Review: GSI Escape 2L Pot

Product: GSI Escape 2L Pot

Price: $79.99

Store: Atmosphere

In my shopping adventures, I was eagerly looking for a pot that was lighter and easy to carry for backpacking. I found this GSI Escape 2L Pot which is collapsible! It’s such a space saver, which helps immensely instead of having a huge pot taking up 1/4 of my backpack. The 2L pot allows me to cook my entire homemade meal without worrying about overflowing the pot. I need enough water in my pot to rehydrate my vegetables and chicken as well as add the water required to cook my meal; this is the perfect size to do just that!

The one thing I don’t like is that our MSR stove doesn’t fit properly and the pot isn’t very stable for cooking but I’m sure we can get a stove that fits to solve that problem. The pot made from silicone is easy to clean with water or a tiny bit of soap. The entire pot, including the metal base case, can be submerged in the water, allowing the entire pot to be cleaned.

Large GSI Escape 2L Pot

Homemade Backpacking Meals

I like that the pot is big enough to cook a homemade backpacking meal in it. I’ve tried the dehydrated food bags that you just add water to them, which are super simple and only require a smaller pot but I don’t like the taste of these meals as much as a homemade concoction. I find it much better to dehydrate meals and eat tastier home-cooked suppers. Note that the pot has liquid measurement markings inside on the sides, making it easy to measure liquid amounts.

Handles

Since the handles are made out of plastic, they don‘t get very hot when cooking supper. One hand can easily hold the pot while stirring its contents. The handles are tall enough that the steam from cooking supper isn’t going to burn your hands. The pot can be taken off quickly from the burner when the meal is ready to serve by holding the handles with both hands. The handles are foldable allowing them to be tucked away when storing and less likely to break.

Caution Using the GSI Escape 2L Pot

Tip: The pot is heat resistant but keep in mind that when cooking, ensure that the flame doesn’t touch the silicone, to avoid damaging it. The metal base helps to prevent potential damage but just keep an eye on the pot if you end up with large flames from your stove.

Collapsible and Built-In Strainer

Collapsible Pot

It’s brilliant that the GSI Escape 2L Pot is collapsible and able to store two Sea to Summit collapsible bowls and a cup inside, while backpacking. I’m a huge fan of space savers! The lid fits nicely in it as well with the folded handles holding it in place.

Strainer

When making a pasta recipe, with the handles holding the lid in place, press on the silicone rectangular thumbpads and pour to remove excess water through the holes at the edge of the lid.

Tip: When making a rice meal while backpacking, I try to keep extra water in the meal to help rehydrate the body, since fluids are lost when exercising and sweating.

Packability

This pot has a metal base protruded out of its bottom when carrying and storing. It’s sits up higher than a backpacker would anticipate. It’s not flush with other gear being carried.

Tip: Place cloths or food around the base of the pot to maximize space. Avoid putting socks around the base as it could cause food smells to transfer to clothing and in turn, they would have to be put in the bear-proof bins with your food. You want to put necessary items in the bins but not overstuff them, as other campers need space too.

Quick Cooking

The base of the pot is hyper-conductive. It cooks meals 30% faster, which means that less fuel is needed, which is another brilliant feature for backpacking.

Overview for GSI Escape 2L Pot

Pros

• The GSI Escape 2L pot is collapsible, saving a lot of space in your backpack.
  • I can store two Sea To Summit XBowls and one Sea To Summit X Mug when it’s collapsed.
• It can cook a lot of food for either a couple or a family
• Liquid measurements inside the pot to help cook supper
• Drain holes in the lid allows easy straining of extra liquids
• Foldable handles can be held while stirring without getting burned
• Meals cook faster than conventional pots, which reduces the fuel amount needed

Cons

• The base felt heavy after four days of backpacking
• It doesn’t sit flush with other gear in your pack.
• The pot doesn’t properly fit on the WhisperLite MSR stove. I had some fear the pot would tip as it wasn’t stable on the burner.
• It does take some space width-wise in your backpack when packing it up.

GSI Escape 2L Pot is Best for:

• a short 3 to 4-day backpacking trip
• cooking for a family of four
• cooking a homemade meal with many ingredients
• saving space in a backpack with it being collapsible