Gear Review: GSI Outdoors Halulite Microdualist Cookset

January 2, 2012 Posted by Josh in Gear Reviews, Van Dwelling Gear

Gear Review: GSI Outdoors Halulite Microdualist Cookset

Ok, I'm gonna make this review as short and sweet as possible. We've used the GSI Microdualist Cookset as our backpacking cookware for the last 2 years or so and since converting to full-time vagabonds, have cooked with nothing but this set using our Brunton ultralight stove almost every day for the past 9 months straight. THIS IS OUR ENTIRE KITCHEN. No need for a lot of flare here, so let's get right to the info...

Included in the cookset:

A lightweight hard-anodized 1.4 liter pot for cooking
A strainer lid for the pot
4 - 14 oz. polypropylene plastic bowls/mugs. Stackable with insulating rings and built-in measurement markings
Lids for the bowls, equipped with a small opening for pouring or sipping hot drinks
2 collapsible "Foons" and a cloth carrying case
A carry bag, which also doubles as a sink

The pros:

This set is extremely lightweight (17.8 oz. total), incredibly durable and quite versatile. You can very easily survive using this set as your entire kitchen, as we do.
It's built to fit a lightweight backpacking stove (such as the Brunton Raptor Stove we use) and an isobutane canister inside, keeping everything very compact.
The insulating liners between the bowls are perfect for soup, coffee or anything else hot.
The strainer lid is ultra convenient for cooking pasta and has a nice flip-up tab for lifting.

The cons:

Although the plastic is advertised to be resistant to retaining odors, that's not entirely the case. We suggest using one set of bowls for cooked and seasoned meals and the other for cold meals (like granola). It's not really pleasant when your granola takes on the taste and smell of last night's ramen.
The Foons broke. The fork tines snapped off one by one after limited use and the handles broke soon after, making them unusable. If this happens, we suggest picking up a couple of MSR Alpine Sporks as a suitable plastic spork replacement. They are awesome. (UPDATE: GSI Outdoors has released a much stronger and more versatile Foon: CLICK HERE FOR OUR REVIEW OF THE NEW GSI KUNG FOON.)

Do we recommend it?

Definitely. If you heed our advice in the cons section, you'll be incredibly happy with this set. Aside from the sporks, it seems durable and versatile enough to potentially pass as the only set you'll need for the rest of your life. Not bad for under $50. Want to buy this set for yourself? They retail for $50, but we found one for $36.93 here. And yes, we make a small commission if you use our link. So help us help you help us 😉

GSI Outdoors Kung Foon No Rinse Body Bath