I just bought my first decent aluminum pot for $10(made by SIGG). It came with a stuff sack and a lid that can also be used as a fry pan.

I want to make a cozy for it so I can make things like Ramen noodles with minimum fuel consumption.

Are there any insructions online? I can't seem to find anythging relating to it except here on BPL, and there are no clear instructions. How much does it cost?

My pot's dimensions are: (w/o lid on)
W = 6.5in. (C = 20.41in.)
H = 2.75in.
V = 1.25L

Thanks

Edited by edude on 05/17/2009 20:05:17 MDT.

You only need to measure/cut three pieces. For the top and bottom, just trace around the lid, and cut a *little* larger than this. For the body, measure around the perimeter/circumference of the pot, plus the height. Add a *little* extra to these as well (the final length should perfectly match the outside path of your bottom piece), then tape together the bottom with the main body and you should be good to go.

BTW, depending of the brand of noodle you use, you can often put the noodles into the cold water, bring to a a boil and eat without further cooking. A cozy is not always needed..

Edited by retropump on 05/17/2009 20:16:57 MDT.

OK, thanks. A few more questions.

1. Where to get Reflectix?
2. How much does it cost?
3. How much of it should I get for a pot with the above dimensions? I was thinking 1 sq.yd.?

Cant' help you there as I'm in NZ (I make my cozies out of closed cell foam, coated with a reflective film on one side) , but I think others have mentioned Home Depo. A square yard should be more than enough.

Evan -

They'll have Reflectix at the hardware store - Lowe's or Home Depot or the like.
Qty. won't matter because you will have to buy a roll. I think a roll was $20. I bought mine several years back.

Hope that helps.

$20 !! Ouch. That makes the closed cell foam ones look like a real bargain at less than $10...

If you have an OSH Hardware in your area you may be able to purchase Reflectix by the foot rather than a whole role. Myself and others have purchased it by the foot at OSH.

Yep, OSH. Buy it by the foot and pay less. I bought 2 or 3 feet of it and have made many cozies from it. I still have some left over. I think I paid more for the Reflectix tape than for the Reflectix itself. I still have plenty of that tape on the roll for future projects, however.

Michael

I make my own. It's pretty easy.



I did a tutorial on the MYOG thread. I forgot to mark it a favorite, so I hope you can find it.

Lynn,
Very stylish, your cozies. They look fairly sturdy.

Is is possible to put the shiny side in, without it "bunching up"?

"Is is possible to put the shiny side in, without it "bunching up"?"

Yup, but the cozies are not as sturdy when made that way (and they don't look as cool). Anyway, as is, the cozies keep the food TOO hot, so it's really not an issue. I did a comparison with a reflectix cozy and found the reflective closed cell foam held temperature almost twice as long as the reflectix. The largest cozy (for a 2L MSR pot) weighs 38 grams, and the smallest (for AGG 3 cup pot) weighs 22 grams. This is the same weight as the AGG reflectix cozies, but for a much sturdier, warmer and more stylie cozy ;)

"I make my own. It's pretty easy."

Is that a double cozy in that photo? That would be very cozy indeed!

Lynn,

What brand, etc. is your foam? I'd re-make all of my Reflectix ones for greater insulation.

Edit. Could you please show, and describe, the joints for the sidewall and bottom?

Edit. The "double" is the lid. I make the lids long so I can insert the "cozied" pot into the lid. Then I've got two layers, while I eat.

If your foam is that much more efficient I could use a simple disk lid, as you do.

Edited by redleader on 05/18/2009 16:21:01 MDT.

The first cozie I ever made was made from a double layer of one of those reflective windshield things, which is i think, a very thin layer of closed cell with shiny mylar or somethng on it. Then I made some from Reflectix because everybody else was, and it seemed to me, without any empirical data that the foam one was at least as light, a little less bulky AND kept things hotter longer than the Reflectix.
But that may have been just fond memories from one season to the next, and I'm too lazy to actually conduct a test.

I ask this as an earnest question, not argumentative...

For the past 20 years or so I've brought my water to a boil, dumped food into the pot, stirred back up to a boil, turned off the stove and put on a lid. I then usually leave the pot on the stove and with the windscreen still in place. 10 or 15 minutes later my food is rehydrated and usually still too hot to eat, even in northern Michigan spring or fall. I made and use a cozy for my tea pot at home; if I'm sipping away by the cup for an hour or more it's nice to have. But I can't see how using a cozy for my pot would improve upon my current system.

Enlightened ones, if I experience no problems with food rehydration and no problems with cold food, why would I add the weight of a cozy to my kit? Is it because the pot has no handles and the cozy makes it easier to hold the pot in your bare hands? Or do you just use the cozy on winter trips? Or do you like your food to scald your tongue and the roof of your mouth?

Thanks-

If you are happy without a cozy then I totally agree it would be silly to carry one. I use a cozy because I mostly hike with a partner who gets hungry a lot earlier than I do. With the cozy I can cook just one big meal, let my hiking buddy eat early, then come back in an hour or two when I'm hungry and eat my share. They also keep the grime from my pot from getting on everything else in my pack (though a plastic bag would do the same job), they're great when rehydrating tougher stuff like chicken and beans, and they make the pot nicer to hold and eat out of when hot. They also double as emergency foot warmers...

A meal we commonly make is a pasta meal that says to simmer for 8-10 minutes. With a cozy, we just throw the pasta in cold water, bring to a boil and put in cozy for 10 minutes and voila. So it just comes down to cooking and eating style. If you just boil and eat, then no need for a cozy.