At Wanderdudes we use a lot of gear. There is the stuff we review and then the stuff that ends up with us every time we venture out. The stuff we take everywhere is on that special must-have list. This is gear that demonstrates that the manufacturer really thought about the problem to be solved and built their product accordingly.
In June, we took the motorcycles and picked our way through the Cascade mountains for a couple of nights camping. I’ve got a lot of camping gear but on the bike everything gets scrutinized. It’s simple really. You must be able to carry-on-your-back or carry-on-your-bike the gear you take.
This trip out was my first with the GSI Pinnacle Camper. It’s a cook set that when collapsed is about the size of a basketball with 1/2 the air pumped out and flattened on one side. Out of the gate this is a good shape to take on the bike. You can put it in the bottom of a stuff sack, or make it the last item packed on top in a bike pannier.
Before the trip, the first time you break down the Pinnacle Camper it’s seems more like a cool christmas present vs. a cook set. With the entire thing un-piled there are 26 pieces of wonderful engineering including; pots, plates, lids, strainer lids, bowls, cups, then more cups, cup tops, a pot-handle and oh yeah a sink because of course it does. It’s a kick ass product and so complete it’s almost comical what GSI has created. Gear like this comes from a strong focus and lots of iterations.
On the road and about half way into the Cascades we pulled off to stock up at a small grocery store. Order of the day was to add to our current food stocks and top off that 1/2 sized basketball with the evening meal.
When assembled the drinking cups in the Pinnacle Camper create the cavity inside the 1/2 full basketball shape. Those cups are a good place to store food. The cups have tight seals allowing you pack-and-carry an entire meal into camp and then just serve it up straight away at the end of a day long ride.
In parallel we connected the pot-handle to the pot-lid and my fellow bike warrior started waving it over the small spark to get the fire started (thanks Ted).
Full stop. At this point the GSI Pinnacle Camper moved dramatically up the must-have list for camping. Anything, anything you can make dual use of, that is lightweight, and shows signs of being more practical in the future gets to come along for the ride – every time. I’ve even thought about using pieces in my day-pack around town for breakfast or lunch on the road. I took a bunch of pictures on this motorcycle trip so you get to see it in the wild so to speak. Enjoy!
The Good:
- Great design
- Doubles as a traveling food pantry
- Triples as general purpose fire aid and water carrier
The Bad:
- A bit big for the backpack but you can take pieces vs. the whole thing.
The More you know:
- GSI tech employs “Teflon Radiance” technology to even distribute the heat on the bottom of the GSI cookware. Even heat means less burnt food – nice.
GSI Outdoor Pinnacle Camper – $129.99 at Amazon
Breaking out the Pinnacle Camper at the camp site.
Dinner is in the cup containers.
Chips and salsa – an easy starter.
Getting dinner fired up, rolling out more food.
Breakfast the next morning.
A quick run up the rural road to get some fire wood.
Ahh, no cell phone, no work. That’s more like it.