Last week I was at Walmart, something millions do every day but a special trip from anti-chain store San Francisco.

Among other things I bought the legendary Wal-Mart Grease Pot, an icon among lightweight hikers. Specs of my specimen, with the MSR titanium competitor for comparison (I don’t own the MSR):

Grease pot
Capacity: 1.25 quart
Weight with lid: 4.2 oz.
Price: $5

MSR Titan Kettle
Capacity: .9 quart
Weight with lid: 4.2 oz.
Price: $39.95

Of course, with the grease pot, you need to add something to pick it up. My SIGG pot gripper is 1.3 oz., though it could be lightened by drilling.

I tried it with the Boddington stove; a pint of water boils outdoors in just over 5 minutes – comparable to my small stainless pot (9.2 oz – more than twice the weight) and a bit slower than the Optimus kettle.

The grease pot is not a robust piece of gear. The aluminum is thin and would be easily dented. I wouldn’t take it on an expedition. But for general backpacking I think it’s a great bargain. It makes the MSR titanium kettle look like gold-plated trail jewelry for tenderfeet (n.b. I consider myself a tenderfoot, just one who doesn’t want to be taken in by marketing hype.)