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Reviews > Cook and Food Storage Gear > Cook Sets > Snow Peak Trek 900 Cookset > Owner Review by Eric Olsen

SNOW PEAK TREK 900 Cookset
BY ERIC OLSEN
OWNER REVIEW
March 30, 2007

TESTER INFORMATION

NAME: Eric Olsen
EMAIL: eric.m.olsen at gmail dot com
AGE: 28
LOCATION: Provo, Utah, United States
GENDER: M
HEIGHT: 5' 11" (1.80 m)
WEIGHT: 180 lb (81.60 kg)

Backpacking Background: Grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska spending about 5-7 nights a year camping with my family. From age 12 until I was 18 I spent about 14 nights a year camping on my own or with other Boy Scouts, mostly in the summer. I have lived the last 10 years Utah and have spent about 10 nights a year in all seasons both hiking and camping with friends. These nights are split mostly between short ultralight and ultra-heavy car camping trip. I am a frugal consumer and like to get the most bang for my buck.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

IMAGE 3
The 2 Pieces
Manufacturer: Snow Peak
Year of Manufacture: 2004 (still in production)
Manufacturer's Website: http://www.snowpeak.com
MSRP: US $43.95
Listed Weight: 6.2 oz (175 g)
Measured Weight: 6 oz (170 g) with the mesh carrying case 5.5 oz (156 g) without the case
Measured Size: Main pot 4.75 in (12 cm) diameter and 4.25 in (11 cm) tall. Lid / fry pan 4.25 in (11 cm) diameter flat surface / 5 in (13 cm) rim and 1.5 in (4 cm) tall.
Other details: Titanium Pot with lid that can be used as small frying pan or bowl. 30 ounce (887 ml) capacity. Fits inside the Snow Peak Trek 1400 (per website but not tested)

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

The cook set comes with three pieces. These are the main pot, a lid that can be used as a frying pan, and a mesh storage bag.

The main pot is 4.25 in (11 cm) tall and 4.75 in (12 cm) in diameter. It has a folded over upper lip, rounded bottom corners and 6 measurement markings indented into the side. The bottom, in the center, has the word "titanium" stamped into it. On the side, spaced a bit higher than center is spot welded a sleeve that allows two handles to rotate from flat against the pot out and together to form a handle. "Snowpeak" and their snowflake logo are stamped in the side of the sleeve.

The lid, which can be used as a frying pan, starts with a diameter just under that of the main pot but then flares out a bit to allow it to set securely over the main pot when it is upside down (lid mode). Overall it is 1.5 in (4 cm) tall. The lip of the fry pan is also folded over providing a sturdy and rounded edge. The pan also features a fold over handle with a clever little locking mechanism that keeps the handle sturdy. The handle wobbles a tiny bit but is still very secure in that it will not move more than the little wobbles. "Snowpeak" and the snowflake are etched into the handle while they are stamped along with the word "titanium" into the bottom of the pan.

The mesh carrying case is black with a drawstring and barrel lock. It is taller than the cook set requires and is a little tight around the flared edge of the lid while putting it into the bag. It has a little "snowpeak" and snowflake logo on the tag that is sewn into the bag.

FIELD INFORMATION

Though field conditions have had no noticeable effects on the performance of the pot they are included for thoroughness. I have used the Snow Peak Trek 900 in all seasons and in a variety of field conditions from forest to desert to rocky canyon and snow. Temperatures have ranged from 25 F (-4 C) to 100 F (38 C). Occasionally, some wind was encountered but had no effect on the pot itself.

FIELD USE

I purchased this pot to go with my MSR PocketRocket for a very light weight cooking set. The pot is the large enough for ultralight needs and is also sized to fit a compressed fuel canister inside. I have used it about 8 times in the last 2 years, the majority during the summer but once or twice in the winter. It has found the most use during two ultralight trips, one to the peak of "Y" mountain in Provo, UT (elevation 8559 ft (2609 m)) and the other in slot canyon in southern Utah. The two trips covered 16 and 12 mi (26 and 19 km), respectively. In both cases it was the choice cooking pot due to the light weight, small size and the simple requirements of the trip, of only boiling water. On the two trips the pot performed flawlessly. I feel that the ideal piece of gear is the one that does its job well and then is not noticed the rest of the time. This was the case as the light weight and compactness of it and the stove with canister in one package made packing and carrying the pot very pleasant.

As for cooking uses for the pot I have used it almost entirely for simply boiling water. I have cooked sausages on the lid / fry pan and made some soups and stews. In the case of stews beware of hot spots. This is both due to the nature of titanium and possibly because I use a MSR PocketRocket that has a pretty concentrated flame.

THINGS I LIKE

Some things that make this pot great:
* Light weight - 6 ounces (170 g) is a great weight for ultralight
* Compact size and organization - a standard compressed fuel can fits perfectly inside. I can fit my MSR PocketRocket inside as well if I leave behind the PocketRocket's case. Or I keep the case and the pot and stove fit inside the mesh carrying case and I use the space inside for spices, hot chocolate packets, etc.
* Sturdy handles - the side handles on the main pot feel very sturdy and stay mostly cool. The fold out handle on the lid locks into place and also feels very sturdy even with very slight wobbles.
* Measurements - it has markings for various fluid volumes and although they are not the most common measurement levels, they serve as a good guide.
* The lid / skillet fits very well on top of the pot for improving the speed and efficiency of boiling - not too tight, not too loose.
* Both the lid / fry pan and main pot have rounded corners that make clean up easier. I usually just boil water but it is a nice feature.
* Titanium is very strong and scratch resistant. As I said I boil mostly water so scratching is not much of a concern. Also I use plastic (polycarbonate) utensils which makes scratching impossible and I like the light weight of them.

THINGS I DON'T LIKE

IMAGE 1
Halfway in mesh bag
Nothing major to say here but a couple small things:
* If I was really into extreme solo ultralight hiking I could get by on something smaller and therefore lighter - I cannot afford gear for every situation but this fit many of my needs very well.
* The mesh carrying case is taller than it has to be for the pot but the excess space can be used for other things (like stove, lighter, etc)
* The mesh carrying case is just a hair narrower than I would like. A minor nuisance but a tiny bit more would make putting it back in the case easier. See picture.
* Titanium costs more than most other materials - but then again it sure is good stuff.
* It is very small - that's the point of the cook set but the frying pan is small, and the pot somewhat tall and narrow - I do not plan to use it for more than boiling water and soups as I find the cooking surface to be pretty small.
* Neither the pot nor the lid has any ridges or texture to help keep the pot on the stove. Not a huge deal but figured I'd mention it.

SUMMARY

The Snow Peak Trek 900 is an extremely light, compact and well built piece of cookware. It is rather small for a group but for 1 to 2 people who just need boiled water it does great.

SIGNATURE

Eric Olsen
www.thearcticsummit.com

This report was created with the BackpackGearTest.org Report Writer Version 1. Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.

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