(L to R): Sierra Cup, Rocky Cup, MSR Titan Cup, REI Double-Walled Insulated Cup

I’ve been doing this backpacking thing for over 50 years and have never owned a cup that did what I wanted (or needed) it to do. This fact is my fault. My drinking cup choices have been focused on the wrong attributes. The main purpose of this post is to review my approach to drinking cups over the years — that is, the thought process. I might have finally found a cup that may tick off all four of these attributes. But I haven’t used it long enough to really evaluate it as a solution.  There are four attributes almost any piece of gear should have:

1. Durable
2. Lightweight
3. Lowest bulk possible
4. Work well for its intended purpose

I have been focused on the first three.

What Should a Drinking Cup Do?

I only need a cup for two things. My main uses are to drink coffee in the morning and hot chocolate at night. Sometimes on cold days, I might stop in the afternoon for a cup of tea or coffee. For my morning and evening beverages, I would like a 16-ounce beverage that will stay hot (or fairly warm), while I wait for my meal to finish cooking. I would also like it stay warm while I sip it after completing my meal and while contemplating my surroundings.

Nice to Have Features in a Cup

• Graduation markings to use it as a measuring cup
• Fit inside my cook pot and allow me to also store my stove and accessories in the cup

The last one is pretty much not going to happen, unless a pot and cup are designed to nest with almost no clearance between the walls of each. Even then, if the user wants to switch to a different pot, nesting functionality would probably be lost. There is only one exception I have found, the Gaz Globetrotter stove and cook set, which is no longer available.

One other option are the integrated canister systems, such as the Jet Boil and the MSR WindBurner. But these are expensive, highly specialized, heavy, and not very flexible for my needs. Given that, these systems have a large loyal following.

MSR WindBurner Personal Windproof Camping and Backpacking Stove System, Red

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Ultra-efficient windproof radiant burner and pressure regulator maintain stove performance in windy and cold conditions, providing faster boil times &… read more

Jetboil Flash Camping and Backpacking Stove Cooking System, Wild

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Optimized for efficiency, the Jetboil Flash camping and backpacking stove, in Wild, boils water in a lightning-quick 100 seconds, making it the fastes… read more

Deficiencies in My Cups

Prior to 1971, mostly when I was in high school, I used a military canteen cup. In 1971, after I got out of the military, I had the money to buy some decent gear.

Sierra Cup

One of these purchases was a Sierra Club Cup. This was the most popular cup for backpackers and had been around since 1905, a staple of members of the Sierra Club in California.

In the picture above, several people have Sierra Cups, including a young Ansel Adams who is wearing one on his belt (second man from the left). It was probably made most popular by Colin Fletcher who sang its praises in his 1964 book, The Thousand-Mile Summer, which included this picture of Fletcher carrying a Sierra Cup on his belt (below). Fletcher further influenced the popularity of this cup in his first three editions of the Complete Walker.

The cup had a wide brim at the top, which theoretically would allow a hot drink to slowly cool off while drinking the contents. This shape made it easy to tip over if the cup was placed on a surface.   The cup was made from stainless steel and the top lip was rolled over the stainless steel handle, so it didn’t burn your lips — well most of the time it didn’t.   It was uncomfortable to hold and easy to slip though your fingers (see below).

I used this cup for over 20 years until I bought a . . .

Rocky Cup

This cup solved two problems that plagued the Sierra Cup. First was an outward bend at the bottom of the handle, which made it much, much easier to hold. Second improvement was the top wasn’t much wider in diameter than the bottom of the cup, meaning it was less likely to be tipped over when set down.

A bonus, which the Sierra Cup did not have, the Rocky Cup had measurement markings in ¼ cup graduations.

I used this cup for about 25 years when I brought a dedicated cup backpacking, which wasn’t very often unless I was using my MSR WhisperLite stove in winter.

REI Double Insulated Titanium Cup

I bought this around 10 years ago. It came with a plastic lid that broke after a couple years. It has a larger capacity than the Sierra and Rocky cups (11 ounces versus 9 ounces) and it weighs more than the other two cups. Considering the small volume it held, the insulating properties weren’t significant. After a couple years I replaced it with a . . .

MSR Titan Cup

This cup weighs less than my three previous cups and with a volume of 14 ounces; it was a better option for my desire of a larger cup. But Titanium doesn’t insulate at all, it is worse than stainless steel or aluminum. So as I approached the goal of a 16-ounce (usable capacity) volume, the desire to keep my hot drinks hot increased.

Hybrid Solutions

Why not seek a solution where the pot becomes a multi-use item and the pot can double as a drinking cup? Multi-use refers to using one item for several purposes, thus carrying less gear that results in reducing backpack volume and weight. My first experiment was with my Svea 123.

Svea 123 Cup

This cup is more of a protective cover for the stove. It can be used as a cup, but doesn’t have a lot of volume, burns the lips when drinking a hot beverage because its aluminum construction conducts heat, and it is difficult to hold without spilling due to the removable handle.

If I take this stove and don’t store it in a pot, then I take the cup cover mainly for protection and to store my lighter, needle pricked, and a priming straw.

The Svea cup it isn’t large enough to boil enough water for a meal and a beverage.

Gaz Globetrotter Cook Set

In my review of this set and the stove, I mentioned it was my favorite canister stove of all time. Part of that reason is the cook set. The stove fits into the pot/cups and there are two of them, each with a 20-ounce capacity. This way I could heat water for a beverage, then heat water for my meal in the other pot.

Together they combine for a total of 40 ounces. Keep in mind this is the max volume. Realistically they have a practical volume of 16 ounces. Sixteen ounces checks my cup volume goal, and also is the amount of water needed for most large freeze-dried or instant meals.

The Globetrotter stove used butane fuel, which did not work well or didn’t work at all in cold weather. But, the liquid fueled Svea 123 stove fit perfectly in the cook set. So for most of 25 years, I used this set to store either the Globetrotter stove or the Svea 123. When I brought another stove, usually my MRS WhisperLite,  the Rocky cup came along.

These Globetrotter cup/pots are made from aluminum, so it was easy to burn my lips if I wasn’t careful, and the drink would cool off pretty quick. The one thing I did not try, and I didn’t even think of doing it until I sat down to write this article, is I could have made an insulating cover to slide the drinking cup into. this is something I am going to play around with. Especially since I have re-worked the stove to accept modern day IsoPro fuel canisters. One small distraction from perfection is the pots do not have measuring graduations, although I do own an engraving tool and could do this myself.

Globetrotter in Action

Svea 123 & Globetrotter Pots in Action

If one is interested in the Globetrotter cook set, they haven’t been made in decades.

Multi-Use Titanium Pot

This is a Toaks brand 850 ml pot. It stores my Trail Designs Ti-Tri Fissure Kit (alcohol stove along with the integrated windshield/pot stand). The pot can usefully boil about 26-27 ounces of water. After reaching temperature, 16 ounces or so are poured into a freeze-dried pouch or freezer bag containing my meal. See this article on Freezer Bag Cooking for an explanation.

The remaining 10 or 11 ounces of water can be used to make a hot drink, which can be sipped during the 8 to 10 minutes it takes for the meal to finish. But titanium doesn’t insulate at all, and it doesn’t meet my desire for a 16 ounce drinking cup. Below we can compare all of these cup options:

GSI Infinity Backpacker’s Mug

This cup weighs 3.5 ounces and checks off all my boxes, except as a stand-alone drinking cup, it takes up extra space in my pack. I haven’t taken it on enough trips, and I am still experimenting with things I can carry in the cup to reduce volume, which might overcome the bulk attribute. It is inexpensive and functional. I will continue experimenting with it, along with homemade insulation options for my Globetrotter cook set. For most people, the Globetrotter isn’t an option, since it isn’t available. You might be able to find one on eBay. I recently checked and found many Globetrotter stoves for sale, but the cook set was missing.

Insulation

The GSI Mug isn’t a true insulated product. The thick polypropylene wall has some insulating properties, and is dishwasher safe. The thin foam cover makes it easier to hold and probably adds a slight insulation value. It does keep my drinks warm for a good period of time and meets my criteria.

Handle

The handle is made from nylon webbing and folds flat against the cup to save storage space.

Unique Bottom Surface

 Convenient Lid

Locking tab to keep the drinking lip closed.

The lid has an O-ring that securely keeps the lid in place and doesn’t leak. The lid is pushed into the top of the cup, not twisted on.

Measuring Cup

When the cover is removed (it is easily removed) it doubles as a measuring cup. I do find it strange the measure increments are read from the inside of the mug, not on the outside like most measuring cups. The cup material is clear, so it is easy to see exactly how much is in the cup, whether one is measuring liquid, powder, or some other ingredient.

I cannot say this is the perfect solution. I haven’t used it long enough. But at its price-point, is surely is worth trying versus a $40 specialized titanium cup/pot.

GSI Outdoors Insulated Infinity Backpacker Mug for Camping, Sturdy and Lightweight, Blue , 17 fl oz

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Camping Mug

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