This series aims to test out items that are likely to make your time on the snow more comfortable and enjoyable, and report on them from a user's perspective while verifying their effectiveness. This time, we'll be looking at a "high-spec thermos water bottle." The STEEP editorial team took this into the backcountry during peak season
What about lunch in the backcountry?
I'm overwhelmingly a fan of "making cup noodles with hot water from a thermos."
Having lunch while enjoying a spectacular view in a place only accessible on foot is truly special. For me, it's cup noodles on top of a mountain. I seriously wonder why food tastes so much better when you eat it on top of a mountain. I'm sure there are other people who feel the same way.
Even in winter, if the weather is good, having lunch on top of a mountain is incredibly pleasant.
When it comes to lunch in backcountry areas, it's easy to bring along snacks like nuts, bars, and bananas, or rice balls or bread, and have tea or soup with water or hot water you've brought with you. However, I'm overwhelmingly a fan of making cup noodles with hot water from a thermos. Warm noodles taste even better in the cold mountains than they do in the summer
Because, but
Of course, if you want to be sure to enjoy piping hot water even on top of a mountain, the most reliable method is to use a stove, gas canister, pot, and water (well, you could boil some snow lying around, but that would take a very long time).
In fact, you occasionally see some adventurous people who have made snow tables and benches with shovels and are enjoying a hearty grilled lunch using a stove. It looks like a lot of fun, but this makes your luggage heavy and bulky, and it takes a long time to boil water. Plus, it might not be usable depending on the weather.
On the other hand, a thermos can be taken out and used immediately when needed. Its advantages are that it is not bulky or heavy. It is very convenient. However, many people seem to be skeptical, saying that "the water in a thermos does not retain heat well, so it would be impossible to make instant noodles."
So we filled four thermoses with hot water and took them to the snowy mountains to see how long they could keep the water piping hot, and whether they could actually make instant noodles. We conducted the test in the side country area off Niseko Grand Hirafu. We'll show you the results, along with photos of a blissful lunchtime in the snowy mountains
How long can a thermos flask keep water hot?
. Please take a look at the table below. (Please zoom in.)
Here are the weights and internal temperatures of the four thermoses. These are the temperatures after filling them with hot water in the morning, putting them in a regular backpack, and carrying them around for 6 hours. (The outside temperature was around minus 8 degrees Celsius.)
*The heat retention performance indicated by the manufacturer is based on a room temperature of 20°C and 95°C water.
*The ambient temperature during this test was around -8°C.
*Prices are as of February 2021.
*The type used in the test was personal equipment purchased around 2016-2019.
To sum up, both the Thermos mountain bottle and the Montbell bottle I brought with me this time maintained their heat retention power of nearly 90°C, which is necessary to make instant noodles, even after six hours!
Let me show you the verification process
This is what happened on the day we set out into the backcountry from Niseko Grand Hirafu
7:00 AM: Boil water in an electric kettle and pour it into a water bottle
The test started at 7am. I boiled water in an electric kettle and poured it into a thermos flask. Here's a little trick to improve the heat retention
Tip 1: First, pour in a small amount of hot water and swirl it around to warm the inside of the stainless steel. Once you've poured in that water, discard it and add freshly boiled water; this will significantly improve how long the water retains heat.
Tip 2: Fill the thermos completely with hot water, leaving no gaps inside. Gaps will cause the water to slosh around inside while you're carrying it, reducing its heat retention.
8:30 AM Heading out onto the snow - the outside temperature is minus 8 degrees!
13:00 PM Lunch on the mountain
After a morning of hiking and skiing, it was time for lunch. I immediately checked the temperature inside my water bottle. I started by measuring it with a Montbell Alpine Thermo Bottle 700mm
The temperature of the water bottle was about 84 degrees. It dropped by about 9 degrees, but it was still hot enough to use as water for noodles. The lunch spot environment was -7 degrees Celsius, with the snow temperature -0.3 degrees Celsius. The noodles looked like this (photo below). The wait time was a little longer than 3 minutes, which was just right. The soup was also hot, and it really warmed me up
By the way, the 500mm capacity is for one person, so you can make a cup of instant noodles and use the remaining hot water (about 150mm) to make tea or coffee. The 750mm is just the right size for two servings of noodles. The larger 900mm capacity is often used by guides, who are often seen serving hot tea to guests
By the way, many advanced mountain climbers call high-spec thermoses "thermos." This is a vestige of the time when reliable thermoses were called "thermos," the manufacturer's name. In English, it is "Thermos," and the German pronunciation is "terumos." The English pronunciation is "thermos." So, "thermos" = "thermos."
Returning from the mountain, I took my temperature again in my room
Even though more than half of the hot water was gone and the water bottle was exposed to air, it maintained a temperature of 67.3°C. The mug-type was 55.2°C
That's amazing. The results of the test were surprising
It used to be such a big load
In the past, even in winter, I would bring a stove, outdoor gas, and a steel pot (see photo below) to boil water at lunch spots and eat noodles. But now, since I discovered a high-spec thermos water bottle, I no longer need a stove on one-day winter mountain trips
In summary, this was a test and discussion about how excellent thermos water bottles are.
If you haven't used one yet, I highly recommend it.
Photo/Diceman, STEEP Editorial Department Text/Snowman
❖ Montbell Online Shop | Insulated Water Bottles (montbell.jp)
❖ Thermos Official Website
: Thermos' "Mountain-Specific" Water Bottles | Thermos Online Shop (shopthermos.jp) - Water Bottles & Tumblers