Pre-assembled wire fishing leader may be an easy to find source of thin wire for bail handles on solo cook pots. It is far lighter than picture framing wire, and at WalMart, is not even more expensive.

The smallest ones had plastic sheaths over the knots that secured the wire loops. Sacrifice a gram for safety and move up to the next larger size, since stove heat could melt that heat shrink plastic. I am concerned that heat sensitive epoxy may have been used to make the wire loops.

With careful hole placement, some of the included snap hooks may be used to attach the already formed wire end loops to your pots. Those wire snap hooks are about a half inch long.

Measure for your preferred length beforehand because there are many lengths offered.

Good bye to folding hamdles.

Hi, I modded an Evernew ti pot of mine last summer exactly for this purpose. I've only tested it once, though.

I recommend getting bare titanium wire leaders (25cm/10inch or longer), they're fairly kink-proof, don't melt in fire and can be straightened with a lighter flame if they get permanent bends. The ones I got cost about 2 EUR (~3 USD) a piece.

The leaders I got only had a fixed loop at each end and a single hook, which I had to snap off as it could not be removed without damaging the leader wire. I attached a "lead weight link clip" to each end of the wire leader. They look like this:



On the pot side, I pried open the lip of the pot with a sharpened mini widgy-bar, applied some dremel, took a piece of stiff steel wire, formed a tiny loop in it, stuffed it inside the lip of the pot and used pliers to reseal the lip. Optionally a round split ring can be attached to each side to make attaching the bail wire a few seconds faster and more convenient with fingers numb from cold.

The modded pot works still fine with a Caldera Cone (which are awesome!). It just can now be hung over fire as well. Also stabilizes pouring hot liquids from the pot.

Obviously, this bail mod does not weight almost anything at all...

Prying the lip open:



Stuffing the steel wire loop in:



Finished on one side and the wire loop about to go on the other side:

@Mike

I like what you have done. With the way that you do it, there is not need to drill holes in the pot.

:)

If you do drill holes for a bail wire, you will be lightening up the pot by a teeny tiny amount. Also, that way you don't need to run a wire around the circumference, and that saves more weight. I used very thin stainless steel safety wire.

--B.G.--