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Long Term
Report - GSI Hard Anodized 5 piece cook set
Name:
Arron Robinson
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 9.5" (1.77 m)
Weight: 230 lb (104.3 kg)
Email address: mouserar-at-gmail-dot-com
City, State, Country: Dallas, Georgia, USA
Date: 22 February 2006
Backpacking
Background:
Camping and hiking since 11, I've been
in a constant search for the perfect balance between usability,
durability and weight. These days my camping is generally a mix of Boy
Scout style crew camping, kayak or canoe camping or light to mid-weight
hiking. I generally carry 20-25 lb (9-11.3 kg) and sleep in a hammock
system.
Product
information:
Manufacturer: GSI Outdoor Products
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Published Specifications: |
Measured Specifications: |
| Weight
- Total (packed) |
1 lb 9.1 oz (711g) |
1
lb 11 oz (777 g) |
| Weight
- 1 quart pot: |
Not available |
5 5/8 oz (160 g) |
| Weight
- 1 quart lid: |
Not available |
4 1/4 oz (120 g) |
| Capacity - 1 Quart Pot |
32 oz (900 ml) |
32 fl oz (900 ml) |
| Weight
- 1.5 quart pot: |
Not available |
7 3/4 oz (219 g) |
| Weight
- 1.5 quart lid: |
Not available |
5 1/4 oz (149 g) |
| Capacity - 1.5 Quart Pot |
48 fl oz (1350 ml) |
56 fl oz (1675 ml) |
| Packed Size: |
Not available |
8.25 in x 4.75 in (21 cm x 12 cm) |
| MSRP: |
59.95 USD |
| URL: |
http://www.gsioutdoors.com |
The GSI Hard
Anodized 5 piece cook set is an aluminum cook set consisting of a 1
quart pot with matching lid/fry pan and a 1.5 quart pot and matching
lid/fry pan. Included along with these is a DiamondBack clamping
handle, a mesh bag and a strap to hold the set together. The pots nest
within each other and close securely with the assistance of a strap. The set includes the
DiamondBack handle which allows for the pots to be stored without fighting
with handles or bales getting in the way.
I've used the GSI
Cookset during the Long Term Report phase on one trip, which was a
backpacking trip with the Scouts. We were cooking as a group on this
trip since we had some new backpackers and we wanted to teach them how
to do a few things. The trip was in mid February on the Pine Mountain
Trail in central Georgia. Temperatures ranged between a balmy high of
50 F (10 C) and a low of 32 F (0 C). It rained darn near continuously,
only stopping in the afternoon on the second day long enough to set up
camp.
While preparing
for this trip, I realized that on this trip the meals cooked in the
cookset were going to be a bit more involved than my solo fare. This
being the case, I wanted to bring my canister stove instead of my
alcohol stove. I put the fuel canister and the stove into a stuff sack
and nested it into the smaller pot, which in turn took its regular
place within the larger. It fit well, although I did have to find
another place to stash the handle for the kit. The fact that I can pack
in this manner (being able to choose either stove and still be able to
pack it in the cookset) makes it easy to switch out components of my
gear to adjust for different needs.
On Friday after setting up camp before hitting the trail
we had a late supper consisting of canned chili, which was heated in both the GSI cookset and
another leader's aluminum pot, a loaf of French bread and cheddar
cheese. We quickly heated the chili through and ate. I was left with a
clean pot, while the other leader had a burnt on crust to scrape off. I
would normally attribute this to the stove instead of the pot, but
later instances have convinced me otherwise.
Breakfast was ham and egg burritos. I heated a bit of water to get the
salsa rehydrating and then set about frying the ham in the larger lid
while the other cook used his setup to get the 18 eggs scrambling. A
couple of minutes into the eggs, he was scraping burnt eggs from the
bottom of his pan. He looked over and seeing that I was not using the
larger pot of the GSI set, asked if he could switch to using it.
He transferred the still liquid majority of the eggs into the pot
and
continued on his stove. He was able to complete the eggs with no
further issues. Whether this is due to the nonstick coating or better
heat transfer, I am not sure, but it worked. After the meal was served,
the pot wiped clean.
Aside from boiling water for coffee, tea and oatmeal, the only other
hot meal was Saturday Supper. We had two choices that night: chicken
and dumplings and/or dirty rice with chicken. Both of these were made
with off the shelf components, including foil-packed chicken, soup mix
and a dirty rice mix from a box. Both required simmering time and
again, we had multiple stoves working with multiple pot configurations.
In the end, the large GSI pot was used for chicken and dumplings, and
the small for dirty rice. Again, after the meal, my pots wiped clean
with a tortilla, while the other pots had to be soaked and scraped.
I have used the
cookset for over 2 months now, and I can report on the following
questions that I'd hoped to address at the beginning of the test:
- Adaptability:
- The set seems to be fairly versatile. While I do mainly cook boil and
eat meals, I will, occasionally shake things up a bit. Will the cookset
have a large enough capacity for my style of cooking? Easily.
The cookset had room to spare for one and two person boil-and-eat
meals, and when used together, they allow for a full base camp style
menu. On the last trip I took, I was able to prepare meals for up to 9
people with little or no juggling of food to make it happen.
- Can the lid stand
in adequately for small frying projects like sautéing onions
and the like? That
has been the case for many meals. I have been able to successfully deal
with apples and brown sugar, fried ham, warming tortillas and other
tasks with no fuss.
- Does my alcohol stove fit inside of the unit? If so, this
will be a nice compact system. With
the coating concerns, I have been putting my stove and accessories into
a stuffsack and nesting that into the pot. It has worked out pretty
well. Along with the alcohol stove, I have found that my canister
stove and fuel canister fit inside of the unit as well. A double bonus.
- Durability:
- I like anodized aluminum for one reason; it is strong. It is typically hard to
dent and scratch. Does the Cookset have the same properties as a home
pot of the same material? The
aluminum itself has been really durable. The coating as well, for the
most part. I have seen no more wear on the coating. I am thinking that
whatever was causing the coating to come of earlier in the testing has
stopped.
- Will it survive rough handling? I
have packed the GSI cookset in my pack, in a kayak, in warm and cold
weather. It has been tossed into the back of a pickup with no ill
effects. The only thing that caused damage to the cookset was me
accidentally sitting on the edge of it in camp. I bent it back into a
shape closely resembling the original and it is holding up fine.
- Overall
Design:
- This looks like a simple, well designed product. Does the whole
unit fit together nicely or is the fit sloppy and noisy? I
nest the unit together with paper towels sandwiched between, and so
this buffers any noise that may be happening. Even after adding my
other stove, I have had no problems with it fitting together or
rattling..
- Is it well
manufactured?
All rivets are holding up well, and there are no apparent thick or thin
spots. The small area of coating that came off of the inside of the
small pot early in the test has not gotten any larger since. It has
held up well.
- Heat
Transfer:
- How does cooking time compare to my old greasepot, or any of
the stainless cookware I have camped with? Cooking times are not markedly different than with my other
systems. One thing
I will say is that it appears that the GSI Hard Anodized aluminum seems
to transfer heat better than a standard aluminum pot of similar size.
Identical foods cooked in the two pots yielded very different results,
with the GSI cookset not burning the food or having issues with it
sticking.
Impressions After Long Term Testing:[back to top]
The
GSI Hard Anodized 5 Piece Cookset has held up to not only various stove
use, but also use over open campfire without adverse effect. No warping
or damage from the high heat was found, and the cookset cooked evenly,
without hotspots, regardless of the heat source.
Having the ability
to have a pot and pan that packs into the same space as my greasepot
offers greater versatility to my camping meals without adding bulk, and
only a small increase in weight.
Aside from a bit of
the nonstick coating scraping loose across the top edge of the smaller
cookpot, these pots and pans have held up very well and have found a long-term place in my pack.
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Excitement:
- The set packs well with either an alcohol stove or a small canister stove.
- It is lightweight.
- Seems to be pretty tough holding up to many abuses, including being sat upon by a 230 lb (104 kg) man.
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Concerns:
- The nonstick coating seems to be scraping off of the edge of one pot, possibly due to friction while hauling it.
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Thanks
to
Backpackgeartest.org
and GSI Outdoor Products for the opportunity to
share my experiences!
Read more reviews of GSI Outdoors gear
Read more gear reviews by arron robinson
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