BackpackGearTest.org Review - /reviews/Cook Gear/Cook Sets/GSI Outdoors 5 Piece Cookset/Graham Blamey/Initial Report

The GSI Outdoors Hard Anodized Extreme 5 piece cookset consists of a large pot and lid, a smaller pot and lid and a gripper handle. All five pieces are designed to nest, one inside the other, with the handle stored inside the innermost pot. An elastic strap with hooks at either end, fits over the top and clips to the two small brackets on either side of the large pot, thus securing the whole set. Each lid can be used as such, or utilised as a frying pan. Each of the pots and lids has a small bracket on one side where the gripper handle fits. This enables the user to lift and move the pots on and off the heat source, or pour the contents out. The whole set comes in a mesh bag with a cord and cord-grip fastening around the top.

The core of the pots is aluminum which has been hard anodized. Hard anodizing is similar to anodizing and is the result of subjecting the aluminum to a chemical/electrical process. Hard anodizing produces a more uniform and smoother appearance than regular anodized aluminum. Aluminum processed by hard anodizing may take on a variety of surface colours ranging from dark brown to black.

Some of the benefits of using hard anodized aluminum instead of stainless steel are lower overall cost and weight. Hard anodized aluminum is also easier to work than a similar product made of stainless steel and yields a product resistant to harsh weather, salt sprays and abrasive processes. An additional advantage with cookware is that the hard anodizing process seals the aluminum from contact with the food being cooked. Some non-stick products can also be incorporated in the hard anodizing process and the GSI Outdoors cookware set has a triple coating of GSI's 'exclusive Extreme Non-Stick treatment' to the inside of the pots and lids.

The double-sided sheet of paper that came with the cookset has information on three of GSI Outdoors' cookware products on one side and 'Cooking safety tips' and some 'Outdoor recipes' on the reverse.

Initial Impressions
When I unpacked the GSI Outdoors cookware set, my first impressions were of a well-made and well-finished product. The pots and lids, from a purely aesthetic point of view, are a pleasing matt finish, charcoal grey colour. The riveted brackets look very functional and securely fixed. The pots taper very slightly from top to bottom and the bases are lightly rounded. There is a small ridge, flaring towards the rim of the pots and then the edge is rolled over, very uniformly. I found no flaws or defects in my set as delivered. The bases of the pots and lids have a light, shallow grooving in them; the intention here is to provide some grip on stove pan supports. I felt I had to check to see whether this is a 'spiral' as the manufacturer says and found that indeed it is. It's one continuous groove as in an old vinyl record (only not quite as fine).

The gripper handle is not hard anodized as the pots are but, although I suspect it is made from aluminum, has a hard, glossy, black finish. GSI Outdoors calls this handle '...our unique DiamondBack Gripper' and indeed it does have diamond-shaped perforations pressed out of the handle material. The handle works on a scissor/pincer principle. Separating the two halves of the handle enables the tab on the end of the gripper handle to be inserted in the bracket on the side of the pots and lids. Closing the two halves of the handle clamps the tab tightly in the bracket and the pot can be lifted and moved or tilted quite securely. With an empty pot the gripper handle seems quite sturdy and trustworthy. I might be a little more cautious when the pot is full of my evening meal.

When backpacking solo I use a small pot of about 0.5 L (0.5 qt), similar to a grease-pot. On our backpacking trips together, my wife and I usually stick to one-pot meals and use a 1.5 L (1.6 qt) Trangia pot for the two of us. Despite careful use, I've found that the non-stick coating on these pots lasts about 3-4 years. A piece of foil usually suffices as a lightweight lid for the pot. Although we rarely fry food when backpacking, I've often considered buying a proper lid/frying pan, as it would add some versatility to our set-up. The GSI Outdoors set, in various combinations, will be an interesting test.

Testing
Over the next couple of months of the Field Test period, I'll be using the GSI Outdoors cookset on different stoves on a number of 2-, 3-, and 4-night trips in the south-east UK and the English/Welsh border area. The terrain will be mostly hill country through fields, down- and heath-land and some forested areas. Weather is most likely to be cool to cold (min 0 C (32 F)) overnight, with the possibility of occasional or more prolonged rain periods. Early morning frosts are likely, but I wouldn't expect sustained freezing temperatures at this time of year. We also have planned a visit to the Tramuntana mountains of Mallorca in November. We hope to undertake a complete traverse of the range from south to north. The terrain here is mixed woodland, with rocky ridge walking, some scrambling and a lot of ascent and descent. The weather should be fairly stable at this time of year and overnight temperatures shouldn't drop below about 5 C (40 F) so I will still be able to pack fairly light and will take either all, or parts of the cookset as the need dictates.

I am grateful to GSI Outdoors and BackpackGearTest for the opportunity to test this cookware set.

Reviews > Cook Gear > Cook Sets > GSI Outdoors 5 Piece Cookset > Graham Blamey > Initial Report

Reviews > Cook Gear > Cook Sets > GSI Outdoors 5 Piece Cookset > Graham Blamey > Initial Report