Ah, the spork. Of all the considerations when outfitting for a backcountry adventure, dining utensils might be the most trivial—until you find yourself sans spoon, trying to scoop oatmeal with your driver’s license.
Out of the many available options, the best comes from Guyot Designs. Known for innovative concepts like the , the Maine-based brand has crafted a small catalog of niche, solution-oriented products that include the satisfyingly simple utensil set.
At $8, MicroBites is arguably the most bang for your buck of any outdoor-dining accessory. Comprised of two pieces, the kit handily covers the requisite duties of fork, spoon, and serrated butter knife. But Guyot Designs takes it one step further with a 1.8-inch-wide, spatula-style tool that’s perfect for smearing viscous spreads as well as flipping foods like quesadillas and pancakes. It also excels at prying sticky foods from containers or burned pans (helpful if you forgot to pack olive oil before hitting the trail) and scraping the dregs off dishes during your postmeal cleaning session.
Ideal for backpacking, the MicroBites kit is lightweight—at 0.77 ounces, it’s on par with all but the most weight-shaving ultralight options—without sacrificing durability. Sturdier than the flimsy, disposable plastic utensils the company hoped to replace, the set is also more forgiving than classic metal ones (read: it won’t scratch that ). Plus, it’s made of a nylon polymer that can withstand temperatures of up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. And nothing you could throw at it on the trail will leave a mark, save chucking it in a campfire.
The MicroBites is a smaller version of Guyot’s larger utensil set, which allows it to nest inside a standard . When it’s time to pack up, the two pieces snap together to form a single sleek unit with aligning cutouts in the handles, so the combined tool can be clipped to your cookware externally. A simple carabiner around the drawstring of a stuffsack does the trick, ensuring it will always be there when it’s time to chow down.