UKC

I started to wonder why I don't read about anyone using regular boy scout mess kits to cook with. Actually, it was my wife's idea.

I was talking to her about what kind of cook pot I was going to get. I think she's tired of these types of conversations but figures if I'm at home discussing this I'm not sitting at the bar.

She had some good points. Most have two parts that lock together. One could be used as a lid.

Once locked together I could store my little Pepsi can stove, pot handle and other stuff inside. Why don't I read more about people using mess kits?

Wifey can't be the first to think of this.

Use it, then try cleaning it.

You mean these?

http://www.messtin.co.uk/site/index.php?page=store&content=4510&slu...

Cheap, but relatively heavy. Not easy to use with simple cylindrical or conical windshields.

Trangia Mini pan & lid are nice and simple.

Loads of lightweight pans and nesting cooking systems to be found on the likes of backpackinglight, including some of my contributions, or those using my design tools...

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/57714/#comments

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/56024/#comments

They are ok, but I prefer my round pans.  There have been health concerns over aluminium pans.  

The health concerns about aluminium have long been debunked     

Oh thanks, I missed that.  

They remind me of those stinky solid fuel stoves that I used to use in the school cadets to cook compo rations. Hence the shape of the pans?

Grossly impractical compared to modern kit.

I've hardly used mess tins, but why have a rectangular base when heating is probably more even with a circular base to match a circular camping stove? Possibly they were designed with those rectangular meta fuel stoves in mind.They also seem a bit heavyweight but I suppose that does help spread the heat. FWIW I've an old set of light nesting billies, but just use the smallest which also has a small frying pan lid. I find the depth much better to boil large amounts of pasta etc. One advantage of the mess kits is their stable folding handle arrangement compared with the suspending wire handles or other arrangement of many billies often necessitating bulldog grips. Mess tins may also pack easier.

MSR Ti kettle is all I ever use, but I’m happy with dehydrated meals which just means boiling water.

Efficient packing in a pouch or pack, with the folding rectangular hexistove would have been considerations for the army.

Ah, the appetising aroma of hexamine permiating everything...

I still use my old, blackened by soot, totally scratched round aluminium mess set from my boyscout years sometimes. Heavy but cheap and pretty indestructable (nowadays there are even titanium, stainless or hard anodised versions). Lid was used as a pan and a smaller .8l bowl fit well into the 1.25l one:

https://www.alb.cz/611_uk.htm

Although just for extended camping with a fire. The wide base and snug fitting lid worked well when just putting them into the fire. Too big and heavy for me otherwise  

I never quite understood the rectangular types. For ease of packing? There was always plenty of soft stuff or clothing to pad around cylindrical objects in my pack.