Vargo BOT HD Titanium Pot Review

Have you ever wished that your cookpot could be used to carry extra water? Have you ever accidentally melted your plastic cold-soaking jar while cooking ramen with water from a motel room coffee pot? Well, the funky and useful BOT HD from Vargo is worth a look, even if your answer to both is, “Huh? No.”

The BOT, whose name is a mishmash of “bottle” and “pot,” combines the functions of both. It is a titanium pot with a watertight screwtop lid. It’s also a water bottle that can handle the heat of a stove. It’s a cold-soaking jar that can be used to cook over a campfire. Yep, it’s a lot of things, and has the potential to streamline and add versatility to your kitchen setup.

As a stubborn cold-soaker who enjoys a spoonful of his partner’s hot food whenever he can get one, I’ve had my eye on the BOT for years. With a month of hiking without her and her stove, it was finally time for this big boy to grow up and get his own kitchen. Finally, it was time to try the BOT, and here’s what I found.

Vargo BOT HD Titanium Pot At-a-Glance

The Vargo BOT HD is like any other titanium pot, except for that freaky-cool screwtop lid.

MSRP: $110
Weight: 5.4 ounces
Volume: 34 fluid ounces
Dimensions: ~4 inches diameter, 6.3 inches tall
Materials: Titanium, heat-resistant O-ring
Country of Origin: China

Intended Use

The BOT lineup was designed with versatility in mind. With titanium construction and a watertight screwtop lid, this thing is a cookpot, water bottle, cold soak jar, and/or dry bag. You could even use it to deliver a message in a bottle.

Do you wish that your cook pot could also carry water during long dry stretches of trail? Do you cold soak, but sometimes want a hot meal without melting your plastic jar? Well, these are two scenarios that the BOT was invented to address, and a more creative person can probably think of a few more.

Circumstances of Review

My BOT cooked up a lot of big meals and pots of tea on the JMT this summer.

My BOT HD was my food vessel for the entire summer. I started with a lot of cold soaking on Colorado’s Rainbow Trail, then switched to cooking most days on the John Muir Trail (JMT). During the latter, my mom and I shared a BOT-full for morning tea, hot dinner, and evening tea.

We mostly cooked food (beans, couscous, Knorr, ramen) directly in the pot rather than boiling water for pouch use. The larger 34oz volume of the HD model was sufficient to feed us both and then some. During the day, I stored my stove (BRS-3000T), water filter (Katadyn BeFree), lighter, and a small fuel canister (110g) inside the BOT.

Vargo BOT HD Features

Check it out: The BOT HD has folding handles, volume markings, and that screw lid. Notice how the lid is upside down when heating the BOT.

Screwtop lid: The BOT’s lid is threaded to screw onto the pot body. This is the distinguishing feature relative to other titanium cook pots. A rubber O-ring provides a leakproof seal for all your jostling pleasure, and allows you to carry water and/or soak food while hiking. Just make sure to unscrew the lid before placing the BOT near a heat source unless you want to lick your food from the ground. Flip the lid upside-down for explosion-free cooking.

Titanium: 100% titanium construction helps the BOT remain lightweight and strong. And there are no weird coatings to worry about scratching or leaching into your food. Watch out, though — the thin material transfers heat rapidly, so stir food frequently to avoid burning.

Folding handles: The wire handles fold flush with the outside of the BOT for transport and come together when you want to pick it up. That’s right, no need for a separate pot holder with the BOT HD. The BOT XL and BOT-700 also have handles. The original BOT does not.

Measurement markings: Volume measurements are stamped into the sidewall in 100ml increments from 300-900ml. It might be nice to have fluid ounce graduations embossed on the other side, but if you don’t know how to convert to fluid ounces, just overestimate. There’s nothing wrong with making your slop a little soupy and extra-hydrating.

Why BOT?

Afternoon snack is ready to go after soaking it during the last hour of hiking. No need to wait or cook withe the BOT.

I started cold-soaking during my first thru-hike on the PCT in 2015, a bad habit that I’ve mostly kept ever since. Over the years, I’ve tried a wide variety of vessels to perform this duty, from peanut butter jars to a mini nalgene and a horrible bag thingy from CNOC. However, none of these were perfect, and on those rare occasions that I wanted to cook something hot, these plasticky implements let me down.

I was attracted to the BOT because it promises to be a durable cold-soaker that eliminates plastic and can handle hot food whenever I want it. As far as I’m aware, this combination makes it one of a kind. During warm trips, I’ll leave my stove at home and cold-soak my dinner before reaching camp. During the shoulder seasons, all I need to do is add a fuel canister and stove for some cozy hot food. Voilà! The BOT can do both.

Others might be drawn to the BOT because it can serve double duty as a water bottle during the day while also being used to prepare dinner in the evening. This could be especially handy on trails with long dry stretches between water sources. I’m looking at you, PCT, CDT, AZT, FT, etc. Heck, even the Appalachian Trail has some long-ish water carries. And oh yeah, the BOT can be used as a hot water bottle to keep you warm on cold nights.

The truth is, if your menu includes a mixture of cold-soaking and hot food, there isn’t a simple way to prepare both that I know of, except for the BOT. You can boil water in a metal pot, but you’ll need a separate sealable container (ziploc baggy or jar) to soak while hiking. You can survive on rehydrated cold mush in a jar, but your stove will melt a hole right through it if you ever get a hankering for something hot.

The BOT certainly ain’t perfect, but it’s a huge step in the right direction for hybrid eaters like me.

How’d It Do?

After a summer of heavy use, my BOT HD is still pristine and has earned a permanent home in my backpacking kitchen. Not only did it live up to all of my expectations, but it avoided most of the pitfalls that had repelled me for years. Sure, I burned some oatmeal that will remain charred to the bottom for eternity, and the pot is significantly heavier than my crusty peanut butter jar, but it proved its worth.

Ultimately, it might be a simple task, but from cold-soaking for just me to cooking for two, my BOT pulled it off easily.

Which BOT Is Best?

Top: the stuff I carried in the BOT HD most of the time. Bottom: all that stuff in the BOT HD.

Out of the four BOT models in the stable, I went with the big, 1-liter BOT HD. I liked that capacity, especially because it would be used to cook for two, and it seemed like a no-brainer to get the one with folding handles. It’s bigger than most solo hikers will need, but despite the boosted volume, the HD shares the same side-pocket-friendly diameter as the shorter BOT-700. For a modest weight penalty (+0.6oz), the extra storage feels like a worthy tradeoff to me.

If you’re not concerned with side pockets, the BOT XL is a shorter, more stable version of the HD. Whereas the narrower BOTs can hold a small 110g fuel canister within, this squatter BOT nests with 230g canisters.

Cold-Soaking

Getting my small lunch portion of dehydrated refried beans soaking for later. With the BOT, I just screwed on the lid and kept hiking.

There’s nothing wild or revolutionary about the cold-soaking capabilities of the BOT. Just like one would with a plastic jar, add water, dry food, and then wait. If you want to get wild, try adding the food first. With the watertight lid, it’s safe to walk while you soak or even do a handstand. I like this method for foods with longer rehydrating times, such as thick-cut oats, ramen, and Knorr sides, so I can eat as soon as I stop.

Pro-tip: For gloppier foods, start the rehydrating process at the beginning of a break so it has time to “gel” before you start hiking again. This will minimize splashing and keep the hard-to-clean lid cleaner.

Cooking

Pushing that 34-ounce capacity to the limit by combining a box of couscous and a Knorr side into a single dinner for two.

Cooking with the BOT HD is similar to using other lightweight titanium pots. The thin material is horrible at spreading heat evenly, so burning food is a constant risk for all meals that aren’t of the “boil water, add dry food, and wait” variety. The narrow diameter also places the handles in the hot exhaust that billows around the bottom. Fortunately, they cool down quickly, and neither of these downsides is particularly unique or exciting.

Where the BOT HD differs is in its tip-prone height and weird lid. No doubt about it, the narrow and tall profile requires careful balancing when full. Anytime I was heating the BOT over my tiny stove, I guarded it closely to prevent a devastating spill. And that was after taking a long minute to level the cooking surface before flicking my Bic. Ultralight canister stoves aren’t exactly revered for their stability, but the dimensions of the BOT HD exacerbate this issue. The wider BOT XL makes it a better choice for clumsier users or earthquake-prone areas.

The lid is funky but easy to use. Just make sure that you unscrew and flip it upside down before heating anything up. Otherwise … Boom! I think (I don’t get paid enough to try this myself). The lid is also deep enough (~8 fluid ounces) that one could probably use it to cook an egg or as a small cup for fancy drinks.

The final distinguishing “hot feature” of the BOT is the bonus ability to serve as a hot water bottle. With non-watertight pots, pulling this off requires a separate heat-resistant water bottle, which is a heavy addition to any gear list. With the BOT, just heat up the water, screw on the lid, and tuck it wherever you want.

Weight

Does anyone even care about an ounce these days? (Lol, of course I do.) Yeah, well, the BOT is not the lightest pot around. That threaded lid is made with way more titanium than the typical flat lid included with other pots, and so it weighs way more.

Still, we’re talking about a less than 2-ounce difference between this bigger BOT HD and the classic Toaks 750ml pot. That’s less than a single Clif Bar. My recommendation? If the bonus versatility of a screwtop lid is even slightly intriguing to you, don’t sweat the extra ounces.

Now, if we’re comparing the 5.4-ounce BOT HD with a 1- or 2-ounce peanut butter jar? Oh boy, that’s like two whole Clif Bars weight difference. Ludicrous. Actually no, it’s not. Trust me, your ultralight cred can weather this storm.

Pressure Lock

It was mostly the fabled pressure lock that kept me from the BOT for so many years. Apparently, the lid can become sealed shut when subjected to large swings in temperature or elevation (aka pressure changes). As lame as that sounds, I found it to be a non-issue during my pretty normal usage. Even with huge elevation changes in the High Sierra, unscrewing the BOT was never an issue. And while an unopenable lid is a possibility, the issue was infinitely less prevalent than I feared it would be.

Vargo BOT HD Pros

It’s hard to see, but the BOT is in the right side pocket, where I always carried it along with a 1-liter water bottle. It’s nice that it fits there.

Multi-purpose: As you’ve gathered by now, the BOT can be useful in multiple ways. Depending on the rest of your gear setup, it might combine the function of multiple items, or it could provide more versatility. Now your pot is also a water bottle, so you can leave one behind. Now you can cold soak securely and cook without melting, all using the same vessel.

Safe storage: I’m not the first hiker to store a bunch of tidbits inside my cookpot, but I do think that the BOT does it better than most others. The lid is secure, so you can put all kinds of important things in there with confidence that they’ll still be even after you sprint away from that really freaky spider. It’s waterproof too.

Proportions: All BOTs except for the wider BOT XL are sized to fit nicely in your typical backpack’s side pocket along with el classico Smartwater bottle. Rigid pots and jars can be awkward to pack, so I like that my BOT has an obvious home. Combined with the above pro, it can act as a bonus security pocket for small items. And while other titanium pots might fit in the same spot, they lack the secure lid, which helps the BOT resist deformation from the constant squishing and jostling.

Big portions: If you’re cooking for two, or just really hungry, the 34-ounce capacity of the BOT HD is likely enough to keep it a one-pot meal. That’s great for cutting weight on partnered trips, but it also limits spillage during solo meals.

Cleaning: The BOT is mostly easy to keep clean. Hands fit in the wide mouth if the food was finger-licking good (please, don’t lick your nasty hiker fingers), and the lid prevents splashing during shake-cleaning.

Variety: If you like the titanium-pot-with-a-lid thing but don’t like the size of the BOT HD, there are other options for you. The BOT XL is shorter and wider with the same volume. The original BOT keeps the capacity and shape but removes the handles for unparalleled sleekness. And the BOT-700 is a shorter version well-suited for most solo hikers.

Vargo BOT HD Cons

As you can see, I’m not the best at centering a pot on a stove. My ineptitude, combined with the tallness of the BOT HD, made tea time treacherous.

Price: ¡Ay, caramba! Compared with other titanium cookpots, the BOT is significantly more expensive. It’s also a different animal, so maybe this isn’t a fair comparison. However, unless the screwtop fulfills a clear need, it might be hard to justify the added cost. 

Pressure lock: As I mentioned above, some users report that the BOT’s lid can become unopenable during huge pressure swings. I never experienced this, but it can happen. My guess is that temperature changes are the worst offender (i.e. hot water bottle). Vargo even weighs in on the issue — “To depressurize, use a dull, flat object to lift up the O-ring to allow air to enter the BOT.”

Heavier: The screw lid is the coolest part about the BOT, and it’s also what makes it so heavy relative to other titanium pots. As with price, if this feature isn’t something that you actually want, then there are awesome alternatives that are lighter and cheaper.

Tippy: The BOT HD is tall. That means that balancing it while full on a tiny, uneven camp stove can sometimes be treacherous. I never accidentally dumped mine, but I was hyper-vigilant. Ultimately, I think this inconvenience is well worth it for the extra capacity and ability to fit in a side pocket, but the BOT XL or BOT-700 are more stable options.

Cleaning: Aha! Not so easy after all! The lid has an inner lip on the bottom edge, which is big enough to catch food yet small enough to make cleaning awkward. With a little care, it’s easy to keep food out in the first place (something that would only happen while cold-soaking), but super goopy stuff can get lodged in there. And knowing hikers, once in, it’s never coming out.

Final Thoughts

Living large with the Vargo BOT HD on an alpine beach in the High Sierra. Let’s keep this partnership going.

If you made it this far, then you probably don’t want to hear any more about the BOT or my opinions. Well too bad!

Actually, I don’t have anything else to say other than the BOT HD is a genuine improvement over the mediocre, melt-prone cold-soaking containers of my past. I wish I had made the switch sooner. And not to toot my own horn or anything, but after over 10,000 miles of rehydrating my mushy meals in aforementioned mediocrity, I was still looking for a perfect solution.

While the BOT isn’t perfect, it’s damn close, and I consider my search concluded. If the price scares you, yeah, I get that. $110 buys a lot of peanut butter jars, but the BOT is built to outlast your shoes, tent, sleeping pad, and maybe even your knees.

Shop the Vargo BOT HD

Similar Ultralight Pots

Vargo BOT XL
MSRP: $110
Weight: 5.5 ounces
Volume: 37 fluid ounces
Material: Titanium

Vargo BOT-700
MSRP: $100
Weight: 4.8 ounces
Volume: 23 fluid ounces
Material: Titanium

Toaks Titanium 750ml Pot
MSRP: $27
Weight: 3.6 ounces
Volume: 25 fluid ounces
Material: Titanium

MSR Titan Kettle — 900ml
MSRP: $65
Weight: 4.4 ounces
Volume: 30.4 fluid ounces
Material: Titanium

Peanut Butter Jar
MSRP: Free if you like peanut butter
Weight: 1-2 ounces
Volume: 16, 28, 40, 80 fluid ounces
Material: PET

Disclaimer: The Vargo BOT HD was donated for the purpose of review.