Cookware

Recent Cookware Reviews

Optimus Titanium Folding Spork

Amazing spork in most regards, some flaws. Still gets five stars because this spork has been with me for so long. I have had this spork for 10 years (no joke), and I love it dearly, but my god does the fold need to go in the other direction. It was perfect for a few years, but I guess with time or just using it as a multi-purpose tool around the camp, the strength of the connection between handle and spork has failed, and it collapses on itself. All the time. I am extremely stubborn so I still use… Full review

Sea to Summit X-Pot 2.8L

Great packable, collapsable pot for every adventure. Well worth the cost. I bought the very first generation of the Sea to Summit X-Pot not really understanding the technology and wonders of collapsable cookware. I was nervous about burning a hole in the pots, whether it would work or retain its shape. Well, I have been blown away! Not only does it take little space in a backpack or canoe pack, but I can even fit a couple of bowls in the collapsed pot and secure the lid for travel.  This pot has… Full review

Toaks Titanium Long Handle Spoon with Polished Bowl

My trusty Long Handle Titanium spoon is the only eating utensil that I need in the backcountry. It is simple and functional, and does a much better job than any spork. Ease of Use: A good eating utensil should be one of the simplest pieces of gear. Done right, most backpackers will find that they only need one utensil for fast and effective food delivery. But this is a piece of gear that people often get wrong, IMHO. For years I had it wrong too. I fell into the trap of thinking a spork was the… Full review

Morsel Spork XL

This is the eating utensil that saves you from carrying a scraper and getting your hands dirty from reaching into a deep pot or pan—all while providing you with a sturdy fork and spoon combo (with a mild cutting edge, too) to shovel food into your hungry mouth with ease. Perfect for those who often rehydrate food, but not for use as a cooking utensil in hot pans. Morsel (XL) Confession: I probably have enough cooking and eating gear to outfit a small Scout troop. The last thing I need is more… Full review

MSR Titan Kettle

The MSR Titan tea kettle had been on my wish list for a couple years. I finally broke down and made the purchase. I have not been disappointed. The ti kettle is the most versatile piece of gear in my backcountry cook system. It's light enough at 4 ounces to pack, just for boiling water. With a fluid capacity of 28 ounces, it boils enough water for myself and one other person. For some people boiling water is enough, for myself I love the option to bake and cook while outdoors.   Fresh hot muffin… Full review

Soto Pocket Spork

Too small for practical feeding, at least for this this big gai-jin, but at least it doesn't collapse during use. In a companion review to this one, I seriously dissed a similar folding spork from Optimus that I purchased at the same time as this one, one for me and one for my wife. The differences are subtle, but the Soto is somewhat better.Compared to the Optimus: It is a crucial little bit longer, making it more suitable but still less than ideal for stirring food while cooking or eating a freeze-dried… Full review

Optimus Titanium Folding Spork

An overpriced trinket that is too small for practical use and prone to collapse or fall apart with little provocation. I’m not really a gear head. (Cue quiet snickering.) In fact, I like to think I’ve never bought a piece of gear I didn’t need. (Barely contained laughter.) OK so maybe I have bought an item or two on impulse. And regretted it. Case in point: The Optimus Titanium Folding Spork (OTFS). My wife and I were in NYC, of all places, and wandered into a gear store to see what was up—trips… Full review

Paddy Pallin Spondonicles

They truly were a most versatile piece of kit. I second the version name of 'Chinese hoodlum gangs'. It may be apocryphal, but my late father, former tiger-walker and CMW member, Brian Douglas Walker, claimed he'd been calling them that since they were first made. But as he didn't start bushwalking until the early Fifties, I do not know when Paddy first had them made.I certainly have a pair that belonged to my dad and would date from the Sixties at the very least. They are especially useful as others… Full review

Evernew Ti Non-Stick DX3 Pot Set

Perfect for boiling water, making popcorn, and trail pizza. My all time favorite cookset for backpacking! I have the .9L version (perfect for solo hikers). Had this set for about three years. Just charred outside from using with a wood burning stove. Mine did warp a little (pot is a little oval, I may have stored it in my camping gear box wrong) but the pan still connects to the pot and works fine if I need to close the pot/pan completely. Took it on a 45-mile backpacking trip in the Eastern Sierras… Full review