Reviews > Cook and Food Storage Gear > Cooking Accessories > GSI Glacier Stainless Tea Kettle > Test Report by Mark Thompson

GSI OUTDOORS GLACIER STAINLESS TEA KETTL
TEST SERIES BY MARK THOMPSON
LONG-TERM REPORT
March 13, 2013

CLICK HERE TO SKIP TO THE FIELD REPORT
CLICK HERE TO SKIP TO THE LONG-TERM REPORT

TESTER INFORMATION

Outdoor adventures started for me at an early age, my passions have grown to include backpacking, rock climbing, hiking, hunting, fishing, canoeing, cycling, skiing and snowshoeing. Most of my adventures presently take place in Colorado's amazing Rocky Mountains. For trail hikes, my pack typically weighs 15 lbs/7 kg (summer/fall), 25 lbs/11 kg (winter/spring) and trail speed ranges from 2.5 - 4 mph (4 - 6 km/h) depending on elevation gain. For backpack trips, my pack weighs 40 - 45 lbs (18 - 20 kg) and my trail speed drops to 1.5 - 3.0 mph (2 - 5 km/h).

INITIAL REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: GSI Outdoors
Year of Manufacture: 2012
Manufacturer's Website: http://www.gsioutdoors.com
MSRP: US $22.95
Listed Weight: 9.3 oz (264 g)
Measured Weight: 8.9 oz (252 g)
Other details:
Capacity: 1 quart (32 oz/ 0.95 L)
Material: stainless steel

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

This is a neat little kettle that is advertised to be able to withstand the rigors of backpacking and the traditional camp fire. Being the type of backpacker that doesn't typically use a fire for cooking (unless it is for a steak) I am eager to give this a try.

The kettle is fitted with a folding handle and includes a cam-type action to keep the handle upright and securely in place during use, but not so stiff that I can fold it out of the way easily. The lid fits quite securely without being troublesome. The spout appears to be sufficient for pouring without being excessively large, especially when it comes to packing up camp and heading down the trail.

TRYING IT OUT

After unpacking the kettle, I tried a variety of packing options as I certainly do not want to waste valuable pack space for just a piece of cookware. I found that a small size isobutyl fuel canister will fit with the lid closed, unfortunately though, the large (8 oz/227 g) fuel canister is just slightly too tall to fit inside the kettle with the lid closed.

TESTING STRATEGY

Most of my backwoods cooking merely involves boiling water so I am really looking forward to seeing how well the kettle performs. I am quite interested to see how well the material resists camp fire soot as I don't relish the thought of putting soot covered cookware in my pack, nor do I wish to spend time scrubbing cookware in the back country (or anywhere for that matter).

SUMMARY

This appears to be a neat kettle with the outdoors and those who venture there in mind.

Pros:
- compact
- folding handle with camming mechanism to stay upright

Cons:
- none

FIELD REPORT

FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

Over the past two months my outdoor activities have been varied and awesome! Car camping, backpacking, snowshoeing and ice climbing have filled my weekends and kept a smile on my face. The GSI Outdoors Glacier Stainless Steel Tea Kettle has accompanied me along the way. Activity specifics include:


Backpacking
Along the Colorado Trail
Temperature: 24 to 38 Deg F (-4 to 3 Deg C)

Snow Travel Training
St Mary's Glacier, Colorado
Temperature: 10 to 18 Deg F (-12 to -7 Deg C)

Technical Ice Climbing
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Temperature: 9 to 33 Deg F (-12 to 0 Deg C)

PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD

I have used the kettle with two different stoves, one using white gas fuel and the other using canister fuel. The kettle was easily compatible with both stoves. Although not surprising, it was not compatible with stoves that are designed to fit a specific pot like those using heat exchangers. The shorter stance and wider base of the kettle did seem to aid in providing a lower profile and thus supporting a stable combination overall.



The handle is affixed to the tea kettle on mounts that incorporate a camming type of action that keeps the handle upright or laying flat. Having the handle upright in use makes it easy to grasp when in use. This is especially helpful when wearing winter gloves. I did note, however, that the handle does tend to get hot even when in the upright position. The lid remains secure on the kettle, however, the lid does not incorporate a similar camming feature on the lid handle. The lack of such a device makes it difficult to remove the lid when the lid is hot or when wearing gloves.

The kettle did perform rather well with the arduous task of melting snow and then raising to a boil. The wide opening not only facilitates storing a fuel canister inside while packed, but also provides easy access for snow. I also found that the kettle has a listed capacity of 32 fluid ounces (0.95 L), but realistically, it can only accommodate approximately 24 fluid ounces (0.71 L) at a rolling boil.

SUMMARY

The GSI Outdoors Glacier Stainless Tea Kettle has performed well and has met my expectations.

Pros:
- Sturdy construction
- Handle stays upright
- Wide opening

Cons:
- Advertised volume is for water at ambient temperature, not at a rolling boil
- Handle gets hot to the touch

LONG-TERM REPORT

LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

The weather this year in Colorado has, well, thrown us all a bit for a loop. There has been just enough snow to be annoying and inhospitable, but not enough to give us those great days of snow travel in the mountains. Regardless, the GSI Outdoors Stainless Tea Kettle has accompanied me along the way. Since my last report, I have managed to spend a lot of time ice climbing. While this type of activity doesn't generate the same amount of test time, it certainly gives a different perspective in terms of product usage, and clearly, all at below freezing temperatures! Fortunately, I have also been able to sneak in a night or two in the woods, although the temperatures could have been a bit warmer to appease my wife (she would say it felt like ten nights). Over the length of the entire test I have managed 5 overnight/backpack adventures and an additional 6 day trips.

PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD

The GSI Outdoor Stainless Tea Kettle performed well throughout the test period. As mentioned previously, I have used the kettle with both white-gas and canister gas stoves, both with sucessful results (i.e. boiling water). Regardless of the stove or fuel type, the kettle seemed no worse for wear after each use and I was happy to return it to my pack, after it cooled of course.

During this testing period I really found that the kettle seemed to be best suited for temperatures above freezing, but certainly less than "t-shirt" weather. The kettle did seem to cool off quickly, rather obvious as it is not insulated. With temperatures below freezing coupled with the lack of a heat exchanger and insulation, the kettle did seem to take a bit to melt snow and turn it into that wonderfully refreshing and boiling beverage. This isn't to say that this a bad product or one lacking in quality, just that it worked well but maybe not as well as other products with more features (which we all know have an added cost).

I really see myself using the GSI Outdoors Tea Kettle on a cool day hike or an exploratory trip that combined the car and some off-road adventures.

SUMMARY

The GSI Outdoors Glacier Stainless Tea Kettle has performed well and has met my expectations. My "pros" and "cons" from my field report remain:

Pros:
- Sturdy construction
- Handle stays upright
- Wide opening

Cons:
- Advertised volume is for water at ambient temperature, not at a rolling boil
- Handle gets hot to the touch


Thank you GSI Outdoors and BackpackGearTest.org for making this test possible.

Reviews > Cook and Food Storage Gear > Cooking Accessories > GSI Glacier Stainless Tea Kettle > Test Report by Mark Thompson