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Flatworld (Orikaso) Fold Flat Solo Set
Wayne Merry
Initial Report
17 July 2006
About Wayne, the tester:
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Height: 1.8 m (5' 10")
Weight: 90 kg (200 lb)
Email address: wayne_merry@user.com.au
(replace user with yahoo)
City, State, Country: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Backpacking Background: I started backpacking about five
years ago, although I did day walks in childhood. I hike in various
terrains from moderate/hard track walks to some off track (including
river walks). I generally like the temperature to stay above freezing,
and have not camped above the snow line during winter. I enjoy going on
multi-day walks up to about a week as well as day walks. I carry a
moderate weight pack to enjoy a few creature comforts at camp. I would
normally do at least 2 overnight or multi-day walks every three months,
in addition to a number of 20 km (12 mile) or so day walks.
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About the test environment:
I will be testing the Solo Set in Victoria, Australia. Elevations will
vary from 0 m to 1000 m (3300 feet) although I may climb higher up to
2000m (6600 feet). The test will be conducted in the winter and spring
periods with temperatures varying from 0 C (32 F) to 20 C (68 F).
Humidity varies from 30% to 90% + during this time of year.
I will test all three of the bowl, plate and cup on my overnight or
longer walks, and will take some of the set on day walks depending on
what I plan to eat. Currently on overnight walks I cook two out of
three meals and use cold meats, cheese and dry biscuits for the third.
Breakfast consists of porridge and various sweeteners such as honey,
which can be hard to clean as it gets in to any little cracks. The
evening meal generally consists of meat, vegetables, pastas, rice and
mash potato mixes. I also consume powdered desserts from time to time
and there is always a hot drink (except for days of total fire ban). |
Product Details:
- Manufacturer: Flatworld (UK) Ltd trading as Orikaso
- Web site: http://www.orikaso.com/
- Year of manufacture: 2006
- Place of manufacture: China
- MSRP: Not specified for USA
The Orikaso Solo Set is a cup, bowl and plate sold as a set that fold flat when not in use.
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Specifications for product as tested:
- Weight
- As tested: Plate: 49 g (1.7 oz), Bowl: 41 g (1.4 oz),
Cup: 52g (1.8 oz), Set: 141g (5 oz), Set with sleeve: 199g (7 oz)
- Dimensions
- Manufacturer: Thickness of all three items flat packed: 3
mm (0.12")
- As tested (food/liquid area):
- Plate: width & length at rim: 21 cm (8.3"), width
& length at base: 16 cm (6.3"), depth 4 cm (1.6")
- Bowl: diameter at rim: 17 cm (6.7"), diameter at base:
7 cm (2.8"), depth 8 cm (3.1")
- Cup: width at rim: 10cm (3.9"), width at base &
length 6 cm (2.4"), depth: 9cm (3.5")
- When flat packed, all three items take up a volume of
26 by 26 cm (10.2") length and width by 5mm (0.2") depth.
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Item Receipt & First Impressions:
I received the Solo Set in its retail packaging that consists of a
sleeve. The product looked and worked much like the impressions that I
gained by looking at the Orikaso web site.
I found myself initially frustrated in working out how to assemble the
items into their usable state. The web site offers movie clips to
assist people in this process, but unfortunately these did not work for
me. After a few attempts, I was able to assemble all three items
easily. I found the assembly process easy, although initially I did not
think this to be the case.
Once I assembled the items (see below right), I tested the bowl and
cup with some cold
water in order to provide an initial test. My experiences were as
follows:
- The cup was able to hold liquids well, and felt stable. The
manufacturer states that the cup can leak "a little" when overfilled. I
have not yet been able to determine when this is, as I have
significantly filled the cup to less than 4 mm (0.16") from the lip
without leaking.
- The bottom of the plate and bowl appear to be reasonably
stable.
- The folds on the cup and bowl hold in position quite well,
even if fully filled with liquid.
- The bowl can be held with two hands without threatening to
fold in the middle.
- Some liquid does make its way into the folds. I found this
easy to access once the item is disassembled.
- I have noticed the material colour turning to white along
fold
marks (see an example as shown below). This did not fill me with
the greatest of confidence that the material will not break at some
stage. The manufacturer states that this folding actually strengthens
the material, but if I saw this happen in a shop demonstration, I would
have been more reluctant to buy the Solo Set.
- I am reluctant to take the Solo Set unprotected in a pack
as the
folds protrude when the items are flat and could be liable to be
damaged by things moving around in the pack around throughout the day. The
flat pack items are too large to fit into my cooking set, but the
retail sleeve packing may protect the set in a pack quite well. I will
use the sleeve for this purpose during the test.
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Test Plan:
When using the Solo Set, I will be testing the following:
- How easy is it to assemble each item in the field?
- How strong is the assembled item? Could it easily come
unpacked with food, especially liquids inside? Looking at the bowl,
there are four folds. This looks the most vulnerable to this happening.
Are my suspicions to be confirmed, or does the pressure of liquids keep
the folds securely in place? The manufacturer suggests that the cup can
leak if filled above a certain level. Does this cause a problem in
practice?
- Does the bottom of the plate or bowl sag excessively with
hot food?
- How does the material transmit heat? If I am holding a bowl
of hot soup, do my fingers get burnt?
- How easy are the three items to clean? Is water and a wipe
good enough? Is there any odor retention? The manufacturer suggests
that because the set folds out, this makes them very easy to clean. Is
this true?
- Is the bowl or plate big enough for my generous end of day
serves, or do I have to leave some in the pot getting cold for a second
helping?
- How resistant is the material from scratching from knives
and forks? Am I going to see hundreds of scratch marks after a few
months?
- Does the polypropylene weaken with the constant folding and
unfolding from use? Do the folds become resistant over time? The
manufacturer claims that the opposite will occur.
- Does the material change by being exposed to heat? Does it
crack, bubble, flake or any other unwanted effect occur?
- How does the Solo Set survive the usual rumble and tumble
of being in a pack?
- (I am not going to deliberately test for this!) Does the
material cut easily if a cutting knife comes in contact?
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Read more reviews of Flatworld gear
Read more gear reviews by Wayne Merry
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