Cooking Gear Review: GSI Glacier Stainless Base Camper

Compact Cookware

Storage space is a valued commodity when considering any vehicle-based activity. Having limited amounts of it means that one must be smart about what to pack. Items used for activities such as exploring, camping, tailgating or even the occasional bonfire gathering can quickly take up precious cargo space much quicker than anticipated. We had the opportunity to use GSI Outdoors’ Glacier Stainless Base Camper Medium set of compact cookware on a recent outing. While we used the pots and pan on a camping stove, the robust set can also be used directly on coals as well.

This is why we recommend investing in well-designed, compact equipment whenever possible. Compact and lightweight items can help you fit more into the confines of your vehicle’s storage holds as well as keep the overall weight of your haul down.

GSI is well known for its wide variety of camping and cookware, and this cookware set did not disappoint. The GSI Outdoor Glacier Stainless Base Camper Medium consists of both 2-liter and 3-liter pots and a 9-inch tri-clad fry pan, contained in a convenient fitted mesh storage sack. As its name suggests, the pots and pan are made of pure 304/18-8 stainless steel, which is regarded as a very high-food-grade steel. Use of this material means that the set is highly resistant to corrosion.

The set features a stacking design that allows each of the items to nest into one another to form a very compact unit. The pots feature stamped, integrated measurement graduations for easy food and liquid measurements without the requirement of measuring cups. Not needing to pack measuring cups will save you more space for other items.

The pots also are fitted with stay-cool, flip-up pot double-bail handles that lock up in order to allow them to be filled, carried and strained. When not in use, the handles fold to occupy less space on the stove’s grate and in its storage bag. Each of the pots also comes with its own strainer lid for liquid draining convenience and less spilt food. The lids also feature orange-colored silicone thumb pads that help insulate hands from the heat. Used for straining, we also found this handy to help keep the lids secured when transferring the pots from one place to another.

“Overall, we were impressed with the design, materials and build quality of the cookware set. The nesting attribute allows us to keep three key cooking tools in a usefully compact package.”

The heavy-duty, clad stainless steel frypan is 9 inches in diameter and features a folding handle that locks in place when being used. We found that the pan, while small, was able to provide a surface large enough to comfortably cook several eggs. The stainless, aluminum, stainless tri-clad construction of the pan’s cooking surface provided us an even, controlled heat.

Overall, we were impressed with the design, materials and build quality of the cookware set. The nesting attribute allows us to keep three key cooking tools in a usefully compact package. With an overall diameter of less than the width of a standard sheet of copier paper and the height of less than 6 inches, the GSI Outdoors Glacier Stainless Base Camper Medium truly delivers in the space saving department. The only question now is what else will you pack with all the space you save?

GSI Outdoors
Glacier Stainless Base Camper Medium

Dimensions: 8.4 x 8.4 x 5.7 inches
MSRP: $80
url: gsioutdoors.com

Editor’s Note: A version of this article first appeared in the January/February 2020 print issue of Tread Magazine.