MSR Alpine Stowaway 1.1L Backpacking CookPot Evaluate

Backside Line

The MSR Alpine Stowaway 1.1L cookpot provides superior sturdiness and warmth dispersion at a hard-to-beat worth. CleverHiker gear analysts and editors may feed a military with our assortment of Stowaways, however we’ll be sincere, they’re often utilized in automobile tenting eventualities. Nonetheless, they work nice with a wide range of range setups, can deal with extra concerned meal plans, and so they final eternally.

The stainless-steel pot presents a stark distinction of strengths and weaknesses. It’s removed from ultralight and takes up a big quantity of pack area. Thus, it’s greatest used with a bunch that may divvy up shared gadgets.

On the upside, cooking on stainless-steel feels lots like cooking in an actual kitchen. It heats up slowly and evenly, providing far more management than titanium or aluminum. Though it may be cussed to scrub relying on what was cooked in it, there isn’t a fragile non-stick coating to break. It’s additionally good that in your final backcountry meal, you possibly can simply lock the lid, stuff it within the pack, and produce it house to scrub within the kitchen sink.

Talking of sturdiness, the Stowaway can simply stand as much as years of cooking immediately on a fireplace or abuse from clumsy backpackers. It’s even sturdy sufficient to make use of for self-defense in case you so select.

Though the Stowaway lacks some frequent cooking options, it’s by far probably the most sturdy one in our information to the most effective backpacking cookpots.

How We Examined

Our complete testing of the Alpine Stowaway pot spanned a number of real-world eventualities. We evaluated its non-stick properties by way of egg-cooking trials and measured boil effectivity with 500 mL of water. Area testing within the Rocky Mountains allowed us to guage efficiency throughout numerous circumstances and range setups. 

Cooking Efficiency

The MSR Alpine Stowaway is nice for minimalist base camp cooking. Stainless-steel heats up a lot slower than different cookset supplies similar to titanium or aluminum. Though this leads to a slower boiling time, it considerably reduces the burn threat.

The stainless-steel can also be comparatively thick and distributes warmth extra evenly. This even warmth distribution makes for evenly cooked meals, and the thickness of the metal retains warmth for longer. The massive pot diameter additional distributes warmth evenly and makes cooking simpler. These attributes collectively imply that warmth is less complicated to manage general.

Since stainless-steel is extensively utilized in house and industrial kitchens, the Alpine Stowaway is pretty just like what most individuals are used to cooking on. This makes it ultimate for newbie backcountry cooks or those that like slightly extra management for in-depth base camp cooking.

The draw back of stainless-steel is that it’s not the simplest to scrub, so it’s a good suggestion to pair it with some metal wool.

Weight & Packability

Weight and packability usually are not the Alpine Stowaway’s robust fits. The tradeoff to stainless-steel’s comparatively superior cooking means is its added weight. 

The Alpine Stowaway 1.1L is among the heaviest pots that we examined, with an general packed weight of 14.7 ounces and a capacity-to-weight ratio of 107mL per ounce. At almost a pound, this pot will add a big quantity of weight to your pack, so it’s greatest used with a pair or a bunch that divvies up shared gadgets.

The 1.1 model of this pot will take up a big quantity of actual property in your pack as effectively. The general packed quantity of about 147 cubic inches is giant even for a one-liter pot, and the massive diameter eliminates the flexibility to pack it in a aspect pocket. The brief, squat form of the pot solely accommodates a 4-ounce gas canister, albeit with loads of additional area for a backpacking range. 

The folding deal with and latch maintain the lid securely in place, nevertheless it’s a good suggestion to deliver alongside a cleansing fabric to cut back rattling from the additional inside area.

Usability

The simplicity of the pot lacks fancy bells and whistles, nevertheless it cuts down on value and provides easy performance. The stainless-steel cooking floor, though semi-non-stick, lacks a non-stick coating and generally is a exercise to scrub.

The deal with is sturdy and in a position to maintain lots of pot weight, and it stays cool when cooking. It additionally folds up and latches to carry the lid and the pot’s contents in place. Though the latch is safe, we discovered it might get caught and be slightly awkward to work with.

The minimal pot lid doesn’t have any drain holes, a pour spout, or a stress launch. Whereas the simplicity could be a downfall for individuals who get pleasure from extra concerned cooking, it makes for safe storage of leftovers. The lid additionally contains a small deal with, nevertheless it tends to get sizzling.

As a result of the bottom of the pot is so giant, with a diameter of about 6 ¼ inches, it’s best used with bigger backpacking stoves. Ultralight stoves lack enough stability, which may result in spillage or worse.

Sturdiness

One other energy of stainless-steel, together with its glorious warmth management, is its superior sturdiness. The thick stainless-steel is unlikely to warp or bend even after years of use over excessive warmth. You would even cook dinner immediately on sizzling coals with this pot, which isn’t one thing we might suggest for skinny titanium or aluminium. 

The deal with and latch are probably the most noticeable weak factors on the Alpine Stowaway just because they’re the one transferring components, however even these elements are very sturdy. 

The Alpine Stowaway is the right pot for anybody who’s tough on their gear or enjoys cooking over a fireplace. It’s so heavy-duty that you might even use it for self-defense.

Ought to You Purchase the MSR Alpine Stowaway cookPot?

For anybody who appreciates practical simplicity, at-home cookability, cozy over-the-fire cooking, or a killer finances purchase, the Alpine Stowaway 1.1L is a no brainer that may final a lifetime of untamed meals. 

What it lacks in options, it makes up for with glorious cooking efficiency. Though it takes some time to boil water, the thick stainless-steel heats up slowly and evenly, identical to your pans at house. It’s nice for newbie backcountry cooks or anybody who enjoys sautéing recent meals within the backcountry.

Though it’s undoubtedly not ultralight, the folding deal with and latch maintain every part securely, eliminating the necessity for a stuff sack. In a bunch setting the place gear weight might be distributed throughout a number of packs, the 14.7-ounce weight isn’t too heavy for a sturdy, home-style cooking floor.

The Alpine Stowaway could be the right pot in case you’re a bushcrafter who loves cooking immediately on the fireplace or somebody who often automobile camps however sometimes needs to backpack shorter journeys.

What Different Backpacking Cookware Ought to You Think about?

In our full information to backpacking cookware, we’ve examined cooksets for each backpacking type.

MSR Fusion Ceramic 2-Pot Set Evaluate: This cookset provides the most effective cooking efficiency of any cookware on our listing with its use of light-weight, ceramic-coated aluminum pots. Though it’s slightly heavier than the Stowaway 1L, it consists of two giant pots. 

Stanley Journey Nesting Two Cup Cookset Evaluate: That is one other ultra-durable stainless-steel cookset. It’s tall and slender versus brief and broad, which lends itself extra in the direction of soups and sizzling drinks than cooking, nevertheless it’s lighter and comes with two cups.

Evernew Titanium Pasta Pot 1L Evaluate: The Pasta Pot is the most effective stability between an ultralight cookset and useful options. It doesn’t cook dinner meals as evenly as stainless, nevertheless it has a large base and a sturdy deal with.