Sea to Summit  Alpha Light Spoon - Long

Light and strong. This long spoon was great for reaching into the dehydrated bag allowing me to mix the bottom without getting my hands in the food. And I think it is a great product. But there are two things that I would change to make this a better product...the spoon size could be a little bigger for eating with, like soups etc. I had brought a large plastic spoon and used it to eat soup with but wished one spoon could have done it all. Secondly, the spoon is hard to see when it is laid on granite rock. I tied an orange colored string on mine to see it easier. Great product.

I had one of those REI branded long handled Ti spoons. I lost it! I replaced it with one of these. Woops. It's not Ti, so it broke while I was having dinner, and I had to finish that dinner with the handle. Before it broke, it was hard to clean (who uses textured metal for a finish on a spoon? Have you ever seen one in someone's kitchen?) and got all funky colored from the food. I wish SO BAD that REI would sell the long handled Ti spoon again. Not only was it super sturdy, but it was polished shiny so it cleaned up with a lick, not scrubbing with dish soap at home. Why doesn't REI make this product anymore? Here's to hoping they bring it back. It'd be worth way more than this spoon.

This spoon is... a spoon. It is a unitasker, and likely a little overpriced, so bear with me. I am relatively new to backpacking and was hoping for a stove. The man helping me at REI pointed out a number of things in addition to a stove that he thought would be helpful. I would never have thought of this on my own, but it is a light, sturdy tool that makes meal time after a long day of hiking that much easier. Heat water, add to bag, eat. No junk on your hands from the sides of the bag. This is one uni-task tool I am happy to have in my pack. I just wish I remembered the name of the employee who recommended it.

I have a few comments in response to all of the negative reviews I've read for this product. A large number of the reviews mention that the texture of this spoon is horrible because it feels like sandpaper? I have to say I disagree. It's obviously not the texture of a metal spoon you'd get at a restaurant, but it's an ultralight spoon? I wouldn't think twice about it if I hadn't of read anything. Unless you have major texture issues when it comes to food/utensils, I wouldn't worry about it. I also read about it being too flat that people couldn't use it? The actual spoon part is angled from the body so it's easy to scoop, especially from the bottom of a bag and especially while wearing gloves. I think this product does everything you could possibly need while being incredibly lightweight and durable. Maybe I'm just not super critical of my spoons, but I have no complaints.

I'm pretty happy with this product. It serves the purpose well which is basically to allow you to eat food from a pouch or bag without getting stuff all over your hand. It's light and the price is reasonable. Even comes with a nifty little detachable mini carabiner which is cool if you happen to have a use for one. I now have two of these things. I don't know why. In all seriousness, if you are looking for a long neck spoon to more easily reach into the deepest corners to scrape up that last bit of chow without getting a bunch of goo on your hand, this will work. I hope to see maybe a "knife" edge version and perhaps a spork/knife version in the future.

This is a great spoon. It's light weight and sturdy - which matters to me. The long handle is great for mountain house meals and stirring pots. It was the spoon of choice for my 2013 PCT through hike. My only complaint is that it's metal. It conducts heat and cold very easily. I've not only burnt my mouth on the spoon but have also froze the dang thing to my tongue. Lessons learned. I'm going to get myself a long handled plastic spoon to prevent reliving those lessons.

The finish on this spoon is gritty. I don't like the feel in my mouth. Also when cooking and or stirring food the food and sauces tend to stick to the spoon due to the texture. the texture also makes the spoon hard to clean and or wipe off. It is the lightest long handle spoon I have found but I switched to a titanium spoon with a polished bowl and dealt with the extra 0.25oz weight.

I purchased this before a over night hike on the AT. I wanted a long spoon to dig deep into my meals, and the spoon worked great. I was able to dig in, mix the meal, and got every bite of the food without getting my fingers dirty. Then I came home and was cleaning my gear. I put the spoon in the dishwasher. It came out of the wash with a strange rough finish and white film. I tried rewashing it by hand but the film won't come off. I feel the spoon would need to be polished before I would want to eat with it again. Running your fingers across the spoon gives me the feeling like someone just scratched chalk across the chalk board. Yuck. So If you hand wash the spoon, instead of putting it in the dishwasher, it will probably hold up just fine. I checked the packaging and didn't see any warnings about how to wash the spoon. I will be returning mine and probably move up to the polished REI long handled Ti Spoon.

Looks like this will be the last spoon I buy. I've used it for two backpacking seasons on six trips, and it still is perfect. What a tough spoon. Every guy I pack with is jealous of my cool long spoon.

Based on other reviewers I've purchased this spoon solely to eat Mountain House freeze dried food. It's just the right size and length for that and will be inseparable from my JetBoil.