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Gear Review: Vargo 700ml & 900ml Titanium BOTs
Vargo 700ml & 900ml Titanium BOTs
MSRP $99.95
Cookware is a black hole for me. The more time I spend trying to figure out how to feed myself, the more complicated my system gets. I was contemplating going stove-less all together when I discovered Vargo Outdoors.
The 700ml and 900ml Titanium Bottle Pots (BOTs) feature screw-on lids and are marketed as a multi-use product, which is perfect for someone who’s wants the ability to fluctuate between going stoveless and carrying a stove.
Initial Observations
The lid is tough to thread correctly. And it’s pretty squeaky. But I suspect that’s an issue that’ll resolve itself with extended use.
The BOTs are little bit expensive compared to other pots on the market. But they’re also more innovative.
900ml vs 700ml
900ml vs 700ml
900ml is a lot of space for a single person. I carried the Solo Pot 900 on the AT, and never filled it out to capacity, even at my hungriest.
There’s no handle on the 900ml BOT.
They do sell a “Titanium Pot Lifter” for $26.95 that weighs .8 ounces. but for the weight, you might as well design a version with a handle. Or opt for the 700ml version.
700ml BOT
The 700ml BOT only weighs .4 ounces less than the 900ml BOT.
The 700ml titanium BOT does have a handle.
Both pots cost the same amount. The only reason I could see myself opting for the 900ml over the 700ml is if both me and my partner were planning on going stoveless.
Leak-proof/spill test
After leaving the BOT upside down (and later, on its side) for an extended period of time, I did see a few droplets of water permeating the rubber seal. It wasn’t enough to be concerning. But I wouldn’t sleep with it.
After shaking it vigorously, a torrential rainfall made its way through the sealed lid. So if you tumble down the side of the mountain, you probably won’t have much water left in your BOT at the bottom.
What I learned: The lid is somewhat reliable. But it’s not 100% leak-proof. And general wear and tear will probably worsen the leakage later on.
Cook Test
Both the 700ml and the 900ml BOTs performed as expected when cooking a standard backpacking meal. You’re supposed to flip the lid upside down to use it as a pot top, which has been working well for me. But I am a little bit worried that consistent use will melt the ring.
I have a theory that you could boil and simmer food in the same pot, at the same time. By adding water to the top side of the lid. I’m not sure what I’d personally use that feature for, but it’s neat to know its available.
Compare & Contrast
Snow Peak Trek 900 Titanium Cookset
Complete set 6.2oz
MSRP $52.95
Vargo BOTs
4.8-5.2oz
$99.95
Toaks Titanium 750ml Pot
3.9oz
MSRP $34.95
Compared to many of its competitors, the BOT’s weight capacity is pretty efficient. But it comes at a significant cost ($99.95). Although many competing products lack Vargo’s innovation and weight efficiency, their cost is much lower ($40-50 cheaper).
Conclusions
Depending on what you’re looking to get out of a cook pot, Vargo manufacturers a really unique product. If you’re interested in the versatility of your hiking gear, the BOT is a no-brainer. But if cost is a big factor, there are less innovative designs that are a lot more competitive price-wise.
Between the 700ml and 900ml BOT, the 700ml is the way to go.
If I were intending to use it principally as a cook pot, I’d probably be more likely to carry a Toaks pot since their weight and cost are so impressively low. But since I’m intending to use it interchangeably as both a bottle and a pot, the BOT won me over.
Disclaimer: These products were donated for the purposes of this review. But the contribution does not affect the contents of this review.
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Comments 4
I have the 700 ml Bot. A word of warning. Do not screw the cover on if water is warm. I had it vapor lock and couldn’t get the lid off. I took it around to other campers who tried but with no success. I had to put a knife under edge to prey it loose. Lesson learned.
just get the toaks you listed instead. cheaper, lighter, and no issues with a screw on lid.
Thanks for the review. I flirted with the BOT for a while, and despite several rave reviews (many of which duly mention the dangers of vapor lock) I have decided to forego bott-ian pleasures in favor of the tried-and-true, that being a Snowpeak Trek 700 pot/mug and – for water carrying – my beloved collaposible GSI water bottles (or Platypus). Reasons: Most of us like to keep our stove kit together, with the canister, mini stove, lighter, folding spoon, etc. stowed in the cooking pot. If I opt to use a BOT for water carrying, then I have to stow the cooking stuff elsewhere. That is cumbersome, also because of the small items involved, which need to be stowed separate from the canister and perhaps even bagged so they don’t get “lost” in the pack. Another reason: Something like the Snow Peak Trek 700 weighs about 136 g. Add the weight of a GSI folding water bottle to it (with drinking spout and cap), at about 27 g, and it’s not a lot heavier than a BOT 700. But it does give me separate functionality. And when the water bottle is empty, it takes up zero space. When a BOT is empty, it takes up a lot of space, or else needs to be filled with stuff you probably ended up stowing elsewhere because you were carrying water in the BOT. So you wouldn’t feel like repacking the moment the BOT is empty, also because it would be moist. Even worse if you used the BOT to soak food in, leaving it too cruddy to stow anything in until you can wash it out. So you’d be using up more pack volume than necessary, despite the logic that having a BOT saves you pack volume. Again, with a folding 1-liter (not 700 ml!) bottle, that is a moot point. I therefore fail to see how a BOT could serve me better than what I’ve got, and I really don’t fancy messing with a vapor-locking or (as your review pointed out) leaky lid. My folding bottles are totally watertight and never lock up on me, and I can easily toss one under my quilt (in a ziplock bag to be safe) in freezing conditions. I don’t think sleeping with a BOT under my quilt would be that fun, and if it leaks… Summing up: Those who think the BOT kills two flies with one swatter should recall that their BOTs might start off filled with water and later be empty, and that all the other stuff has to go somewhere in the meantime. As an American living in Germany I’ve become fond of a cool word that sums this up: “Verschlimmbesserung”. That_s “Verschlimmerung” (=worsening) plus “Verbesserung” (=improvement) stuck together, as in “worsening-improvement”. Sometimes improvements can make things worse, indeed. Or have BOT owners come up with a magical way to make their stoves and canisters and stuff disappear until the BOT is empty?
How does the vargo bot 900 ml compare to the toaks 759 ml in diameter? I see quite varying sizes on different websites, so I can’t figure out whether they’re similar or the bot is wider.
I’m asking because I already own the bot, and I’m hoping that the toaks ti stand might work as a stand and screen for my bot.