Gear Hall of Fame: Kitchen
Hands down, the best camp cookware of all time.
This ultralight canister stove has a secret weapon inside: a fuel regulator that keeps it burning hot and strong in temps down to 15°F, according to our tests. “It’s unheard of performance for a canister stove,” says one tester. $60; 2.6 oz.; sotooutdoors.com
This high-end titanium mug is worth the spurge. It’s sexy, heirloom tough, and ultralight. “It just seems to make my coffee taste better,” says one tester. $50; 4.2 oz.; snowpeak.com
A spork is the backpacker’s official eating utensil, and this is our all-time favorite. It’s light and tough, and the 7-inch long handle means you can use it to stir a bubbling pot or scrape the last morsels out of the corner of a dehydrated meal bag. $9; .4 oz.; seatosummit.com
Burn virtually any fuel in any conditions with this updated classic. “It’s quite possibly the last stove I’ll ever have to buy,” says one tester. $140; 13.7 oz.; cascadedesigns.com/msr
Quite simply, this is the simplest and lightest way to make a real cup of joe in the backcountry. $17; 2 oz.; cascadedesigns.com/msr
Three of our veteran staffers have used and abused their Alpine sets for a combined 40 years: These burly stainless steel vessels may not be ultralight, but they sure can take a beating. $50; 1 lb. 10 oz.; cascadedesigns.com/msr
Turn any car campground into a five-star gourmet restaurant with one of these giant hunks of awesomeness. With a little finesse, you can make everything from birthday cakes to lasagna to beef roasts. $44-$175; 18 lbs. 10 oz. (12 qt.); lodgemfg.com
A 1-liter insulated cooking cup combined with a ferociously hot burner and integrated heat exchanger and windscreen make this an ideal cooker for the solo ultralighter. “I love the two-minute boil times and the slick way it all packs up together,” reports one tester. $100; 15 oz.; jetboil.com
Ideal for the backcountry gourmet, this handy set includes a small cutting board, various utensils, spice bottles, and even dish-washing implements. $35; 9.6 oz.; gsioutdoors.com
You get everything plus the kitchen sink with this kit—it actually includes a welded nylon stuffsack that holds water for washing dishes. The Micro Dualist includes a 1.4-liter pot with strainer lid, two insulated mugs with lids, two bowls, and two sporks. Toss this in your pack and your kitchen is set. $55; 1 lb. 2 oz.; gsioutdoors.com
A long-time classic, this tiny bottle can accomplish so many things! Use it to brush your teeth, wash your body, clothes, and dishes, shave, and much more. $4.50; 4 oz.; drbronner.com
Made from BPA-free Tritan material, this is the classic backcountry vessel, and with good reason. The wide mouth makes it ultraversatile for rehydrating dried foods or treating and scooping water and the measurements on the sides make things easy in the kitchen. And it’s bomber. “I’ve used mine on hundreds of trips over the past 8 years and it’s still going strong,” says one tester. $11; 6.3 oz.; store.nalgene.com
Made from pliable food-grade silicone, this clever set is easy to pack, a snap to clean, and perfect for everything from noodles to soup to hot chocolate. $17 for bowl/cup set; guyotdesigns.com