Backpacking Gear Review: Cooking System

Being on a tight budget. It was important for me to make sure the money I was spending was generating some kind of value and that I wasn’t wasting it.

One particular area I struggled with was finding a suitable cooking system.

I was looking for a specialized piece of kit and the options were overwhelming.

For me, I wanted something compact, lightweight and durable enough to not fall apart on me after only a couple weeks on trial.

I ultimately decided to piece together a personalized setup vs buying one that tries to do it all.

- Toaks Titanium 750ml pot

- Toaks Titanium Long Handle Spoon

- MSR PocketRocket 2

Toaks Titanium 750ml pot

I decided to go with the Toaks for a few reasons. Mostly for the ruggedness I had read about, as well as, how lightweight it is.

But more importantly, its size.

I wanted something just barely big enough I could cook out of, for say 1-2 people. But still small enough to use as a cup for coffee and other beverages.

I didn’t want to have a pot and a cup.

Now when cooking for two, it sometimes seems to small, so if you plan on cooking for two regularly, I’d say consider a larger size pot.

For me however, two is occasional and really I just wanted to make sure I would be able to make a few extra portions for myself, on days I was feeling a little extra hungry.

And this pot is perfect for that.

Toaks Titanium Long Handle Spoon

With the flat head and long handle of this spoon, I found it was easier to get into the bottom of my pot and especially the bottom corner of a bag, like a mountain house meal.

MSR PocketRocket 2

I had read many reviews on cheaper camp stoves but ultimately decided against them, mainly for reliability purposes.

That’s not to say, that those cheaper options are not good stoves. But I felt if I was going to rely on something as important as, my means to a hot meal or even potentially dry socks... I wouldn’t have a problem investing a few extra dollars.

If you have any question, please feel free to leave a comment.