Poor man?s Svea cook kit. I?m not trying to pick a fight with die hard SIGG Tourist devotees, but I think I?ve put together a pretty functional set that maximizes the compact size of the SVEA 123 and similar stoves. SIGG sets go for a minimum of $100 on e-bay. This set is much less. It is based on the GSI hard Anodized Double Boiler cookset. This was designed as a solo cookset, probably with cartridge stoves in mind...but a Svea 123r fits perfectly inside! The set is made of aluminum, which has the best heat transfer characteristics of all the different metals used in cookware. The hard anodizing process leaves the surface harder than Stainless steel for easier cleaning than conventional aluminum. The surface is black which increases heat transfer as well. The first photo shows the entire kit suitable for 2+ people for a long weekend with plenty of cooking. If less cooking is required, you could probably lose the extra fuel. The second photo shows the set opened up. There is a Coughlan?s multi-panel windscreen in the foreground. I keep a butane lighter and a box of waterproof matches to light the stove. There is an eyedropper to aid priming the stove. There is a ?light my fire? spork. A small piece of Ozark Trail camp-towel protects the pots from chafing by the stove when compacted. Also used for cleaning. The pots are in the double boiler configuration. I don?t generally use the pots this way, but since the tourist set can do it I wanted to show it. On the left is the Olicamp space-saver cup. It is quite a bit more practical than the mini-pot that comes with the SVEA. Unfortunately it does not fit over the stove. It is designed to fit over the end of a wide-mouthed 1 quart Nalgene though. GSI also makes a similar product called the Glacier Bottle Cup. It lacks the nifty gradations that the Olicamp cup has. One of the Things I love about the Svea and Nova is that you can balance your mug right on the stove to keep your pot free for food. The 1.5 liter pot balances well on the Svea. The .5 Liter pot seems like it is tailor made for the Svea?s Burner. So how much does it cost? Take one Svea 123r or equivalent and add: Basic kit: GSI Hard Anodized Double Boiler (2pots, 1 lid, mesh sack)? As low as $24 Plastic bag to store stove in within set?Recycled (Free) Coughlan?s Windscreen?$10 1/6 Camp towel?$.75 Total Cost: $34.75 Additional Items: Olicamp Space saver cup?$6 Butane lighter?$.75 Waterproof Matches?$.75 ?Light My Fire? Spork?$2.50 MSR bottle 11oz?$11.00 Filter funnel?$2.00 Eyedropper?$1.50 32oz Nalgene bottle (HDPE)?$5.00 Additional Items Total?$29.50 Grand total for the deluxe kit?$64.25 When you consider that you probably have some of these things kicking around the house anyway? One could probably put this kit together for less...
I'm putting together a cookset for this coming hunting season. I appreciate the work you've put into assembling this display and sharing your ideas. Thanks.
A good set, well thought out. The ultimate virtue of the Sigg Tourist set is the "stepped" system of the windshield, pots, and frypan, followed by the integration of the whole set with the stove itself. It's that little bump against a pot or pan that can drop dinner into the dirt that is the bane of backcountry cooking, especially given the small stoves and uneven surfaces. The Sigg pretty much solved this; you can knock it over, but not with that little bump.... The Trangia does much the same thing, in a somewhat different way. What I don't understand is why there are no similar systems for "modern" stoves...or if there are, I've never seen them.
Since I put this post up I've obtained a SIGG as well as a Taiwan tourist set. Here are a couple thoughts I have by way of comparison... First the SIGG tourist is undoubtedly more stable. The SIGG set is also larger. The SIGG would be overkill to boil two cups of water for a freeze dried meal. The smaller of the two gsi pots would be perfect. The larger of the two is sized to do more practical cooking. It's still easily packable. Whatever the virtues of either kit they are now both discontinued.
Here is also some info for 123 pot sets: https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/pot-set-for-optimus-svea-123.28713/
