I like that the fork and knife are useful as opposed to the near useless one on a plain spork.

The GSI Outdoors Kung Foon consists of extra-thick stainless steel, so expect some deep gouges if you let this product scrape a non-stick surface. Lighter and cheaper ($3.95) than any of the Ti options I have looked at, while being durable enough to have lasted more than 200 meals with n no sign of wear. Our outdoor enthusiasts put these sporks to the test during many activities, from weekday lunch breaks to ultralight backpacking trips. Depending on your standards, this action can be accomplished in a variety of ways. This spork is made from7075-T6 aluminum alloy which is hard anodized for excellent durability. Copyright 2022 99Boulders LLC. Thus to accommodate even the dirtiest of dirtbags, we investigated each model's ability to be wiped clean by mouth and with a dry towel. The spork is a camping essential on your gear list, so dont make light of it when it comes time to shop. Your typical silverware, as well as the majority of these products, measures 6.5" from tip to tines. Thats a lot of money for something that cant cut through my chicken teriyaki. The beauty of the MRE is that you can eat it straight out of the bag without the mess. Theyre also available in two lengths, 6.5 and 8.6. Sold in sets of 4, but still quite inexpensive and ECO friendly! These are all important questions you will need to ask yourself. The Snow Peak Titanium Spork is my go-to for any and every food consumption related activity. Theyre not stiff or strong enough. Dried sticky food can be a challenge to remove. Why is it more than 3x as heavy as the average spork? Unlike the Sea to Summit Delta, the KBar knife pulls out of the spork handle and you can use it to cut a piece of venison or salami or cheese. This niche backpacker's cooking tool, utensil hybrid maximizes versatility and thrives in a backcountry setting. It's more stable when stirring thick food and features an angled bowl that is deliberately designed to facilitate scooping and stirring. Its ability as a soup scooping, food stirring, durable camp kitchen utensil was near on par with the Snow Peak Titanium Spork. All rights reserved. I love sporks haha, what an invention. However, as a converso: (right-handed person that is now left-handed) I point out that the spoon/knife combo is not comfortable for lefties. We tested our products with various meals, specifically evaluating their ability to maneuver a bowl of ramen noodles and stab meat. GearLab is reader-supported.

However, I had LOTS of trouble scooping spaghetti with it and Im too much of a carb lover to make that sacrifice. Nick Gatel just posted on his blog about polishing the bowl on his spoon. The cost/benefit just isnt there for me. Cooking with this 6.5-inch model is easy in conventionally sized pots and pans, but a bit too short for ideal use with dehydrated food bags. If you are purchasing a spork for your first big car camping trip, weight may not be as important (aluminum/titanium). Metal sporks will be the most durable, as plastic can break. For this test, we wanted to answer the following questions: How efficiently does the spork serve as a stirring device? It needs to be functional and actually perform. Color: Get a brightly colored spork if youre prone to lose them on backpacking trips. An aside- I believe they also make a longer set for eating out of bags, but I havent used it personally. Thats only touching the surface. The upgraded counterpart of our Best Value pick, the Light My Fire Plastic Spork, the Light My Fire Titanium Spork is not to be underestimated. Im pleased to say we had relatable findings. You shouldnt be limited by your spork on what types of food you can buy and eat on the trail. You cant beat the size though! However, for most meals, this competitor shines and will keep you happy for many adventures to come. After many years of backcountry travel over snow, Trish traded in her splitboard for a traditional climbing rack and has been chasing dry rock ever since. I got mine a few years back from some online retailer. I like that I can eat out of a pouch with a proper length utensil. Attachment points and reusable tether work together to affix the spork to a pack or hang it up to dry. I have a couple. One of the lightest and most durable of the models we tested, this was our favorite for heading deep into the backcountry, and we liked it well enough for regular use. We dumped all the sporks in a pot together and boiled them on a stove on high heat for 4 minutes. Dumb question, I know, but where do you and readers carry your spork? It fascinates me because it is so wildly different and rogue. Basically, a spoon covered with a silicone cover that extended a bit around the perimeter. I thought the serrated knife looked nice, but wondered if it was either too safe to be a gimmick or it actually could give you the joker look if you were not careful :D. The first one from Sea to Summit has a built in knife. . The design is actually more impressive than the LMF Plastic but not worth the price difference in my opinion. Theyre a mouthful. For the stirring portion of this experiment, we used Frontier Chicken Noodle Soup (obviously) because.

I wish the armed forces would learn your immutable law of industrial design and stop trying to build insanely expensive vehicles, aircraft or ships that cover many missions adequately, without handling any specific role very well. Eating soup with one always left a little dribble on my chin/beard. The Toak Titanium Sporkfeatures a polished bowl and matte finish, for improved grip. While all of these products were successful at sauteing, we want to note a few caveats. All Rights Reserved. Ive had bad experiences with plastic sporks breaking. Some of us like the packability of grains like couscous. Does it seem like the prongs may scratch the roof of my mouth? Because Im a monster and I use my hands). Surprised the Unitensil fold flat spork isnt mentioned. Material: Wood, titanium, aluminum, nylon, or plastic? We all told him to patent that nonsense at the time, but in reality, he ended up eating with his hands a lot that week. For some reason, my Sea to Summit long Ti spoon had a polished bowl from the factory (I got it maybe 4 years ago), but the current ones are not polished. Perhaps more amazing, is the amount of creativity and design ingenuity that manufacturers have applied to making different types and styles of sporks to fit different needs and preferences. GearLab is founded on the principle of honest, objective, reviews.

After? We tested their durability, functionality and versatility as a kitchen utensil, and Im here to tell you exactly which is the best spork for you, based on your individual camping needs. We let the soup get as hot as possible and got to stirring, testing each spork throughout the entire cooking process and observing if steam ever became too hot to bear. Thanks for sharing that blog! The goal of this test was to determine how well each spork works for its intended use as a camp utensil. I really like my Snow Peak spork and use it all the time. We performed this both before our boil test and after, because if these sporks are breakable, we wanted you to know exactly how and where. I saw one with a loop handle, but thats not it. To make sure these products were able to stand up to even the most robust culinary experience, we purposefully set out to test their limits. Personally, I use my OCD instead, and am fanatical about knowing where my spoon is. (Im just kidding.). After many months of living and traveling in a pop-up camper, Trish has a keen sense for the necessities within a small space as well as ultralight options for fast and light mountain pursuits. Not to mention, I think the mildly awkward spoon-on-one-side and fork-on-the-other design is kinda cheating as a spork. Then, for good measure, we used each spork to scrape out the remaining contents of the pot. All single-ended models excelled with ramen. But its the best spork Ive found. Yet, I almost want to keep it and convert it into a keychain.

However, the other plastic models were prone to bending while stirring and had an insubstantial feel with use. We decided to test durability in two main ways: Boil test: What happens when we boil the sporks? Are you familiar with the Guyot Designs Microbites utensil set? I had a spoon and fork made fromunbreakable plastic and didnt want to pay $10 for a spork. It keeps your bag clean and allows you to do the heavy cleaning once you're back at home. Your email address will not be published. All right, ill be the one to say it. We only make money if you purchase a product through our links, and we never accept free products from manufacturers. After you know which material will truly suit you the best, then you can begin to study other important features. More spoon than fork so works well with soups and other liquids. Super light and super tough, this titanium spork has a small eyelet at the end, large enough to loop paracord through so you can clip it to your pack. The ultimate in shape shifting, The Switch Spork stores compact but transforms into a dedicated spoon, fork and knife, or telescopes together to form an extra-long utensil ideal for deep walled containers like freeze dried meals in bags. Like most gear purchases, the most important thing to consider is what is important to you. When you click on links to buy products we may earn money to support. You have to pick either the spoon or the fork side, and once your choice is made, you're either committed or willing to swap ends and deal with the messy consequences. UCO Ware has a Limited lifetime warranty. I dont like the way it feels much either but its the sores that are the deal-breaker. (Why didnt we attempt to scoop the spaghetti? It all depends on your most frequent needs and priorities. If somebody gifted me this spork for Christmas, you wouldnt hear me complain. Makes me cringe just thinking about the roughness on my mouth/teeth. OSPREY-PACKS: Backpacking Pack Sale! Weighing just 19.5 grams, the Sea-to-Summit Delta Spork with Knife is the last eating utensil youll ever need. BPA Free, dishwasher and microwave safe, theSpork profile also matches the inside curve of the Sea to Summit Delta Bowl and Plate, sold separately, so you can scrape your plate clean. Here are the most important properties of a spork and some guidance about how to select one that will work best for you. The sleek nylon material makes it easy to wipe clean when you are on the trail, and the large bowl delivers a satisfying amount of your favorite soup or stew. As a good rule of thumb, once you think youve chosen the right spork, ask the most important question: Would I be willing to replace my entire home utensil set with this spork? Weve done the dirty work for you and put six of the most popular sporks to the test in a head-to-head competition. No significant deformity occurred during our formal testing period, but the edge of the bowl that touches the pan became blunted from the repeated contact with the hot pan. When you buy something through one of the links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. No ads. It started out as a spoof on 10 best posts, but turned out quite useful! Free Shipping and Returns. If youre looking for something you can throw into a pack or even purse or briefcase during the workweek and forget about, you probably want something indestructible and lightweight (titanium).

We determined that there are three main performance aspects to a camping spork: We devised tests to help us determine each sporks performance in these three key areas.

Most testers felt they could achieve the same slicing power by utilizing the thin wall of the bowl of the metal products like the Vargo Titanium ULV, the Snow Peak Titanium, the Toaks Titanium (non-folding), and the Sea to Summit AlphaLight. Sauteed veggies with eggs is a fundamental camp mealjust poke your head around the Yosemite Search and Rescue camp, and you'll discover that this team is fueled by almost nothing else. Not only does the thick design lend to its strength, but it improves the comfort of the bowl and tines when eating. The result is a comprehensive review that will help you find the perfect cutlery to match your unconventional eating needs. Because of its long handle, it acts as the perfect stirring spoon and makes eating out of a plastic bag seem like something humans should always do. High quality and great design. Made with bamboo, each spork only weighs 12.4 grams. Its not going to damage anything else from in there. I never liked the jaggy edge on most sporks, and most are too short for food in a pouch. Compact enough to neal in my 850 mug/pot. The Toaks Titanium falls somewhere in between the Snow Peak and the Vargo, featuring a smooth bowl and textured handle to increase comfort and dexterity. It weighs less than a nickel, 1/4th of many of the sporks in the article, costs about $4.00USD and is food grade dishwasher safe plastic. This is a weird thing to comment about but here I go: texture is also an important consideration when choosing a backpacking spork. You can tell right away that this spork was designed with the human mouth in mind. Made with bamboo, its hand finished with a light treatment of all-natural, organic, food-safe oil that wont warp and swell in soapy water. We tested four of the most popularly consumed trail foods to make sure that the spork truly performed, because nobody wants to play here comes the airplane by themselves at the campsite.

Greenbelly Meals Review: Are They Any Good? Is the spoon too wide to fit in my mouth or too narrow to actually scoop? Ive moved on to a folding spoon like #8 above (but just metal, I think; it came in a set with a fork and butter knife) and since its texture is just like regular home flatware I have no problem with it. The Light My Fire Titanium performed best at this task, with the Snow Peak Titanium and the Vargo Titanium ULV following close behind. After buying them all, we spent months cooking and eating over a hundred meals in a wide variety of environments. As an added bonus, theyre made with 100% recycled nylon!

Made laugh when I saw ten best. https://www.rei.com/product/108030/humangear-gobites-duo-fork-and-spoon-set, Hyperlite Mountain Gear Backpacks: How to Choose, How to Reduce Your Backpacking Water Weight, Backpacking and Fly Fishing the Dry River, How to Stop Your Superfeet Insoles from Squeaking, Bare Boxer Contender Review: A Small 2-3 Day Bear Canister, Nitecore 10000 mAh USB Power Bank (5.9 oz), Feathered Friends Flicker 40 Quilt Sleeping Bag. The heads tines are long enough to spear delicate morsels in addition to slurping down noodles or other soupy meals. While it may be small and easily forgettable, the idea of getting your hands covered in rehydrated beef stroganoff every night can be a major emotional breaking point in the backcountry. I usually just drop it into the food bag, too.

The fork side is slightly useless, the knife side seems designed for left-handers but works okay. There's no one-size-fits-all when it comes to these products making for a number great options depending on your unique cutlery needs. I loved my bamboo spoon at first, but discovered during a rainy week that it absorbs moisture and grows mold if you cant get it completely dry. Your hands only get a little bit sticky when eating out of an MRE, but you will have no problems scooping up the last bits of ooey, gooey goodness before licking it clean. Plastic is usually the cheapest and lightest. Shortly after completing this experiment, one of my colleagues asked: Why didnt you just throw the sporks into a backpack and rough up the backpack? We plan to make them bigger and better from here on out! Will it serve any multi-functional purposes if necessary (kitchen serving spoon, bottle opener, spatula, knife)? Its a stupid way to identify good authoritative content, but thats what people type into Google, so thats how it ranks content. There are inevitably trade-offs, though, which I explain with this little graphic I made: There are three prominent types of material used to make sporks: Titanium is the strongest of these three. KBar came out with a decent polycarb spork that has a really sharp polycarb knife embedded in the handle. I get it! To that, I say nay! If other colors are available, click color swatches above to check. Has a decent bowl side to the spoon, its single-sided so I dont mess my hands, a touch short but thats still good for packability. Mold is easy to clean off, but leaves unappetizing stains. A properly designed rounded edge would have been much nicer and perhaps have been a cheaper die design also. Reusable sporks cost money, even if it's only a little. I saw a couple of the short ones on eBay, but internationally and very pricey They do sell here a fork mini with a similar handle. Buckle up this is the Ultimate Spork Showdown. Supposedly making it easier to get the last bits off ones pot or bowl. Weighing 18 grams, the bowl is polished smooth giving it a pleasant mouth feel. Some sporks come included in mess kits, camping cookware sets, or backpacking cookware sets. The title of the article cracked me up. The Vargo Titanium ULV is an excellent tool for those looking to save on weight without sacrificing function, material, or longevity. Then I saw all the nerdy comments, so I had to add my own. Maybe they stopped making it or they only retail in Japan. Out of all the sporks we tested, the Sea to Summit AlphaLight Long will always hold a special place in my heart. Seriously guys, because of the placement of the bottle opener feature, I cant effectively hold it with my left hand. Got feedback? The knife is super nice though. The fear was that a spork with too short of a handle could put you at risk of getting burned, and thats really no good in the backcountry. Doesn't reach the bottom of dehydrated food bags. After digging into your first meal, it's easy to see why the Snow Peak Titanium takes the cake. Let us know! Reproduction without permission is prohibited. It is by far the most robust model of all the plastic versions we tested. Weve listed the weights of all the sporks included in this test in the comparison table at the top of the page so you can easily compare them. The spork has a nice deep bowl, but tines that are long enough to use as tines, and the spatula is great for scooping out the last bit of your PB, and it has a serrated edge thats shockingly effective and cutting pretty much anything youd want to eat while backpacking. The titanium colored ones are easy to misplace on the ground because they look like sticks. View cart for details.

Over time, titanium models tend to prove their value, as long as they don't get left at the campsite, in your friend's car, or just lost. Comment *document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a40241dc816c9261be4899967666b1e3" );document.getElementById("je705695a8").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); BACKCOUNTRY.COM: Get 15% Off Your First Order. I did try a GSI Outdoors Essential Travel Spoon, which was intended to be a kind of hybrid spatula and spoon. Adding this spork to the research list left me with more questions than answers. Naturally stain-resistant, this 11.3 gram spork is made without glues or lacquers and USDA certified organic. I had one of the Sea to Summit spork + knife utensils to take on monthly business trips. Multi-purpose: Theres something to be said for having a multi-purpose spork that can open beer bottles or cans, even if they do weigh more than other options. It will scoop, stab and stir as effectively as youd hope any multi-functional kitchen tool could. I dont use a spork, but have the same problem with my spoon. I used this for a weekend camp trip at a camp ground and by far the best gear i have easy to clean and it don't take up a lot of room.i will be during a youtube review on this and just now going oit to buy the mess kit. Theyre great. I recently purchased a Switch to do some winter camping. (Of course, sometimes it just knocks the top off the pot and falls out anyhow.). While overall scores are useful, we recommend that you focus on the metrics you care about most when deciding which utensil to bring on your next adventure. The double-ended design makes eating a bit awkward, but it handled ramen like a champ. When joined together, they form a 9 long utensil which is the perfect length for reaching down into free-dried backpacking meal bags. The thin construction may feel slightly unusual in hand at first, but we found nothing uncomfortable about eating with this model. How long is it and where will I be storing it? This model received high marks in all of our tests: Its low weight and strong material make it ideal for backpacking but comfortable enough to double as an everyday on-the-go utensil. We think the many pros outweigh messy fingers, but this model does quite literally come up short when trying to reach the bottom of a dehydrated food bag or JetBoil backpacking stove. A simple Google will locate it online. Why does my spork need hex wrenches? I can only hope that my readers understand that I have their best interests at heart and that I stand behind the content I publish here. The LightMyFire was the only model that didn't survive general use during our testing period. I laughed at this post, thinking Phillip must have run out of gear to review if hes writing about the lowly spork. The LMF Original and Titanium models held an astounding 8.5 cc's, followed by the Vargo model with 5.75 cc's and the humangear GoBites Uno with 4.5 cc's. The Toaks Titanium non-folding model started to flex after just 3 lbs., then fully bent at around 10 lbs., and we were not able to completely bend it back into its original shape by hand. From backcountry to sidecountry to front country, we used these products at home for breakfast, work-week lunches, car camping dinners, and as our multi-purpose utensils while trekking, backpacking, and ski touring. We started by rinsing each spork with cold running water and no additional tools other than our fingers. The sides are shaped to make it easy to scrape food out of bowls and bags so you dont miss one calorie of your backpacking meals. Inside my Ursack. I have a titanium Sea to Summit spoon that I was very excited about because its so light but after using it for several trips I realized that the rough texture actually gives me sores on my lips. Next, I cut off the brush portion of my camp toothbrush, Dremeled the back until it roughly fit the back of the spork then glued it on. Still, we like the value of the titanium models. Unless youre car camping, you should carefully consider the weight of every piece of gear youre carrying. Fashion may often be sacrificed for function, but comfort should only be abandoned as the last resort; after all, your food should be the star of the meal, not your utensil. Dont try to use them as tent stakes though. Highly recommend. I was so proud of my little kitchenette set-up, until Night 1 when I attempted to make quesadillas. Its 8.5" length provides just the right amount of bonus length to make it eclipse the standard models in this category. The pure-grade titanium material of the utensil sets it apart from the more common plastic ultralight options, so be prepared to spend extra for the upgraded material. We put all our natural force into snapping the handle or the prongs like a twig. The Snow Peak Titanium on a backcountry ski trip. Stirring may sound like a simple task, but the depth of the pot plays a considerable role. Why isnt it our Top Pick, then? Researchers Note: If your tent-mate is a notorious spoon biter, gift them the Light My Fire Plastic Spork for minimal mid-meal noise pollution. The CRKT Eatn Tool is heavy, short, awkward, comes with a bottle opener and is probably indestructible.

The differences are far more nuanced and defy categorization. When choosing the best camping chair, we have a lot of GSI Outdoors Kung Foon spork and chopstick combination, the world's most carefully tested and objective gear reviews, Super lightweight, quality material, comfortable to eat with, Great texture, least expensive of the titanium options, Great for JetBoils and dehydrated food bags, lightweight, Does not break, easy to clean, large capacity, Doesnt reach the bottom of dehydrated food bags, pricey, Does not reach bottom of dehydrated food bag, not as durable, Awkward shape for eating, doesnt pack well, This model is a utilitarian, familiar, and practically indestructible on the go utensil, earning it our favor over all others, Designed for long distance backpacking due to its durability despite a very minimal weight, Sufficient for backcountry travel due to its design features including a smooth bowl for improved mouthfeel and textured handle to enhance gripping while you refuel, This extra long utensil is the perfect tool for camp cooking but not without a minor sacrifices in comfort, The classic, two-sided design gets a significant upgrade in the form of this titanium model, The best model for your on-the-go meal needs, This model has an exceptionally low weight and top-notch durability, making it the ideal backcountry utensil, A great option for the backcountry due to its comfortable and lightweight design, While not the most comfortable utensil to eat with, the extra long handle is ideal for backcountry cooking, A titanium upgrade that solves the biggest issue with the plastic version of this spork, While a bit too heavy for deep backcountry use, this witty utensil combines 3 pieces of cutlery into one, This sturdy plastic model offers the best price to performance ratio, Although lacking in durability, this product is comfortable, lightweight, and highly packable, A hybrid utensil that packs into tight spaces but provides an underwhelming performance, An easily breakable hybrid utensil combining a spoon, fork, and knife.