Vargo Outdoors Titanium Ti-900 Mug

Simple design, well made, and fit for purpose. That’s what experienced backpackers, and wilderness adventurers want. Gear to use time after time, without need for a second thought. This Vargo Outdoors Titanium Ti-900 Mug is exactly that.

Vargo Outdoors Titanium Ti-900 Mug – Boiling up for coffee in the Mountains of Mourne

113mm diameter, 90mm high and a perfectly fitting lid that works brilliantly as a strainer. The two tight-fitting, fold-away, D-shape handles, remain cool enough for the bare hand when the pot is hot. It’s made entirely from pure titanium, except the heat-insulating “Bakelite” knob of the lid. And the measuring scale is easily readable, embossed clearly into the side of the mug.

It holds 900 ml of water which is the right size for the water-boiling and food-cooking needs of most solo and duo backpackers. And it works well with the current generation of micro-stoves including the Vargo Hexagon Wood Burning Stove.

And very important, being completely bio-compatible, I found there was no impact on the flavour of any of the main brands of Irish whiskey when drunk from the mug. And, of course, no affect on the taste of any cooked food. All this for a pot that weighs 92/28/14 grams for pot, lid and storage bag.

Cleaning

Vargo Outdoors Titanium Ti-900 Mug : After a week of wiping with sphagnum moss

It’s easy to clean, inside and out. The generous radius of the curve between the base and the sides, and the well crafted construction, really helps. As does the silky-smooth surface of the titanium. And its resistance to salt corrosion means you can readily clean with brackish water.

During a week of cooking with foraged fuel, I cleaned the outside only by rubbing it on wet vegetation (sphagnum moss mostly) which wiped away soot and loose deposits, but allowed the easily-handled coating of dried and cooked sap to remain.

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Vargo Outdoors Titanium Ti-900 Mug : After washing liquid, pan scrubber and light bleach.

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Back at the domestic kitchen sink it took less than 5 minutes with a nylon pan scrubber and eco-friendly washing up liquid to gently remove all but the resistant-sap. From experience I knew an ordinary domestic chlorine based spray bleach would dissolve the rest. And it did. (NB The bleach will work quickly, so don’t leave it on for more than a minute or so. Prolonged exposure may affect the surface topography of the metal).

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Pro’s

• Excellent design
  • Good compromise of size & weight.The attached wire handles insulate the holder from the heat, and make the extra weight of a pot-grabber unnecessary. Whilst their D-shapes have a slightly asymmetric profile, making them more comfortable.
  • The stable shape serves well as both a mug and a cooking/heating pot. The generous curve between the base and the sides makes cleaning easy. And a tight roll of metal at the lip makes it rigid and pleasant for drinking.
  • Holding just 900ml to the brim, the measuring marks show to that level in 150 ml steps with 300, 600 and 900 ml embossed into the metal and clearly visible from inside and out. And located directly opposite the handle to suit both left and right-handed users
• Well made
  • The shape of the mug is well executed. There are no rough edges.
  • There is no slop, or looseness of any kind in the D-ring handles. They fit perfectly to the side of the mug and are held in and out by some slight resistance.
  • The bracket holding the D-rings to the mug sides is well formed, without any sharp edges, and does not deform the mug on the inside.
• The Lid
  • Comes with the very handy, built in strainer
  • Fits closely to the pot, but is never over-tight when hot.
  • A “Bakelite” handle, screwed on,  insulates your fingers from the heat.
  • Helps the mug/pot to keep it’s round shape when stuffed in your sack.

Cons…

• Titanium products of this design, detail and manufacturing quality are not going to be cheap. But I see no reason why, if cherished, you shouldn’t be selling it to a younger generation on eBay in thirty years.

Best uses

• Solo backpacking & one-pot packing. You don’t need to be a lightweight freak, you’re not making any compromises here. It’s the right tool for the job whatever weight you pack.
• Day walks, solo. I use mine to make a hot drink and cook late lunch.
• Day walks, duo+: Holds enough boiling water to serve 3 of you a 300 ml cup each.
• As a second pot to a 1.3 litre when packing for two or three.
• Excels anytime you want to go fast and light.

Useful links

Vargo Outdoors Titanium Ti-900 Mug – Drinking water from a folding camp bucket

Web site:
Vargo Outdoors

Product page:
The Titanium Ti-900 Mug
at Vargo Outdoors

Retailers

The Vargo Ti-900 Mug at UltralightOutdoorGear.co.uk

The Vargo Ti-900 Mug at Amazon.co.uk

The Vargo Ti-900 Mug at Amazon.com

Pot Boiler

And if you’d like to watch a pot boil for 15 seconds or so click here

Disclosure:
Supplied by Vargo and used for real, mainly with the Vargo Hexagon Wood Burning Stove  You can read My product review policy and practices.

A couple of images from the field…

Vargo Outdoors Titanium Ti-900 Mug: Cooley Mountains, Mourne Mountains.