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AntiGravityGear Blue Cozy Cover
Initial Report by André Corterier
Note: The blue cozy cover is designed to go with a pot and pot cozy by the same manufacturer and
will primarily be tested with these. These items were also tested with BackpackGearTest as parts
of
Mama's Kitchen cook set, where more information is available.
Item: AntiGravityGear Blue Cozy Cover
Year of manufacture: 2005
Manufacturer: AntiGravityGear
URL: http://www.antigravitygear.com/
MSRP: 9.95 USD for the 3 cup cozy cover
MSRP: 12.95 USD for the 2 quart cozy cover
Weight Comparisons - scale accurate to 5 g (0.2 oz)
3 cup cozy cover listed weight: 1.9 oz (54 g)
3 cup cozy cover measured weight: 55 g (1.9 oz)
Product Description:
The manufacturer, on its website, had this to say about the cozy cover:
This zippered cozy cover is made of
neoprene and protects your cozy from wear and abraision (sic). The seams are glued AND stitched for
durability. The lid zippers off to allow you to remove and insert the pot after cooking. Custom
fit for the 2-Quart and 3-Cup AntiGravityGear pots. There is enough room on top of the pot to
store the lifter handle, camp towel and other kitchen gear.
The blue neoprene cozy cover is indeed, as the name implies, made of neoprene and quite blue.
It came packed in a little plastic bag and at first looked as though it wasn't large enough to
fit around the pot in its cozy, much less leave room on top for other gear. But testing is
believing and I found that as the neoprene stretches, the pot in its cozy does fit into the cozy
cover, making for a very snug fit. There is indeed a small space on top of the pot into which a
few things can be stuffed. Measuring the volume of that space seems futile, as the neoprene
stretches and does not make for very even measurements. Nevertheless, when empty, there appears
to be about 4 cm (call it 1/2 in) of room above the lid section of the cozy. The neoprene is
2 mm (1/12 in) thick and
appears well-sewn around the edges and to the (nameless) black zipper which circumnavigates the
equator of the cozy cover. The neoprene section is acutally sewn to a small (about 1.5 cm or 0.5
in) strip of a tough, non-stretching material which features the zipper. There is a small, 2.5
by 3 cm (1 by 1.25 in) strip of webbing belt
material bar tacked over the spot where the zipper's end meets its start. The cozy cover is a
grey colour on the inside. Pictures can be seen at the
manufacturer's website.
Fit:
I've experimented with this set a little and find that the pot is just high enough to allow me to
store my windscreen in it, while the blue cozy cover allows me to keep the remaining pieces of my
Clikstand
on top of it - including the alcohol burner. Next to the burner, I keep the aluminum clamp
handle, a bandana and a lighter. I tried putting my Ti spork there, also, but while the neoprene
stretched far enough, the points where the spork stuck out were immediatly visible from the
outside and I didn't like that. Now, the spork is diagonally inside the pot (with the prongs on
the inside!), sticking out under the lid. I orient it so that it comes out under the lid at the
point where the cozy is slit for opening. It still presses against the cozy cover,
but less markedly so and at the tough, non-stretching section just above the zipper, which seems
to spread the stretch it takes up over the entirety of the cozy cover's top.
At 16.5 cm (6.5 in) in length, the spork is about 2 cm (3/4 in) too long to fit entirely into
the pot and sticks past the pot cozy by about 0.5 cm (0.25 in). I may do the gram weenies
one better and cut off the handle of my Ti spork...
This set up allows me to transport the burner with my cook set, but outside of the pot (where I
intend to store food). Sitting on the other pieces stored there, the top of my alcohol burner
presents a rounded surface area of about 5.5 cm (just over 2 in) diameter which is raised from
the top of the cozied lid it rest on by about 5 cm (2 in). The cozy cover easily closes over this
and this does not appear to put undue pressure on the cozy cover. This is with a pot which has a
(total) volume of 800 ml (27 fl oz). An evernew 0.9 l Titanium pot will also fit inside, though
with a little less room on top.
I like this a lot - the alcohol stove, when transported with alcohol
inside it, reeks of denatured alcohol and I dislike storing food right next to it, but enjoy the
possibility to store foodstuffs in the pot for transport, where it's safe from harm.
First Trial:
As far as the blue cozy cover itself is concerned, I already very much like the neat,
self-contained package it turns all my cook things into. It easily finds a good spot in my pack.
It should also add additional insulation
when I put the hot pot, inside its cozy, into the cozy cover and zip it up. I guess it'll need
careful placement to make sure it doesn't get knocked over. While this is, of course, always true
for a cook pot with hot food in it, the closed-up cozy cover may be a less immediately
recognizable hazard for others in a shared camp. Dry tests suggest to me that the easiest way to
accomplish this is to have the pot cozy sitting in the open cozy cover, to then place the filled
pot inside, cover it with lid and lid cozy and zip it up. I will have more to say about this in
my Field and Long Term Reports.
Pros/Cons:
Pro: Neat storage solution. An "added value" item.
Con: Nothing so far.
Suggestions for Improvement:
I guess one could bar tack a little haul loop to the zipper ends - this should make retrieving
the cook set from a tight pack easier (I won't bother with a stuff sack, when the cozy cover
fulfills this function so nicely).
Test Plan:
I intend to transport all my cooking utensils inside the blue cozy cover for all my trips during
the testing period (and likely beyond). I will continue to experiment with the best way to make
use of its storage options and report on wear and tear, its protectiveness regarding its contents,
its insulative qualities and any and all other items which may come up.
My trips will likely be no more than maybe 600 m (2,000 ft) above sea
level, in any and all kinds of weather I'll encounter when I have
time to hike (I don't at all mind lower temperatures or
precipitation – the kinds of weather my wife calls "bad").
Personal Biographical Information:
Name: André Corterier
Gender: M
Age: 33
Height: 1,85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight: 80 kg (175 lb)
Email: andreDOTcorterierATfreenetDOTde
Home: Bonn, Germany
DATE: 2005-02-19
Backpacking Background:
I began backpacking in my late teens using Europe’s “InterRail“-System – weight hardly mattered, as we were on
trains a lot. I recently rediscovered backpacking and have started out slowly – single-day 15 mile (24 km) jaunts
by myself or even shorter hikes in the company of my little daughter. I am getting started on longer
hikes, as a lightweight packer and hammock-camper. I’ve begun upgrading my old gear and am now shooting for a dry
FSO weight of about 10 kg (22 lb) for three-season camping. Not quite there yet.
Read more reviews of AntiGravityGear gear
Read more gear reviews by Andre Corterier
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