Personal Information:
Name: Christine Korhonen
Age: 31
Gender: female
Height: 5'4" (1.6 m)
Weight: 150 lb (68 kg)
E-mail: chris@wormguy.com
Location: Western Montana
Date: August 25, 2005

Backpacking Background:
I'm in Montana where I'm enjoying the summers and becoming re-acquainted with winter. Now that I'm back above the snow line, I'm attempting some winter camping and snowshoeing. I'm a lightweight backpacker mentally, if not always in practice. My summer pack weight is around 17 lb (9 kg) with my new hammock, but my winter pack weight hovers around 25 lb (11 kg).

Product Information:
Manufacturer: AntiGravityGear
Year: 2004
URL: www.antigravitygear.com
Item: Neoprene Cozy Cover
MSRP: US $9.95
Color: Blue
Pot Size: 3 cup (700 mL)

Dimensions:
Listed Weight: 1.9 oz (54 g)
Measured Weight: 2.0 oz (57 g)
Measured Size: 4" high x 5¾" diameter (10 cm x 15 cm)

Field Information:
I've tested the Cozy Cover along the trails of Montana and Wyoming. The elevation stayed around 6000' (1800 m) and temperatures ranged from 35 - 70 F (2 - 21 C) during my meals. I camped in sagebrush- and forest-covered mountains.

Cozy Cover Description:
The Cozy Cover is a neoprene shell designed to protect a pot cozy and pot. I tested the 3-cup (700 mL) Cozy Cover designed to be used with the same size AntiGravityGear pot and cozy.

Use:
I used the Cozy Cover to store my pot and cozy. I kept my Brasslite Turbo F stove, a lighter, and my pot grips wrapped in a bandanna inside the AntiGravityGear 3-cup (700 mL) pot, along with a coiled length of rope that I use to hang my food. Packed, these items extended past the top lip of the pot slightly, so the pot's lid couldn't close all the way. This is where the Cozy Cover did its magic. The extra storage space in the lid of the Cozy Cover meant the pot's lid didn't have to close tight for the Cozy Cover to fit over it. The Cozy Cover was able to zip up the pot, lid, and all items in the pot in a nice, compact package. I didn't have to worry about anything falling out of the pot into my pack because the Cozy Cover held them all together. In my opinion, this was the most useful aspect of the Cozy Cover. It nicely organized my kitchen.

In and Out:
In the field, I don't take the bubble wrap cozy out of the Cozy Cover. It stayed in there all the time. The pot went in and out of the cozy when I cooked and served food, but the cozy stayed in the Cozy Cover. The pot is nice and tight in the cozy, and I didn't have any problems sliding the pot in. It was getting the pot out again that was the challenge, especially when the pot had hot food or water in it. I didn't find an easy way to do this. It would have been nice if I just cooked my food, put the pot in the cozy, and ate the food from there. However, things didn't work out that way very often, and I frequently found myself struggling to try and remove the pot so I could pour water or serve food to others.

Eating and Pouring:
Since the edge of the Cozy Cover is slightly lower than the top edge of the pot, the Cozy Cover didn't pose a problem with eating or pouring water from the pot. However, the edge of the AntiGravityGear cozy is higher than the top edge of the pot, making these things difficult to do. Often when I tried to pour water from the pot it spilled all over the Cozy Cover.

Drying:
The neoprene Cozy Cover does not dry quickly. When I invariably spilled water, the water always went between the cozy and the Cozy Cover. I'd take the cozy out of the Cozy Cover to let it dry some, but it was never dry before I finished my meal. Packed up, the Cozy Cover didn't dry much at all. At home I let the Cozy Cover air overnight to get it completely dry.

Cleaning:
The Cozy Cover has been exposed to all kinds of camp food. So far everything has wiped off with minimal effort. There are a few grease stains on the Cozy Cover, but the blue color hasn't faded any.

Wear:
The Cozy Cover is showing only small signs of wear. There are a couple of stains, but the stitching is good and the zipper still works fine. The Cozy Cover has done a good job of protecting the cozy. Although the top edge of the cozy that extends past the pot is quite mangled from being cupped over the top of the pot, the body of the cozy is well-preserved. There are no cuts or punctures in the cozy, and the side walls are reletivey wrinkle-free.

Summary:
Although it doesn't provide much additional insulation (see temperature chart in my field report), the Cozy Cover is useful in keeping my camp kitchen organized and protected. The Cozy Cover gives me peace of mind that my cozy is safe in my pack. It keeps my kitchen items contained in my pot, and it's very satisfying to have everything zipped into a compact blue package. The Cozy Cover makes my camp kitchen look good, and that makes me feel good.

Likes:
Provides storage and organization
Protects pot and cozy

Dislikes:
Difficulty removing the pot when full

Thanks to BackpackGearTest and AntiGravityGear.

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Read more gear reviews by Christine Korhonen

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