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Open Country Backpacker 2-Person Mess Kit

$22.95

(10)

Item # 401048

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Designed for two backpackers, this kit embodies simplicity and economy.

Aluminum cookset is lightweight, compact and sturdy for backpacking
Includes 1.25-qt. pot, 7-in. frypan, two 6.25-in. dishes, two 8-oz. plastic cups with handles and internal measuring marks, and a clamp handle
Kit nests together and is held shut with a nylon strap and ladderloc buckle

Made in USA.

Item 401048

View all Open Country products

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Open Country Backpacker 2-Person Mess Kit Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

Open Country Backpacker 2-Person Mess Kit

3.3

(based on 10 reviews)

67%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Compact (9)
Lightweight (8)
Durable (7)
Stable (6)
Easy to clean (4)

Cons

Difficult to clean (5)

Best Uses

Backpacking (8)
Car camping (4)
Hiking (4)

- Reviewer Profile:
- Avid adventurer (6), Casual/ recreational (4)
- What Is Your Gear Style:
- Survivalist / minimalist (8)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (4)

REVIEWS

Reviewed by 10 customers

Sort by

Displaying reviews 1-10

Jul

2010

(4 of 4 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

going on two decades

By mtnwill

from Eugene, Oregon

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Compact
Durable
Easy To Clean
Lightweight
Stable

Cons

Best Uses

Backpacking

Comments about Open Country Backpacker 2-Person Mess Kit:

This cookset has served us well going on two decades from day-hikes to a few days on the PCT to elk hunting. We use the pot & lid for boiling water 99% of the time. You don't need to press the lid on very tight, just set it on. When the steam from the boiling water starts coming out, turn off the stove, use the great pot gripper to lift the lid far enough to grab it, scoop out how ever much water you need with the handy dandy cup with measured marks on it. The plates hold food great, though they get toasty when hot food is placed in them, use your gloves. Good feature when I'm elk hunting in the cold. There are utensils that fit inside on the market and you can cut the handles down from any wooden spoon you can pick up at [...] that's useful too. Clean it like any other dish.

May

2008

(3 of 4 customers found this review helpful)

2.0

Need the non-stick

By SanMoAlex

from Santa Monica

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Compact
Durable
Lightweight

Cons

Difficult to Clean
Unstable

Best Uses

Backpacking

Comments about Open Country Backpacker 2-Person Mess Kit:

This mess kit is compact and lightweight and has a nice assortment of cookware for two people. It has two glaring problems though.
The first is that the lightweight alumnimum does not have a non-stick coating. It is almost impossible to clean in the field after cooking fish/meat on it.
Second issue is that when you add the lid/pan to the pot to expedite boiling water the lid is almost impossible to remove with the handle. The fit is just too snug (a possible side effect of the compact packing size).

Apr

2011

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Great for the experienced user.

By Shadekat

from Pittsburgh, PA

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Lightweight
Versatile

Cons

Best Uses

Backpacking

Comments about Open Country Backpacker 2-Person Mess Kit:

This is an outstanding product for it's price. Have been using this for about a year now. It's very light for what it is, simple, no rivets or other annoyances to make cleaning difficult.I would not recommend this for people who do not know how to cook on a fire or without teflon, but for someone who knows what they are doing, you cant go wrong for [$] bucks. Lid can be tricky to remove when cooking, but once you get the hang of it, no problem. Just big enough for my son and I for cooking and eating. Never a problem cleaning as long as you dont cook over a bonfire, overheat the pan, burn things, etc. Used this on an alcohol stove, with esbit tabs, as well as over small fires/coals.

Jan

2012

5.0

Best set yet!

By biggest boyscout

from Naperville, IL

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Compact
Durable
Easy To Clean
Lightweight
Stable

Cons

Difficult to Clean

Best Uses

Backpacking
Car Camping
Hiking

Comments about Open Country Backpacker 2-Person Mess Kit:

We bought this set several years ago, its become our standard use set. We've used it for both our childrens scouting events & now we are using it on our backpacking excursions. I've bought other sets thinking they could replace it, not so. For the price you can't find a better value. I'm a pot watcher so I've never burnt anything in them. My stoves have good flame control which also helps. Another nice feature about this set is my tea kettle nests nicely with in it, the stove I use for the kettle and a fuel cannister fit inside it. Your eating ultinsels, stove, fuel & cooking set nest together in a 7"x4" package weighing less than 3 lbs. It does what I need and who could ask for more

Jun

2011

4.0

exteme use

By yamahawarrior

from golden colorado

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Compact
Durable
Easy To Clean
Lightweight
Love the gripper
Stable

Cons

Bad lid at times

Best Uses

Backpacking
Biking trip
Car Camping
High Altitude
Hiking

Comments about Open Country Backpacker 2-Person Mess Kit:

me and two friends went on a month and a half long biking camping trip and we had two different camping mess kits this one and a different one.
we used our backpacking camping stoves and camp fire to cook through out the trip we cooked every day almost used the kit every time we cooked and multiple times a day. through out this trip we ended up having to share the grippers as we all loved them. the guy who had this kit used it on two other large trips and several small camping trips and loved it never had a problem with it. during our trip we were wishing we all had this kit. the kit size was just right made cooking easy and fun. one downside with this kit was that lid was a bit difficult at times but no big deal we got over this issue very fast. we cooked several different things with this kit even made pancakes with the kit and it did just fine i would cook pancakes again with this kit.
if your not picky and a good cook watching as to not burn or rush things and dont want nonstick and all the upgrade features then go for this kit it passed our extreme amount of uses and should be great for the average user. our friend who had this kit actually downsized the kit to lid pan and grippers and upgraded to a better cup.

Jun

2011

3.0

Just Okay

By joel3739

from Las Vegas, NV

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Compact
Lightweight

Cons

Small

Best Uses

Backpacking

Comments about Open Country Backpacker 2-Person Mess Kit:

Overall the mess kit served it primary function, however the serving dishes were a little small, they definitely cannot hold a hearty meal. Attended a Scouting function with my son and the plates did not hold enough food, so if you wanted more you needed to go back or risk loading the plate up and spilling the contents as you walked.

May

2011

3.0

You get what you pay for

By Mharon47

from Colorado

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Compact
Durable
Stable

Cons

Difficult to Clean
Doesnt transfer heat well
Heavy

Best Uses

Comments about Open Country Backpacker 2-Person Mess Kit:

I think this is a great product for what it costs. You can dish out the extra $40-60 to get a decent set, but thats only if you have the money. I got this because I needed a set for the backpacking trips I had planned and was very poor at the time. I used it about 5-6 times in the period of 4 months, and it has not failed me yet. Its heavier than other sets, and its made of cheap metal, but hey, if you need a set quick, go with this to learn on, and then when you figure out what you want or need in a cooking set, then you can put out the money.

Sep

2010

(0 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Get what you pay for

By mtbiker00

from Eastern NC during this test run

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Compact

Cons

Difficult to Clean
Not durable

Best Uses

Car Camping

Comments about Open Country Backpacker 2-Person Mess Kit:

Aside from buying for a young boy/girl scout,( one or two time use) this really is the worst choice you could make for a "mess kit". There are too many far better products to purchase these days. I purchased a SnowPeak mess from REI in 1999 and it is still in like new condition. I paid more for it, but I have also never had to replace it. Non durable, handles unstable and not heat resistant, and the lack of non stick makes this a one to say the least!

Jun

2010

(0 of 5 customers found this review helpful)

2.0

Lightweight, durable, and NOT NONSTICK!!

By RockerM0unt4in

from Fort Collins, Colorado

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Compact
Durable
Lightweight
Stable

Cons

Difficult to Clean

Best Uses

Backpacking
Hiking

Comments about Open Country Backpacker 2-Person Mess Kit:

I was given this set as a gift for christmas a couple of years back. It is light weight and small enough you can take it backpacking, but eventually the set turns into a throw-away item. I made mini pancakes on a backpacking trip and they almost imediately stuck to the pan. Since the pan was still hot when the pancakes were taken off the rest of the pancakes were baked on to the pan. Now, I am going to throw it all away and buy something non-stick.