I've been backpacking, climbing, ski-packing, bushwhacking, and snowshoeing throughout the mountains of Oregon and Washington for the last 25 years. I'm an all-season, all terrain, off-trail kind of guy, but these days (having small kids) most of my trips run on the shorter side of things, and tend to be in the temperate rainforest. While I've carried packs (with winter climbing gear) in excess of 70 pounds (32 kilos), the older I get the more minimalist I become.

INITIAL REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

Pot and Lid
Manufacturer: Vargo Outdoors, LLC
Year of Manufacture: 2008
Manufacturer's Website: www.vargooutdoors.com
MSRP: US $39.95
Listed Weight: 4.5 oz (128 g)
Measured Weight: 4.8 oz (136 g)
Component Weight:
Pot - 2.7 oz (77 g)
Lid - 1.7 oz (48 g)
Carry Bag - 0.5 oz (14 g)
(Totals do not add up to Measured Weight due to rounding)

Approximate Dimensions:
Lid Diameter - approx. 6 in (152 mm)
Base Diameter - approx. 3.75 in (95 mm)
Measured Volume - approx. 24 fl oz (710 ml)*

*Volume was measured by filling the Vargo Titanium Sierra 750 as full as possible with water, and pouring it off into a measuring cup.

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

Upon opening the shipping box containing the Vargo Titanium Sierra 750 I found the product in a net bag with a tag which appears to be how the product is packaged for retail sale, as seen in the picture below.
Vargo Titanium Sierra 750 As Received

The net bag that serves as the product's carry case uses a drawstring closure with a toggle to keep it closed. My immediate thought on looking at the bag was that it seemed a little larger than necessary, and that a smaller cord and toggle would shave a few fractions of an ounce. It appeared, however, quite utilitarian.

I opened the net bag and removed the Sierra 750 and looked it over. My immediate thought was "do you call this a cup or a pot?" The design reminded me of an oversized sierra cup with a handle that folds out, but is smaller than any pot I've ever used. Given the way I intend to use it during testing, I will refer to it throughout this report as a pot. It appears that, with the exception of the lid handle and the screw that holds it in, the entire pot is made of titanium.

To extend the handle I pinched the wire that forms the handle together, allowing it to swing between the ends of the clip that locks it into the open or closed position. After opening the handle, I slid the spreader bar away from the end of the handle, thus locking it into place and preventing it from accidentally moving back into the closed position. The picture below illustrates the handle open, halfway to closed, and closed.

The design itself seems very simple and practical to me. It is substantially lighter than other cook pots I've used, even among titanium ones. Part of that is because of its size. The Sierra 750 is much smaller than most cooking pots I've used. I consider that a plus. On most backpacking trips my pot sees most of its use in heating water for coffee or tea, or preparing small meals for myself, such as ramen noodles for dinner. Looking at the Vargo 750, I realized it looked just about right for a single package of ramen. That makes it just about right for most cooked meals I would prepare on a solo trip, or any trip where I'm cooking only for myself. By following the profile of a sierra cup, the angle between the base and the sides is oblique, which will hopefully allow for easier cleanup.
Vargo Titanium Sierra 750 Handle

The design of the handle mechanism seems very simple, and reasonably stable. While the handle will move somewhat even in the open position, the spreader bar appears to lock the handle sufficiently that it will not collapse when full.

The lid of the Sierra 750 particularly impressed me. The handle is small, and held in by a screw on the bottom side of the lid. The outside edge is raised, allowing the lid to sit down slightly inside the main body of the pot. What I find truly ingenious, however, is the vent/drain holes. There is a single small hole on one side of the lid. Opposite this hole are six holes. These will allow me to drain items such as noodles and rice. My mind immediately turned to ways of reclaiming liquid from cooked meals (to use for hot beverages) to save on fuel weight over heating water separately for drinks.
Lid on Pot

After looking the Sierra 750 over closely, the only negative things I could find might be best described as relating to attention to detail in workmanship. The spot welds that hold the handle attachment to the pot itself are rather rough on the outside. The lid is not perfectly flat, and the entire pot had dark, smudged fingerprints all over it. These, however, do not concern me in the least, as they are entirely cosmetic. I mention them only because some people might find these to be a concern.

READING THE INSTRUCTIONS

No instructions were provided with the Vargo Titanium Sierra 750, and given the simple design, I do not consider them necessary.

TRYING IT OUT

In addition to the description of opening and closing the handle provided above in "Initial Impressions," I also used the Vargo Titanium Sierra 750 to prepare a package of ramen noodles on my kitchen range, to assess it's suitability for such a task. Before doing so, I ran it through my dishwasher, and all the fingerprints mentioned above came right out.

I prepared my ramen in my usual method while backpacking. I broke up the noodles into tiny pieces, and poured them in the pot. Much to my surprise, the pot was slightly less than half full with one 3 oz (85 g) package of ramen noodles. I think it may be possible to cook two packages of ramen in the pot simultaneously, something I will try during field testing. I covered the noodles with water, put the lid on the pot, placed the pot on the burner, and turned it up to high.

Within a few minutes the water had come to a boil. I will watch closely during field testing to see if cooking times are longer or shorter than I find with other cookware, but this kitchen test leads me to believe there won't be any major differences.

I removed the pot from the range, and took it to my sink to try out the draining holes. Holding the small handle on the lid to keep the lid from falling off, I tilted the lid. The drain holes worked very well, and in no time the noodles were drained. I added the seasoning from the seasoning package, stirred, and enjoyed my noodles.

One thing I noticed immediately is that the pot makes a lot of noise when using metal utensils. I use a polycarbonate spork while backpacking, so hopefully that will solve the problem. It wasn't just a little noisy, but rather I found it annoyingly loud.

After eating, I took it to my sink, and used my usual backpacking cleanup protocol: a little water and my thumb. It cleaned up passably with very little effort.

TESTING STRATEGY

I will be using the Vargo Titanium Sierra 750 as my only cooking pot for all my backpacking trips during the test period. I will use it primarily for heating water and simple meals such as ramen or rice, and it will serve both as cooking pot and bowl. It will see most, if not all, of its service in conjunction with a homemade sideburner pop-can alcohol stove. It will also be pulled into service for any other purpose it may seem suitable for at the time.

SUMMARY

Overall, the Vargo Titanium Sierra 750 appears to be a very well-designed cooking pot. While it is small, it is also exceptionally light weight, a trade I'm more than willing to make. While the absence of any non-stick coating allows me to use metal utensils without fear of damaging a coating, it is quite noisy when you're scraping the last few noodles out with a metal spoon. Cleanup does not appear to be a problem, though field testing will likely provide more challenging cleanup tasks.

I would like to thank Vargo Outdoors, LLC and BackpackGearTest for the opportunity to test this product. My field report will be appended to this report in approximately two months from the date of this report. Please check back at that time for additional information.

Test Report by Mike Curry

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