GSI Microdualist

In a previous post I talked about dehydrating my own meals for backpacking. I failed to mention in that post that I wish I had a better way to deal with the REhydrating process. After doing a bit of research I found the GSI Microdualist. In the package you get a large pot with a handle that doubles as the lock for the lid, four bowls (two of which are insulated) two lids (the insulated bowl could be used to sip hot cider or cocoa) and two telescoping spoons. The insulated bowls each fit into the slightly larger bowls and all of it fits into the pot which comes with a nice cover to put it all in (the cover doubles as a wash basin too!) It was hard to pass this up because you get so much equipment out of such little space! I picked it up at Recreation Outlet in SLC during one of their after hours sales for a good deal. I was really excited to get out and use it to rehydrate some new meals that I had made. I got my chance on a trip to Havasupai, AZ. I’ll make it simple and do my “likes” and “dislikes”.

Dislikes:

1. My first dislike came before even leaving on the trip. GSI puts a sticker on their spoons that was really hard to get off! The adhesive would not remove from the plastic and I had to soak the spoon several times before I could feel comfortable eating off it.

2. The spoons proved to be my nemesis because my next dislike also involves them. While stirring some oatmeal the spoon simply snapped. Initially I really liked the spoon because it would telescope, meaning the main part of the spoon would slide back onto the handle, making for compact storage. But it is poorly designed and with very little amount of stress on the spoon when extended, the plastic snapped.

3. The only way to secure the lid onto the pot is to put the handle in the storage position, locked across the top. The lid doesn’t fit snug onto the pot and therefore, the straining feature of the lid is quite pointless. My way around that is to bring some heat resistance gloves so I can hold the pot, lock the lid with the handle, and strain it.

Likes:

1. I really like that you can get so much gear into such a small area with very little weight.

2. Small yet Big. I can heat enough water in the pot to rehydrate meals for two people with enough left over for washing. But the pot doesn’t take up too much real estate in my pack.

3. Easy to clean. Even with some cooked on oatmeal in the pot, it came off easily with warm water and just a little soap.

Overall, I am really pleased with the GSI Microdualist. It’s perfect for those trips with my wife and rehydrating meals for the two of us. I’ll just be sure to bring a better spoon next time.