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Owner Review by Andrea Murland

GSI Outdoors Salt + Pepper Shaker
Owner Review by Andrea Murland
August 1, 2014

Tester Information

Name:	Andrea Murland
Email:	amurland AT shaw DOT ca
Age:	28
Location:	Elkford & Kimberley, British Columbia, Canada
Gender:	Female
Height:	5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)
Weight:	130 lb (59 kg)

I began hiking frequently in 2006 and have since hiked in Western Canada, Australia, and spent 2 months backpacking in the Alps. I spend most weekends either day-hiking or on 2-3 day backpacking trips, with some longer trips when I can manage them. I also snowshoe and ski in the winter, but don’t have a lot of experience with winter in the backcountry yet. Elevation is typically 500-3,000 m (1,600-10,000 ft), in the Canadian Rockies and the Selkirk, Purcell, and Monashee ranges. I try for a light pack, but I don’t consider myself a lightweight backpacker.

Image Courtesy of GSI Outdoors

Product Information

Manufacturer:	GSI Outdoors
Manufacturer's URL:	www.gsioutdoors.com
Year of Manufacture:	2009
Model:	Salt + Pepper Shaker
MSRP:	US $5.95
Listed Weight:	31 g (1.1 oz) on packaging
Measured Weight:	30 g (1.1 oz)
Measured Dimensions:	Diameter – 3.4 cm (1.3 in)
	Height – 7.1 cm (2.8 in)

Description

The GSI Outdoors Salt + Pepper shaker is a basic two-compartment spice holder. The clear plastic body of the shaker is slightly hourglass-shaped, and divided vertically into the two compartments. One compartment is larger than the other; the division is not exactly in the center. The waterproof screw caps are moulded with the GSI Outdoors logo in them, and one of the caps is white while the other is black. Under each cap is a screen with holes, for dispensing the spice. The screens snap on and can be pried off with a little bit of effort.

Field Conditions

I have carried my salt and pepper shaker with me on backpacking trips since 2009, for a total of about 30 nights. On most of those nights, thankfully, it has been dry, so I haven’t gotten the shaker very wet, except to wash it (which I’ve done once). I’ve used it in temperatures between about -5 C (23 F) and 30 C (86 F).

Review

I carry ground pepper in the small side of the shaker, with the black lid, and salt in the larger side, with the white lid. The lids and screens are easy enough to get on and off, and the opening of each compartment is big enough that the shaker is easy to fill. The holes in the screen are large enough to allow a good amount of spice to come out of the shaker. I have never had a screen fall off and dump the whole contents of the shaker into my dinner.

I always carry salt and pepper to season my cooking, especially if it’s coming out of a package, and until I got this shaker I carried little paper packets of salt and pepper. After too many broken or soggy packets, I got the shaker, and haven’t had a spice leak or a soggy experience since. I haven’t completely dunked the shaker in water, but I’m not afraid if it gets a couple of raindrops on it.

I find the shaker to be a bit larger than I need on an average trip, so I only partially fill each compartment.

The shaker has a couple of dings on the caps, but otherwise looks as good as new. The threads on the caps appear to still be in good condition.

Summary

The GSI Outdoors Salt + Pepper Shaker is a basic two-compartment spice holder with dispensing screens and screw caps. It is easy to use, fill, and has kept me happily salted in the backcountry for a few years. I plan to continue using it for all of my backcountry adventures.

Thumbs Up:
Easy to use
Salt and pepper come out easily
Screens don’t fall off

Thumbs Down:
Bigger than I need

Read more reviews of GSI Outdoors gear
Read more gear reviews by Andrea Murland

Reviews > Cook and Food Storage Gear > Cooking Accessories > GSI Outdoors Salt and Pepper Shaker > Owner Review by Andrea Murland

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