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The metal cup: a practical item

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I have been to quite a number of treks where there are some campers we meet along the way who have a metal cup tied to the outside of their bag. As a beginner, I took no notice of it, mainly because my main concern is, of course, a tent, a sleeping bag, and nice, warm clothes for the duration of the trek.

But with those already accounted for, I look for other essentials and set aside extra money for this. Of course, I was curious as to how it is better to have a metal cup than the plastic ones. The disposables have an obvious disadvantage: it's garbage after only a couple of uses. Plastic tumblers, on the other hand, may not work well with hot liquids.

Mornings in the crisp and cold mountain mornings usually call for hot coffee and noodles. When you need a single serving of hot water, heating it up in a pot and pouring it onto a cup can look too much of a task. So why not heat up the water in the cup itself?

Now that's where the metal cup comes in.

Also, with its hollow inside and cylindrical shape, cups can take up much space. So it is indeed practical to just hang it up outside the bag. And what material can withstand bangs and rough handling other than metal?

And so I bought mine. You can have yours too. Prices range from 300 pesos to over a thousand pesos for the platinum ones from your favorite camping store.