Sea to Summit Alpha 2.2 Review
Compare prices at 2 resellers Pros: Innovative handle, quiet carry
Cons: No frying pan, nesting the whole kit requires disassembling the cups
Manufacturer: Sea to Summit
Our Verdict
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 This Product
Sea to Summit Alpha 2.2 | |||||
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| Awards |  |  |  | | |
| Price | $99.95 at REI Compare at 2 sellers | $105 List $104.95 at Amazon | Check Price at REI Compare at 2 sellers | $90.00 at REI Compare at 2 sellers | $25 List $24.95 at REI |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Pros | Innovative handle, quiet carry | Sturdy construction and efficiency-oriented heat exchanger ring, locking universal pot gripper | Environmental and health-friendly ceramic construction, lightweight and versatile overall construction | Durable, excellent frying pan for discerning cooks, great lid, great value for the set | Super durable, simple design, inexpensive, great for meats, fast boiling time |
| Cons | No frying pan, nesting the whole kit requires disassembling the cups | Heavy, especially for a kit that requires addition of other features, heat exchanger ring is a little messy | Fragile coating and pots dent easily, no features beyond two basic pots | Heavy, no non-stick coating | Limited cooking options, hot spots while cooking |
| Bottom Line | A “typical” backpacking cook set with important and appreciated refinements over some of the competitors, but still missing what some consider the essential frying pan | Efficiency oriented, with an excellent foundation for the practical, hearty cooking, enthusiastic user | For gourmet and health-conscious campers, this set will form the foundation or three to four campers | A high value car camping set, optimized for performance and compact carry, at a high weight | A super durable stainless steel cook set designed for the solo traveller |
| Rating Categories | Sea to Summit Alpha... | Primus PrimeTech 2.... | MSR Ceramic 2-Pot Set | Stanley Adventure B... | GSI Outdoors Glacie... |
| Cooking Performance (25%) | |||||
| Packability (20%) | |||||
| Durability (15%) | |||||
| Weight (15%) | |||||
| Ease of Use (15%) | |||||
| Features (10%) | |||||
| Specs | Sea to Summit Alpha... | Primus PrimeTech 2.... | MSR Ceramic 2-Pot Set | Stanley Adventure B... | GSI Outdoors Glacie... |
| Measured Weight | 1.8lbs | 1.6 lbs | 1 lbs | 4.8 lbs | 1.0 lbs |
| Material | Hard-anodized Aluminum | Aluminum | Hard-anodized Aluminum | Stainless Steel; pot and pan bottoms have additional layers | Stainless Steel |
| Components | 1.2L pot, 2.7L pot, 2 strainer lids, 2 bowls, 2 insulated mugs, 1 pack towel | 2 2.3L pots, 1 lid, pot tongs, padded/insulated storage bag | 2L pot, 1.5L pot, strainer lid, 2 plates, 2 mugs, handle | 3.5L pot, vented lid, 7" 3ply frying pan, cutting board, spatula with extending handle, serving spoon with extending handle, ⁴ 6in plates, ⁴ 22oz bowls, ⁴ sporks, dish drying rack, heat resistant trivet, locking bungee | 1L pot, 1 folding handle frypan, bowl, 1 cup, 1 stuff sack |
| Avg Boil Time (mins) | 3.92 | 3.12 | 3.58 | 4.12 | 3.05 |
| 3L Pot? (>2.4L) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2L Pot? (1.5-2.4L) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1L Pot? (.5-1.4L) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Frying Pan? | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Frying Pan Lid? | N/a | N/a | N/a | No | No |
| Packed Size | 7.2 x 4.7 in | 7.9 x 5.3 in | 5.3 x 7.8 in | 11 x 6 x 11 in | 6.7 x 6.6 x 3.5 in |
| Weight of pot closest to 1.5L, with lid and handle | 0.7lbs | 0.9 lbs | 0.5 lbs | 1.9 lbs | 0.74 lbs |
| Cooking Surfaces | Hard anodized | Non-stick Teflon like coating | One (1.5L) non-stick pot, One (2.5L) uncoated pot | Stainless Steel | 18/8 Stainless steel |
Our Analysis and Test Results
Sea to Summit has long made backpacking and camping accessories like stuff sacks. Their entry to the camp cookware market is well thought out and clever. It competes with the best of the best.
Performance Comparison
Cooking Performance
This is a backpacking cook set, and with such equipment, weight is paramount. And the first thing to suffer is cooking performance. Because of the physics of heat transfer, thinner (and therefore lighter) materials don't cook tricky foods as well. There is an inherent conflict between weight and cooking performance. For backpacking, the Sea to Summit Alpha strikes a great balance.
The aluminum construction conducts heat more evenly than steel or titanium. Sea to Summit chose to use anodized coating instead of a non-stick coating. Anodizing, in general, is less effective than non-stick coatings but is more durable. We found that the Sea To Summit anodizing was more "non-stick" than other anodized products we have assessed. In our scrambled egg test, for instance, the Alpha performed well. The aluminum spread the heat of a focused camp burner, and no eggs stuck to the coating. Sea to Summit claims that their anodizing is more robust than that on other brands. Our test period is long, but not long enough to have fully assessed this claim.
Packability
Given all that is included with the Alpha (two pots, each with their one lid and handle, two deep plates, two insulated mugs, and a dish towel), the Alpha is compact and quiet. The handle of the outermost post seals everything inside. The remaining contents nest such that plastic and textile alternates with metal parts. This makes for a virtually rattle-free setup.
Durability
Aluminum construction is notoriously prone to denting, and the Sea To Summit Alpha is no exception. Whether inside of your backpack with pointy things around, or while jostling around the campsite, you will dent these pots. This is an inherent compromise made for the lightweight of the Alpha. It is no more prone to denting than its close competition. The anodized coating of the Alpha, in our testing, showed zero signs of wear. Anodizing will last longer than non-stick coatings.
Weight
We weighed the cook sets in a couple of different ways. Of course, we weighed the entire set, as purchased. However, since the tested sets all include different features, we also weighed the pot, lid, and handle of the set's pot that is closest to 1.5 liters in capacity. The Alpha weighs 1.8 pounds overall, but when you strip it down to just the main pot, it is only 0.7 pounds.
Ease of Use
The discerning characteristic of the Alpha Set 2.2 is its handle system; the handles are secure, rigid, and easy to deploy. The handle of each pot serves double duty, and Sea to Summit does this very elegantly. The handle is secure in both modes and locks into two positions. Hinged to the outside, it works as a cook pot handle, while hinged to the inside it locks the lid on, securing the entire package. Aside from this welcome attribute, there is very little to note about the ease of use of the Alpha. Our one minor gripe is that to nest entirely inside, the insulated mugs must be disassembled. Removing the insulating sleeves isn't a big deal, but it is something that all of our testers noted.
Features
Sea to Summit includes all you might likely need for backpacking, short of a cutting board, and eating utensils. Grab a spoon from your kitchen and use the backside of one of the plates for cutting carrots, and you will be set. This feature set (two pots, two bowls, two cups) seems to be fairly standard for backpacking cook sets. For more sophisticated cooking, the only addition we would make is a non-stick frying pan with a tight-sealing lid.
Value
The Alpha Set 2.2 is right in the mix with the comparable kits. By choosing a simpler pot set and grabbing some accessories from your own kitchen, you can greatly exceed the value of the Sea to Summit, but you'll compromise on cooking performance and ease of use. Those that'll see the greatest value in this cook set are those that prefer pot-based cooking with just a few extra features.
Conclusion
We dig this innovative addition to the market. With a couple of careful enhancements (that handle system and the anodizing that behaves like a non-stick coating), Sea to Summit shakes up the field.
— Amber King & Jediah Porter
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