Reviews > Cook Gear > Cooking Accessories > Coleman Exponent Backpacker Table > Jennifer Pope > Initial Report

Initial Impressions (back to top)

Product Description (back to top)

The table consists of a tabletop that folds up accordion style (see below), two metal pieces that slide into the unfolded table to keep it flat, two thin ropes that the table hangs from, a strap that wraps around the tree, four gear hooks that the table also hangs from, and a metal rod with a hook on the end that an lantern can hang from.


When I first took everything out of the box I tried to guess at how to set it up. It wasn't immediately clear to me, so I opened the instruction booklet. Honestly, the instructions weren't all that helpful. Instead of trying to figure out what the instructions were trying to tell me, I decided to try to figure it out on my own. After only a couple minutes of fiddling (and realizing where the metal supports slid in) I put the table together. Then next time it was really simple to put it together and probably took about two minutes.

The tabletop unfolds and the metal supports slide in through little slots on each side. The thin ropes have knots pre-tide on each end which slide into the metal supports and then hang from the gear hooks. The strap slides around the tree and then through a metal clasp that can easily be tighten and loosened by pushing on a tab. The gear hooks hang from this strap on the tree. Attaching the table to the tree was rather intuitive.


One thing that surprised me about the table setup was how unstable it was. I'm pretty certain that I won't be cooking on the table. Only true testing in the field will tell, but it seems like it wouldn't be stable enough to hold a lit stove. The workspace on the table isn't too large, but it should hold all of my kitchen items.

As far as the weight is concerned, I think this can be trimmed in some areas. For example, I may not need all four gear hooks on every trip I take. Also, the drawstring bag could probably be eliminated for a sturdy rubber band or two.

Summary (back to top)

So far the table is a little heavier than I imagined and it's a little less stable than I imagined. But overall it's a nice table and something I've never tried before. I'll have to see if it's worth the weight.

Field Testing Information (back to top)

During the late summer and fall 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 (0 – 30 C). Weather should be fairly mild as well with an always-looming possibility of rain (which in turn leads to mud). Elevations range from 4,000 to over 10,000 feet (1,200 – 3,000 m). Day hiking in and around Los Angeles is always a given pretty much every weekend. The terrain of the trails near Los Angeles is mainly rocky, chaparral-covered hills. The deserts in South-Eastern California are also a frequent destination for the fall and winter months (as long as the rain isn't as bad as last year). I also have a goal of taking one snow trip this year, but that depends on me learning more about snow camping and getting up the guts to do it (I'm kind of a wimp in the cold).

This table will accompany me on all my backpacking and camping adventures over the next four months. As mentioned above, I like to get away camping or backpacking about a weekend per month with 2 nights per weekend.

Thank you to BackpackGearTest.org and Coleman for letting me test this item.


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Reviews > Cook Gear > Cooking Accessories > Coleman Exponent Backpacker Table > Jennifer Pope > Initial Report