Macpac’s cookware family (Solo, Duo, and Heat Exchange Pot) comprises a neat range of lightweight, hard anodised aluminium pots that rival some more expensive brands.
The anodising process gives the pots basic non-stick properties as well as scratch resistance, and the rubberised handles fold nicely against the body, although I can’t see how they can be ‘locked into place’ as mentioned in the product description.
As evidenced by the name, the Solo (229g) is designed for a single hiker, for whom 900ml is all the volume required. The lid doubles as a mug or, by a short stretch of the imagination, a frying pan. Strangely, there’s no mention of the volume on Macpac’s website, only on the side of the box.
The same is true of the Duo (715g), whose larger-diameter twin pots (1700ml & 1100ml) are aimed more at simmering food than boiling water for tea and dehydrated meals.
The Heat Exchange Pot (190g) is a little different. The heat exchanger ring on the base is designed to spread the heat of the stove over a greater surface area of the pot base, making it a more efficient system.
Internal volume gradations are a useful addition, and the basic plastic lid reduces the weight, but could have reduced it even further had it included drainage holes. Likewise, pouring spouts would be useful across the range, but would obviously add to the production costs.
All pots come with a mesh storage sack, and the Solo also adds a scrubber sponge.
RRPs: Solo - $39.95; Duo - $69.95; Heat Exchange Pot - $69.99
Website: macpac.com.au
Review_Dan Slater