TOAKS Titanium 550ml Pot & Olicamp ION Micro Stove

Tired of dry ramen, I picked up the TOAKS Titanium 550ml Pot and Olicamp ION Micro stove in Damascus, VA, 470 miles into my section-hike of the Appalachian Trail. A friendly section-hiker getting off trail donated a mostly-full 8oz fuel canister.

This turned out to be a great set up for a minimalist cooker. I already had a Talenti jar that I had intended to use for cold-soaking. It turns out that I don't have the patience or foresight to start cold-soaking prior to arriving at camp, so for 470 miles I ate dry ramen, tuna packets, and snickers for dinner. I don't mind dry ramen; it's like trail popcorn.

Investing in a cook set up was a game changer. I found that I enjoyed the routine of cooking. It gave me a reason to stay up and sit at the picnic table with other hikers instead of scurrying off to my tent.

I used the TOAKS Titanium 550ml Pot for boiling water. Then I'd pour the water into the Talenti jar with the ramen. I'd wrap the Talenti jar with a bandana to keep it insulated for a few minutes while the ramen rehydrated. I found that insulating the plastic jar too much would cause the jar to melt.

I preferred to cooking inside of the Talenti jar instead of the pot. I found cleaning the jar easier, although there wasn't much difference between cleaning the pot and cleaning the jar.

I like the Titanium 550ml Titanium Pot. It's small and lightweight. The handles are a little small and difficult to use when the pot is hot, but a bandana makes a great pot holder. Although a fuel canister does fit inside the pot, moisture inside may lead to rust, so be careful to wrap the fuel canister or store it somewhere else.