Field Report

Flatworld Orikaso Picnic Set Field Report

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: July 11, 2005

Backpacking Background:
I'm in Montana where I'm enjoying the summers and becoming re-acquainted with winter. I'm a lightweight backpacker mentally, if not always in practice. My summer pack weight is around 19 lb (9 kg) with a tent, but my winter pack hovers around 25 lb (11 kg).

Product Information:
Manufacturer: Flatworld
URL: www.flatworld.co.uk
Item: Orikaso Picnic Set (contains 2 cups, 2 bowls, 2 dishes)
MSRP: £9.99
Color: Red

Dimensions:
Listed Weight: 8 oz (223 g) for entire set
Measured Weight: 8.4 oz (238 g) entire set

Orikaso Description:
The Orikaso picnic set contains plastic dishes that fold flat for storage. The set comes with two cups, two bowls and two dishes that can be flattened and snapped together to form a package 9½" (24 cm) square, around the size of a sheet of notebook paper (though a little thicker).

Field Conditions:
I tested the dishes on five backpacking trips and as many car camping trips throughout Montana, Wyoming, California, and Georgia. Temperatures ranged from highs of 80 F (27 C) during the day to lows of 27 F (-3 C) at night. Conditions were mostly sunny with some brisk winds and snow flurries. Elevations went from 1000' to 8000' (300 m to 2400 m) above sea level.

Item Use:
Dish-
The dish is advertised as having eight functions: deep dish, deep/shallow dish, 3-sided dish, spout, funnel, strainer, coffee maker, and cutting board. I haven't used the dish as a strainer or coffee maker, but my thoughts on the other functions are below.

Deep dish - I've used the deep dish to eat Indian food with rice, pasta with sauce, and cereal with milk. When assembled, each corner of the dish sticks out about 2" (5 cm) which seems like a lot of wasted material. The deep dish is deep - 2¾" (7 cm), and it's not very wide (5" [13 cm] across), so maneuvering a spoon to get at the food can be difficult. I kept wanting to tip the bowl, which had disastrous results. I forgot the dish can also be used as a spout and ended up with milk all over my front when I was eating the cereal. I wouldn't eat hot soup out of the dish because I didn't have to tip it much before things come spilling out. I would prefer if the dish were larger and more shallow.

Deep/shallow dish - The deep/shallow dish is a very strange configuration. One part of the dish has two sets of snaps and can form a short side, while the other part of the dish has only one set of snaps and can only form a high side. I don't understand why there aren't two sets of snaps on both sides of the dish. It would seem much more useful if I could make a true shallow dish. Making the deep/shallow dish seems to put a strain on the snaps. They don't want to go into this configuration. I don't like the deep-shallow dish and haven't found a use for it yet.

3-sided dish - The 3-sided dish is another oddity. It is formed by making one short side and leaving the other side unsnapped. I haven't needed this configuration, either.

Spout/funnel - The spout and funnel are pretty much the same. On the package there is one picture pouring from the dish with the snap fastened and another with the snap open, so I guess that's the difference.   I've used the dish as a funnel with the snap closed when I was pouring hot water into a Nalgene bottle. The corner of the dish focuses the stream of water, but the corner is so small water doesn't pass through it very quickly. In order to use the spout, I had to have three hands - one to hold the spout, one to hold the Nalgene, and one to hold the pot that I'd boiled the water in. In the end, it was easier and quicker to pour the water directly from the pot.

Cutting board - The dish worked well as a cutting board. There are some cut marks left from the knife, but they're not as deep as I thought they would be. I couldn't cut all the way through the plastic. The cutting board function is more a quality of the plastic than of the dish. The bowl and cup could also be laid flat and used as a cutting board.

Bowl- I used the bowl for holding strawberries, pasta, and Indian food with rice. The bowl is easy to assemble and, so far, very functional. It hasn't leaked, come apart when I didn't want it to, or tipped over when I set it down. The bowl is just a bowl. Nothing flashy, but it does what it's supposed to do. I like the bowl a lot.

Cup- After I got it the first time, the cup has been easy to assemble. When I first assembled the cup, I was surprised at how small it was. The cup is just the right size for a packet of hot coco mix and enough water so the drink is nice and chocolaty. When I drink tea in the cup, I find I need two or three refills.   In general, I would prefer it if the cup were larger.

When folded, the cup has a solid handle. Because of this, I can only wrap one hand around the cup, instead of two. Since I can't put my fingers through the handle, I don't feel secure picking up the cup by its handle. I usually wrap one hand around the far side of the cup to pick it up. I haven't had any problems lifting up the cup this way, even when filled with hot water. The cup isn't insulated, so liquids loose heat rapidly. I would prefer if the cup didn't have a handle so I could wrap both of my hands around the cup to warm them in the morning.

Plastic softening:
The package warnings indicate that the plastic softens when hot. I've noticed this mostly on the cup. The plastic gets a little more pliable when filled with hot liquid. Not enough to melt or form a puddle on the table, but just enough to move around a little when I pick up the cup. This hasn't caused the cup to leak and doesn't appear to be much of an issue.

Washing:
I've found the dishes really easy to wash. I don't use soap in the field, and haven't had any problems cleaning up the dishes with water. Some food always gets into the folds of the dishes, so with my dish, I disassemble it, lick it clean (I can't resist), then wash up with some water. The plastic is non-stick and food seems to slide right off. Then when I get home, I wash the dishes again with soap and water. I don't have a dishwasher, so won't be able to test the dishwasher-safe claims.

Packing:
Since the dishes fold flat, they've been easy to pack. I slide them next to the wall of my pack after everything else has been situated. The plastic is slippery and holds its shape, so the dishes are easy to slide in.

Wear:
There are no signs of wear yet on any of the fold lines or snaps that hold the dishes together.   The dishes haven't picked up any stains, either. The dishes do like to hold their folded shape, even when they're unfolded. It's not their natural inclination to go flat anymore. I push them flat when packing.

Test Plan:
I will continue to test these dishes along the trails of Montana, Wyoming, and California. I will pay particular attention to the durability of the items.

Read more reviews of Flatworld gear
Read more gear reviews by Christine Korhonen

Reviews > Cook Gear > Cooking Accessories > Flatworld Orikaso Picnic Set > Christine Korhonen > Field Report

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