Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This is a nice, basic cook set. The pot is made of stainless steel - thin enough not to be too overwhelmingly heavy, but sturdy enough that it should stand up to the usual rigors of camping/backpacking. I am not too worried about this thing getting squished in my pack or denting horribly if I drop it on a rock. The two cups that come inside it are thick, sturdy cups that can handle hot food and drinks without a problem. Each cup has a mark on the inside of it which is about as high as you'd ever want to put liquid into it. That mark translates into exactly one cup. In addition to the marks on the cups there are also several measurement markings on the cooking pot itself. My biggest concern before ordering this was the shape/design of the cooking pot. It looked long and somewhat narrow - I was worried that it would be unstable when sitting on top of my Pocket Rocket stove. Indeed, when I put it on the stove empty, it looked and felt like an accident waiting to happen. But once it was half full of water, the added weight really settles it down. I wiggled it and jiggled it and poked at it, and it didn't tip over. It held in place securely. I think as long as it is at least half full, it shouldn't tip over - even in a fairly stiff breeze. Although it is a bit tall, I don't think you will need a long-handled spoon to stir it unless you over-fill the pot. It is designed to cook 24 oz, which goes up about halfway up the top part where the pot flares out. A regular-length kitchen spoon can scrape the bottom easily at that depth. The metal conducts heat very quickly - my Pocket Rocket cooks everything absurdly fast, but it felt like this thing conducted the heat into the water even faster than with some of my other stuff. The lid doubles as a strainer and the little strainer holes make it easy to see steam escaping so you can tell when you've got boiling water easily without having to lift the lid. There is a thing to keep your fingers from getting burned while using the lid. I like that the handle for the lid locks up and is rigid. The handle for the pot itself is also very sturdy and sensibly designed. It locks in place very securely both when it is stowed and when it is extended. There is even a tab you slide up the sides to lock the handle in place so you can't accidentally fold it while cooking. The handle is, however, completely uninsulated. Just as the pot conducts heat rapidly - the handle gets super hot almost immediately. I boiled about 2 cups of water on my camp stove - the handle was absolutely scorching hot after that. So plan for a fairly serious pot holder of some kind with this thing. The only real downsides to this unit are the fact that the main handle comes with no insulation and the weight. This set is made of stainless steel - that is why you get so much for so little money. You can get a cook set with similar capabilities made out of aluminum that will be noticeably lighter than this one. If you go up to titanium - you can cut even more weight off. But nothing in life is free. You will spend at least 2x-3x what this cost to get a similar set in aluminum. For titanium - it is more like 5x at least (probably more). This thing weighs just about a pound with both cups inside it. Just how much do you want to spend to shave those ounces off? If you are going solo and want to reduce the weight of this - leave one or both of the heavy green, insulated cups it comes with at home. That would be a meaningful weight reduction. It is dishwasher safe, but they warn you in the instructions that using the dishwasher may "prematurely age components". So, in other words, just wash it by hand. I was pleased to see that the bottom of the pot remained shiny and spotless after being subjected to the intense heat of my camp stove. It looks like if you take good care of this thing - it should basically last forever. It is simple and basic, but thoughtfully designed. It is unquestionably a winner for all but the most weight-conscious buyers. EDIT: If you decide to buy this - wash the green cups, then fill them both to the absolute brim with boiling hot water and leave them sit a bit. Then pitch that water and rinse them out. There is something on the inside of the cup that needs to get cleaned out and it doesn't come out with just regular hand washing - it only dissolves with boiling hot water. You don't want to figure this out in the field. After you do that - it seems fine with hot liquids and actually holds the heat in quite well.