Vargo Bot Backpacking Cookware Assessment

Backside Line

In the event you assume that the Vargo Bot appears like a thru-hiker invented it, you’d be proper. Brian Vargo realized that his cookpot and water bottle have been primarily the identical and could possibly be mixed into one light-weight piece of substances. Voilà, the Vargo Bot.

We examined the Vargo Bot within the Rocky Mountains, with varied cooking types, and in a managed lab setting. Whereas area of interest ultralighters will love its distinctive design, the Bot will not be the pot for foodies.

The screw-on lid is great for cold-soaking and additional meals or water storage and doubles as a succesful cookpot. The lid creates a watertight seal and helps protect the pot’s form when it’s stuffed in your pack. It does nevertheless, lack options that some take into account essential, corresponding to drain holes and a pour spout.

Though it’s not the worst pot for cooking, the Bot favors weight financial savings over cooking efficiency. It weighs simply 5 ounces and its tall, slender design accommodates two 4-ounce gas canisters and simply slides into aspect pockets.

Whereas culinary fanatics may respect the complete function units of different backpacking cooksets, the Vargo Bot gives a singular answer for ultralight backpackers.

How We Examined

We examined the Vargo Bot each in a managed lab setting (aka our kitchen) and on our backpacking trails within the Rocky Mountains. We examined its cooking efficiency and value with many various cooking types and evaluated its sturdiness, weight, and packability towards related cooksets. Our perspective on this piece of substances is knowledgeable by a whole bunch of nights cooking within the backcountry.

Cooking Efficiency

Though titanium isn’t identified for its superior cooking efficiency, the Vargo Bot did surprisingly effectively throughout our testing, significantly in boil time and warmth distribution.

As a result of thinness of the titanium, the Bot heats up extremely quick. It’s greatest to have some water in your pot earlier than you even flip the range on. A quick warmth switch means a quick boil time, nevertheless it additionally often lends itself to uneven warmth distribution and hotspots.

With the Vargo Bot, hotspots are mitigated by its comparatively slender footprint. Since a range’s flame can cowl extra floor space on the underside of the pot, it’s much less more likely to be hotter within the center and cooler on the sides.

This flame distribution additionally helps forestall burning meals, which may be significantly annoying and generally devastating within the backcountry. Though the titanium lacks a non-stick coating, if you happen to prepare dinner with care, it’s really fairly simple to scrub.

As a result of this design is supposed to additionally carry out as a 1-liter water bottle, the Bot is taller than it’s extensive. Some might discover it inconvenient and troublesome to warmth meals evenly with out fixed stirring. We extremely advocate pairing this pot with long-handled utensils.

Weight & Packability

The Vargo Bot 1L matches simply into the ultralight backpacker’s package with an total weight of solely 5 ounces – the third lightest prepare dinner set on our listing. It additionally achieves a powerful capacity-to-weight ratio of 278mL per ounce. The distinctive weight financial savings come as no shock from a titanium pot.

The slender form doesn’t enable for an 8-ounce gas canister, nevertheless it does accommodate two 4-ounce canisters stacked on high of one another with loads of further house for a small backpacking range and a lighter. 

With its sizable 1-liter capability, the Vargo Bot does occupy a good quantity of pack actual property – 108.4 cubic inches, to be actual. However its tall, slender physique permits it to simply slide right into a aspect water bottle pocket, increasing its stowing choices and setting it other than different 1-liter pots. Once more, this pot is designed to exchange one in every of your water bottles or act as a cold-soak container whilst you’re logging miles.

Usability

The Vargo Bot has a minimal function set, particularly designed to be used a number of instances a day. It deliberately lacks issues like drain holes, pour spouts, and stress launch valves. 

One of many solely designs within the cookware world is the silicone gasket screw-on lid. We couldn’t get a single drop of liquid to flee the Bot’s watertight seal. This stand-out function makes the Bot uniquely suited to cold-soaking, storing leftovers, or as a further water bottle. 

Nevertheless, as a result of the lid seals so tightly, it may be troublesome to take away below sure situations, corresponding to freezing temperatures or rising altitude. Additionally, you’re in for a puzzle if you happen to cross-thread the lid. Utilizing your titanium spoon or perhaps a bank card may help. Vargo has an entire web page on find out how to unstock your Bot as a result of it’s gonna occur.

Personally, we don’t often use this pot as a water bottle (though it’s nice for lengthy carries). We largely use it to cold-soak and prepare dinner in a single container. Not like plastic cold-soaking containers, which require frequent cleansing or alternative, the Bot may be sanitized with warmth, offering further peace of thoughts. In the event you use it on this method, the Bot may be very multi-purpose and saves packing house.

This design does include a couple of sacrifices. As talked about earlier than, there isn’t a handy option to drain issues like pasta water, and it additionally lacks handy handles. Though Vargo does make a dealt with model of the Bot, this model is designed for max weight financial savings. We additionally observed slight cupping on the underside of the pot, which might trigger it to wobble on flat surfaces and a few stoves.

Sturdiness

Titanium has a naturally distinctive strength-to-weight ratio, however most backpacking titanium pots are very skinny, making them liable to warping and bending. Fortunately, the Bot’s strong screw-on lid helps the pot preserve its form even after years of use. Additionally, the rim of the opening encompasses a sturdy, strengthened collar to spice up its sturdiness.

In typical ultralight streamlined designs, the Vargo Bot lacks movable elements which can be vulnerable to breaking. This explicit model lacks handles on each the pot and lid. Whereas these are useful (get it?!) options, the minimal design doubtlessly will increase the general longevity of the pot.

One factor to regulate with the skinny titanium building is cupping on the underside of the pot. We’ve already observed some cupping with reasonable use, which might worsen over time.

Ought to You Purchase the Vargo Bot Cookpot?

The Vargo Bot 1L uniquely fits the ultralight backpacker who values simplicity and flexibility. Its revolutionary screw-on lid makes it an ideal cold-soaking container or further water bottle. Multi-use objects corresponding to this are invaluable for minimalist backpackers as they release invaluable pack house. The titanium pot can also be extremely light-weight.

Though the Vargo Bot lacks handy options corresponding to foldable handles, drain holes, and pour spouts, the minimalist design will increase its sturdiness and packability. The pot simply slides right into a aspect pocket with out the necessity for a stuff sack and is much less liable to warping than different titanium pots.

The fundamental backcountry prepare dinner, largely boiling water to rehydrate meals, can be impressed with the Bot’s expanded cooking efficiency for a titanium pot. It’s simple to scrub and has comparatively good warmth dispersion and non-stick properties. Nevertheless, anybody cooking extra concerned meals for themselves or a number of folks will really feel the restrictions of this tall and slender pot.

What Different Backpacking Cookware Ought to You Contemplate?

The Vargo Bot is admittedly a distinct segment design, however don’t fear, we’ve included cooksets for each sort of backpacker in our full information to backpacking cookware.

Evernew Pasta Pot 1L Assessment: One other 1-liter titanium pot with a good lid, however providing an alternate form and added options. The Pasta pot is shorter and wider than the Bot and comes with pot and lid handles, drain holes, and a pour spout.

Toaks Titanium 750mL Assessment: This pot is as ultralight because it will get. It’s titanium and cooks equally to the bot however has a couple of further options and weighs about 4 ounces. 

Snow Peak Titanium Mini Solo Assessment: The Mini Solo is a titanium set that includes a tall pot and a smaller cup with a mixed capability of 1450mL. It has a easy lid just like the Bot nevertheless it doesn’t screw on.