Review Date: August 18, 2005

Specifications

Product Type: Three-piece titanium cookset
Maker: MSR
Website: www.msrcorp.com

Model: Titan Mini Cookset
Manufacturer Weight (total): 9.6 oz (272 g)
Manufacturer Capacities: Large pot, 1.5 L (51 fl oz); small pot 1.0 L (34 fl oz)
Measured Weight (pots, lid, lifter, sack): 9.8 oz (278 g)
Comes With: Two pots, one lid, storage sack, pot lifter
Country of Origin: Thailand
MSRP: $90
Year purchased: 2002

Reviewer Info (bio at end of review)

Rick Dreher
Redbike64 (at) hotmail (dot) com
Male, 51
Height: 6 ft (1.83 meters)
Weight: 175 lb (79 kg, 12.5 stones)
Location: Northern California
Years backpacking experience: 37

Introduction

The introduction of titanium backpacking cookware has given us strength and light weight not achievable with steel or aluminum. The Titan Mini Cookset from MSR is sufficient for a pair of backpackers who want to do “real” cooking on the trail, or can be stripped down to the basics for the boil-and-dump set. Two pots, a single lid, a pot lifter and a storage bag comprise this cookset. 

Environments of Use

I’ve used this cookset on backpacking trips to the Sierra Nevada in spring through fall conditions at elevations ranging from 7,000 to 11,000 feet (2,130 – 3,350 m). Mealtime temperatures, while not formally measured, ranged from shirtsleeve to well below freezing, and wind varied from calm to gusty.

Design, Materials and Construction

The pots and lid are made of thin-walled titanium with a wall thickness of 0.016 inches (0.45 mm). I don’t know whether it’s 100% titanium or one of the common alloys. The pot bottoms are curved for ease of cleaning (MSR claims improved heat transfer as well) and the rims are rolled outwards for strength and to ease grasping them with the lifter. The pots do not have handles, graduated volume measurements or pour spouts, and are not nonstick-coated. The lid’s contours fit either pot snugly, and it has an insulated handle in the center that’s notched to stand up, if desired, or fold flat. The small aluminum pot lifter has insulated handles. The set fits in a supplied storage bag that’s half of coated nylon and half mesh, and closes with a toggled drawstring.

Measurements

As noted in the specifications, the entire set weighs 9.8 ounces (278 g). Component weights break down as follows.

1.5 L pot	3.4 oz (96 g)
1.0 L pot	2.4 oz (68 g)
Lid	2.0 oz (57 g)
Pot lifter	1.0 oz (28 g)
Storage sack	1.2 oz (34 g)

The pot dimensions are as follows.

1.5 L pot	6 1/8 x 3 1/2 inches (155 x 90 mm)
1.0 L pot	5 3/8 x 2 3/4 inches (135 x 70 mm)

Water totaling 1.5 liters fills the large pot to within about half an inch (13 mm) of the top; conversely, 1.0 liter completely fills the small pot, meaning its useful volume is somewhat less than that.

General Impressions

Wow--light, strong and compact--was my first reaction on receiving this pot set. I’d used other titanium cookware, as well as a host of aluminum and steel pots and pans, but this little set could fill all my needs (other than winter camping when melting snow for water was required) for both soloing and hiking with a partner. Being wider than they’re tall, the pots are shaped for maximum efficiency on most stoves, as well as good stability. While handling pots with a lifter instead of build-in handles can be more cumbersome, it allows for the use of snug windscreens and the resulting greater efficiency, a tradeoff I’m willing to make.

Packing

The cookset dimensions are defined by the relatively squat 1.5 L pot, which fits easily into all my backpacks without jabbing me in the back. The 1.0 L pot fits easily inside as does the pot lifter, leaving room for my stove burner and a cutting board, lighter, kitchen rag, dish soap and scrubber. A foil-type windscreen goes into the stuffsack along with the pot set. A standard 250 g fuel canister will fit into the small pot at the expense of carrying other items.

In Use

I’ve used this Titan Mini Cookset on a Primus Alpine Titanium cartridge stove, a Markill Titanium cartridge stove, and an MSR Simmerlite white gas stove. Any of these stove burners will store inside the cookset. The best overall cooking performance is on stoves where the flame pattern roughly matches the pot width. I’ve not done timed boil tests, finding them to be of limited use, but do note that a given amount of water will normally boil faster in the 1.5 L pot than in the smaller one. I presume this is because there’s better (more efficient) heat transfer with a wider bottom (although it’s also affected by how much I can reasonably turn up the stove flame on the larger pot). As a result, when carrying both bots I use the larger one for boiling water.

Numerous “real” meals have been prepared in these pots, many of them using both. A typical meal begins with sautéing ingredients such as garlic, onion, peppers and smoked salmon or marinated stew meat in olive oil in the small pot, setting it aside with a foil lid in a bit of clothing as a cozy and cooking some kind of starch (rice, pasta, potatoes) in the larger pot. I’ll then fold the sautéed ingredients into the starch, cook some more, season and serve. The two pots become the serving bowls using this system. Of course, lots of water has been boiled in them too, and some snow melted for water production, although this latter use has been minor (I prefer larger pots of 2 L and above for snow melting). I typically use an MSR folding windscreen with the cookset, which noticeably decreases boil times.

The lid fits reasonably snugly, increasing heating efficiency. Setting a rock on top makes it fit tighter, which should slightly raise the boiling point and further speed cooking. The insulated foldaway lid handle is clever and useful, and can be snagged with a utensil if desired. With either pan, some condensation will run to the outside of the lid and drip, as opposed to pots where the lid fits inside the pan lip to capture condensation.

The tiny potlifter does a pretty good job handling a full and heavy pan of food. The coated handles are reasonably easy to grip and hold, but the inside-the-pot jaw sometimes gets into the food, requiring that the lifter be cleaned along with the dishes.

Titanium is an interesting metal, not least because of how poorly it conducts heat (see Shortcomings below for the downside). There are many occasions when I don’t need to use the pot lifter to pick up the pan because the rim is cool to the touch, despite the contents being boiling hot (checking carefully first, of course). Contrast this with an aluminum pan, where my fingers would blister even thinking about such a stunt. I note this because gram-counters might decide to leave the little lifter home and use a bit of clothing when they need to handle the hot pot.

Shortcomings

It’s easy to scorch food in these pans because titanium concentrates, rather than dissipates stove heat. This is easy to demonstrate with an empty pot, which will quickly glow red in the shape of the stove’s flame pattern. When browning or sautéing food, I have to consistently move the pan over the flame and stir and toss the ingredients. Lots of oil helps too. When simmering I need to closely watch the stove flame and stir the food, frequently scraping the bottom with a small spatula. If I scorch anyway, it’s a chore to clean food stuck to the pot bottom (although I find it’s easier with titanium than with uncoated aluminum or stainless steel).

Wear, Tear and Care

Both pots have accumulated permanent scorch marks and myriad scratches. The pot bottoms are discolored on the outside where stove flames concentrate. The pots, lid and lifter remain unbent and undented, testament to titanium’s great strength even when it’s this thin. Titanium shrugs off trips through the dishwasher that will attack aluminum pots given the same treatment. It’s the best way I know of to get rid of the greasy backcountry patina all cookpots acquire.

Conclusions and Suggestions

There’s not much I’d change with this cookset, but the storage bag could be lightened and measured graduation marks could, and should be added to the pots. MSR might also consider nonstick-coating the pots, providing there is a sufficiently robust coating available for titanium at a reasonable cost. Finally, I’d slightly increase the smaller pot’s dimensions so that it can more reasonably be claimed to have a 1.0 L capacity.

Recommendations

The MSR Titan Mini Cookset offers tremendous performance and versatility, at a strikingly light weight. It accommodates all the advanced cooking needs of a party of two, and can be stripped down for soloists who only want boil-and-dump meals. True gram weenies can carry just the small pot and a foil lid and stay below 3 ounces (85 g), reaching for the full kit on less austere trips. Ninety bucks isn’t an insignificant amount to spend on pots and pans, but there’s no doubt that a hiker can get literally a lifetime of use out of this little MSR kit, making it a less intimidating purchase. I find having a bit of the space age in my backpack to be an oddly comforting feeling.

Backpacking Bio

Most of my hiking is in the Sierra Nevada, the trips ranging from overnight to weeklong excursions. I like alpine territory best of all. I’ve shed several pounds from my pack for several reasons: traveling easier and farther, freeing myself from as many trappings as I’m comfortable discarding, and extending the duration of my backpacking career. My total pack weight for three-day summer excursions, including food and water, is now roughly 25 pounds (12 kg); longer trips see pack weights ranging into the mid 30s (17 kg) with water.

rtd 8.18.2005