Categories

Backpacking (10) Gear (10) Camping (8) How to (2) Locations (2) Clothing (1) Food (1)

Monday, June 13, 2011

Sea to Summit Alpha Set

Fail!

I'm pretty far from the weight-weenie, gram-counting, ultra-light camp. I like comfort and capabilities. Why sacrifice a real spoon and fork for a couple of grams? I want something metal and solid. What better than high tech, anodized aluminum utensils to make my super-hiker friends writhe with envy? I was wrong. Here's why: 

Contenders:
My Snow Peak cookset came with a spork that is compact enough to nest within. But on a trip to Lake Sepago its small stature proved to be more annoying than the convenience was worth when eating Mountain House Beef Teriyaki and Rice out of the bag. I also tried a Light My Fire spork which left me feeling like I was holding the wrong end of a sword and still left my fingers covered in teriyaki sauce. Besides, I wanted something manly! Not a spork! And I like Sea to Summit - they were a winner here and here


Got Specs:
Size            7.2 inches (That's what she said!)
Weight       36.9 grams (1.3 oz)

What Wins:
  1. Extras! The mini carabiner rock. They have different size hex wrench holes in the end.
 What Fails:
  1. Taste! The anodized finish feels abrasive on my tongue and gives food a weird texture/taste.
  2. Cleanup! The rough finish traps micro particles of food and the holes in the handles are impossible to clean without resorting to the Pots & Pans cycle.
  3. Weight! After dragging these around Yosemite for a week my knees were advising me to look for lighter gear. I'm going to find a long handled Lexan spork somewhere...
  4. Cost! $15 utensils should be perfect!
Meh:
  1. Material. I honestly thought these were titanium until I started writing this post. Now that I've learned they are Al rather than Ti I can't even claim "able to fend off a bear" as an advantage.
Other notes:
  1. Want to buy a slightly used set of aluminum utensils?
  2. No? Then what do you recommend?

No comments:

Post a Comment