Review: Vargo Outdoors
Ultralight Outdoor Gear
Brian Vargo, founder of this company saw a need to lower the weight of items for backpacking and started making products to fit this void. Starting with an alcohol stove, he took the idea of a soda pop can stove and made a stove out of titanium, then continued with other items that are virtually sturdy enough for the rough use for long distance hiking. It’s nice to buy an item once and use it for years.
Your ultralight cook system starts here! The first of the Vargo cookware line, the 750 ml Vargo Titanium Ti-Lite Mug is still one of their most popular and versatile products. Perfect for the solo backpacker, it is large enough to cook single entree meals yet small and compact enough to enjoy an early morning cup of coffee or tea while fitting anywhere in your pack. It fits a 32 oz. water bottle inside to make packing even easier! Topped off by the Vargo original strainer lid with heat-resistant knob, this is an essential piece of cookware you won’t want to leave home without. There is nothing like Titanium, lightweight, durable, only weighing 4.9 ounces for 25 ounce capacity.
We have used this backpacking and love how you can triple your cooking capability and efficiency with the Vargo Titanium Ti-Boiler. By pairing the popular titanium Ti-lite 900 ml Mug with a titanium 400 ml lid-pan they created a double boiler system that allows you to cook two items at once to save both time and fuel. The lid-pan is uniquely designed to nest on top of the mug to utilize the captured heat from the mug to cook food slowly preventing burning. It’s perfect for cooking various sauces such as those found in dehydrated meals, spaghetti, sauce, no-burn oatmeal, and much more! The mug capacity is 30 ounces and the lid-pan capacity is 14 ounces, yet all this only weighs 6.6 ounces! We really love titanium for its durability and versatility!
Weighing in at almost a third of an ounce, the Vargo Titanium Spork - ULV (U.ltraL.ightV.ersion) is one of the lightest pieces of cutlery available--period. The spork features an extra wide bowl for great functional use. Four available colors help prevent it from being lost and is a fun way to know which one is yours. The matte finish looks and feels great and we love the extra wide bowl for better eating. The different colors available help prevented us from losing it and figuring out which spork belong to whom.
Hexagon Backpacking Wood Stove
Although we teach to weigh everything in our packs and not to carry anything extra, we make an exception to this Hexagon backpacking wood stove that folds to a slim compact size, requiring little space in your pack. We use this as a back-up stove. Many times, we find ourselves hiking with others and split up the cooking gear. Because we tend to hike our own pace and alone, this does not guarantee we will always meet up at night. It is very reassuring to have a 4.1 ounce stove packed in case of emergencies. Since it burns wood, we can pack only this and know we will always be able to have something warm when getting into camp. For anyone who has hiked a very long day and can’t get their stove to work, this can make a difference between a great night and a miserable one. We add a solid firestarter just in case the wood is wet.
The individual panels are completely hinged and snap easily into place for quick set-up. Durable construction is able to endure heat without damage. The conical shape focuses heat upward, directing it to your pot, for quick efficient cooking. A hinged access door can be opened or closed for air control.
...Fiftysense Product Review Panel