Homemade Backpacking Gear
by Jason Klass
A LID FOR YOUR SNOW PEAK 600 TITANIUM MUG
by Ben2World
Difficulty Rating: 2
Materials Sourcing: 1
Are you a "light and fast" solo hiker whose cooking is limited to boiling 2 cups (16 oz.) of water to rehydrate your freeze-dried Mountain House dinner? Are you constantly wishing that you could use your Snow Peak 600 (21 oz. capacity and 2.8 oz. weight) as both a pot and a mug, but lamented its lack of a lid?
For a time, I left my Snow Peak 600 at home and opted for the Snow Peak 700 instead, because the latter came with a lid. However, the 700's 24 oz. capacity and 4.25 oz. weight were bigger and heavier than what I needed or wanted. The photo illustrates the size difference between the two. Lid weight: 0.5 oz.
Tools & Materials
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One end piece from a can – 3.9 to 4.0 inches diameter (the rim of the cup is 3.8 inches).
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One "knob" to facilitate covering and uncovering the lid.
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An X-acto kinfe or similar.
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Drill, awl, or metal hole punch.
Construction
You should avoid cans with tin walls, and instead look for cans with cardboard walls. With regular tin cans and a can opener, you end up with a flat end piece that has a razor sharp edge all around. This makes for a lid that’s dangerous to use and can easily slide off the pot as well. However, with a cardboard wall can, you can easily tear away the cardboard, and have yourself an end piece with a smooth ridge all around – not cut off by a can opener. When placed on top of the Snow Peak 600 mug, the ridge will hold the lid in place.
While you can search for tins that are 4 inches in diameter, I find it much easier just taking the mug with me to the store and matching up with hopeful cans. You should find quite a few; the photo shows one winning candidate: Springfield Lemon Ice Tea with nice cardboard wall and a perfectly sized end piece.
The next step is to C-A-R-E-F-U-L-L-Y cut away the cardboard with an X-ACTO knife or similar. Once that’s done, you have yourself a lid for your Snow Peak 600!
To make it easier to cover and uncover the pot, you can drill one hole in the center of the lid and insert a knob, as in the first photo (knob shown in blue). I cannibalized this knob from a cheap Texsport Aluminum cookset that I bought from SportsMart for $5.99. You may be able to improvise depending on what you have lurking in your kitchen or gear room.
Alternatively, you can also drill two small holes near the center of the lid and simply pass a cord through.
I am very pleased that I no longer need to carry a pot that’s bigger than what I need. With my Snow Peak 600, I can store my Snow Peak GigaPower stove, a small fuel canister and a BIC lighter all inside. Finally, I secure the pot/mug inside its mesh bag, and stick in a plastic Taco Bell freebie spork. My ‘kitchen’.
One final note: Take care to dry your lid after use to prevent the tin from rusting.
Addendum
Since posting this, readers have advised me about “Safe Cut” can openers! The cutting wheel punctures and cuts from the side and not the top, thus leaving you with an end piece that has the ridge intact! These openers are available at Wal Mart, K Mart, WalGreens and many other stores. With “Safe Cut”, you can use either metal or cardboard cans. I would recommend metal cans to save the hassle of tearing apart and chipping away every last bits of cardboard.