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Gear Reviews
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| Tester Information |
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Name: Rebecca
Sowards-Emmerd
Location: Los
Altos, CA
Age/Sex:
28/Female
Height: 5'5"
(1.65 m)
Weight: 125
lb (57 kg)
Email:
rebecca@backpackgeartest.org
Website:
http://www.calipidder.com |
I began
backpacking in the summer of 2000 after moving to California. Although I
started off carrying everything but the kitchen sink, my style has shifted
to lightweight gear and techniques, though I am known to carry a few
luxury items (mmm...pillow). First in my heart is summer backpacking, but
I also enjoy snowshoeing, skiing, and snowcamping, as well as long
dayhikes, geocaching, and peak climbing. I spend time outside during
weekends year-round in the deserts and mountains of California. My weekend
hikes are often 'spur-of-the-moment', and usually occur in and around
Yosemite National Park, Desolation Wilderness (near Lake Tahoe), and
Sonora Pass in the Sierra Nevada mountains, as well as Lassen National
Park and Mt. Shasta area in the Southern Cascades.
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Product Information |
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Name: Light My Fire
Outdoor Meal Kit
Manufacturer: Light My
Fire
Manufacturer website: http://www.lightmyfireusa.com/
Year of Manufacture:
2006
Listed Weight: 11.3
oz/320 g
Measured weight:
11.1 oz/315 g |
 
The Light My Fire
Outdoor Meal Kit is a nesting set of camp kitchen
gadgets. Packaged into a triangular container, the kit
includes two plates, a spork, a cutting board/strainer, a cup with lid,
and a waterproof storage cup. |
| Initial Report |
|
The Light My Fire
Outdoor Meal Kit is a simple looking package that contains several useful
pieces of kitchen gear. Broken down into components, the kit
consists of the following pieces.
|
Photo |
Description |
Weight of
Piece |
|
|
The first plate
makes up the bottom part of the outer container. This is
triangle shaped and has tall sides, almost more of a bowl
than a plate. |
3.2 oz (92
g) |
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|
The second plate
makes up the 'lid' of the outer container. This is also
triangle shaped and has tall sides, though not as tall as the other
plate. |
2.7 oz (75
g) |
|
|
The
strainer/cutting board is a flat triangular piece of plastic with
drainage holes along one side for straining. This sits
in the bottom of the nested kit. |
1.7 oz (47
g) |
|
|
An all-in-one
utensil. It is a spoon at one end, a fork at the other, and
one tine of the fork is serrated for use as a basic knife.
This is made of a lighter plastic than the rest of the kit. It
is a bit bendy; it gives when pushed so that it won't
snap. |
0.25 oz (9
g) |
|
|
The lidded cup, or
as I like to call it, the sippy cup. This is a 300 mL (10 oz)
cup with an attached (by string) snap-on lid. The lid has a
small hole for drinking/pouring and the cup also has measurement
markings. It also has a small lip that can be used as a handle
if the cup contains hot liquid. |
2.25 oz (66
g) |
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|
A waterproof
smaller cup and lid. This cup doesn't have the
drinking/pouring hole, attached lid, or lip for using as a
handle. It seems to be intended more for storage than as an
actual cup. |
1.25 oz (35
g) |
When all of these components
are packaged up there is some extra space in the kit, so I've already
planned on packing other kitchen supplies in it - a knife, lighter, and
more. The kit nested together looks
like this:
The manufacturer lists the following features
of the kit as well:
- Environmentally friendly
materials
- Dishwasher/Microwave safe
(where am I going to find a dishwasher or microwave in the backcountry?)
- Plastic won't soften at
higher temperatures
- It floats!
Initial Impressions:
I admit that I was immediately taken in by
the clever nesting design and bright color. Each piece seems to be
well thought out and useful for its own purpose. From the
perspective of a semi-lightweight backpacker I am most impressed by the
spork-like utensil - it has everything I should need in one! I
like the bright yellow color since it will be easier to keep track of all
the pieces in camp and my messy gear closet. Although I
have some doubts as to the usefulness of the kit for backpacking, only
time (and testing!) will tell.
Test plan:
Over the four month test period there are
several things I will be looking at to evaluate the usefulness of the kit
as a backpacking accessory.
- Are the pieces easy to clean? I'm specifically concerned about the
holes of the strainer.
- Will the plastic retain the scent/flavor of food?
- Will the plastic stain with food colors, especially if I cook
something acidic, such as tomato-based sauces and meals.
- Will the plastic cutting board get scratched up easily?
- How convenient are the pieces of the set for my typical camp
cooking?
- The measurement markings are simply labeled '1', '2', and '3'. What
volume does each of these numbers correspond to?
- Will be used in cold and hot weather - how does the plastic respond
to differing conditions (especially the softer, more pliable spork).
- Washing - I'll run it through the dishwasher, but it will mostly be
hand washed. If I use it on multiple days what is the best way to clean
it in camp for repeated use?
- How useful is the knife? Can it really cut though anything, or will
it wear down/dull quickly?
- Is the small cup really waterproof?
Testing will occur in field conditions ranging from below freezing
snowcamping in the Sierra Nevada to desert camping in summer conditions in
Joshua Tree National Park (in other words, HOT!) The kit will
accompany me on a backpacking trip to Channel Islands National Park (Santa
Cruz Island), and as I've never backpacked in that kind of area, I don't
know what the conditions will be! Depending on the Long Term Report
due date, the kit may even accompany me on a nine day trek along the
John Muir Trail this summer. Of course, I am always heading out for
miscellaneous overnight trips and there are bound to be many more
that I have not yet specifically planned. I look forward to trying
out the Outdoor Meal Kit in all of these conditions.
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Read more reviews of Light My Fire gear
Read more gear reviews by Rebecca Sowards-Emmerd
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