Anyone think that forming an "insulated cylinder" inside a pack with perhaps a sleeping bag and Reflectic material, or perhaps a survival blanket, would work as good as a thermos in keeping bottles warm?

Anything that provides dead air space or that reflects heat radiation will insulate your bottles. Finding the right setup depends on your personal preferences and needs. Even stuffing a bottle into the middle of you pack will provide thermal insulation. Of course you could also get fancy and wrap things in reflective mylar and high loft insulation. You could also make a bottle cozy out of aluminized insulation or buy one from anti-gravity gear here: http://www.antigravitygear.com/store/index.php?cPath=3_13

Edited by happycamper on 02/09/2007 10:19:55 MST.

Stephen has already made some good points. I've shoved hot water into the depths of my pack and surrounded it with insulation and it has stayed nice and warm for quite some time.

I've also used insulated bottle holders like those sold by Outdoor Research and they work fairly well too and have the added advantage of keeping the bottle accessible for drinking which is a big plus. Using an insulated hose with a water bladder in your pack also works pretty well - just make sure you keep the bite valve clear of liquid so it does not freeze.

But, if wieght is not a concern I still think nothing beats a good old classic vacuum bottle. Granted for ultralight travel this is not usually a viable option, but their have been times I've envied people with their thermo of coffee or hot chocolate on a frigid day hike when all I had was my platy with cooling water.

The Aluminized bubble wrap really dosent last very long at all when getting thrown around inside a pack. I've tried it a few times. It works, but is a disposable piece for sure. I'm looking at butchering some old wetsuits and making some neoprene cozzies to supplement the OR ones I have.

my 2 cents.. neoprene has an R value of .15 to .45 /inch and is much more durable, reflextix is about 2.38 /inch, and is lighter of course. If someone made a double wall titanium thermos I would certainly carry one in the winter!

Edited by Brett1234 on 02/13/2007 20:23:25 MST.

I think Brett has touched on the holy grail of thermoses, the Ti double wall. I've actually found myself daydreaming about this item ("wouldn't it be awesome if they made a ti thermos....")
I haven't actually done the math on this, but I wonder if carrying a lightweight stove might actually be the better option than a thermos, seeing as how some of the ultralight kits weigh next to nothing, of course then you would have to stop and brew up if you wanted something hot, at which point you would start getting cold, etc.
I used to carry a stove with me when I went on dayhikes and cook lunch and make coffee with it, but I think that was mostly because I just thought the stove was so freakin' cool. Now I carry a thermos (humdrum stainless I'm afraid)

> neoprene has an R value of .15 to .45 /inch and is much more durable,
Very heavy stuff. Very. Try hunting around for some EVA30 closed cell foam: good insulation and much lighter. EVA20 or EVA 15 even, IF you can find it.

> If someone made a double wall titanium thermos I would certainly carry one in the winter!
Glamorous, but not much different from a stainless steel one.
You see, there are three heat-loss paths here: through the vacuum (not affected by the metal), through the stopper (not affected by the metal), and through the thin metal wall at the neck of the flask. SS and Ti are not much different in thermal conductivity, and I question whether you would find the Ti wall much thinner than an SS wall, so the heat loss here is not really all that large. Add to that the fiendish cost of forming Ti into that shape ...

My wife and I LIKE our morning tea stop with a stove and kettle.

>> If someone made a double wall titanium thermos I would certainly carry one in the winter!

I happen to have just such an amazing device! It's made by Nissan and weighs 8.4oz. It's not as light as, say, an esbit stove and beer can pot. But, for a shot of hot chocolate during a snowshoe day trip, it's hard to beat the convenience. :-)

Cheers,

-Mike

Nissan Titanium Thermos

Wow Mike, thanks for the heads up...

Oh, and FYI for everyone, Guyout is planning an addition to their SS "Nalgene-size" water bottles to include a double wall line.

It's a bit off track, but I've been thinking about one of the guyots (non double wall) as a double duty water bottle / boiling pot...

..but there is a catch, it is about $120.
http://www.rakuten.co.jp/hab/837953/837971/#760607
Any FL takers?
Michael, bet you didn't know your gem was worth so much overseas?

Edited by Brett1234 on 02/14/2007 08:58:45 MST.

Mine was a gift from my wife several years ago. I never realized, as Roger would say, "the fiendish cost". I think she deserves an extra hug for that one. ;-)

Wow, when I got up this morning and checked my e-mail it was like christmas came early. Steep price though. Here's a breif transcript of my wife and I discussing this:
Me: They make a titanium thermos
Wife: That's nice.
Me: We gotta get one!
Wife: Don't we have like, four thermoses?
Me: Yeah, but this one is TITANIUM!
wife: How much does it cost?
Me: Uh, I think it weighs like 8 ounces.
Wife: Not the weight penalty, the financial one.
Me: Like(mumble inaudibly)
Wife: What?
Me: Like 130$?
Wife: You have officially lost your mind.
Me: But it's TITANIUM!
She left after that. Maybe she went to buy me one for valentines day.

Or left for good!

You should have bought the thermos, put roses in it, and gave it to her for VD. That way you please her and get your thermos to ;-)

She'd see right through that one, it'd be like Homer Simpson giving Marge a bowling ball (although the flowers might leaven it a bit)

I'm a drummer and percussionist and I make an instrument from the old corrugated aluminum thermos bottles. They also happen to be one of the lightest options for carrying hot liquids. You will find one size that holds a quart and a smaller pint size. I find mine at garage sales and thrift stores for $2-$5 each. You will find them on Ebay once in a while, but the prices are higher. If you find one with a broken liner, email me as I throw away the liners to make the instrument.

I had one of those a long time ago, and when I set my pack down (dropped it on a concrete floor actually) the glass liner just shattered.

Dale, do the ones you are finding have a screw top or a cork? (mine was corked) and might you be willing to part with one?

Brett, you seem to have the inside track on these in Japan, do they still make them? or can you only find them used?

Sure, contact me at dwambaugh at yahoo dot com.

Most of the ones I find are the screw top ones. I have a spare one pint that weighs about 12 ounces.

Edited by dwambaugh on 10/12/2007 16:41:46 MDT.

Hi there !

Does anyone know if the Ti Thermos is produced again ? I heard a rumour...

Or where one could be found ?

Thanks,

Max

It's back

http://www.lelong.com.my/Auc/List/2010-02DeSale28993443_AUCTION_-THERMOS-Super-Compact-Titanium-Bottle-FEB-500T.htm

At 8 oz. of thermos weight to hold 16 fluid ounces, this looks interesting (out of stock):

NOLS 16 oz. Stainless Steel Vacuum Canister