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GSI Glacier Stainless Kettle
Test Series by Kathryn Montovan
Tester Information
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Name: |
Kathryn Montovan |
Biography:
I have been backpacking, climbing,
kayaking, canoeing and winter camping for over 10 years. My excursions
are mostly weekend and occasionally weeklong backpacking and kayaking
trips in the wooded and often wet, rolling terrain of western New York.
I usually tarp camp with a small to large group and love to cook fun
and delicious foods on my trips. In general, I strive for a compact and
light pack and value well-made and durable gear.
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E-Mail: |
sull0294(at)gmail(dot)com |
Age: |
29 |
Location: |
Groton, New York USA |
Gender: |
F |
Height: |
5' 5" (1.65 m) |
Weight: |
150 lb (68 kg) |
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INITIAL REPORT
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Product Information and Specifications:
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Manufacturer:
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GSI Outdoors
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Year
of Manufacture:
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2012 |
Manufacturer's Website: |
www.gsioutdoors.com |
MSRP |
US $22.95
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Listed Weight: |
9.3 oz (264 g)
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Measured Weight: |
8.9 oz (252 g) |
Listed Capacity:
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1 qt. (0.95 L)
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Listed Dimensions: |
6.3" x 5.9" x 3.5" (16 x 15 x 8.9 cm) |
Measured Dimensions:
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Base: 6" (15.2 cm) diameter
Opening: 5" (12.7 cm) diameter
Height: 3.5" (8.9 cm)
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Materials: |
Stainless Steel
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Included:
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Tea Kettle and Lid
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The Glacier Tea Kettle pouring water into a thermos
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Product
Description:
The GSI Glacier Kettle (hereafter the "kettle or the "tea kettle") is a
stainless steel tea kettle with a wide base that is designed for
durability and superior heating that allows for cooking over any stove
or open flame. It has a short spout and a handle that folds close to
the kettle for storage but locks into an upright position for easy use
while cooking. The product packaging states that the stainless steel is
"non-reactive
and is impervious to scraping, scratching, scouring and scorching."
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Initial Impressions:
This
is a nice little tea kettle. It is shiny stainless steel and is solidly constructed. It looks like
it will be durable and stand up to the abuses of camping. The handle
easily clicks into place when raised and is secure enough to not fall
down on its own, but is easy to fold down and out of
the way. The spout is short enough to stay out of the way when packed, but long enough to pour well.
I
took out my camping cookware to see how this kettle would nest with
other items and found that my stove fits inside it quite well. I
will need to play with how to pack the kettle in a way that does not
take up a lot of additional space in my pack, but I am confident that I
will be able to pack in and around it so that it fits with my other
gear.
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Trying It Out
I did a simple test of this tea kettle by
heating water in it on my kitchen stove. It took 5 minutes to bring 3
cups (24 fl oz) of water to a simmer (hot enough for tea, but not a
rolling boil). The kettle performed well in this initial test. The hot
water poured smoothly out of the spout without any drips and the handle
stayed in place well, and made it easy to pour the tea kettle. The lid
stayed in place until I tipped the kettle to vertical. On the stove top
the handle of the kettle stayed cool enough to hold without a hot pad.
Over a fire or camp stove I am guessing that the handle will not stay
cool enough to hold, but I will test this when I take the kettle into
the field.
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Summary
I am impressed by my initial test of this kettle and am looking forward
to testing it in the field over a range of stoves. I will keep a close eye on the durability of this tea
kettle, and the ease with which it cleans up after heavy use over a fire.
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FIELD REPORT
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Field Locations and Conditions:
2 night car camping trip to Stillwater Reservoir in the Western
Adirondacks. Conditions: between 50 and 65 F (10 to 18 C), sunny and
dry.
3 hiking/snowshoeing day trips near Ithaca, New York where the kettle
was used for hot drinks at lunch. Conditions included rain, snow, sun,
wind, with temperatures between 20 F and 60 F (-7 to 16 C)
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Performance in the Field:
I am not a coffee drinker, nor do I usually use rehydrated meals when I
am on the trail, but I do seriously love peppermint tea in the morning,
at lunch, and before bed. I have been searching for a nice little
teapot for a while but could never quite justify buying one and packing
the extra weight since I could easily heat water in my pot. But I have
found that when I would really like to make hot drinks, there is
usually food in my pot (either ready to be eaten, or cooking), and that
I really do need to carry along something extra to use for heating
water since it is such an important part of my happiness on the trail.
For this purpose I have been thoroughly impressed by the GSI Glacier
Kettle. It is a sturdy kettle that has held up well to the abuses of
trail use. The handle is very nicely designed. It clicks fairly
securely into place, but is easy to move out of the way if the kettle
is sitting on a surface. So far in this test I have only used the tea
kettle over my homemade alcohol stove. I have found that the water
boils swiftly, the handle stays cool enough to pick up with my bare
hands, and that even excitedly boiling water pours smoothly out of the
kettle. I have not had a need to remove the lid while the kettle is on
the stove or is hot, so I cannot speak to the difficulty of removing
the lid, but testing it while cool I notice that the loop on the lid is
small and if the lid is lifted straight up, then it catches on the
handle (possible a design feature to prevent the lid from falling off
while pouring). Either way, I generally don't need to remove the
lid while the kettle is hot, and have not had the lid fall off during
use yet.
My alcohol stove has left a patina (brownish tint) on the bottom that
is not removed by simple washing, but also does not rub off onto me or
other gear. It does not show any signs of damage from being
packed with my camping gear or in my day pack, and is sturdy enough to
not need special care during packing. I really like the stainless steel
because it is easy to care for, durable, and shiny. With my non-stick
pots I always worry about denting them in my pack or scratching them
with what I put inside, and it is nice to just not have to worry about
any of these things with this kettle.
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The GSI Glacier Kettle in use for hot drinks on a day trip in the snow.
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Likes:
- Sturdy Construction
- Handle locks up but is easy to put down when needed
- Pours well without any drips
- Handle stays cool
- Cleans up well
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Dislikes:
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Summary:
The GSI Glacier Kettle has
been very fun to test. It has performed beautifully and convinced me
that a tea kettle is in fact an important enough piece of gear to be
worth the weight in my pack.
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LONG TERM REPORT
Field Locations and Conditions:4
day hikes near Ithaca, New York where we stopped for hot drinks.
Conditions were similar to in the Field Report and included rain, snow,
sun,
wind, with temperatures between 20 F and 60 F (-7 to 16 C). Stoves
included a white gas camp stove, a wood-gasifier, and an alcohol stove.
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Performance:Different Stoves:
The Glacier Stainless kettle performed well over every stove that I
used (including a white gas stove, wood gasifier stove, and alcohol
stove). I was impressed at how well the kettle cleaned up after use
over a wood stove. When I got it home it was covered in soot (I did not
soap it before use) but after a quick cleaning with dish soap and a
kitchen scrubber almost all the soot was gone and the pot was shiny
again (See pictures to the right). Also, during this test my household
tea kettle became non-functional and I grabbed this kettle to
temporarily take its place. It worked so well that I have been using it
daily at home for my morning tea with beautiful results. It boils
water much more quickly than the other household kettle I have had,
pours neatly, and the handle stays cool if I don't let it boil for too
long. The one downside for use at home is that it doesn't whistle.
Design Features: During
this daily use I started wondering about the purpose of the small divot
in the lid (a place where the lid material is indented down leaving a
small hole). It looks very intentional. At first I thought that it
might create a whistling sound when the water was boiling vigorously,
so I put the kettle on the stove and let it boil vigorously, but no
noise erupted as the steam poured out of the spout. Looking back on it,
I am not surprised, to get a whistle you would have to put something
over the spout. So I kept pondering the question and one morning
realized that the purpose was almost certainly to provide a place for
air to enter the kettle as water is being poured. If this is the
purpose, it works beautifully with water pouring in a nice continuous
stream out of the spout.
I also noticed that when the handle is up, it is difficult to take the
lid off. This is somewhat of a hindrance when trying to fill the
kettle, but when being filled it is typically cold and easily handled
with the handle down. When pouring, the handle effectively keeps the
lid in place so that it does not fall off even when the kettle is
tipped to, or past, 90 degrees.
Wear:
Careful inspection of the kettle at the end of this test shows very few
signs of wear. The only difference that I notice is that the handle
seems to be looser when 'locked' in the upright position. Even with
this looseness, the kettle can still easily by lifted, poured, and
tilted without the handle disengaging.
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The bottom after use over a wood burning stove.
Minutes later after being washed with dish soap and a kitchen sponge.
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Likes:
- Sturdy Construction
- Handle locks up but is easy to put down when needed
- Pours well without any drips
- Handle stays cool
- Cleans up well
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Dislikes:
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Summary:The
GSI Glacier Kettle is a large step above the aluminum kettle I grew up
with. It is sturdy, light, and pours beautifully. In addition, the
handle stays cool when left in the upright position, and the lid is
locked in place during pouring. It is a carefully designed piece of
gear and has been a pleasure to use and test. This kettle may perform
only one task (boiling water) but it does it so well that it will have
a place in my pack when I am not going ultrlight.
I would like to thank GSI Outdoors and BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity
to test this great little kettle.
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