Reviews > Cook and Food Storage Gear > Cook Sets > Sea to Summit Delta Series Kitchen Kit > Test Report by Kara Stanley

SEA TO SUMMIT DELTA SERIES KITCHEN KIT
TEST SERIES BY KARA STANLEY
LONG-TERM REPORT
March 28, 2012

CLICK HERE TO SKIP TO THE FIELD REPORT
CLICK HERE TO SKIP TO THE LONG-TERM REPORT

TESTER INFORMATION

I backpacked for the first time in 2006 and am now hooked. I have hiked most of my life in the South on flat land or small hills. I have hiked mostly on the east coast, doing weekend trips in the Appalachian Mountains. Since moving to Arizona, my hikes have ranged from short desert hikes to overnight backpacking trips throughout the state. I am working towards lightening the load and currently use a solo non-free standing tent, canister stove, and purification tabs to cut down on weight. Most of my hikes are solo and range from an overnight trip to 4-5 nights on the trail.

INITIAL REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: Sea to Summit
Year of Manufacture: 2011
Country of Manufacture: China
Manufacturer's Website: www.seatosummit.com/
MSRP: N/A for any of the items
Colors available: Blue, Green, Orange, and Grey

Kitchen Items

Bowl
Listed Weight: 2.8 oz / 79g
Measured Weight: 3.1 oz /88 g
Capacity: 27 oz / 800 ml

Plate
Listed Weight: 3.7 oz / 104g
Measured Weight: 4.1 oz /116 g
Capacity 33.8 oz /1 L

Insulated Mug
Listed Weight 4.4 oz / 125 g
Measured Weight 4.1 oz / 116 g
Capacity 16 oz/ 473 g

Mug/Cup
Listed Weight 2.2 oz / 62g
Measured Weight 2.3 oz / 65 g
Capacity 16 oz/ 473 g

Spoon and Spork
Listed Weight 0.5 oz / 15g
Measured Weight 0.4 oz / 11 g




The Delta Series Kitchen Items from Sea to Summit:

Delta Mug (shown in Blue)

Delta Insulated Mug (shown in Green)

Plate (Shown in Blue)

Bowl (Shown in Orange)

Spoon with spreader Knife end (Shown in Green)

Spork with spreader Knife end (Shown in Grey)

This is not a set, all items are sold individually Each item has a label that contain basic information, but do not mention anything about microwave use, which I think is an oversight since the website clearly states that they are not for microwave use.

According to the labels and the Sea to Summit website:

All Items

My Thoughts

Protextm Hex Pattern on bottom of bowl

Bowl Measuring Markings

The bowl – This is a very shallow bowl, I measured it at 1.75 in (4.5cm) deep and 6.25 in (15.9 cm) across on the inside. It will hold 27 oz (800 ml), but this is filling all the way to the rim when it is sitting on a level surface – something that never happens on the trail for me. The thumb grip is comfortable and actually makes holding the bowl by the sides more comfortable for me. It does however seem flimsy and I will be interested to see how it holds up as a thumb grip as well as a loop for attaching the bowl to a pack. The bowl has metric measurements on the side: 100, 250, 500, and 750 ml. No measures in cups or ounces are provided, which could be problematic for those with recipes in English measurements.

The plate – This plate has a nice size, 8.6 in (21.9 cm) across and 1.25 (3.2 cm) deep (measuring the inside of the plate). The plate can hold a full liter (27.3 oz), but that filling it up to the rim on a flat surface. The thumb grip makes it easy to hold the side without a thumb in the food, but also seems flimsy.
The Mug – This has a nice rim on the top to help handle it when filled with hot liquids. Inside the mug has measurements in ml (100, 200, 300, and 400), ounces (by 2 oz increments until 16), and cups (1 and 2). This is a raised pattern on the inside of the cup not paint. They are small and somewhat difficult to read in a full lit room, so reading them may be a challenge in low light conditions (sunset/sunrise or with a head lamp).

Measuring marks for in the mugs

Loop came unattached from insulated mug lid

The Insulated Mug – This insulated mug also has the same measurement markings as the mug. The mug also has an insulated sleeve which is advertised as keeping your liquids hot and the mug comfortable to the touch. The lid is designed so that the liquid will go back into the mug instead of spilling – this will be interested to test out. The mug has a loop though the lid, presumable for strapping the mug to a pack, but mine has already come loose once before testing so it will be interesting to see if it becomes lost at some point during the test. Also I am not sure that I would carry the insulated mug by its lid for fear of losing the mug. I usually enjoy at least one hot beverage a meal while backpacking so I
will be interested to see how well it works.

Spork and Spoon – Both have a nice shape and are easy to hold. Both easily fit into the curves of the plate and bowl, which will be handy for scraping them down after a good meal. They are somewhat flexible, but seem sturdy. The spork tines are short – the longest are less than 0.5 inches (~1 cm) long. It will be interesting trying to use this as a fork. Also the knife seems useful for spreading, but not for cutting.

Overall Impressions

The Good:

Bowl and plate seem easy to use hold with one hand – thanks to the thumb grip
Spoon and spork look like they will work well with the bowl and plate
Bowl and Plate have attachment loops for strapping to packs
Mugs have measuring units on the inside

The Bad:

The thumb grips/attachment loops on plate and bowl seem flimsy
Spork tines seem too short to be useful
Lid loop on insulated mug is not attached well and has already come loose (easy to re-attach though)

FIELD REPORT

FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

I have taken three of the items out on a 3 day, 45 mile (72 km) backpacking trip at the Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA. The weather conditions ranged from sunny, calm and in the mid 40s (around 7 C) to windy and cold (22 F, -6 C). We encountered snow two of the three days. We hiked hard, taking only short hot meal breaks when we needed energy and warmth. The bowl, spoon, and insulated mug were stuffed in my pack without much care to their placement and were exposed to the cold temperatures without any issues.

PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD

The bowl:

I took the bowl with me because most of my meals were soup based. I found the bowl easy to hold and the honey-comb bottom did keep it cool enough to touch when filled with boiling water and soup mix. The thumb grip was great for holding the bowl because it allowed me to keep my thumb and fingers out of the food in the bowl. The bowl was easy to wipe out and pack - I did not wash it while on the trail.
When my trip was over, I put it though the dishwasher on a normal cycle without heat dry and it came out clean.

Spoon:

I took the spoon because all of my hot meals were soup-based. As Sea to Summit advertises, the spoon works perfectly with the bowl. I was able to scrape my bowl clean with it, even the curved edges without any hassle. I also put this through the dishwasher on a normal cycle and let it air dry.

Insulated Mug:

This insulated mug does its job - it keeps the contents warm and my hands cool. The outside stayed cool to the touch. In fact, the insulated mug stayed so cool to the touch that it did not warm my hands in temperatures in the low 30's (around 0 C). During this hike our meal breaks were short - probably 20 minutes from starting to unpack till we hit the trail again. At the start of a hot meal break, I'd make a mug of tea and it would be too hot for me to drink if I kept the lid on. I did add snow to my tea to cool it off a few times. I did not put the insulated mug through the dishwasher because of the insulating sleeve though it is marked dishwasher safe.

SUMMARY

Overall I like the items that I have tried. The spoon and bowl work well together and the mug keeps my hot drinks hot. I did miss warming my hands by holding a hot beverage. I will be trying out the other items in the future and will compare and contrast them in the long term report.

LONG-TERM REPORT

LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

These were taken on a 2 day trip in desert conditions with highs of about 70 F (21 C) and lows around 40 F (4 C) . The items, plate, mug and spork, were stuffed into my backpack without much care for how they were packed.

PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD

The Plate:

Spork cleanly scraps down the side of the plate

The plate is good for already prepared foods. I found it hard to mix mashed potatoes and water together with the spork without splashing over the sides. I was able to hold the bottom of the plate right after I had poured boiling water into it. The plate was hot, but not unbearable. I was surprised at how useful the thumb grip is for holding the plate when there was no table.

The Mug:
I used the mug for tea in the evening. I found that it was too hot to hold except by the rim. Even the bottom was very hot despite the Protex hex pattern. This made it very hard to hold for the first ten or so minutes until it cooled enough to be held around the middle. I did find the mug comfortable to drink from.

The Spork:
I used this with the plate. I found that it scrapped down the sides of the plate very well. The knife did okay cutting soft things; I didn't eat anything very hard or chewy on the trip.

All of the items performed well. I found that the thumb grips on the plate and bowl to be helpful and sturdy. I was able to comfortably eat out of either of them just holding it with one hand. The spoon and spork work wonderfully with the plate or bowl.

SUMMARY

The Good:
* The way the spoon and the bowl or plate work together to allow every last bite to be "scraped" up.
* The insulated mug does a great job of keeping hot things hot.
* The thumb grip makes the plate and bowl easy to eat out of when there is no table around.

The Bad:
* Mug gets too hot to hold except by the rim when boiling water is added

Overall the items have performed well and held up to being stuffed in a backpack without careful packing. I will continue to carry some of the items with me on future trips.


Thank you Backpack Gear Test and Sea to Summit for allowing me to test these kitchen items.

Reviews > Cook and Food Storage Gear > Cook Sets > Sea to Summit Delta Series Kitchen Kit > Test Report by Kara Stanley