Spyderco's + Stoves + Mess Kits?

[Calicoast]

Knives have always been an addiction for me.
Buying, selling, trading, buying more, etc. etc. It never ends. My search for the perfect knife continues.
Lol. :)

Of course with life, having one addiction is just not enough.

I enjoy collecting stoves of all sorts: white gas, isobutane, biomass, alcohol, etc.

And with stoves comes: pots, kettles, fry pans in
titanium, stainless, carbon steel, hard anodized, cast iron, etc.

I know this is a knife forum, but I thought it be interesting to see if anyone else goes crazy on this as well?
If not, I would leave this thread now: as it can get very spendy trying to put together the right combination.

I will start with that I like to cook. So, this is my best ultralight / mix and match kit depending on what I am doing, where I am at, and for how long. Usually seperate these out by overnight backpacking, extended backpacking, and car camping. Here we go...

OVERNIGHT BACKPACKING / EXTENDED BACKPACKING:

SNOWPEAK: Titanium French Press, 700ml titanium pot, titanium utensils, hot lips.
Titanium Lite max stove
( if bringing / using isobutane)

FOUR DOGS:
Bushcooker LT1 titanium biomass stove, titanium wind screen (works for 700 and French Press) titanium lid, titanium fry / simmer plate.

EVERNEW: Titanium alcohol stove + new titanium cross stand. 400FD lid / heat reflector - that the alchohol stove sits on.

BROMWELL: 7" carbon steel fry pan.

Potlifter, Rada Spatula, SAK, + Spyderco Superblue Mule.
+Mini jar for bacon grease or coconut oil.
Usually will bring spices, etc. in end sealed clear plastic straws.

The Bushcooker LT1 + windscreen nests in the SP 700. Smaller items like an SAK, lighter, firesteel, cross stand, hot lips, etc goes into the Bushcooker. All fits in the pack nicely. And my Spyderco Superblue Mule on the hip. Working on adding a titanium bail for 700 for cooking over fire, and a couple wax canvas bags from Brown Dog.
C

[Bloke]

So, this is my best ...

[Calicoast]

Nice Bloke!
We all start somewhere. :)

I have (5) Webers as well.
#Steel junkie, pyro, etc.
C

[JD Spydo]

Speaking of cookware I'm finding it very interesting that "cast iron" cookware is making a giant comeback. I was wise and I kept all of my late mother's cast iron cookware and discovered that some of it is very collectible and some has real value. I'm finding it interesting to be cooking with it lately. it's like I'm learning how to cook again but I'm telling you that food cooked in a cast iron skillet or pan does tastes better. I don't know why but I have noticed a big difference in the quality of food I make with Cast Iron.

Tonight I had a BLT with avocado and it was gourmet all the way. I say all of that to say this: Being that antiquated cast iron has made a comeback I'm now wondering if the older, old fashioned carbon steel knives might make a comeback as well? If so how would Spyderco deal with it?

[Bloke]

Nice Bloke!
We all start somewhere. :)

I have (5) Webers as well.
#Steel junkie, pyro, etc.
C

Sorry Chris but it’s a quiet afternoon here at work. :p

[Bloke]

I don't know why but I have noticed a big difference in the quality of food I make with Cast Iron.

Joe, I can’t cook and beloved wife is a vegetarian. I enjoy a rare steak and I cook my own because she wrecks it. Ah, hahaha!

I haven’t found anything other than an outdoor BBQ (grill) that cooks a better rare steak than a super hot cast iron skillet. :cool:

[Calicoast]

@JD Spydo

I use cast iron every day. I am amazed at how well it retains heat, cooks evenly, easy to clean, etc. Obviously the weight being a factor, but its what I like to use at home, stovetop, bbq, and bring with me when going car camping.

Most of my cast iron is Lodge, but the older cast iron (Griswold and Wagner) are excellent. And some nice ones can still be found at the local swap meet.

There are a lot opinions on seasoning, maintenance, etc. But what I know is the more I use them, the better they get.

When using mine, I like to start the heat on low, and slowly increase to limit any cold to hot /cracking or warping. I will then use bacon grease / lard to cook with. When done cooking, I will clean with warm water, a dexter pancake spatula and a mild abrasive sponge with no soap (helps smooth out the surface) Nothing sticks anymore, and the cleanup is nothing. I will then put it back on the stove on low, increase heat again to smoking point, turn off the stove, and put very light coat of crisco on (with no puddles) and it's ready to go next time I use it. Good stuff.
C

[Calicoast]

Being that antiquated cast iron has made a comeback I'm now wondering if the older, old fashioned carbon steel knives might make a comeback as well? If so how would Spyderco deal with it?

Speaking about old carbon steel knives, here are my Case XX Old Forge Bbq, etc. knives.
All are razor sharp, and perform excellent.

Hey Sal,
Do you think we can get a set like this in 52100

[Tucson Tom]

I am still trying to control my laughing from Bloke's video.

Well, I am now the proud owner of four Coleman two burner stoves that burn liquid fuel (so called "white gas" in some parts). So maybe I do have a thing for stoves. As for backpacking stoves, I have settled on the Jetboil, but I also have a "bush buddy" which is an amazing stove that burns sticks. I have my old Svea 123 somewhere, but am not likely to use it again. And I should have an MSR someplace, but couldn't find it last time I looked.

Now cast iron. Yeah baby! I cook every day on a cast iron skillet in the house and have for many many years. Why anyone would use a non-stick pan when a well seasoned cast iron pan is so much better and lower maintenance is beyond me.

But nobody has mentioned my new fascination: Dutch ovens. Mine are made by Lodge and are "camp ovens" intended to be used with live coals. I do use them for some cooking in the oven at the house, but they are amazing in the field. With little effort you can cook biscuits, brownies and such. With more effort almost anything is possible. These things are amazing -- no wonder the pioneers and cowboy cooks considered them indispensable.

What this has to do with Spyderco and knives I don't know exactly, but you did ask - and that is what I have to say. If we both get booted off the forum for talking about this, there is probably a dutch oven forum someplace we can go to and lick our wounds.

I can mention that my Temperance 2 fixed blade looks just swell at camp alongside a dutch oven, that should make it alright. What a fine knife.

[bearfacedkiller]

I cook on cast iron everyday. I would rather cook a piece of meat on cast iron than on a grill. I have a Lodge 12 inch chicken fryer which is basically a 3.5 inch deep skillet. I have the cast iron lid for it as well so it acts as a shallow Dutch oven too. Hands down it is the most versatile piece of cookware I own. We took our pop up out this weekend and I used it on my Coleman campstove to make bacon, home fries, eggs, burgers and pretty much everything we ate. Have actually been traveling around in the pop up for the past month and have been bringing a couple cast iron skillets with me for most of our cooking. I love that 12 inch chicken fryer!

Since we are pretty much completely off topic I will add that I brought my Jeff White Bush One in 1095 along for most of the camp chores. Also brought a Mora Companion, Spyderco Southfork, CTS204P Military and my Becker BK9. Also brought the Husqvarna hatchet and boys axe. Good times! The Jeff White and the BK9 got the most use. I did carve a lot of sticks for marshmallows with the Military though.

[PSquared]

Spydercos : 100 plus, I’d need to check my spreadsheet

White Gas stoves :
Sigg Firejet
Coleman Peak 4
Optimus Nova (my regular user for more than 15 years)
Optimus Svea
Optimus Hunter
Optimus Climber
Snow Peak WG (only stove that doesn’t work as the pump cracked and can’t be replaced. The Sigg pump does fit if I need to run it)
Kovea multi-fuel

Butane-Propane stoves
Camping Gas circa 1976 that my dad bought for us when I was in cub scouts
Snow Peak Gigapower
Optimus Crux
Optimus Vega

Pot Sets, etc
Various Snow Peak, Optimus and Tefal aluminum and Ti cooksets
The aluminium set from Mizuno I got in 1976
The “dixies” and “firebucket” got in the army still get some use occasionally
Almost exclusively Sigg bottles for beverages and fuel

I don’t camp that much any more but my road trip box has the Optimus Crux, the pot set with the heat exchanger and clip on windshield and an Aeropress coffee maker.

I have no problems ith MSR, I’ve just never had occasion to get any MSR stoves or cookware. Did have a Hubba Hubba tent for a long while though.

[PSquared]

Cast Iron?? The three legged pot or “potjie” is traditional in these parts. They make great slow cooked stews but the local expression is that you are usually cooked (slang for drunk in Afrikaans) before the food is ......

Indoors the Dutch oven and 2 mineral steel pans get almost daily use

[Calicoast]

But nobody has mentioned my new fascination: Dutch ovens. Mine are made by Lodge and are "camp ovens" intended to be used with live coals. I do use them for some cooking in the oven at the house, but they are amazing in the field. With little effort you can cook biscuits, brownies and such. With more effort almost anything is possible. These things are amazing -- no wonder the pioneers and cowboy cooks considered them indispensable.

What this has to do with Spyderco and knives I don't know exactly, but you did ask - and that is what I have to say. If we both get booted off the forum for talking about this, there is probably a dutch oven forum someplace we can go to and lick our wounds.

I can mention that my Temperance 2 fixed blade looks just swell at camp alongside a dutch oven, that should make it alright. What a fine knife.

Need to work on my dutch oven skills.
There are a ton of videos online w/ good eats.

Everything takes practice.

I remember how hesitant I was sharpening up my first PM2 on the sharpmaker, and not wanting to mess it up. Now it's like riding a bike.

Don't want to break any forum rules, but my Spyderco's ride with me everywhere and cross into everything from cooking, hiking, camping, processing, fishing, bbq, cocktails, etc.

How about a Cruwear and Cast Iron pic.

[Calicoast]

I cook on cast iron everyday. I would rather cook a piece of meat on cast iron than on a grill. I have a Lodge 12 inch chicken fryer which is basically a 3.5 inch deep skillet. I have the cast iron lid for it as well so it acts as a shallow Dutch oven too. Hands down it is the most versatile piece of cookware I own. We took our pop up out this weekend and I used it on my Coleman campstove to make bacon, home fries, eggs, burgers and pretty much everything we ate. Have actually been traveling around in the pop up for the past month and have been bringing a couple cast iron skillets with me for most of our cooking. I love that 12 inch chicken fryer!

I want one of those chicken fryers with the lid hinge bad. I was just checking over a site that had a vintage one never used one for about a $125.00.

I usually use my lodge dutch oven to make baja dorado fish tacos. I don't know what it is, but everytime I make them they come out so good. Anyone want the recipe for that, pm me. I usually use my Case knives or Spyderco's to fillet them up. :)
C

[ChrisinHove]

I use an early 90’s MSR rapidfire gas stove, recently supplemented by a Soto Amicus backpacking stove (excellent!), a twig burning MKettle, and my parents old Camping Gaz Transat twin burner gas stove (c.1969!) for static camps.

[Bloke]

I use ...

[ChrisinHove]

I use ...

That’s it! The trolley is titanium, and burns sticks only from virgin Brazilian rainforest. Works a treat and packs away into an envelope.

[A.S.]

No. 8 cast iron skillet at 10 5/8 inches wide is my everyday go to for cooking. I use it for frying okra, chicken & potatoes to French toast, cornbread and salmon. No other cook wear comes close to cast iron.

[Calicoast]

Lol, those shopping cart grills are popular in LA. :)
Haven't seen the titanium ones though hahaha.

Here are a few pictures of my car camping Weber Go Anywhere grill that I am modifying.
Stainless steel 3/8 rod to hold the heat, split in two sections to add more charcoal to one side for low and slow.
+ Weber Go Anywhere SS Kabob kit from 1984, and some cast iron.
Looking to add in some probe sensor grommets, so I can keep the lid closed / monitor temps.
Think I am done after that, time to do some cooking. + A picture of a Spyderco Jumpmaster 2.
C

[abbazaba]

A 12" cast iron pan is the corner stone of our car camping kit. A 15" cast iron pan with lid is the corner stone of our kitchen.

We pretty much cook everything over the fire when we camp. I do bring a MSR Pocket Rocket as a backup stove, which works well with a tin foil heat shield and boiling pot. It's great when I just want to make a quick batch of coffee in the french press. A large Frieling steel french press is one of the best tools I've ever bought.

Of course I bring more knives than I can actually use camping, but the PM2 has been my go camp folder for a couple of years. The Fallkniven F1 is my favorite do it all fixed blade, but I love beating Beckers. My BK2 hasn't seen much use since I picked up a new BK7 for this camping season. 1095 is fun to use when your itinerary includes refining the edge after trying to destroy it, while stoking the fire and drinking a beer.