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Review: Sea to Summit Alpha Pot Set 2.2

Pot set

A lightweight, mega space efficient, and highly versatile two person cook set

With two plates, two mugs, and two exceptionally high quality aluminium cooking pots, the Sea to Summit Alpha Pot Set 2.2 is the ideal combo for two people wanting to up their camp cooking game in the backcountry. And with the capacity to cook for 4-6 hungry hikers, this highly packable and versatile cook set caters to all your camping meal needs.

Sea to Summit Alpha Pot Set 2.2: the stats

Included in set:2 lidded mugs, 2 bowls, 2 lidded pots, cloth
Capacity of pots:1.2L and 2.7L
Material of pots:Hard-anodised aluminium
Material of cups and bowls:BPA-free, glass reinforced polypropylene
Total weight:765g (1.7lbs)

Features of the Sea to Summit Alpha Pot Set 2.2

Mugs

CupsThe mugs have no handles but feature removable insulated sleeves to keep the contents hot and your hands protected. They also have removable sippy lids. The mugs stack together and fit inside the smaller pot.

Pots

Cooking potsBoth pots have straining lids that pour very nicely into the mugs through their unique drain hole pattern. Be sure to hold the lids on tight when pouring boiling water — it doesn’t clip on like the other Sea to Summit lids. The inside of the pots also feature a graded measurement scale and have a textured base to keep them stable when placed on precarious cooking stoves.

Bowls

Bowls of food on beachThe bowls are super lightweight. They are shallow for bowls, and almost as wide as the largest pot. This makes them ideal for meals that need containing in a bowl with sides, as well as meals that would be better eaten off a plate. The smaller pot fits inside these bowls, and the bowls fit inside the larger pot.

Folding handles

Cooking potBoth pots have unique horizontally pivoting handles that lock into place when in use. The grip is really secure and the locked handle is totally trustworthy. When folded away the handles also lock the lids to the pots for storage, keeping the contents contained and secure when packed.

Packability

Cooking set on sandThe whole pot set packs together into the largest pot leaving space inside the cups for cutlery, a pocket stove or other small bits of cooking items (salt and pepper, a small bottle of cooking oil etc).


Sea to Summit Alpha Pot Set 2.2 review

I have owned a lot of camping pots over the years but have never discovered the truly ultimate combination of weight, functionality and packing size. So I was super excited to get my hands on Sea to Summit’s latest 2 person cooking set.

We decided on a canoe trip to put the new pots through their paces. First impressions were good. The Alpha Pot Set has a high quality look and feel and easily fitted into a relatively narrow dry bag. The weight is much better than my trangia set. I was able to fit my stove (MSR pocket rocket) and a fire steel into the mugs, and also managed to squeeze a couple of plastic sporks around the main pan. Unsurprisingly, no space for the gas, but nothing is perfect. The cups and pans assemble together in a very satisfactory manner and most importantly of all there is no rattle when the whole lot is packed up!

Stove packed in mugs

After a couple of hours paddling around the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall we worked up a hunger and decided to beach up for some well earned food. The pans were easy to unpack and we were immediately impressed by the large capacity of the main pot. There was easily enough space for our field rations for two people to be cooked together in the same pot, and the drain function on the lid is an excellent feature.

Bowl of food

The lock system on the pot handles is very effective, although it took some experimentation to get it right. We later discovered the instructions on the side of the main pot, doh! The Alpha Pot Set uses silicon for the handles and lid grabs which means there are no issues with burnt fingers. The also set comes with a cloth, which made washing the set easy after use, and the mugs even have lids to keep your drinks hot. Sea to Summit have obviously spent a lot of time thinking about the finer details of this cooking set — very impressive.

To put the pots truly through their paces, we decided to cook our evening chili con carne meal in the camper van using the cook set. Once again the Alpha Pots triumphed. The main pot was able to hold two chopped peppers, one large onion, a can of kidney beans, a carton of tomatoes, 500g of minced beef and a handful of herbs and other yummy spices. In fact there was so much chili we could have easily fed 4-6 people. This pot set is easily big enough for a small group adventure or family car camping. You’ll just need to bring additional bowls and cups.
The anodized surface made cleaning the pots easy even though I slightly burnt our meal. Another tick for the Alpha Pot – absolutely no burning or sticking in sight.

Cooking meal in van

What I love the most about the Alpha Pot Set

This set is versatile. It’s packability makes it ideal for hiking, biking and water-based overnighters. But it is also big enough to cook for a group when car camping. And I really love that I can fit my stove inside the set, too.

What I don’t love so much about the Alpha Pot Set

Ideally I would like the overall lid on the set to be braced into place better when the whole set is packed together. It fits slightly less securely than the lid of the smaller pot, but I will enhance mine with a strap for future trips.


Cooking set

Verdict

So what are my final reflections on the latest addition to the Sea to Summit family? In three-ish words: quality, space efficient & lightweight. Will the the Sea to Summit Alpha Pot Set 2.2 replace my current titanium pots, 100% yes. Even though my current pots are a little lighter, when combined with my bowls and mugs they take up a lot more space, and for that simple reason the Alpha Pot Set gets my vote. I love the fact I can even get my stove and spoons squeezed in the set, and I can live with a loose gas canister. It is a little on the pricey side, but the pans are clearly made to last, and compared to titanium equivalents, the whole set offers great value.

Find the latest price at:
Sea to Summit | Amazon | REI

Disclaimer: Cool of the Wild received this product free in return for an honest review. We only recommend gear that we love from companies we trust and we are under no obligation to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are that of the reviewer and we are in no way influenced by the brand or company.

About Jon

author-jon

Jon lives for the phys (physical activity). When he's not boring his pupils with the latest economic principles he'll be pushing their limits on the cross-country course (pretending he can keep up!). He is a keen cyclist, surfer, and seeker of adventure who loves to reminisce about the good old days jumping out of planes as a paratrooper. He is also very accomplished at lighting fires and likes to talk about the satisfyingly ergonomic grip of his newest axe.

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