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Material
When it comes to backpacking cookware from https://thepnw.co/ there are primarily three options. Titanium, aluminum, and stainless steel are the three top choices.
Titanium – titanium offers the best strength to weight ratio. The downside of titanium is that it can be quite expensive. Titanium is arguably the best all-around option, if you can afford it.

Aluminum – aluminum is cheap, is a great heat conductor and is the lightest material making it popular with the ultralight crowd. It is on the weak side and can be easily bent. Aluminum is also known to deform over high heat, so its not always ideal for cooking over an open campfire. Some people also worry that aluminum will leech into food and can be toxic. Most problems with regular aluminum cookware is fixed by an anodized layer. Anodized aluminum is stronger, prevents leeching and is still very lightweight.

Stainless Steel – stainless steel is strong but heavy. If you’re looking for a indestructible or “bomber” kit, stainless steel is the way to go. However, stainless steel is the heaviest option and the poorest heat conductor.

Capacity

The pot capacity will determine how much you can cook. The capacity you want will be determined by how much you cook, what type of cooking you do and group size. A lightweight solo backpacker who just boils water for a freeze-dried meal will obviously need a much smaller pot than someone making a gourmet meal for a group of ten boy scouts.

Form Factor

Some pots are short and wide while others are tall and narrow. Short/wide pots can be more stable when sitting on top of a stove. Further they are often heat faster, because the wide base absorbs heat better. Using a wide pot allows for frying if that’s important. Tall/narrow pots usually offer better ergonomics and nest better than short pots.

Ergonomics

Pay attention to the way the pot feels when you use it. Tall and narrow pots are popular because you can eat straight from the pot at dinner and drink hot cocoa straight from the pot at breakfast. The “things to consider” list grows especially long when considering ergonomics. Can I eat from it? Can I drink from it? Is it easy to hold? Will the handles get hot? Does it have handles or need a lifter? Do I need a long spoon/spork to reach the bottom? How easy is it to clean?

Overall there are many issues to consider and if you still need help any quality sporting goods store can help you make the right choice.

 

I spent a year in Flagstaff, Arizona at the Northern Arizona University. If I met a Mormon there, I didn’t know it. I did do a bunch of drinking there. It helped me deal with the loneliness of being so far away from home. I would have been better off going to church, but my church-going days were still a decade-plus away. I got calls from my friend Ted in Yuma now and then, and when I finally fessed up that I would not be joining him to coach and teach at his high school, he was saddened by that news.

In addition to alcohol consumption and other word of wisdom violations, I also studied in earnest, so much so that I graduated with a 4.0 GPA with an MA in English from NAU. Post graduation, I applied to a host of teaching jobs, mostly in Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii. As it turned out, being fresh out of grad school with no teaching experience, I received lots of rejection notices. To my relief, I did receive one job offer-from Leeward Community College back on my home island of Oahu in Hawaii, so I packed my stuff and headed home to Hawaii.

I began working at LCC as an adjunct writing teacher. After I taught a year there, a full-time tenure-track job opening was advertised. I applied and got the position. Over time, I completed my probationary period and earned tenure, which basically meant I had a job for life if I wanted it.

In 1993, I also met the woman who was eventually to become my wife. Her name was Jacqueline and she had four children from two previous marriages.. No, she wasn’t a Mormon, but unbeknownst to be, she and her children were investigating the LDS church, even attending a local LDS ward now and then. I learned this when I stumbled upon a site as I was reviewing some  Canadian web hosting reviews.

During this time, Mormon missionaries began showing up at the front door of my home in Kaneohe. If I was outside washing my car or doing yardwork and I saw them in time, I would beat a quick retreat into my house to avoid them. And for the times when they caught me by surprise, I would typically give them the “Thanks, I’m not interested line.”

At the time, I wanted no part of what they wanted to teach me, but the thing that made an impression in my mind was that they were always cordial and they always came back. Mormons are very persistent, I came to understand. What I also came to understand is that their efforts, along with all the efforts of all the church members I had encountered in my life, had planted seeds in my soul.