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Flatworld Orikaso Solo Set
Field Report September 17, 2006
Tester's Information
Name: Liz Neely
Age: 38
Gender: Female
Height: 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight: 145 lb (65.8 kg)
Email address: liz at armory dot com
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
Tester's Background:
I've been day hiking for many years, and started backpacking in 2005.
My hiking and backpacking has been primarily in the San Francisco Bay
Area of California,
on designated trails, with occasional stream crossings. My backpacking
trips have ranged in length from two to four days and have all been in
state and national parks in the San Francisco Bay area. The
temperatures I encounter range from 25 F (4 C) to 80 F (27 C), the
elevations are between sea level and 7500 ft (2286 m), and my pack
weight is between 28 to 36 lbs (13 to 16 kg).
Product Information:
Manufacturer: Flatworld
Year of Manufacture: 2006
URL: http://www.orikaso.com/
Listed Weight: 5 oz (142 g)
It's not specified what this is the
weight of, but based on my own measurements, this seems to be the
listed
weight of the three dishes without the carrying case.
Measured Weight: mug: 1.75 oz (50 g); bowl: 1.375 oz (40 g); plate: 1.5
oz (43 g); entire set in carrying case: 6.75 oz (191 g)
Listed Capacity: mug: 12 fl oz (400 ml); bowl: 22 fl oz (700 ml)
Measured Capacity: mug: 16 fl oz (473 ml) to brim; bowl: 32 fl oz (946
ml) to brim
Measured Dimensions: mug: 3.75 in (9.5 cm) deep; bowl: 3.25 in (8.3 cm)
deep; plate: 1.75 in (4.4 cm) deep by 6.5 in (16.5 cm) square on the
bottom and 8.75 in (22.2 cm) square on the top
Available Colors: Red, Blue, Orange, Green
MSRP: not available
Product Description:
This is a very unique set of folding dishes. The set consists of a mug,
a bowl, and a plate. All three pieces unfold into completely flat
pieces
of plastic with creases in them. They are then folded up, similar to
folding a piece of Origami paper, to form the respective dish. They are
held together solely by the way they are folded, with tabs inserted
into
pockets formed by the folds to hold everything in place.
For a more detailed product description, please read my Initial
Report.
Initial Impressions:
To read about my Initial Impressions of this dish set, before
field testing, please read my Initial
Report.
Field Information:
I have used these dishes on one backpacking trip, one car-camping trip,
and many meals in my home and at work.
The backpacking trip was a two day trip in Big Basin State Park,
California. The
elevations were between 400 to 1000 ft (122 to 305 m) and the
temperatures were
between 55 to 70 F (13 to 21 C). The dishes were stored unfolded, out
of their carrying case, in my backpack. They were
stuffed into my backpack with everything else, without any special
care taken in
placing them anywhere in particular in the backpack. When I pulled them
out to prepare dinner the first night, they were in fine condition;
they suffered no damage while in my backpack. For dinner that night, I
made Four Cheese Hamburger Rice, which is made by putting a premixed
set of dry ingredients into the Orikaso bowl, then using the Orikaso
cup to measure out 1.5 cups (355 ml) boiling water, and adding that to
the ingredients in the bowl. I found that the Orikaso bowl and cup
worked very well for this meal. The bowl was plenty big enough to hold
all the ingredients easily, and there was no sloshing over the edges
when I stirred in the boiling water. The cup had no problems holding
boiling water; the plastic did not soften or deform in any way, and the
handle did not heat up at all. One minor thing I noticed was that in
order to read the side of the cup that has the measurements printed in
cups and ounces, I had to hold the cup in my right hand. Being right
handed, my natural inclination was to hold the kettle of boiling water
in my right hand, and the cup in my left hand. However, I had to
reverse this in order to use the cup as a measuring cup. After
preparing dinner, I used the cup to mix and drink my Gatorade. The cup
edge was slightly rough to drink out of. This was not really a problem,
it wasn't
rough enough to scrape or cut my lip, just something noticeable that
might be nice if it was smoothed out. I also noticed that I had to make
a second glass of Gatorade after finishing the first; it would have
been nice to have a larger cup so I could have made a larger cup of
Gatorade to begin with. The next morning, I used the bowl
and cup to prepare hot oatmeal for breakfast. The bowl was used to mix
and eat the oatmeal, and the cup was used as a measuring cup for the
boiling water. Both worked well for these purposes. The only thing I
used the plate for on this trip was as a place to roll dice for a
dice-game we had with us. It worked great for this since it was a
smooth flat surface with edges to keep the dice in place. Since there
was nowhere else suitable to roll the dice, I was really glad I had
the plate with me for this purpose.
The car camping trip was a one night stay at Dayton State Park, Nevada.
The elevation
was 4400 ft (1341 m) and the temperatures were between 51 to 88 F (11
to 31 C). The dishes were transported unfolded in the carrying case
they came in.
For dinner, I had a sausage with sauerkraut on a hot dog bun, chips,
pretzels, and s'mores. I ate these all off the plate, which served its
purpose well. I was also happy to find that I had no problem washing
the gooey melted marshmallow off the plate. For breakfast the next
morning, I had hot oatmeal, and
hot cocoa. I used the bowl for the oatmeal, and the cup for measuring
the hot water for the oatmeal, then for preparing and drinking the
cocoa. Other than the slightly sharp edges on the cup that I previously
mentioned, all dishes performed well on this trip.
I have also used these dishes for numerous meals at home and at work.
The elevation
at home and work is around sea level, and the temperatures range from
about 50
to 75 F (10 to 24 C). I have used the bowl for cold cereal, hot cereal,
and hot soup. It works very well for all these foods, and the only
comment I have is that, similar to the cup, the edges of the bowl are
slightly sharp, which is noticeable when I'm sipping the last of the
milk
from a bowl of cold cereal, or the last of the broth from a bowl of
soup. I have used the cup for various beverages, hot and cold, and it
works just fine. I have used the plate for various hot meals, with no
problems. I intentionally tested it with pasta in tomato sauce to see
if the sauce would stain the plastic - it didn't, even though it was
several hours after using it before I washed it. I also tried ravioli
in butter sauce, to see if there would be any difficulty washing the
grease off the plate - it was no problem, it washed off very easily
with a small amount of dish soap. And I used it for a garlicky
bean dish to see if there would be a problem with the odor remaining on
the plate after washing - there was no problem, the plate didn't retain
any odor after washing it. This surprised me a bit, since even my
plastic food storage containers tend to retain a slight odor after
washing when they've had garlicky foods in them.
Summary of feelings about this dish set after two months of field
testing:
Usability: I find these
dishes very usable. I did not have any problems with them coming
unfolded during use and the food did not ooze out the sides or seams. A
very small amount of food sometimes got into the folds of the bowl and
could not be retrieved without unfolding, but it was not enough to be a
problem.
The cup handle does not heat up even when I put boiling water into the
cup, so I have no problem using the cup to measure boiling water, nor
using it for drinking hot beverages. I had no problem carrying a full
meal on the plate; it did not flex or come unfolded. I did find that it
has some weight limits. If I put a very heavy object in it (much
heavier
than a plate of food), then just hold it by one edge, it will start to
come apart. But, this was not something it was designed for, I was just
testing this to see what would happen.
There are two small things that could be improved in terms of
usability.
One is that the edges of the cup and bowl could be smoothed out. They
are a bit sharp feeling when I drink out of them. Not sharp enough to
cut or scrape my skin, just sharp enough to notice. The other thing is
that one side of the cup has measurements printed in cups and ounces,
and the
other side is printed in milliliters. In order to be able to read the
measurements in cups/ounces, I need to hold the cup in my right hand.
Being
right handed, my natural inclination is the hold the hot teakettle
that I'm pouring from in my right hand, and the cup in my left hand.
However, I have to reverse this in order to read the measurements while
I pour. It would be great if all sets of measurements could be printed
on both sides of the cup, so that regardless of which hand I hold the
cup in, I could read the measurements in cups/ounces.
Durability: Thus far these
dishes have been very durable. I have packed them haphazardly in my
pack, set them on dirt and rocks, scrubbed them with abrasive sponges,
and generally not treated them with special care, and they remain in
perfect condition. I have used a scrubby sponge on them, however, I
find that food does not get stuck to them, so I have not had the
opportunity to scrub them super hard trying to get stuck food off of
them. There is no sign of cracking along any of the seams. They have
not been damaged in my pack; I have not intentionally crushed them, but
I have also not taken special care in placing them in my pack. The cup
and bowl retain their shape even when holding boiling water. The water
does not seem to soften the plastic like it does with some plastics.
The plastic does not seem to stain or retain odors either.
Convenience: After my initial
experimentation with these dishes, I was concerned about whether I
would remember how to fold the dishes into their respective shapes.
This was not a problem. Even after a couple weeks between uses, I am
able to fold them very quickly, without referencing the instructions.
These dishes are as easy to eat out of as their non-folding
counterparts; I
have had no problems with collapsing or unfolding. I have also not had
any problem with the food getting stuck to them; even if I let it dry
on, it's very easy to wash off, although I have
noticed that I have to unfold them before washing in order to clean
food that has gotten into the folded areas. The cup is also easy to
pour
out of, so it's very convenient to use it as a measuring cup as well as
a drinking cup; my only suggestion about the cup is that it would be
nice if it were offered in a larger size.
Likes and Dislikes:
Three things I like about these dishes
- They are very lightweight and take up very little space in my
backpack.
- The bowl is a nice big size.
- The cup has measurements marked on it in cups, ounces, and
milliliters, which makes it usable as a measuring cup as well as a
drinking cup.
Three things I dislike about these
dishes
- The cups and ounces marks are only on one side of cup.
- The edges of the cup and bowl are a bit sharp.
- I would like a larger size cup.
Additional Testing:
I have touched on all the areas of these dishes I set out to test so
the main remaining question is how they hold up over time, and whether
any of my opinions change with additional usage.
Thank you to BackpackGearTest.org
and Flatworld for giving me the
opportunity
to test the Flatworld Orikaso Solo Set.
Read more reviews of Flatworld gear
Read more gear reviews by Liz Neely
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