What's in your mess kit?

I was wondering what you use for your mess kit. Here's mine. After talking with a buddy at work today about the possibility of camping this weekend, I decided to inventory my pack and fill up rations.



Shown from top left to right and so on: MSR Alpine Stowaway Pot 1.6L, MSR "" 475ml, Nalgene 1L bottle, MSR lids, Olicamp 16 Ounce Cup, MSR coffee cup, War Dog, Light my Fire salt and pepper shaker with third compartment I keep red pepper in, 2 MRE hot water bags with 1.5 cups of Minute Rice a piece, cheapo Coleman silverware set, dry fuel tablets, bag of assorted bullion packets.



I use the Minute Rice because it is quick to fix. Add boiling water and wait 5 minutes and it is ready to go. Usually I just through it in whatever it is I am cooking if it is a stew or soup type dish. Did I hear gumbo? It is not as good as regular rice, but it ain't bad.



I am pretty happy with the MSR pots. I have had the small one for a few years and it is holding up like new after many camping trips. I picked the bigger one up about two months ago. It will see heavy use as well.



I like the MRE water bags to hold the rice since they are marked in ounces. It makes it easy and quick.

I prefer my Olicamp cup to the GSI cups since it is marked in ounces too and you can see the markings from the inside and out.

Can't forget one of the most important containers. Nalgene flask with cup. This was made by Nalgene especially for Maker's Mark. <---- I did not just make that up.



Now that I have shown you mine ... show me yours.

Very nice jj, mine is similar. I'll post pics tomm.

Nice and well thought out.


Maybe some french roast and something to make coffe with ?

Look into the MSR Mugmate. Fits into the cup.

Great kit, mine is very similar. With the exception that my water bottle is stainless steel and has a stainless cap as well, just the o ring is rubber. I keep a survival water straw in the canteen when not in use as well as a small bottle if iodine pills. My canteen cup is the same one you have and fits perfectly to my water bottle. Like you, I store rice in my mess kit but not the Uncle Ben's just short grain white rice. I generally carry enough to make eight bowls of rice once cooked which is roughly four cups dry. I also collect and store a few of the little soya sauce packets from sushi trays and Chinese take out to add to my kit as well as a few dehydrated Okinawa style umeboshi. I supplement this with a small bag of dehydrated lima beans as well as some salt and pepper packets, about two cups of dry beans. It all fits pretty easily in my mess tin, which is stainless steel as well, though I can't remember the make. The fork and spoon thing I prefer to forgo for a stainless steel pair of thin hashi or chopsticks, it is just more versatile tool I think. While living in Japan my father in-law was into bushcraft and would always just make his own hashi quickly with his knife whenever we went out hunting. The camp knife I keep is just a cheap mora knife. I am planning to get a few good swamprat and scrapyards to have some decent blades though. Thanks for creating this thread JarheadJournalist, brilliant idea. I look forward to seeing or reading about what other peoples kits are like as well.

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Not a coffee drinker.

A Marine that doesn't drink coffee also known as the Elixir of Life? I thought all Marines drank coffee out of a 55 gallon drum, always had a stub of a cigar in the corner of their mouth, used 550 cord for floss, genuflected when Gunny walked by, and looked down their noses at Airmen.

Not a coffee drinker??? Say it ain't so.

How heavy is your basic mess kit (both pots/lids, both cups)?

You are misinformed, to see US, they would have to look Up, WAY up! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Right now My cook kit is pretty sparce, just a a ss pan with a lid and a 1/2 lit pot with a plastic cup. But I am thinking about getting a pot like JJ's. My outfit is more for frying and not really what I wanted, but for 10 bucks...

Well, you got most of it right despite what the chair jockey (Skunk) said. I do use the instant coffee packets that come in MREs. I just pour them down my throat and wash it down with a 55 gallon barrel of diesel.

I am not sure what it weighs. I would guess 1-2 lbs without the rice and stuff in it (just the metal stuff).

I know that back in my day we were Airmen- what are we now? Airpeople, Airpersons, Airpersonnel?

Chairmen <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Here is this years setup. Usually I have some freeze dried meal like a Mountain House Beef Stroganof etc. I haven't used it enough times to say if its a winner or not but its freakishly light and adequate. 11.1 ounces for everything. I do want to get one of the 1.1L MSR's.

Its a GSI Ketalist.

Got any close ups of the silverware? What make is it, price and is it worth a [censored]?

The make is GSI and model ketalist. I paid 22 bucks for the whole deal. It is pretty nice so far. It cleans up well and seems scratch resitant so far. The foon is odd. I have never used it. It is a sliding set up. I keep a Lexan fork and spoon. I don't like most sporks or foons.

This is a new/er setup. I got it this winter and have only used it a few times. So far so good. This summer will be the make or break point. I plan on spending a bunch of time in the back country.

Can't answer that, I retired in 1994. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" /> But if the Uniform they were trying to go to when I got out they're probably calling them Airggots now. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/paperbag.gif" alt="" />

Still airmen.

That's a nice looking setup MB, but I think for what I want I might go a bit smaller. I like the pots like JJ has.

I want to try one of the MSR's the next size down from the larger one JJ has. I think they are a good setup. The MSR looks way better for actually cooking. The kettle is great for boiling and pouring for a freeze dried meal. Not sure if I would want to fry something in it. It could be done but its not the best for that.

The MSR pots are pretty robust, but no so much they weigh a ton. They clean up pretty easily too. The only down side is the weight, but any lighter and I don't think they will hold up to very much heat and abuse.

With the "Frypan" setup I already have frying something wouldn't be a problem, just need something to boil stuff in and large enough for at least two.

The smallest MSR will boil enough water for a two meal freeze dried meals.

The kettle is fairly small but holds 32 ounces of water so basically a whole nalgene bottle can be boiled.

That's plenty of boiled water for just about anything.

yeah, JJ's right about being enough water. MB, I have a set of Brunton Titanium "Silverware" I've had for about 3 years now and and they have held up really well. I use them at work every night. I've used everything except the knife, I guess I need to see how it will cut cooked meat. The set weighs next to nothing.

not many "my pics" but this will have to do for now.

My goal is ultralight, but some may say that is just because as a chairborn ranger, that's all I can carry <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />




Anyway, stove, bowl, pot and titanium spork all together under .75 lb and all fit inside the pot...well, the bowl is paper thin, one of those oraikaso fold-flat deals that was bought a few years ago...I'll try to scrounge up pics if anyone is really interested. Pot holds almost a liter which is enough for my freeze-dried/instant oatmeal style of cooking when on the trail.

oooh, found an old pic of the bowl with tactical mini-wiener for size reference





the new rendition of the pot i use
http://www.rei.com/product/768513/gsi-outdoors-hae-tea-kettle

Damon, With that "Patch" under your S5 You're no lightweight! Oh and that has to be the Best wiener picture I've seen! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

Ok, I found out (finally) that this is the cookset (mess kit) that I have. It's the Texsport 5 Pc Stainless Steel Mess Kit 13156.

With that I want to get one of the MSR Alpine Stowaway pots but I'm not sure if I should get the 1.1 lit or 1.6 lit pot for two people. I figure with those I should be good to go if it ever goes south on us and we gotta split.

I have a bunch of those Coleman sets in a box somewhere that I picked up pretty cheap when I was fleabaying a ton of stuff. this thread just reminded me of them. not bad but there's fancier stuff out there. they also come in handy for car dining when the plastic is crap or forgotten.

Hum.... I'll have to do some measuring. IF my Texsport mess kit will fit inside the MSR Stowaway 1.6 lit pot, that's the one I'll get.

I made/am making a second mess kit. This one is a two person kit. Thought of Skunk and Jarhead when I put this together. I have the 1.6 MSR stowaway with a Trianga alcohol stove and a west wind enclosure. I picked up some Goyot utensils that are pretty neat. I also found some collapsible Sea to summit XL bowls that will double as plates and are the exact footprint of the MSR. I will pick up the bowls/plates tomorrow.

But the truly cool thing is everything including the stove stores inside the pot and there will still be room for food.

Here is the utensils I bought today. They look more solid and usable than anything I have found so far. Its a spork and spatula/knife that nests.

Got the Sea to summit XL bowls today and some cups. I am impressed how compact this kit is. I have the whole set up inside the MSR 1.6L and I threw in my jetboil utensils as well. I think this is a pretty decent 2 person setup. I still have some room to throw in spices and some food. It will be used when I camp with the runt this year. Here are some pics.

All stowed away


How everything folds/breaksdown


Set up


Side view to show the size of everything

Pretty neat setup there MB. Those foldable cups and bowls are really nice.

For sure! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

I like the silverware set. Been looking for a good pair. Not hapy with anything I have found so far. I guess I have to order a Goyot set :P

Check at your local REI JJ. A whopping 4.95 if I remember correctly. One of the few inexpensive things there.

Lies, I tell you . Lies. If there is an inexpensive thing at REI, why does my wallet need CPR every time I walk out of it?

LOL, thats why its one of the few things that are inexpensive. Everything else is way overpriced, But usually in stock.