Field Report

Light My Fire Outdoor Meal Kit
Field Report
July 9, 2006

Biographical Information

Product Information

Field Conditions

Field Experience

Summary

Meal Kit

Biographical Information
Name	Jennifer Pope
Age	25
Gender	Female
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.7 m)
Weight	140 lb (64 kg)
Email address	Jennifer dot Pope at gmail dot com
Location	Los Angeles, CA
Backpacking Background Intermediate. I've been a car-camper as long as I can remember and started backpacking in Northern California when I was 16. I've been backpacking for a little over a year after a hiatus during college. I backpack in the Sierras as well as other National Forests and Parks in the Los Angeles vicinity. I also spend time in the California deserts and the mountains and coast of Northern California. I'm a tent camper leaning towards lightweight; but I'm also a fan of gadgets and I like being comfortable. I also frequently day hike close to home and while car camping.

Product Information (back to top)
Manufacturer	Light My Fire
Manufacturer URL	http://www.light-my-fire.com/
Year of Manufacture	2006
Color	Blue
Actual Weight	11.0 oz (312 g)
Product Contents	Two interlocking plates, a spill-proof cup, a waterproof box, a colander/ cutting board and a spork. All items fit inside the two plates.
MSRP	$22.00 US
Meal kit Materials	polypropylene plastic; spork is made of polycarbonate plastic
Product Description (from website)	Our Meal Kit is perfect for your backpack, boat, picnic basket, even your lunch box. The Meal Kit contains everything you need to prepare and eat a meal anytime, anywhere: two plates, a spill-free cup with lid (300ml), a combined colander and cutting board, a "spork" (combined spoon and serrated fork) and a small waterproof box for all those things that just have to stay dry.

Field Conditions (back to top)

Car Camping trip in Death Valley
I used the kit everyday on this four-day trip for dinner and a few breakfasts and lunches. Elevations ranged from 282 ft below sea level to 1,800 ft (85 m below sea level to 550 m). Temperatures ranged from 50 to 85 F (30 to 45 C). There was no precipitation but it was windy with frequent strong gusts.

An abandoned backpacking trip
I guess this could best be described as a day hike with a full pack and all my overnight gear since we abandoned the trip mid-way through the hike in. We were at approximately 5,600 ft (1,700 m) and it was approximately 85 F (30 C) in bright sun.

Lunch in My Office
I try to bring my lunch to work with me most days. Usually this consists of reheated leftovers. I used the plates on several occasions to reheat my lunch in a microwave and to then eat out of. My office is near sea level, it’s usually on the cold side (65 F/35 C), and we have an old, inefficient microwave.

Field Experience (back to top)

Overall I’ve really enjoyed my experience with the pieces of this kit throughout the last two months of the field test. Everything pretty much performed as expected. Below I’m going to detail how each piece fared in my testing over the whole test period.

The Plates
The first night of my trip to Death Valley I had chicken with rice and veggies. The deep-sided plate was a little on the small side but definitely workable. If I needed more space I could have always used both plates. Throughout the trip I used a plate at each sitting (where a hot meal was prepared). It was the most used item in the test period and it worked well for each meal I prepared. I was especially pleased with how sturdy the plate is. I can easily hold it with one hand without it bending and it doesn’t begin to bend or warp when hot items are placed in it. This had been a concern of mine based on experience I’ve had when using “disposable” Ziploc-type containers.

I also used the plate a couple of times to reheat leftovers for my lunch at work. Again it worked perfectly fine in this capacity. It’s nice to bring along when I have a container from a restaurant that isn’t microwaveable. The seal on the two plates doesn’t seem particularly sturdy and doesn't appear to be watertight so I didn’t risk bringing liquid items in them. It was able to carry solid items like sandwiches perfectly well. The plates reheat well in a microwave without becoming flimsy when hot.

The Spill-proof Cup
I used the cup to drink milk out of. It was kind of odd because I felt like I was 3 years-old drinking out of a sippy cup- but again it worked fine. The handle was nice to have as well. I’ve also used the cup to drink orange juice, water and hot chocolate- it performed admirably in all these capacities. If I had one complaint it would be that I would prefer to the cup to be taller rather than so wide. Obviously that’s a minor nitpick and doesn’t affect the performance of the cup in any way. I think the cup would also work for drinking soup out of (as long as it's not too chunky); I'll test this in the remaining test period.

The Spork
The spork took a little getting used to because the shape is a little different than other utensils I've used; but again it worked well. The only issue was that when I used the cutting edge to cut my chicken one night I didn’t have anything to hold the chicken with (since the fork and knife are on the same utensil). So I had to hold the chicken with my fingers or not use the knife. When I’m outdoors (especially in the desert where there’s dirt and sand everywhere) I don’t generally like to touch my food with my hands. The spork also works well for stirring hot liquids.

The Small Waterproof box
On one trip I used the small waterproof box to hold all my prescriptions and my multivitamins for the length of the trip. It was a little larger than necessary for this particular task but it worked well. I kept the small box stored nested inside the other pieces and I never had a problem with it opening unexpectedly. Then all my pills where with my breakfast items so I actually remembered to take them.

Further along in the field test period I got braver in what I've stored in the box. The box is a good size to carry small amount of items like hummus or salad dressing that I frequently bring in my lunch to work. At first I was nervous that the box would leak or the lid would come off (I often bring my lunch in the same bag as my laptop so a leak would be a real disaster). Thus far I have not had any issues with anything leaking out of the box or the lid ever coming off. The seal seems to be very secure even when tossed around with other items- yet the lid is still easy to remove.

The Cutting Board/Colander
Initially I thought this item might be totally useless for me. Of course I still brought it along with the rest of the items just in case. Generally I don’t do a lot of chopping while I’m camping or backpacking but that might change. On car camping trips where weight doesn’t matter I probably have the most use for this item and indeed on the car camping trip during this field test I was able to use this item. It was quite unexpected actually. I was browning ground beef to make tacos and I had some grease left in the pan. Normally when I’m camping I just leave it in (and have slightly greasy meat), try to pour a little out, or scoop it out with a spoon. It occurred to me that the colander might be useful in this instance. I was successfully able to hold the colander next to my frying pan and pour out the grease without losing ANY of the meat. I was quite impressed with myself and the colander. The colander didn’t melt or warp at all after being placed next to a warm to hot pan. I was able to drain just about all of the grease off the meat. Granted I don’t take fresh ground beef on backpacking trips but I do occasionally take dried raviolis that require a little of the water be poured off.

Cleaning
All the components were easy to clean. They probably could have been simply wiped out with a rag but I rinsed and cleaned them with some biodegradable soap and warm water.

At home I was able to wash all the items on the top rack of my dishwasher without any problems. After they came out they did have some water spots on them but nothing too terrible and they didn’t stand out on the slate blue color of the pieces.

One concern is that even after washing the kit on one occasion some pieces had black marks on them. I presumably got these from dirt I encountered in Death Valley. I found it strange that these didn’t come off in the dishwasher. I was able to scrub them off however without too much effort.

Packability
The kit has very hard sides which means it has a lot of durability and is not flimsy in any way (a real plus when eating without a table). However, this also means that it isn't as packable as I'd like. Not in a terrible way but every additional item that can't be smooshed that I have to add to my backpack only complicates the game of Tetris that is arranging my pack. I'm really not sure how the kit's triangular shape helps or hurts my cause; so far it hasn't really made too much of a difference. This really wasn't unexpected at all though, just by looking at the kit online I knew it was going to take up space and maybe complicate my packing. The whole kit is perfect for car camping and other uses (like lunches). For backpacking, I think the two plates might be a little more than I need and I'd rather save weight and leave them at home. I think the spork, colander (for some trips), cup, and waterproof box are all nice additions for my backpacking trips.

Summary (back to top)

This kit is a great addition to my backcountry and everyday kitchen. For me, the plates are somewhat redundant for my backpacking kit because my cook pot can double as a plate (or eating vessel) as can its lid. Even so, it’s nice to have something to eat out of that won’t burn my fingers. The kit is perfect for car camping. All the pieces come in handy. I’ve found the plates to be great for transporting, reheating, and eating my lunch at work as well and an item that can do double-duty is especially nice.
I want to thank BackpackGearTest.org and Light My Fire for giving me the opportunity to test this item.

Read more reviews of Light My Fire gear
Read more gear reviews by Jennifer Pope

Reviews > Cook Gear > Cook Sets > Light My Fire Outdoor Meal Kit > Jennifer Pope > Field Report

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