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Fozzils Bowlz Set

rated 4.5 of 5 stars
photo: Fozzils Bowlz Set plate/bowl

A nice, light way to pack flat in your pack and to have something nicer than a rock to eat off of. Relative to its price, it's a decent piece of gear.

Pros

  • Lightweight
  • Just under 3 oz (both bowls combined)
  • Large bowl fits a good size meal
  • Stable
  • About $10

Cons

  • Flat, unsnapped plate does not have enough structural integrity to carry a load of food


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In use with a great meal of African cassava leaves and dried smoked minnows!

Ease of Use: The Fozzils bowl/plate is easy to use. It has four snaps that lock folds into place to create a bowl that is sturdy enough to hold a full meal. It is also able to hold liquids and soups successfully with its design. When you're finished eating, it wipes down easily and unsnaps into a flattened disk that stows away nicely into your pack.
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Bowl snapped together 
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Flattened bowl

Features: Plastic snaps (similar to those you would find on a Patagonia jacket or other articles with lightweight snaps. They hold well enough. I've only had these bowls for one season, but the snaps have held up well. 

Construction and Durability: They are constructed out of a pretty durable plastic with a silicon coating to make clean up a bit easier (it works). The larger holds 500mL or about 20oz. The smaller model holds about 280mL or 10oz. There are U.S. and International units on the side of the containers to make measuring easy. 
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Measurement units

The Fozzils bowl/plate set is advertised as both a bowl and a plate; it is really a bowl. Since you are supposed to store the container snapped into bowl position so as to retain memory, when you unsnap the bowl and try to return it to a plate, it does just as it's supposed to: it maintains its memory.

This makes it concave and a poor choice for a plate. If you do flatten it, and pick it up by the edges, it has a tendency to "give" at the folds and will dump your food all over mother earth.

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Unfolded bowl makes a not-so-sturdy plate. 

Conditions: I've only used them in warm weather. I read a review that said that they did not perform well in cold weather (the plastic gets too hard and the snaps can't hold the form in place). I tested this out by placing the larger container in plate form in the freezer for 15 min. I took it out and tried to snap it into bowl form. Although the plastic became noticeably harder, it still snapped together fine. I exerted reasonable, in-field equivalent force in a number of directions and it did not come undone. My guess is that the other reviewer did not store the containers "snapped" so the bowls did not yet have "memory".

Could you just eat straight out of your titanium cooking pot to avoid more weight? Sure. But if you want a piece of lightweight gear that will stow nicely into your pack at a reasonable price, I think these bowls are great. Will they last forever? Presumably not, but I think that they make your trail life more pleasant without breaking the bank. So... thumbs up.

Update 1-24-18

After two years of use (1-2 trips a month), the existing bowl (I lost one of the pair) is still going strong. All snaps, joints, and surface are still performing at maximum. So far, so good. The product is outperforming my initial expectations of it. I even use it in the winter in sub-zero temps.

Update 8-21-19: Still no problems and I use it on nearly every campout. 

Source: received it as a personal gift

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Price Historic Range: $6.93-$9.95
Product Details from Fozzils »