Boil Water, Fold it Down. Metal Bottom, 'Soft' Sides On Camp Cooking Pot

Cooking pots are one of the bulkier items in your pack. Even when filled with other items, pots are bulky, hard, and take up a lot of space.

The to-be-released X-Pot from Sea To Summit is a nifty solution. The design, which will come to market next spring, is made with an anodized aluminum base attached to walls of heat-resistant silicone.

The pot collapses down into a small disc that’s only about an inch thick. I had the chance to examine the X-Pot at the Outdoor Retailer show in August, and it seems sturdy and functional.

The soft sides, which have two tab handles, easily collapse, but they feel sturdy and should provide plenty of support for cooking liquids.

It’s important to note the silicone is heat resistant but not heat-proof — you need to have a liquid in the pot to cook.

We suspect most backpackers will use the pots to boil water for pouring into a dehydrated food pouch. You can cook foods like pasta, stew, soup, or oatmeal. But the X-Pot won’t work as a pan for “dry” foods or to fry a fish.

The large X-Pot has a capacity of 2.8 liters. A small version (1 liter) of the X-Pot is designed to nest inside the large pot.

While compact, the X-Pot is not ultra-light. The large version weighs 10 ounces, which is heavier than some aluminum cooking pots.

However, if your pack has limited real estate and you don’t mind carrying a few more ounces, this is a nice way to free up some space.

The large X-Pot will cost $49.95, and the small will be $29.95. Both hit the market in March 2015.