Best Backpacking Cookware of 2024

The Snow Peak Mini Solo has been one of our go-tocooksets for ultralight backpacking for years. We like it because it’s simple, streamlined, and very lightweight – especially for the functionality.

The Mini Solo’s capacity is a bit larger than other backpacking pots on the market. And it’s one of the few pot sets that includes a titanium cup, which adds a ton of value and justifies the price. The cup nests on the outside of the pot, so you can store a small fuel canister, a stove, and some accessories inside.

This set is also great if you’re hiking with a partner – all they’ll need to carry is an additional lightweight cup. With that, you’ll have three vessels – one to boil hot water for food and two for sipping drinks while you wait. The Mini Solo Cookset has a great balance of efficiency and convenience for big-mile trips and will last for many years of adventures.

The Vargo Bot is pretty unique for backpacking cookware since it includes a watertight screw-on lid that allows it to act as both a water bottle and a cookpot. It can also be used to cold soak your meals while on the go if that’s your thing. We love dual-purpose backpacking gear because it can save you weight and space in your pack.

We have found the water bottle function particularly useful in areas with intermittent dry stretches or where we have to dry camp. Instead of carrying a separate water vessel (like a Platy Bottle) that we may only use once on a trip, the Bot – which we were already carrying to cook with – can be used for extra water storage when needed.

We also love the large capacity – especially since the Bot is one of the lightest cook pots on our list (weighing less even than most pots with lower volumes). One liter is generally plenty big enough to boil water for two hikers at once, so there’s no need for both people to carry separate pots and stoves.

The largest drawback is certainly the high price, but we think the Bot is well worth the cost for its low weight and highly functional design. We were skeptical of this slightly odd design at first, but it has quickly become a staple on our lightweight adventures.

The SOTO Thermostack Combo is all about versatility and efficient heat retention. It comes with three vessels that can be used in various combinations for different needs on different trips.

The larger titanium pot, lid, and insulated cozy can be used alone on ultralight trips when you want a fuel canister and stove to fit inside. The two cups can be slipped together to form a double-wall mug, or separated for individual use when traveling as a pair.

The Thermostack is a great buy for anyone who appreciates quality, efficiency, and having options. We like to pair it with the SOTO Windmaster, a highly efficient stove that performs beautifully in windy conditions.

If you do a little backpacking as well as camping and you want a cookset that can handle both, the GSI Pinnacle Dualist HS is an excellent option. The pot’s coil base helps increase surface area to speed up the water boiling process by 30%, so you can get food on the table faster. We love how all the components nest neatly together in the pot with room for a large fuel canister as well. This set is very compact for car camping, but a bit on the bulky side for backpacking unless you’re hiking as a group. That said, it’s a great value for what you get and great for anyone who needs a single set that can pull double duty.

The Sea to Summit X-Set 11 Cookset takes packability to a whole new level. Both the pot and two mugs collapse down as flat as a pancake and nest for easy storage and transport.

The lid is translucent so you can see what’s happening inside the pot, and the cups are a great size for drinks or splitting a meal. The cups also have measurement marks to make adding the perfect amount of water easy. You do have to be mindful about how you set the kettle on your stove to make sure it doesn’t get damaged since the flames shouldn’t come into direct contact with the silicone sides.

The X-Set is also a tad on the heavy side for backpacking compared to a titanium setup. That said, we love the innovation of the X-Set 11, and it’s a good value since it’s useful for both backpacking and camping trips.