of hot beverage, without needing to fire up the stove again. I can wash my hair with a cup of water.

Having a hard sided container like a nalgene is also a good backup if your hydration bladder starts to leak, tho I have yet to see one actually leak.

Likewise: I prepare supper in my Titan kettle, then have tea or cocoa later from the same kettle. (Sometimes I even have soup from the kettle before supper.)

Works just fine - not sure how it would be if the pot were shorter and broader.

duct tape is a good remedy for that

Actually, no, it isn't. Leukotape on the other hand will stick to a Camelbak nicely.

Duct tape doesn't stick nearly as well to things as people like to pretend it does. It doesn't stick to my skin, doesn't stick to silnylon (then again, nothing does), and doesn't do much for a bladder under any kind of pressure. As I found out the hard way.

For the SAR outings I am asked to bring a Nalgene, hard sided, in case the bladder fails.

Lori: I agree - I carry a Nalgene bottle and a Dromlite bladder. I keep the bottle full, and use the bladder for extra water if there's a dry stretch or I want to make a dry camp.

I've tried, over the years, to move away from a Nalgene bottle to something lighter (bladders, Platypus, Nalgene Cantene, or what have you) but I've always felt "vulnerable" without my trusty bottle. I've finally given up, and carry it on all my trips without a second thought. I know there's nothing rational about it (never had a bladder leak or rupture), but it's definitely peace of mind.

O.K. I finally have made a decision. From now on I will only be carrying my Snow Peak ti 900 pot/lid. The pot has ounce markings on the side and can also be used as a tea cup. Thanks for all of the suggestions.

Reasons to take a cup:
you cook in your pot not just boil water
you cook for multiple people at once
you like a hot drink with your meal
you need to measure out boiling water to rehydrate your food
you need to measure exact amounts of water to cook your food
it more fun than burning your lips on a hot pot



Yes, I could get by without a cup but for minimal weight, it is worth carrying for me.

I'll add on more: You cook on and Esbit stove and don't like the nasty taste it leaves on the outside of your pot.

And why is that bad? I like mint flavor in my next meal.

You like the feel of a nice warm cup between your gloved hands on a hot day. The pot's in a cozy keeping your next cuppa hot, or the water you're going to give your friend when he finally manages to tip over the stove he can't seem to light. It's a frigid morning in the mountains with newbies....

Drink your own drink!

I do carry a small and very light plastic cup - 250 ml size - I don't *actually* need it most of the time. I carry it mainly to be able to scoop boiling water out of a pot in measurable amounts into a freezer bag without burning myself.. Since it is the same size as my alcohol stove, my stove fits inside it.

I occasionally cook in my pot as well, and in these cases I like to be able to boil up and have a coffee in the cup while cooking in the pot. However that's not that usual a situation.

Strictly speaking it's a luxury item. it's one that I keep though.

duct tape has always worked for me.

Rich_M,

Take a 12 oz soft aluminum drink can and cut off the top along the shoulder where the can reaches max diameter. Store the bottom "cup" over your alcohol fuel bottle, nested so the cup isn't crushed. Afraid of burned fingers with hot drinks? Either wear gloves or duct tape the outside of the cup. Works.

Walt

One good thing about titanium pots is that you don't have the hot rim problem, making it quite feasible to drink from the pot. Of course this quality makes Ti a poor choice for doing real cooking, because the heat doesn't spread to the rest of the pot.

If I were doing real cooking, I would take a separate cup. I figure that rehydrating my food is a guesstimate anyway, so I don't need to measure.

Mouse said,
"One good thing about titanium pots is that you don't have the hot rim problem, making it quite feasible to drink from the pot. Of course this quality makes Ti a poor choice for doing real cooking, because the heat doesn't spread to the rest of the pot"
_____________________________________________________________

Actually while the lower heat conductivity of titanium is manifested in its not conducting so much up through a relatively long path to your lips,(The top of the cup, the ratio of length to thickness) the thinner titanium pans actually conduct heat better than stainless steel and this is easy to prove. Take two identical pans one SS and one Ti, set them on snow and poor in the same amount of boiling water, the water in the Ti pan will cool more quickly.
Jim

OOOOO!
Old Ranger, you just have to see my diatribe against "Sierra Cups" in my "Silly Gear Nominations" post. Hee, hee This post of yours is TOO good for me resist commentary.

Sorry but Sierra Cups are about as dated as the framless, canvas Boy Scout Yucca Packs of yore.

Personally I've been carrying those light plastic camping measuring cups for a few decades.

Eric

I agree with all of the above. I do not like burnt lips...period...that's why I always carry plastic of some description. Some times it is a Nalgene, some times it's not. I use Tinny's gram Wienie kitchen so I usually have a couple of containers to either mix food in or drink out of...sabre11004...

Duct tape will not stop a leak long term. It may help to curtail the leak, but it is not designed to stop fluid leakage...sabre11004....

So, I take it you are not a fan of the timeless classic sierra cup? Be careful, in certain National Parks, I am sure that the Sierra Cup must be plainly affixed to either pack or belt, like a hunting license. Failure to do so will at the very least earn you a baleful stare from the resident ranger.

Actually, you have a point with respect to the stainless steel version ("hot lips"). I have a couple of dust covered examples of the type around, and like most everything else made of SS, they are pretty much relegated to car camping.

In titanium, the deathless Sierra Cup is reborn, ready to serve a new generation. It is light, tough, and versatile. I use mine as a second cook kit, primarily for rewarming my too cool tea. It also comes in handy when digging for water. I have vivid memories of such an episode in the Sierra San Pedro Martyr a few years ago. Try that with your soulless, mass produced plastic!

I am sure I could bake bread in it, stuff it in a crack as an emergency rappel anchor, fry trout, etc. Its potential uses are almost beyond comprehension.

I actually pack the M1 A2 version, which features a recycled plastic snap lid, an Esbit holder, Esbit, tea bags, sugar packets, and aluminum foil wind screen. I need to throw in a lighter to make it complete. This goes with me on every hike - you never know when you will need a nice cup of tea..

Jim, I agree on the stainless steel. Aluminum is a far better conductor than either Ti or steel, and is the material of choice when you're actually cooking (as opposed to rehydrating). Anodized aluminum doesn't leach (pretty much discredited as a source of health problems, but the myth is still circulating). Stainless steel cookware for the home inevitably has either a copper-coated bottom or an aluminum disk welded to the bottom.

Cast iron has the best conductivity of all, but is hardly practical for backpacking! It's great for cooking at home, though, and has a multiple-use benefit--cooks your food and keeps your muscles in tone!

Well... OK... perhaps the Ti Sierra Cup is the new generation that does have its place. And I like the idea of a plastic snap-on cover to keep drinks hot - and pine needles out. But not the old s.s. cup. It's an anachronism.

Eric

I need to work on the cover - ot doesn't stay on very well. I would love to get a thin, light cover that would snap on securely.

Being new to the UL behavior pattern, I recently bought a digital scale, and have been amazed as I go thru gear and weigh and note the weights of so much "not light" gear.
I just weighed an insulated plastic mug, one that was given to me by the Serta Bed company, and I was amazed to see it weighed 4.4 oz, and it was just under 400ml.... Well, that $30 Ti mug weighed 4.2 oz... so I was like, damn, saving money and liking the mug all at once!
I love my tea in the evening as well. I am looking forward to "discovering" new light stuff that is already there!

You GO Steve! That digital scale is your best friend. It debunks some fads quickly.

Eric

How well does the plastic mug work as a container for boiling water?

Actually, it might work pretty well if you dropped hot rocks into the container. I have never tried this technique, but according to the "literature" hot rocks will bring liquids to a boil pretty quick.

Has anyone any experience with this technique?

wouldn't hot rocks in a plastic cup cause some melting?

good question. I have never actually tried the technique, but it is often used in non-metallic containers with some sort if shielding. Me, I keep it simple and just shove my metallic cooking container into the flame.

Hot rocks in plastic containers of water may not cause damage for the same reason you can set a paper cup or paper bag full of water on an open flame burner. I think the theory is that the water keeps the container's temperature below ignition...below melting in the case of the plastic mug.

FYI, I have tried both the paper cup and the paper bag on a burner on my gas stove. Both worked...kinda. The heat from the burners was sufficient to ignite the top of the cup (that part that was above the water line) and it burned down to the water line and spilling started to occur. The bag didn't burn but it did leak from the start. Things were getting kinda sloppy on the cooktop before I finally gave up and took the bag off the burner. At that point the water in bag had achieved face-washing temperature and the bag had no charing/burning.

FB

you should try cooking eggs and bacon in a paper bag! i didnt come up with it but the guys over at backpacker magazine did. what you do is smear grease from the bacon on the bottom of the bag then put the bacon in. then through two eggs into the paper bag along with it (without the shells). wait till your fire is nothing but coals to try this though as any sort of flame will ignite the bag.

I think the technique predates "Backpacker". I've got one book that discusses the method, Roughing It Easy by Dian Thomas. The paperback is dated 1974 whereas "Backpacker" started in the spring of 1973. Given delays in writing, editing, publishing, etc, and especially given that I'm sure the author of my book didn't develop the idea, I think the idea was floating around well before "Backpacker".

Either way, it is an old, old 'trick.'

FB

By the by, This has been an interesting thread to me. I have tried many things and there are some good ideas here. Long ago I was hiking with my friend Neal Lind and he was using a 16 ounce plastic measuring cup for his dinner bowl, tea cup and other general purposes. I recently switched back to that. You can always find something to stuff into it so it doesn't take up any volume to speak off. 2.5 ounces?