Ok, since I’ve been thinking lately on cooking systems for hiking & backpacking, I figured I’d carry that theme through into this post. There are a lot of nice cook pots & full cooking systems available today, many of which are a bit pricey. Those made of titanium obviously cost more than those of stainless steel or aluminum.
Years ago I bought a GSI Double Boiler cooking system. It’s made of anodized aluminum, weighs under 10 oz & is great to use for 1-2 people. The system I have came with a clear lexan lid. It seems the newer versions now have an aluminum lid. Mine cost less than $20 at the time, and for the price, you can’t beat it. It’s lightweight & has plenty of space when cooking for two. The large pot holds 33 oz, the smaller pot, which can be placed on top of the larger, holds 20 oz. I’ll routinely have the smaller pot heating up water for coffee or tea, while the larger pot is cooking my food. The beauty of this system is that it uses the heat which is generally lost during normal cooking practice. These can be found online at Campsaver.com. 
Though the GSI DB works great when I backpack with my sweetheart, I opt for the Snow Peak Mini Solo Titanium cook set when I’m alone. The 28 oz pot with lid & 10 oz cup have a total weight of 5.5 oz. Titanium is the lightest material for cook sets & is stronger than steel.
These are on sale now for less than $50 at Campsaver.com.
GSI has some other cook pots available that, for the price, look fantastic! They’re the Pinnacle Soloist & Dualist Cooking Systems. Made of the same anodized aluminum from which the Double Boiler is made, these things are lightweight & people seem to love them. Because my Double Boiler system is similar to the Soloist, I probably wouldn’t buy it. But the Dualist system is something I’m seriously considering purchasing. The price for both systems is very reasonable.
 The GSI Pinnacle Soloist |
 The GSI Pinnacle Dualist |
~Steve, The Pilgrim.
. For short term, it won’t kill the pack, but I wouldn’t recommend making this a common practice. Much of that extra weight I’ve carried in this pack was food, so it was a good kind of weight, meaning I could eat it away. The shoulder straps are fixed padded straps. There are two load-lifter straps, two side compression straps, two lashing straps on the rear & stretchy neoprene pockets on the side. It does not have a hydration reservoir sleeve. 
