An All In One Cooking Set For Camping And Outdoor Adventures
Backpackers are usually looking for different ways to lighten the load while still being prepared for the trip ahead, the mountain hikes or overnight camping in the wilderness. Or if one is just RVing…having something simple and effective to get the job done.
It can be difficult to travel light though when it comes to cooking. Two people having dinner, even on a hike, can result in a lot of excess weight on each person's back, if one includes pots, bowls, and utensils.
As a solution, the GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Dualist comes with a 1.8 liter pot, a strainer, two insulated mugs, two 20 fluid ounce bowls, two eating utensils (fork and spoon hybrids), two sip-it tops, a stove bag and a welded sink. The whole thing weighs only 26.6 ounces and measures 6.4 inches high and 5.9 inches in diameter.
Many of the employees at GSI Outdoors - including Director of Design & Marketing Kurt Gauss – have a background in backpacking, camping and RVing. They recall many of their nights out camping, with random sets of pots and pans everywhere.
“'Wouldn't it be nice to have a design that does everything?'” said Gauss, of the inspiration behind the Pinnacle Dualist. “We needed a pot that has enough water to boil two rehydrated food packages. It [all became] sort of this mitrachya doll…a puzzle. We started to build everything around the 230 gram fuel canister of butane [which is as] compact as possible…using every bit of space it can.”
According to Gauss, statistics across America point out that most hiking adventures currently for most people are for about three days out including two nights. That's what the Pinnacle Dualist was designed for.
GSI's design won them the 2009 Backpackers Product Choice of the Year, one of the first of its kind on the market. Ever since then, the Pinnacle Dualist has been one of their best-sellers, not only with backpackers and campers, but people traveling by RV as well.
“[Our customers] have refined taste and expectations of comfort. That's why they are RVing,” said Gauss. “[But] they won't put up with something that doesn't work well. This set gives you that complete solution – everything you need. You just need water and rehydrated food and you're good to go. As RVers, maybe some of the consumers are not as experienced with [baseline] camping. So [they want] to be assured they're getting the entire solution.”
Gauss grew up on sailboats and says he knows that RVers (as similar to sailboat cabins in size) can only take so much in volume with them. Many RV's are very space conscious.
Gauss’ youth was spent in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, racing boats on Lake Michigan. During this time, he started to learn about engineering. He also did a lot of bike camping. By 14, he was riding his bike through the Wisconsin countryside on solo pursuits, camping at state parks.
By his 20s, Gauss had also started rock climbing. Many of the rock climbing locations were only accessible by backpacking. It led Gauss to also get into camping. His love of camping and rock climbing resulted in a move to Spokane, Washington, near the Rocky Mountains and other rough climbing spots. It was in Spokane where he began working for GSI Outdoors, “a company that feeds his soul.”
Once Gauss was married with children he started family camping trips. Now that his boys are seven and nine years old, he just started doing overnights with them. Between Gauss, his wife and two children, they often bring two Pinnacle Dualists with them on their treks.
Some of the positive feedback Guess has received from other couples and families regarding the Dualist is about its fuel efficiency, heat efficiency and durability. “They said they loved how lightweight it was,” gushes Gauss. “That's what people are really talking about. They like how it's a complete set. It's all they need – boom! – in a really nice package.”
Olivia Richman
A graduate of East Connecticut State University in Journalism, Olivia has written for Stonebridge Press & Antiques Marketplace among others. She enjoys writing, running and video games.
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GSI Outdoors, a small, privately-held, family company which prides itself in creating unique, imaginative and fun products for its customers who love the backcountry.