My trip schedule this year has a couple larger groups. Six adult men over Memorial Day and a group of eight in august. Typically my groups have been four or less so the small pots I have work great. I’ve been searching for a large cooking pot that could cook up a batch of chili or fish chowder for the whole group. Any suggestions? I’m certainly conscious of weight (no cast iron Dutch ovens!) and willing to make this an investment.

To make fish soup on my last trip I went with this stainless pot.

Since then I came across the primus campfire pots.

I have a preference for stainless as a cooking material and I think it would hold up better over a fire.

Ace camp makes a 4L, 8L, and 12L aluminum pot.

Ace Camp pot

If one of your smaller pots handles four guys, why not just use a second pot? That should be enough volume, plus give you some flexibility such as, "I like my chilie less spicy".

Bannock: "If one of your smaller pots handles four guys, why not just use a second pot? That should be enough volume, plus give you some flexibility such as, "I like my chilie less spicy"."

I’ve done this in the past and it can work, but I really prefer one pot for convenence and stove / fire grate space.

Largest camping-specific ones I am aware of from quality, reputable brands are the 4.7 L GSI Aluminum Halulite pot
and the 5 L Primus 5L cook pot - stainless steel

On amazon, a bigger 8 or 12 Qt option:
Amazon weird off-brand pot

My Scotch heritage always has me on the lookout for the less expensive route. This might be the time to check the Goodwill-type places for a kitchen stockpot.

CoffeeInTheWoods: "

Bannock: "If one of your smaller pots handles four guys, why not just use a second pot? That should be enough volume, plus give you some flexibility such as, "I like my chilie less spicy"."

I’ve done this in the past and it can work, but I really prefer one pot for convenence and stove / fire grate space."

For groups of 4 or 6 we have an old Abercrombie cookware set (from the 1920-30s) that contains three pots that nest in each other. We use the largest (8-10 L?) as the pot that goes on the fire grate as it gets sooty but I don’t clean it (just store in a reusable grocery polyester bag that gets washed once or twice a year). The other pots are only for stoves, as I don’t want to get the soot on the inside the larger pots. We typically fill the large pot with lake water and set it on the grate when we have a fire, even if we don’t have a specific plan for the water. That said, it often gets used for cleaning, coffee, and for making spaghetti or soup. The hot water is always useful for something. This is a way to use some of the energy generated by the wood fire.

Anyway, I want a second set of group cooking gear so I just ordered the 8 L Acecamp pot from Amazon. I will let you know what I think after it arrives. I have an older simple 4 L aluminum pot from REI (no longer available) that should fit into it.

I also like to keep a pot on the fire grate, but mine usually is a percolator and it's usually got a dark brown liquid in it. Last year I picked up a giant percolator for large groups.

Do you ever have problems with your water tasting like campfire? I don't mind this with coffee or noodles, but a few years back, our filter broke and we had to boil all drinking water (or take the risk). Couldn't get rid of the smoky flavor...

plander: "

CoffeeInTheWoods: "

Bannock: "If one of your smaller pots handles four guys, why not just use a second pot? That should be enough volume, plus give you some flexibility such as, "I like my chilie less spicy"."

I’ve done this in the past and it can work, but I really prefer one pot for convenence and stove / fire grate space."

For groups of 4 or 6 we have an old Abercrombie cookware set (from the 1920-30s) that contains three pots that nest in each other. We use the largest (8-10 L?) as the pot that goes on the fire grate as it gets sooty but I don’t clean it (just store in a reusable grocery polyester bag that gets washed once or twice a year). The other pots are only for stoves, as I don’t want to get the soot on the inside the larger pots. We typically fill the large pot with lake water and set it on the grate when we have a fire, even if we don’t have a specific plan for the water. That said, it often gets used for cleaning, coffee, and for making spaghetti or soup. The hot water is always useful for something. This is a way to use some of the energy generated by the wood fire.


Anyway, I want a second set of group cooking gear so I just ordered the 8 L Acecamp pot from Amazon. I will let you know what I think after it arrives. I have an older simple 4 L aluminum pot from REI (no longer available) that should fit into it."

For what it's worth, I bought a GSI 2 quart cast aluminum dutch oven a few years ago even when I tripped with 8 people. Light weight and durable. Works well for fish fries, egg bake and anything else: cast aluminum dutch oven

Otherwise, if you want something bigger, you can search eBay for cast aluminum dutch ovens which was what I originally did. I found a 2.5 quart dutch oven for $30.

Nope, never had a problem with the water tasting like fire, smoke, etc. I do keep a cover on the pot as the ashes will get into it otherwise. And as I said in the previous post I do this to capture the free energy of the fire. Same reason I’ve taken to using a reflector oven to make biscuits and other baked items.

CoffeeInTheWoods: "I also like to keep a pot on the fire grate, but mine usually is a percolator and it's usually got a dark brown liquid in it. Last year I picked up a giant percolator for large groups.


Do you ever have problems with your water tasting like campfire? I don't mind this with coffee or noodles, but a few years back, our filter broke and we had to boil all drinking water (or take the risk). Couldn't get rid of the smoky flavor...

plander: "

CoffeeInTheWoods: "

Bannock: "If one of your smaller pots handles four guys, why not just use a second pot? That should be enough volume, plus give you some flexibility such as, "I like my chilie less spicy"."

I’ve done this in the past and it can work, but I really prefer one pot for convenence and stove / fire grate space."

For groups of 4 or 6 we have an old Abercrombie cookware set (from the 1920-30s) that contains three pots that nest in each other. We use the largest (8-10 L?) as the pot that goes on the fire grate as it gets sooty but I don’t clean it (just store in a reusable grocery polyester bag that gets washed once or twice a year). The other pots are only for stoves, as I don’t want to get the soot on the inside the larger pots. We typically fill the large pot with lake water and set it on the grate when we have a fire, even if we don’t have a specific plan for the water. That said, it often gets used for cleaning, coffee, and for making spaghetti or soup. The hot water is always useful for something. This is a way to use some of the energy generated by the wood fire.



Anyway, I want a second set of group cooking gear so I just ordered the 8 L Acecamp pot from Amazon. I will let you know what I think after it arrives. I have an older simple 4 L aluminum pot from REI (no longer available) that should fit into it."

"

CoffeeInTheWoods: "My trip schedule this year has a couple larger groups. Six adult men over Memorial Day and a group of eight in august. Typically my groups have been four or less so the small pots I have work great. I’ve been searching for a large cooking pot that could cook up a batch of chili or fish chowder for the whole group. Any suggestions? I’m certainly conscious of weight (no cast iron Dutch ovens!) and willing to make this an investment."

Lightweight group gear has become really hard to find. I've been shopping. Growing up we had a 10-person set of nesting aluminum cookware that included aluminum plates and cups, and sadly it was given away and I can't find anything like it anywhere.

You could look at the Sea to Summit Alphapot, available in 2, 3, and 4 quart sizes. They had problems with the handle lock failing the led to a recall and now supplies are limited while they get caught up, but you may be able to find one. They are nonstick aluminum which isn't what I prefer but uncoated aluminum is now impossible to find.

There are more choices in stainless. Sea to Summit's sigmapot is available in the same size and form factor. There are cheaper alternatives. I have an old Coleman Peak 1 set that is OK. There's a weight penalty compared to aluminum but it isn't a big one. I would shop craigslist and ebay if I were serious about leading group trips.

You could also get an instant pot liner. They don't have handles which makes them easier to pack. A little on the heavy side because of the multi-ply bottom but that makes them better for cooking. They make silicone lids that are light and unbreakable.

CoffeeInTheWoods: "My trip schedule this year has a couple larger groups. Six adult men over Memorial Day and a group of eight in august. Typically my groups have been four or less so the small pots I have work great. I’ve been searching for a large cooking pot that could cook up a batch of chili or fish chowder for the whole group. Any suggestions? I’m certainly conscious of weight (no cast iron Dutch ovens!) and willing to make this an investment."

I have cooked extensively over fires for groups of 8-9 people in both summer and winter. On winter trips, we would also be heating water for 10- 12 sled dogs. I am a firm believer in as high volume pots as possible. Now that I have my own family (5 kiddos) and am not leading trips for others, we have several years using the Snow Peak Al Dente cook set. It has a 6.5 qt., 4.25 qt. pot, and strainer. I also throw in an old Peak 1 stainless pot that fits inside the 4.25 qt. pot. The bail handles are pretty decent and the lids are nice. If you have a ripping fire to boil water fast, be aware that the wood lid handles can get a light charred appearance. These are good pots; I wish they were a bit thicker gauge on the bottom but I think you would be hard pressed to find a pot outside a high quality kitchen stock pot that would have that. (Don't have these in the bottom of your food or equipment pack where they could get slammed on rocky portage landings.) I initially thought the strainer was gimmicky, but I really like it when slicing carrots, onions, potatoes, etc during meal prep. (Yes, I bring reasonable amounts of these on trail--cheap, long lasting, and tasty...) It also makes straining large amounts of pasta safe and efficient. I would recommend these pots. Snow Peak Al Dente Cook Set

We just went to a thrift store and bought a big, cheap pot. Since it was cheap, it was also light.

We often go with a full group of 9 adults. We need the big pot for that group. It is super nice to make a big meal. A big hit is several noodle packages/meals from the grocery store with a few foil packages of chicken. It is extremely fast/easy and it fills everyone up with a hot meal.

Here it is, should work fine for a group of 4-8 people. 2.1 gallon/8 L aluminum pot with cover. Weighs about 1.5 pounds. $33 on Amazon, search “acecamp aluminum cooking pot”.

A dollar or two at a thrift shop. Weighs 1.25 lbs...

Mad_Angler: "A dollar or two at a thrift shop. Weighs 1.25 lbs...


"

That's probably the way I should have went, but I ordered the Primus pot and really like the looks of it. I'm really not too concerned about weight because the large groups either have gear spread out so we can add a few pounds or aren't traveling very far.

I've got a nice lightweight setup for my big 2-person trip in June and my solo trip in the fall.

Don’t mean to hijack the thread, wondering if this “ace” camp pot (or similar) is a good pot to make regular popcorn or kettle corn in on a gas camp stove. My only experience with popcorn is microwave (I’m REALLY not that sheltered about most other things ) I’m wanting to make popcorn outdoors at a camp site for a treat around the fire in the evenings. I’ve read the old popcorn threads but they don’t mention what type of cooking pot to use.

giddyup: "Don’t mean to hijack the thread, wondering if this “ace” camp pot (or similar) is a good pot to make regular popcorn or kettle corn in on a gas camp stove. My only experience with popcorn is microwave (I’m REALLY not that sheltered about most other things ) I’m wanting to make popcorn outdoors at a camp site for a treat around the fire in the evenings. I’ve read the old popcorn threads but they don’t mention what type of cooking pot to use. "

I’m sure it would work fine for popcorn. I’ve made popcorn in other aluminum camp pots using a campfire or Colman 533. Obviously you need to put a couple tablespoons of cooking oil in the pot with the kernels just like you do when making at home on the stove.