Wednesday, September 12, 2018

10 Best Backpacking Sporks of 2018

10 Best Backpacking Sporks of 2018

Sporks are one of the backpacking industry's greatest inventions. It's a wonder that they're not more widely used since having multifunction utensils would be such a great way to cut down on the plastic utensils polluting our oceans and urban landscape. Perhaps more amazing, is the amount of creativity and design ingenuity that manufacturers have applied to making different types and styles of sporks to fit different needs and preferences. But surely there can't be that many types of sporks! You'd be surprised. They vary by functional capabilities, length, strength, material, price-point, and so on. That's only touching the surface. The differences are far more nuanced and defy categorization. They're a mouthful.

So without further delay, here are the 10 Best Backpacking Sporks of 2018!

Make / Model Material Weight Price
Forestry Labs Bamboo Spork Bamboo 12.4g $10.10
Toaks Titanium Folding Spork Titanium 18.0g $10.95
UST Spork Multi-Tool Stainless Steel 34.0g $3.95
Sea-to-Summit Alpha Light Long Spork Hard Anodized Aluminum 12.0g $8.95
Sea-to-Summit Delta Spork with Knife Food Grade Polyproplene 19.5g $6.95
Toaks Titanium Spork Titanium 17.0g $8.95
GSI Outdooor Campware Spork Acetal 11.3g $1.95
Snow Peak Titanium Spork Titanium 17.0g $9.95
bambu Large Spork Bamboo 11.3g $6.00
humangear GoBites Uno Spork High Temp Nylon 14.0g $2.95

1. Sea-to-Summit Delta Spork with Knife

Sea-to-Summit Delta Spork with Knife
Weighing just 19.5 grams, the Sea-to-Summit Delta Spork with Knife is the last eating utensil you'll ever need. Made of food grade glass reinforced polyproplene, it is much stronger and durable than other camp cutlery. Even the knife is multifunctional, combining an integrated spreader knife with a strong cutting edge incorporated into the handle. BPA Free, dishwasher and microwave safe, the Spork profile also matches the inside curve of the Sea to Summit Delta Bowl and Plate, sold separately, so you can scrape your plate clean. 

Check for the latest price at:
Amazon | Campsaver

2. bambu Large Spork

Bambu Large Spork
If you're trying to kick the plastic habit, the bambu Large Spork is for you. Made with bamboo, it's hand finished with a light treatment of all-natural, organic, food-safe oil that won't warp and swell in soapy water. Naturally stain-resistant, this 11.3 gram spork is made without glues or lacquers and USDA certified organic. Just imagine! A compostable spork.

Check for the latest price at:
REI

3. Snow Peak Titanium Spork

Snow Peak Titanium Spork Purple
Snow Peak was one of the first backpacking gear manufacturers to make titanium pots and cutlery and their gear is the perfect match of form and function. You can tell right away that this spork was designed with the human mouth in mind. It's just the right size to shovel down soup, stew, noodles, Mountain House, Ben & Jerry's, oatmeal, etc. Super light and super tough, this titanium spork has a small eyelet at the end, large enough to loop paracord through so you can clip it to your pack. Available in purple, green, blue, and plain titanium.

Check for the latest price at:
REI | Amazon

4. UST Spork Multi-Tool

UST Spork Multi-Tool
The Ultimate Survival Technologies Spork Multi-Tool is multi-function eating utensil combined with a can opener, bottle opener, flat screwdriver, pry tip, and hex wrench. Also available in a variety of colors including blue, green, and silver, this durable stainless steel includes a carabiner clip that you can attach to your pack, belt loop, or other gear. Need to repair your stove before you eat? Open a cold one? This spork has got you covered!

Check for the latest price at:
REI | Amazon

5. GSI Outdoors Campware Spork

GSI Outdoors Campware Spork
The GSI Outdoor Campware Spork is durable, lightweight, and amazingly affordable. It isn't titanium, but it is a fifth the price, and only weighs 11.3 grams. It is comfortable to eat with and long enough to reach deep into a Mountain House meal. Best used for soupy and soft meals, it's BPA-feee and dishwater safe. This is the spork I use because it's the lease expensive thing you can buy at REI!

Check for the latest price at:
REI

6. Toaks Titanium Spork

Toaks Titanium Spork
The Toak Titanium Spork features a polished bowl and matte finish, for improved grip. Cutouts in the spork's body help reduce the weight of the 17 gram spork and provide a way for you to attach it to your gear with a cord or 'biner. The head's tines are long enough to spear delicate morsels in addition to slurping down noodles or other soupy meals.

Check for the latest price at:
REI | Amazon

7. Forestry Labs Bamboo Sporks

Forestry Labs Bamboo Sporks
Forestry Lab's Sporks are an interesting variant on the traditional notion of a spork, which normally combines a spoon and fork tines at the same end of the utensil. The advantage of their approach is that the fork tines are longer so you can get a better grip on foods that are denser and tougher to penetrate with shorter tines. Made with bamboo, each spork only weighs 12.4 grams. They're also available in two lengths, 6.5″ and 8.6." Sold in sets of 4, but still quite inexpensive and ECO friendly!

Check for the latest price at:
Amazon

8. Toaks Titanium Folding Spork

The Toaks Titanium Folding Spork is easy to store inside many backpacking cook pots, which is its chief selling point. Weighing 18 grams, the bowl is polished smooth giving it a pleasant mouth feel. It's a good sturdy spork when open, although it can take a bit of practice to get used to the folding and locking mechanism. You can't beat the size though!

Check for the latest price at:
Amazon

9. humangear GoBites Uno Spork

humangear GoBites Uno Spork
Another spork variant with a separate fork and spoon end, the GoBites Uno Spork is an economic alternative to titanium sporks. Weighing 14 grams, it's very comfortable to hold and spin in your hand when you want to use the other end. The sides are shaped to make it easy to scrape food out of bowls and bags so you don't miss one calorie of your backpacking meals. Made of high-temp nylon that's incredibly strong, BPA-, PC- and phthalate-free, it's top rack dishwasher safe.

Check for the latest price at:
REI | Amazon

10. Sea-to-Summit Alpha Light Long Spork

Sea-to-Summit Alpha Light Long Spork
Weighing just 12 grams, the Sea-to-Summit Alpine Light Spork is a long-handled spork, good for use with deep cook pots such as Jetboils (which you're not supposed to cook noodles in, but everyone does). This spork is made from 7075-T6 aluminum alloy which is hard anodized for excellent durability. It includes a small accessory carabiner so you can clip the spoon (which has an end eyelet – hidden above) to a pack, mug or another utensil.

Check for the latest price at:
REI | Backcountry

How to Choose a Backpacking Spork: Key Criteria

Here are the most important properties of a spork and some guidance about how to select one that will work best for you.

Length: If you need to reach deep into a freeze-dried or rehydrated meal bag, or a deep cook pot like a Jetboil, a long length spoon can be quite desirable. Look for spoons that are 7 to 8 inches in length, as opposed to shorter ones that are 6 to 7 inches long.

Color: Get a brightly colored spork if you're prone to lose them on backpacking trips. The titanium colored ones are easy to misplace on the ground because they look like sticks. Garish colors like purple or neon green stand out best.

Folding: If you want to have a cook kit that folds completely into a mug or cook pot, getting a folding spork is the way to go. Metal folding sporks tend to be more durable than plastic ones. Don't try to use them as tent stakes though. They're not stiff or strong enough.

Multi-purpose: There's something to be said for having a multi-purpose spork that can open beer bottles or cans, even if they do weigh more than other options. It all depends on your most frequent needs and priorities.

Material: Wood, titanium, aluminum, nylon, or plastic? Metal sporks will be the most durable, as plastic can break. Wooden and bamboo sporks tend to break down with use, but they are usually biodegradable.

Single Head or Dual Head: While traditional backpacking sporks just have the one combined spoon and fork-tined head, there is something to be said for dual head sporks, since you often get a more usable fork with longer tines for spearing food. Most backpackers eat mush though, so having a true fork is often not a requirement.

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