Last year, I reviewed two of GSI Outdoor’s Pinnacle cookset systems: the dualist and the soloist. We use these all the time for minimalist backpacking, either solo or with a few family members.
- A 2L pot with lid/fry pan and a 3L pot made of hard anodized aluminum.
- Two crushproof, heat-resistant nylon strainer lids work great for the pasta chef’s.
- Four insulated mugs and four bowls with four plates make a complete four person cook set.
- Folding gripper to handle the pots and the lid/fry pan is included.
- The welded stuff sack the set fits into doubles as a sink or wash basin.
However, when the whole crew is backpacking, or when we’re car camping, we need something more substantial for our family of five. Enter the GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Camper Cookset.
Now, there’s a whole series of GSI Outdoors Pinnacle cookware, and it can get a bit overwhelming. They ALL feature abrasion resistance, they are all coated with Teflon, are all scratch resistant, made of hard anodized aluminum, and all come with some combination of bowls, cups, and utensils.
If you’re in the market for a family sized set, however, you can focus solely on the Camper.
You get a LOT with the Camper set, including:
- 3 liter pot
- 2 liter pot
- 2 strainer lids
- frypan
- 4 14 ounce insulated mugs
- 4 14 ounce bowls
- 4 plates
- 4 Sip-It tops
- 1 folding pot gripper
- 1 welded sink
Pay attention to how the whole thing fits together, because you’ll want to duplicate that on your camping trip or backcountry overnight. (Don’t worry, even I could do it, and I never have luck getting things back into their boxes or packages after opening them.)
The whole set is compact, with all parts nesting into the next. Folding gripper locks on the exterior brackets keep everything snug, and prevent any scratching.
The bowls convert to mugs, and are color-coded, so you can assign each family member a color. If you have kids who like to argue about possessions (or germs), you know how important this is.
You get a stuff sack to hold it all, which is made of a stiff material (almost like a waxed canvas), that doubles as a sink or bucket for washing dishes.
The lids are heat-resistant and crushproof, and include a strainer lid, which is really convenient, given that most meals made while camping involve freeze-dried components or noodles to drain.
The weight of the whole set is 3 pounds, 10 ounces, so no, this is not your ultra-lightweight option. But it’s very do-able for short backpacking trips and car camping stays.
- A 2L pot with lid/fry pan and a 3L pot made of hard anodized aluminum.
- Two crushproof, heat-resistant nylon strainer lids work great for the pasta chef’s.
- Four insulated mugs and four bowls with four plates make a complete four person cook set.
- Folding gripper to handle the pots and the lid/fry pan is included.
- The welded stuff sack the set fits into doubles as a sink or wash basin.
We used ours during a weekend trip to the Oregon Coast, during which we invited several extra friends of our teens. We actually combined two Pinnacle sets to cook all the food for that trip!
The Pinnacle Camper is $139 on the GSI Outdoors site, which feels steep until you note all that you get for this single price. It really adds up to buy all the backpacking plates, bowls, and mugs! Also look for it on Amazon!