I know many of you consider bowls a luxury--"that's what your cookpot is for"--but for hiking with a partner, I find a bowl helpful.

I used a SnowPeak titanium bowl last year (1.6 oz), but this year I am thinking of switching to a plastic Schepps' Cottage Cheese container (16 oz capacity), which weighs 0.53 oz.

What do you think? Will boiling water cause the plastic to "bleed" into my oatmeal? BPA concerns?

For many years I have used COOL WHIP bowls & carry the lid in winter to keep food warm between bites. The COOL WHIP bowl fits nicely inside my 1.5 L. JetBoil pot. And it's cheap too.
I use no cook pot smaller than 1.5L. for fuel effeciency reasons (wider pot bottoms are more efficient) but if you do just reverse my method & put your pot inside the COOL WHIP bowl.

Eric

When I need a bowl with lid I take the Ziploc or Rubbermaid "disposable" ones. They are microwave and dishwasher safe. I get about 1-2 years of near daily use at home before they crack.

Also consider Fozzils and Orikaso bowls....

Check what the recycling code on the container says. Plastics like Polypropylene are more likely to have a higher melting point and I think don’t have BPA. I am not an expert but it seems to work.

The lightest bowl would be a bowl from one of those frozen microwaveable meals... like Michelinas.

See http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/gsi_outdoors_cascadian_bowl_spotlite_review.html
for a review of the GSI bowls. They aren't bad imho.

The GSI Cascadian n-form ultralight nesting bowl is even better - review coming soon.

The latter is not a lot different from some of the supermarket bowls of course - although possibly a little lighter.

The Orikaso folding stuff is OK for cold food, but is hazardous with anything hot. See review at BGT:
http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/Cook%20Gear/Cooking%20Accessories/Orikaso%20Picnic%20Set/Roger%20Caffin/Field%20Report

Cheers

I'm considering using the bowl that comes with Amy Chun's soups. It weighs an ounce and is made of some sort of biodegrable corn plastic called PLA. According to the directions on the package you can microwave it or pour boiling water in it.

If it is truly biodegradable it doesn't appear to me like it will happen any time soon. According to an article on smithsonian.com it will only compost in a specialized facility and requires heat at 140 degrees for 10 days and specialized bacteria. Outside of that it may take up to 1000 years to biodegrade, about the same amount of time as a PET bottle.

Hmmm, Not so very green after all, and PLA can't be recycled at this point, but on the other hand the bowls can take the heat, according to Annie Chun, and aren't toxic.

And they come with a lid ( lid weighs more). The soup is pretty darn good too ( but not at all light weight).

Interesting suggestions...I'll have to hunt for these in my local grocery store...

Any idea what the lightest mug would be? Needs to be at least 10 oz capacity and small enough to fit inside my MSR Titan pot. A real mug-shape, not a bowl. Also needs to hold boiling water and measurements on the side would be a plus.

The Snow Peak Titanium Single Cup 1 holds 10 ounces of liquid and weighs only 1.1 oz. The Titanium Single Cup 1 has a non-folding handle.

Source: http://www.shopwiki.com/detail/?q=Snow+Peak+Titanium+Cup&s=27209&o=111066743&d=Snow+Peak+Titanium+Single+Cup+1


Titanium Cup - 2.75 diam x 3 in.
Source: http://www.backcountrygear.com/catalog/stovedetail.cfm/SN3000

If you are willing to cut off the handle, the weight may drop below 1 ounce, and the mug will be more compact.


Also consider the BPL Trapper's mug at http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/firelite-sul-475-titanium-mug.html

I just a plastic Koolaid jar. I don't know how much it weighs, but it is negligible. You will have to cut back some excess plastic (the main body of the container has a weird little dome shaped top that serves no purpose), leaving the screw top threads intact. The jar holds about 18 ounces; the screw top lid/cup six ounces. In addition to providing standard mug service, this little jar makes a fine rehydration container as well. I have used the same one for four years now - good value for money.

Cheers

I use a Orikaso Folding bowl. Unfolds to pack flat! Weighs in a 32gms on my scale.

I forgot to add.... I've had it for a few seasons now. I Skimmed the review ( find reports on cups and bowls quite dry, lol ) and while it's a great review I think the reviewer is being picky on some things. I only have the bowl ( didn't like the cup design and don't use plate. ) and I've poured boiling water to oatmeal and have never had a problem. I don't drink from a bowl so that's a mute point. Sure it's thin and you have to use caution when handling when you have very hot food/liquid in it. But - a titanium pot's handles are no fun to grab when they are hot either. I usually hike in the fall so I have fleece gloves handy. No problem. I camp in grizzly country so I'm careful not wildly pop it open and fling food bits all over. Be gentle and firm when unfolding then lick 'er clean!

Like Rick, I use the Orikaso bowl and wasn't interested in the mug or plate. I eat oatmeal and drink hot chia tea out of it most mornings. If the bowl is too hot to hold, then the contents are too hot for me to consume. I carry thin liner gloves if needed. I've used it as a plate and to aid in filling my platys. I haven't had any issues worth mentioning. I really like being able to lick the bowl clean and the fact that it stows so well.

I use a Gladware microwave safe bowl with the top cut off at the line 0.5 oz.

For an insulated cup, I use a crystal light container with lid in a thin cozy used to keep a beer or pop can cold 1.5 oz. Using a permanent marker I put measuring lines on the outside of the cup. You can see them from the inside, and they are some what protected from rubbing off by the cozy.

The Healthy Choice Steamer Meals have a nice bowl that weighs .87 ounce and I have ran mine through the dishwasher. The bottom of the bowl has a flat portion that resembles a plate and has plenty of room for cutting if needed.