There is no shortage of lightweight camping potson the market. But on multi-day trips, bulk matters just as much as weight. Traditional options—even ultralightnesting sets—take up significant space in a pack.
This is the problem Cory and Heidi Santiago set out to address with their company, . The Spokane, Washington–based couple have created a foldable one-liter pot that weighs just 6.5 ounces. Made out of Teflon-coated fiberglass, the ($30) is a square, origami-like design with a p-cord-covered handle across the topresembling a Chinese-food takeout container. When not in use, the bowl unsnaps and folds down into the size and shape of a wallet.
Thanks to the food-grade, heat-resistant material and an aluminum baseplate, you can fill the Bear Bowlwith water or food and place it on your stove as you would a typical pot. Andsince the whole thing liesflat when unsnapped, a simple wipe with a sponge is all you need to clean it. Two larger sizes, the ($40) and ($50), accommodate two and four liters, respectively.
We have yet to test the Bear Bowl, but the concept of something so light and, more important, with such a slight profile is appealing. The handle over the top could make stirringa bit difficult, and the flexible materialisn’t as durable astraditional aluminum or stainless steel (Santiago says he has gotten about 70 uses out of a single Bear Bowl before it started to break down). Butfor trips where every ounce and cubic inch matters, those are worthwhile trade-offs. Others agree: the Santiagos raised over $41,000 on Kickstarter and nearly $80,000 on Indiegogo in 2017, and they got a $100,000 deal on the season-ten premiere of earlier this month.