I started backpacking as a kid in the Boy Scouts doing overnighters. In the last few months, I have had a desire to see things that relatively few people have seen. This has drawn me back to backpacking. I have found it to be the most enjoyable thing I know. I have gotten my wife involved and we get out and hike at least once a month. I have my pack weight down to about 20 lbs (9 kg) when it is loaded for a weekend.

I have used the picnic set extensively through the test period for all my camping and at home to extend the testing opportunities. This has included several nights on the trail near Mt. Hood and at the beach on the Oregon Coast. The temperatures during testing have not dropped below freezing and have been as warm as 90 F (32 C)

I have found the bowl to be the most useful item in the set for my camping and hiking adventures. It is a useful addition to my pack and will remain there through my hiking in the future. It has allowed me to eliminate another plastic bowl that I used to carry that did not pack as well as the Orikaso bowl does. I generally use the bowl for eating meals out of. I am usually eating out of my bowl while holding it in my hand. I find that the bowl is structurally sound and have had no issues with cracking or peeling. The bowl is stuffable in my pack and has not caused or incurred any damage there. I have used the bowl as a cutting board as I have also used the plate and found the bowl to be satisfactory in that use. It does not lay flat very well once it has been folded, but total flatness has not been necessary for my tasks. The bowl has performed to my expectations.

I have carried and used the plate on my trips and have found it to be redundant for me when I carry my bowl. I do not eat anything on the trail that requires a relatively large flat area that couldn’t be met with either flattening out the bowl or just using a bowl rather than a plate. I have found that with minimal weight in the plate, the studs have held fairly well, but my trust has not been complete. I would not use the plate for eating anything that wasn’t solid, as I would be afraid of it running off the plate in the largest configuration. In the smaller configuration with four sides, the capacity is not so great that the bowl wouldn’t be useable for the purpose. I have found the plate to be durable and it shows no excessive wear. I find it to be something that I would probably not carry with me on my trips.

The cup has been the most creative use of the Orikaso system and I find it to be more of a novelty than something that I would use on a regular basis. I found it to be durable and that it held beverages well enough, but I cannot see myself carrying it on a regular basis. I find that when I want a fast drink, I would not take the time to remove the cup from my bag, assemble it, and then drink from it. In camp, I would want a beverage holder with more volume than the cup holds. When it has been folded, the cup does not open to lay flat very well. The handle portion of the cup tends to catch on things in the pack and is a bit less robust to hold on to than a regular cup or mug handle. I always feel like I should put my little finger in the air like I am drinking tea. That is not a sight you want from a big guy like me. The cup is not as easy to assemble as the other items in the picnic set. I would probably not carry the cup on trips as I find the use of it more trouble than the space savings that is gained.

Overall, I think the idea and the product is of high quality. The bowl works great and I will carry it with me on all my trips. The other items will see limited use by me in the future. I think I will use the cup as an example of how creative us backpackers can be when trying to solve the dilemmas of staying comfortable on the trail, and I would call the plate a great idea that could use some refining. I know I would use a plate with four sides. Perhaps a design with a flat bottom like the plate with sides that is like the bowl, just shorter.

I would like to thank Backpack Gear Test and Flatworld for the great opportunity of testing this gear.