User Review: MSR DuraLite Fry Pan

MSR DuraLite Fry Pan
Above: The current DuraLite Fry Pan, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed March 9, 2008 by Dave Wright

Rating:
Price Paid: $25

My backpacking style is lightweight. Most of my meals only involve heating water and using a cozy to "simmer". I have been cooking with a Snowpeak 0.9 liter titanium pot into which I fit my alcohol supply and stove, pot gripper, spark source, windscreen, pot support, and a couple spoons.

But...my son has been asking for more home-like meals while on the trail, so I bought the MSR Duralite Fry Pan to handle pancakes and eggs in various forms.

What a pleasant surprise! I expected, and got, good non-stick performance from the interior coating and even heating from the just-thick-enough aluminum pan body. What I didn't expect was...

-- The pan sides are high enough to give me the same volume as my 0.9 liter pot, so I don't have to bring that pot too.

-- The broad and dark pan bottom absorb heat much more efficiently than my titanium pot did. I switched from a top burner alcohol stove to a cat can sideburner (both homemade), and am getting much faster boils on less fuel.

-- No handle = no wasted weight, assuming that you already have a pot holder.

This fry pan is much more versatile than one would expect. You can use it to cook almost any stovetop type meal. It's a good choice for single pan duty serving a couple lightweight backpackers. The setup would be perfect if MSR sold their lid separately. I've made do with a plastic plate that happens to fit.

Wish I'd figured this setup out before forking over the dough for the titanium setup.