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

Initial Impressions (back to top)

This item looks really cool! After looking at the website I thought that the meal kit was going to be a really bright blue; as it turns out it’s a really muted blue and gray. The colors look really nice and work well together. The plastic is very thick; much sturdier that typical food storage containers I’m accustomed too (even the few non-disposable ones I own by a popular company). I cannot bend the plastic at all when I try. The manufacturer’s website says this kit is designed by the Scandinavian designer Joachim Nordwall; which is funny because my husband and I thought it looked like it could have come from Ikea. In my opinion this is a good thing; I happen to like Ikea and like the design of this kit.

Weights and Dimensions (back to top)
Item	Weight	Dimensions
plate	3.1 oz (88 g)	just under 2 inches (5 cm) deep; 7 inches (18 cm) across one side
plate #2 (lid)	2.6 oz (74 g)	1.25 inches (3.2 cm) deep; 6.75 inches (17 cm) across one side
no-spill cup with lid & lanyard	2.3 oz (65 g)	just under 2 inches (5 cm) deep; 4.5 inches (11.4 cm) across (not including handle)
waterproof box	1.2 oz (34 g)	1.5 inches (3.8 cm) 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) across
cutting board/strainer	1.4 oz (40 g)	6.25 inches (15.9 cm) across one side
spork	.3 oz (8.5 g)	6.5 inches (16.5 cm)

Product Description (back to top)

The meal kit contains nine separate pieces which all fit inside the largest pieces- the two ‘plates’.

Two Plates These plates are triangular in shape, which so far seems like it might be odd. The lid snaps on and off fairly easily. There's a small hole in the lip on both plates; at first I had no idea what this was for until further exploration reveled that I could fit a lanyard through this hole (which is included).

No-Spill Cup and lid If I didn’t know what this was called I’d consider it more like a bowl because it's wider than it is tall. This “cup” is pretty large and it has a lid with a little hole in it to drink through. I’m imagining drinking soup through it. I’m also curious how this no-spill idea works. This little drinking hole seems like it would make it fairly easy to spill things- only time testing will see how well it really works. There’s a pretty large tab that sticks out on the side of the cup and the lid. I suppose these are intended to be handles of some kind and they seem like they’re large enough to serve this purpose well. There are small steps on the inside of the cup (small indentations inside the cup). On each of these are the numbers '1', '2'& '3'. At first I wasn't sure what these could mean, they're obviously measurements of some kind though. After reviewing the website again I see that the cup is supposed to hold 300 ml (10.15 fl oz). So I'm guessing that these numbers mark each 100 ml (3.4 fl oz).

Waterproof box This small box is for “those things that just have to stay dry” according to the website. So far I’m a little perplexed by this item. I’m not sure what I have to keep dry that’s related to food. Maybe I’ll keep salt and pepper packets or my daily medications and vitamins here? We’ll see how useful this item is on the trail and in other uses. This smaller container also has the tabs on the side to make holding on to it a little easier.

Cutting board/Colander The cutting board will be easy enough to use as long as I have a flat surface to use it on. The colander, on the other hand, seems to be a strange size. It’s small enough to fit in the bottom of the plate (the largest container that everything fits in). Unfortunately that means that it’s too small to be used to effectively drain things that are in the plate unless I turn the plate so the wide side of the colander covers the point of plate’s triangle (see picture). I will also try using this colander on my cook pot and see if it works there.

Spork Traditionally I think of a spork as a spoon with small tines on the end (like you get at KFC). This isn’t the case with this spork. This one has a fork on one end and a spoon on the other. It’s interesting looking to say the least. In addition to the spoon and the fork, it also has a knife! One of the tines of the fork is serrated like a knife. So I guess it’s really a sporkife. I will test how well each of these utensils work.

Lanyard The lanyard is wrist length and came attached to the no-spill cup. As I was getting ready to put everything in the dishwasher after I initial received everything I thought to myself that it would be really strange to wash this lanyard made out of nylon rope. I then remembered the holes in the plate and plate lid and thought that there must be a way to get this lanyard off. I tried to pry it open with my fingers but that didn’t really work and it seemed like it was going to break my fingernail off. So then I started pulling on the lanyard park itself. After struggling with this for about 30 seconds I was able to break the plastic end piece off the lanyard and get it off. I imagine that next time it’ll be a little easier since I now know what I’m doing. I think this lanyard will be pretty helpful if I want to carry the whole set around my wrist.

Use Instructions

The meal kit is dishwasher safe (I’ve already washed it and it held up fine). The instructions don’t specify if it’s top or bottom rack safe so I’ll only wash it on the top rack (though it seems plenty sturdy to hold up on the bottom). The kit is also claimed to be microwave safe and it’s claimed to float.

Summary (back to top)

So far I really like this product. Some items have uses that imediately come to mind and the rest I will find out in camp.

Field Testing Information (back to top)

During the spring and early summer I will be taking trips into the San Bernardino and Angeles National Forests (other areas in Southern CA aren't off limits either). These generally aren't planned far in advance, but I'll likely be out a weekend each month. Temperatures on all these trips should be fairly mild ranging from the 30s to 90 F (30 C). Weather should be fairly mild as well with an always looming possibility of rain. Elevations range from 4,000 to over 10,000 feet (1,200 to 3,000 m).

Depending on what happens this spring (i.e. how much more snow falls); the Sierras might be a destination in the Long Term test period. Weather and elevations during the test period are similar to those in the Angeles National Forest. However, the terrain in the Sierras can be more rocky and rough.

I will also likely be going to the desert again before it gets too warm. Elevations can be up to about 4,000 ft (1,200 m) and the terrain is usually rough, dry and sandy. I will likely be going there while the temperatures are still reasonable; perhaps between 30 to 75 F (0 to 25 C).

The coastal areas north of Los Angeles are also a likely destination. Elevations should be less than 4,000 ft (1,200 m). The terrain is usually rocky and chaparral-covered. Temperatures usually range from 50 to 80 F (10 to 30 C).

I will also be using this meal kit for my weekday lunches.

I want to thank BackpackGearTest.org and Light My Fire for giving me the opportunity to test this item.


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