#050 Evolution of a Lightweight Backpack - Dishes & Utensils
While others are using expensive titanium drinking mugs that are advertised as “Extremely Lightweight at only 3.2 ounces,” I’ll be over here sipping my morning coffee from a......
Oh so many choices to chose from in the world of camp dishes and utensils. There’s are endless combination and everyone has their own unique set-up.
Some sets can be very expensive while others can be very budget friendly. Everyone has different needs and different financial preferences.
When buying my first set of camp dishes I was buying for two, my son and I. We needed something reliable, sturdy, easy to clean, easy to pack, light to carry, and would meet our needs.
My evolution has actually gone backwards. I started out with a nice set then dabbled in rag-tag sets. It’s all part of my evolution of a lightweight load.
The natural choice for my son and I was the GSI Duelist. This set came with a hard anodized aluminum pot that holds 60oz of water, two bowls, and two cups. The cup has a foam outer barrier to prevent burning your fingers and a lid to keep your drink warm. Bowls fit in cups. It all fit inside the cookpot.
Weight of each cup: 2.7oz
Weight of each bowl: 1.6oz
The cookpot can be found at #048 Evolution of a Lightweight Backpacker - Stoves
As time went on I replaced everything with smaller and lighter versions. Well, a friend gave me a tin cup that weighed a little more than the plastic one, but it was cool and had a carabiner on it. It hung on the outside of my pack for easy access.
As for a bowl, I began using the plastic containers you get from the grocery store, you know, the ones that lunch meat comes in. I may not have had the most attractive bowl in camp but it held all the food I need and only weighed 0.6oz.
Not all backpack gear has to be expensive, just functional.
Weight of tin cup: 4.5oz
Weight of plastic bowl: 0.6oz
The latest change in my evolution is as simple as it comes. It’s also about as light as it comes.
I was trying different yogurt containers for a couple of week but wasn’t satisfied with the size or the sturdiness of various brands. I was standing in line at a store when noticed a large bin full of cookie in plastics containers. I picked some up to give them a shot. I gave the cookies to my wife and I now have a a new set of dishes.
While others are using expensive titanium drinking mugs that are advertised as “Extremely Lightweight at only 3.2 ounces,” I’ll be over here sipping my morning coffee from a plastic Nutter Butter cookie cup I bought at Walmart for $1.00 that weighs only 0.4 ounces. It holds as much coffee as the expensive mug, but my $1.00 cup came filled to the brim with free cookies.
Weight of cup: 0.4oz
Weight of bowl: 0.4oz
I started out years ago with a 0.4oz GSI spork, but it snapped in half. Then some friends and I though the 0.3oz Dairy Queen ice cream sporks were the way to go when we went through our Mountain House Dehydrated Meal phase over a decade ago. We needed long spoons to get down into those deep pouches. The spoons kept snapping on us. It didn’t take me long to find other options in food, these meals were entirely too expensive for me and are about 99% salt (I exaggerate, a little), so I was able to go back to a regular size spoon.
I bought a set of four plastic sporks from Walmart for about a dollar each. These 0.2oz sporks are sturdy, the perfect size for my needs, and are than most expensive plastic and titanium spoons. These have been with me for nearly a decade. I gave a couple away to friends and carry two with me; one in my meal bag and one in my snack bag.
Fun story: While backpacking the Knobstone Trail in Indiana I brought zero spoons with me. I was smearing my peanut butter onto a tortilla with a stick when we stopped for a break. Observing this action, this atrocity, this injustice, my friend Roadkill digs in her pack then tosses an extra spoon. While it is spinning towards me in the air she yells out, “Have a spoon ya damn hillbilly.”
Join us next week as we talk about Clothing, Raingear, and Boots.