Editors' Choice 2008: GSI Outdoors Dualist Cookware

If the makers of matryoshkas–Russian nesting dolls–ever applied their skills to cooking utensils, the result would look much like the Dualist. The nine-piece cookset simply disappears into itself. The 1.8-liter hard-anodized alloy pot has a clear plastic lid with tiny pasta-straining holes, and a sturdy, rubber-coated handle clamps the whole package together inside the storage sack. The sack doubles as water hauler or mixing bowl. Nested in the pot you’ll find color-coded bowls, insulated cups, and sipper lids for you and a partner. Plus, there’s space left over for a mini canister stove and standard-size fuel can. Add a couple of sporks, and you have a deluxe kitchen for two that weighs only 1 pound, 4 ounces. $50; also available in a one-person version (Soloist, $30); (800) 704-4474; gsioutdoors.com.