Reviews > Cook Gear > Cook Sets > MSR Titan Mini Cookset > Owner Review by Thomas Vickers > Owner Review by Thomas Vickers

MSR Titan Mini Cookset Owner's Review

January 25, 2006

Tester Background:
I grew up in the piney woods of southeast Texas. Camping was a quick trip into the mosquito-infested woods behind the house. My style has evolved and over the last 4 or 5 years, I have begun to take a lighter weight approach to hiking gear (I still use sleeping bags and tents, just lighter versions). While I have flirted with lightweight hiking, I feel that I am more of a mid-weight hiker now. My philosophy is one of comfort, while carrying the lightest load possible.

Description:
My MSR Titan Mini Cookset is an older model that actually varies a great deal from the current model, so this description is not going to be the exact same as the model currently on the website.

The large pot is a silver/gray color and made of titanium.  The side of this pot is marked and labeled in increments from 200, 400, 500, 600 and 800 ml (7, 14, 17, 20, and 27 fl oz).  Based on my measured capacity, this is approximately a one liter (1 quart) cooking pot.  The outer rim of the pot is just a big larger than the actual pot and it seems to help the lid sit firmly in place. The smaller pot is also made of titanium and is marked and labeled in increments starting at 200, 400, 500, and 600 ml (7, 14, 17, and 20 fl oz).  This pot holds just over 600 ml (20 fl oz) of liquid, so it is somewhere in the range of a 1/2 to 3/4 liter (1/2 to 3/4 quart) pot. These pots are sized in such a way that the smaller one easily fits inside of the larger one for storage and carrying.  Neither pot has any sort of handle or other attached handling device.  To lift or use the pots while hot, the Litelifter pot holder must be used with this cook set.

The lid for this cookset can also be used as a frying pan of sorts.  The handle folds flat against the top of the lid when not in use and quickly folds out when the lid is used.  This top fits snugly on the large pan, but does not fit as well over the small pan since the lid's diameter is so much larger than the smaller pot.  The last part of the cookset is the Litelifter pot holder.  Mine is made of titanium with blue, nonslip insulated handles.  To store this cookset I usually put the pot lifter into the small pot, then place the small pot inside the larger pot.  The next step is to fold the lid handle down to its storage position and place it over the large pot.   This provides a nice compact way to store the MSR Mini Titan Cookset.  As my picture below shows, the MSR Titan Mini Cookset has been well used and despite its age, it is in pretty good condition.

Use:
I had grown tired of carrying bigger and heavier pots when I was going on solo trips, so I bit the bullet and put out the cash to get the smallest, lightest cookset I could find.   Now my MSR Titan Mini Titanium Cookset is well into its sixth year of use, shows signs of being used almost constantly, and is still going strong.  I have used this cookset with almost every kind of stove imaginable. This includes homemade alcohol stoves, commercial alcohol stoves, white gas stoves, and canister stoves of all sorts.  It has proven versatile enough to work on just about any cooking apparatus imaginable.  The only thing I have never done is cook directly over/on an open fire with it. 

Cleaning the pots if very easy since the titanium is fairly hard and does not scratch easily.  Despite the toughness of the titanium, it is not indestructible. My small pot contains a dent in one area where it was banged against a rock a bit too hard.   The pot is usable, but it proved to me that I did have to take some care in using this cook set.

Cooking with the MSR Titan Mini Cookset is fairly straight forward and easy.  As with any camping pots that I have used, it is necessary to be very careful to avoid scorching my food.  The titanium pot conducts heat very well and if I do not stir my meal constantly, the center portion of the pot tends to heat up (where the flames hit it) and scorch the food.  This problem occurs most often with canister stoves since their flames tend to concentrate directly in the center of the pot being used. Other stoves with wider burners or a more diffuse flame don't seem to cause scorching as easily. 

Usually I don't take the smaller pot with me on my trips anymore.  I tend to heat water for a warm drink in the large pan, then either use the remaining water or add more water to cook my meal with in the same pan.  Since the pots are so easy to clean with a little soap and a scrubbing pad, it isn't too much work to clean the pot and heat more water if necessary.  In fact, I use the large pot to heat water, cook in, and as my camp bowl.  This means that I actually carry less weight in my pack because the large pot serves multiple duties.  This is what I consider to be a very versatile cookset.

The one thing that I have learned the hard way is that this cookset does not have built in handles, except for the lid.  Every now and then I tend to grab a hot pot without thinking and the titanium, which heats up rather nicely for cooking, ends up burning my hands.  If I have cooked my meal in one of the pots and plan on using it as a bowl, I have to lift it off the stove with the Litelifter and then wrap it in a bandana or shirt so that I can hold the pot and eat.  There is probably a better way to do this, but I tend to go for quick and easy at the end of a long day instead of doing things the best way possible.       

Final thoughts:
I have used the MSR Titan Mini Cookset far past the age where most of my other pots would have been put to rest.  Despite actually only using a portion of the set these days, it is still a very functional and light cookset.  What I really have enjoyed about it in the last couple of years is that carrying the large pot and lid creates a natural storage space for my alcohol stove kit.  When I break camp, I pack my stove, primer pan, pot support, wind screen, lighter/matches and Litelifter into the large pot, put the lid on and store the entire setup in my pack.  This means that my stove doesn't get damaged and all my cooking utensils are basically in the same spot when I need them.   Anything that helps my organizational skills on the trail is a huge bonus for me and this makes the MSR Titan Mini Cookset an even more desirable piece of gear to have on the trail with me.

One thing that I have never tried is to use the lid as a frying/cooking pan. It seems obvious that it is designed this way, but I have never found a meal to cook using the lid.   I would rather see a smaller lid for the pots that would reduce the weight just a bit more.  I just don't know how realistic it is to cook on the lid.  I guess I just see it as more trouble than possibility.

In my opinion this is a great cookset to help reduce pack weight, especially on solo hikes.   When I go on dayhikes, the Titan Mini Cookset (or parts of it) are almost always in my lumbar pack.  It is nice to stash my alcohol stove inside the small pot and lid for a nice cup of hot tea while on a rest break.   With its versatility, compact size, and light weight, there is no reason for me to leave this cookset at home no matter what my hiking plan is for the day or the week.  

Likes:
Compactness (packability)
Weight
Versatility

Dislikes:
No built in pot handles (Litelifter needed)
Lid is too large (wasted wieght)

Reviews > Cook Gear > Cook Sets > MSR Titan Mini Cookset > Owner Review by Thomas Vickers > Owner Review by Thomas Vickers