Reviews > Cook Gear > Cooking Accessories > Vargo Titanium Sierra 750 > Test Report by Nancy Griffith

VARGO TITANIUM SIERRA 750
TEST SERIES BY NANCY GRIFFITH
INITIAL REPORT
March 31, 2008

TESTER INFORMATION

I've been backpacking since my college days in Pennsylvania and since then in Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina and now mostly in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. Most of my trips are section hikes or loops from a few days to a week. I mostly hike in the summer and fall. I've recently discovered the virtues of lightening the load by updating some older gear, but I'm not an ultralight backpacker.

INITIAL REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: Vargo Outdoors
Year of Manufacture: 2008
Manufacturer's Website: http://www.vargooutdoors.com/
MSRP: $39.95 US
Listed Weight: 4.5 oz (128 g)
Measured Weight: 140 g (4.9 oz)
Individual Weights:
Bowl: 76 g (2.7 oz)
Lid: 48 g (1.7 oz)
Bag: 15 g (0.5 oz)
Listed Volume: 750 ml (25 fl oz)
Measured Volume: Approx. 22 fl oz (650 ml) measured by filling the bowl with water and pouring it into a kitchen measuring cup.

Photo courtesy of Vargo Outdoors


The product tag simply states:
Titanium "Sierra 750"
Weight: 4.5 oz
Made in China
Packaged in USA

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

The Sierra 750 is the size of a large bowl or small pot with a ventilated lid and is pouched in a mesh drawstring bag. The bowl has a folding wire handle with a sliding handle stabilizer bar to prevent the handle from being squeezed during use. There are 6 strainer holes located near the edge of the lid on one side and one vent hole near the edge on the opposite side. The drawstring on the bag has a plastic cord lock.


The bowl and lid are titanium. The lid has a plastic knob.

The construction does not appear to be of the highest quality in that the top edge of the bowl is not flat, the rolled lip is not uniform around the circumference and the lid does not fit at all snugly. The photo shows the lid in the best position I could manage and there is still a 1/8" (3 mm) gap on one side.


There is some discoloration on the lid near the logo. I have not attempted to clean it yet.

TRYING IT OUT

When I removed the Sierra 750 from the mesh bag, I heard a noise as if something was loose. It turns out that there is a small particle trapped within the rolled lip that rolls around the diameter of the cup when it is turned. I found this to be quite annoying and will attempt to brush it out prior to use. There are other particles trapped at the edge of the rolled lip which can be seen in the photo.


I was able to open the handle and snap it into place easily although once I did squeeze it too much such that the wire handle came out of its hole. This was easy enough to put back in place, so it really was not a problem. The stabilizer bar that pushes against the wire handle to keep it from collapsing is key. It is easy to slide into a useful position and seems sturdy enough to prevent an inadvertent collapse of the handle.

Although the lid did not fit snugly to the bowl, it was easily pushed and held in place with the knob on the lid to provide a snug fit while draining water through the drainage holes in the lid.

TESTING STRATEGY

My testing strategy is to use the Titanium Sierra 750 as my primary cup/bowl/pot throughout the testing period. I will use it as a cup for drinking cocoa, as a bowl for eating oatmeal and hot dinners and as a pot for heating water and cooking meals. I will have to carry a measuring cup during the test period, but at the conclusion I plan to make my own markings on the Sierra 750 so that it will serve both purposes.

Most of my backpacking trips will be in the Northern Sierra Nevada mountains of California. I also have a backpacking trip planned to the Superstition Wilderness (Arizona) for 3-4 days in April. The rest of that week will be car camping where it will also be used.

The Sierra 750 will get hand washed on the trail and in the dishwasher at home (post trip) so I will be able to comment on ease of cleanup with both methods.

Additionally, I plan to evaluate the following :
How well does it keep liquid warm?
How does heat transfer from warm liquid, i.e. is it hot to the touch of hands and lips?
How stable is it with its sloping sides?
How does it fit in my hand with and without gloves?
Is the handle comfortable?
How does it hold its shape in a backpack?
How easy is it to bend the handle?
I would like to cycle the handle multiple times and evaluate whether it becomes loose or suffers other problems
Is it scratch resistant?
How easy is it to heat water directly on my MSR Whisperlite stove? Is it stable? Does the handle get too hot?

SUMMARY

In summary, I found the quality of the Sierra 750 to be somewhat lacking especially in that the lid does not fit snugly to the bowl. I like the light weight.

Thanks to Vargo Outdoors and BackpackGearTest.org for allowing me to test the Sierra 750.

This concludes my Initial Report. The Field Report will be amended to this report in approximately two months from the date of this report . Please check back then for further information.

Reviews > Cook Gear > Cooking Accessories > Vargo Titanium Sierra 750 > Test Report by Nancy Griffith