Kayak Mugs Bowls & Sporks Review

There are a glutton of camp cooking products on the market these days – some gimmicks some truly remarkable. I’ve been slow to shelve my trusty stainless steel mug, and military surplus mess kit for these new products. Why? Because I believe a product has to be “multi-use” and also be “technologically superior” saving me precious time and energy, but without paying an arm and a leg for it. Titanium pots are great for weight conscious folks, but for the cost I don’t believe its worth it unless you’re a weight conscious expedition paddler – but then you probably cut the tags off your clothing too. I do use a titanium pot for our multi kayak and hike guided trips in the Olympic National Park. When I need to carry gear on my back, titanium suddenly becomes affordable.

Having said this, you’re a mug if you leave shore without a decent coffee mug and plunger combo! My old stainless mug now stays home and has been replaced with a multi-purpose stainless steel mug and coffe plunger combo. Mine shamefully happens to be a starbucks model (I cant give up stainless) because in a pinch I can also use it as a pot to boil water directly on a stove, something my trusty old mug once did on a cold stormy night when my strength was sapped, and a cuppa soup soothed and saved my soul from hypothermia. REI sells a nice double shot mug/punger/coffee storage all in one. Yes I’m a coffee addict, and for early morning paddles my brew needs to stay hot all morning. I clip my mug to an extra paddle biner (a full loop handle on your mug is great for this) on my pfd, and paddle and sip the morning away. If you drink coffee like its going out of style, you’ll need a kayak cockpit pee bottle – cut the top off your next Gatorade plastic bottle and hey presto you have a porta pee bottle for long crossings. For the ladies, well you’ll need a kind sole to hold your kayak while you dangle over the side.

Lets talk utensils. Nothing new here except leave your knife and fork at home and grab a single “spork” Yes it’s a knife, fork and spoon utensil all morphed into one. Soon maybe they’ll integrate a tooth brush into it too! That’s a joke folks, I love my spork. Buy two as your mates in camp seem to always steal it. Buy a metal version if your wanting to cut thru a T bone steak from the bbq.

You can thank the army for coming up with the multi functional mess kit, which one can pick up at a local thrift store or army surplus shop for next to nothing. Nothing comes close to be able to use this great large bowl as a plate or an awesome fry pan with fold up handle – I have yet to replace it, really. But last year a great new item hit the shelves – the squishy bowls by guyotdesigns. It hasn’t fully replaced my mess kit because it fails the multi use it as a fry pan test. It has one its place simply because it squishes down into the tiniest crevice in my kayak, and weighs next to nothing. For about $14.95 you get a great bowl and mug combo, good for hot or cold drinks and goodies, and made of food grade silicone good to temps up to 400 deg F, and dishwasher safe. I like their motto too: Eat well, travel light. Another product is the origami plates and bowls that store flat and fold into wonderful bowls. Word of caution, practice it a few times in the warmth of your home before heading out – I now have a new “guide duty” to add to my list of things to do. Not only do I have to cook gourmet meals but now have to assemble your bowls too! The cons of the origami bowls is they are a bit tough to clean as food gets into the folded edges, so you have to unfold it to clean it well. Shoot me an email if you like or dislike these products or have some better items in your mess kit. So eat well and travel light, I do with my coffee mug/plunger and new squishy bowl!