Snow Peak Trek 700 Titanium Review

The Snow Peak Trek 700 Titanium is built for those that appreciate minimalism and lightweight design; built for the thru-hiker, it's barebones, and is a cup that'll boil water and rehydrate pasta, rice, or quinoa in a snap. While it's limited in its features and can burn your lips if you try to drink it right off the stove, it's our top recommendation for those seeking a reliable, durable, and lightweight tool that'll do the basics without adding weight to your pack.

Performance Comparison

Cooking Performance

Used primarily just to boil water, this titanium cup can't do much for cooking foods other than those that need to be rehydrated. The titanium is quite thin, so it conducts heat quickly. When performing our egg test, we placed the cup on a single burner pocket rocket.

The bottom immediately heated up, and the egg started to burn after just 10 seconds of being on the burner. Unlike other sets that have thicker metal, it doesn't do much to buffer the heat. Once any food in the cup starts to heat up, the smoke produced is so concentrated that you can't see through it and appropriately monitor cooking progress. We tried this several times with different heat settings with the same result.

That said, for the thru-hiker who's probably carrying just rehydrated meals, pasta, or rice, it's perfect. It boils water in about three minutes (3:10 in our controlled tests, with a pocket rocket stove), and has a large enough capacity (three cups) to cook Mountain House meals for up to two serving sizes. Most of these meals require between 1 - 2 cups of water. If you're making pasta or rice in the cup, it's best for just one person simply because it is so small.

Another huge plus of this cup is its seemingly indestructible construction that can actually be put right into the fire. If you find yourself without a stove and just a fire pit, you can boil water in the cup by placing it over the fire. Since it doesn't have any attachment points for hanging, building a small platform out of rocks to put it on is best. Many of the cookware sets tests don't have this ability, which gives it a leg up on the competition.

Packability

It's packable and easily slips into a backpack; the capacity is large enough to fit a small stove and a smaller gas canister (110 grams) inside. It comes with a net bag, which we recommend you keep it in. The lid is not fitted onto the cup, so it slides off easily when inverted or while jumbling around. If you have a rubber band or strap that fits around the cup, you could add that if you prefer not to carry the net bag. It's one of the most packable sets simply because it's small.

Durability

This cup is quite durable; if it were to accidentally tumble down a cliff, it'd maintain its shape and keep doing its job. We tried to scratch it with steel wool and utensils, dropped it on the ground, and smashed it up against rocks.

Through it all, over these months of testing, it has maintained its shape and hasn't scratched up one bit. The metal can easily be cleaned with steel wool and sand while on the trail. If reliability is what you seek, this is one of our favorites. The handle is well attached and maintains its shape, even when holding the cup full of water. Overall, we're impressed with its durability. It's one we'd recommend for thru-hikers that need to trust the reliability and durability of a great cookware set.

Weight

This cup is ridiculously light and won't add much weight to your pack. It weighs only 0.3 pounds with all the parts included. Add in a stove, lighter, and canister, and you've got an ultralight set-up that'll be ideal for both fastpacking and thru-hiking adventurers. Given its super lightweight design, it's also a top choice for ski touring days where you want might want to make some tea or soup on the trail.

Ease of Use

While this cup is simple, it isn't the easiest to use. Several times while making tea and coffee, we felt frustrated. The titanium is such a good conductor of heat that the handle and lid got really hot while cooking. We found this to be true even when the burner was smaller than the base of the cup. Taking it off the stove requires using a little cloth or gloves to avoid burning yourself.

If you're boiling water in the cup for coffee or tea, know that you're going to have to wait for the metal to cool before you can drink it. We typically just brought another collapsible cup to pour the hot water off into so we could drink it faster. However, if this is the only system you use on the trail and don't want to carry an extra cup, know that it'll be a hot (literally) minute before you can start drinking. We burnt our lips several times with our impatience when we first started testing it.

Aside from these heating qualms, it's relatively easy to use. The lid has a nifty feature that you can grab to take the lid off easily, and it works nicely with and without gloves. The handles are large and easy to pick up and don't flex under the weight of a load, which we appreciate.

Features

Simplicity. The only real features it has have been etched in measurements on the side of the cup, which is handy for figuring out how much water to use when rehydrating meals. The lid also has a little prong on the top so you can grab it. Unfortunately, the lid doesn't stay on the cup when flipped upside down, so make sure you don't accidentally tip it over when boiling. The entire cup is metal, without any insulation, so you can easily put it in the fire if you accidentally run out of fuel on the trail and still need to boil water. Bonus!

Value

If you're looking for a super lightweight, durable, and reliable cook set that's best for rehydrating meals and boiling water, you can't beat this model. While the initial price might seem high, this is a cup that'll last you for years. It serves its function well, and its durable titanium construction alone is worth investing in. This is not the set to buy if you're cooking for more than one, plan on being a gourmet chef on a regular basis, or are car camping. It is truly for the hiker that needs a minimalist design which is lightweight and easy to carry.

Conclusion

The Snow Peak Trek 700 Titanium is our pick for Thru-Hikers because of its uber lightweight design. It's best for the single user who needs a cup that'll nest a small stove and canister without taking up too much space. It'll boil water, make soups, and rehydrate meals in a snap. It's also easy to clean and maintain.