Getting down to the small things... Do any of you use a free plastic spork you find at any fast food joint for long distance hikes? Up until this year I have not been conserned about weight and used a normal kitchen spoon. Two things, can the plastic spork hold up if taken care of over 21 days? Does using the spork in boiling water have any adverse health effects?

Ti spork = $$, but good health and not having to use a hand carved wooden spoon to eat with, out weigh the $$

I cut my Light My Fire spoon/fork to where I just have the spoon side. For my meals I just need a spoon but am thinking about carving some notches to make it a spork, but on my scale it weighs in at .2 oz (6g).

lighter than ti, lasts just as long, $1 - $2

i like this one from rei because the flat tines are better at scraping pot bottoms and worse at poking holes in your freezer bags

http://www.rei.com/product/781530

It's all down to personal preference. I don't mind lexan in my mouth but the throwaway gear from fast food joints usually breaks pretty quickly. I have two nice sets of Ti Silverware a BPL menber let me have at a very good price. For airline security on carry-on only trips I take the lexan spork. For domestic trips I take the Ti fork and spoon, plus my gerber lock-knife.

Sporks don't handle noodles too well.

I recommend going with the lexan or ti version. The lightweight, throw-away sporks do not last!

And just personally, I only use a spoon (ti) cuz I find the tines on a spork to be pretty useless! And given my boiling-water-in-a-plastic-bag meals, a sp/fork tine is dangerous!!!

I used a lite my fire, but cheese from mountain house caked on and formed some kind of super epoxy. I did not like the shape either.(that curved "S" shape was a pain to pack) Then used a brown military mre spoon. it worked great but melted. Now I am on the titanium spork. Maybe now I'll be happy for a few months and then I'll try the free plastic spoons from the breakroom at work. They are light enough to carry a few and not be as hard pressed to wash them or worry.

I agree, the throwaway sporks can easily break when you don't want them to. A nice quality lexan spork should run just a few bucks. I have an old GSI one that is light, cheap, and nicely colored so I don't lose it. It's about 2 years old now.

I look at Ti ones, but the weight difference is negligible. The cost for Ti is quite a bit more. I also don't like eating from metal.

I for the most part use a GSI ReHydrate long handled spoon. $2 and .5 of an ounce, non-Lexan and they take a beating.

Plastic utensils are not equal. If you really want to know if it will hold up, maybe you should try using it at home for 21 days. I actually found that I prefer a brand of plastic spoon that tends to break when I clean it, so I pack a couple extra spoons. So I carried a couple plastic spoons on a 6 week outing and found that none of my spoons broke.

As for your 21 day outing, you shouldn't carry all your spare spoons at once. Rotate them out when you resupply.

Forget the fast food plastic sporks. I vote for the Lexan sporks. I don't think I will ever break mine! It's just as light as ti and a whole lot cheaper.

+3 for lexan. Cheaper and lighter than titanium, and utterly undestructable.

BTW, what used to be Lexan is changing - more are using the plastic made by Kodak that Camelbak and Nalgene are using. Same strength overall, same price - they look the same.

I think Delrin or Lexan plastic utensils are superior to Ti any day. They don't get too hot or cold, as does Ti. Try eating W/ Ti at -10 F.! Not fun.

I used to use plastic sporks until many years ago I snapped one in two and deformed another one by getting it too hot. Now I use the largest titanium spork that will fit inside my Caldera Cone set, which happens to be an REI brand version.

Just thought of something else. Lexan is bogus due to toxicity issues, unless you want extra fingers on your hands and toes on your feet. I already look like a cross between Kieth Richards and David letterman and can't afford and extra added attractions. And you'll never catch me backpacking at minus ten. My earlobes nearly dropped off from frostbite one time back in little Sherrill, New York where I grew up. Ran out of the house at twenty below without a hat and the schoolbus was thirty minutes late. You guys can have that cold weather backpacking. My titanium spork will never get stuck on my tongue.

> +3 for lexan. Cheaper and lighter than titanium, and utterly undestructable.

+4

Cheers

I love the free sporks from Taco Bell. Light and sturdy enough for SOME uses. Good if you take it easy on your gear. They WILL break and they WILL melt if you are not careful. For cold weather, they are too brittle.

Second choice would be a good lexan spoon or spork. Longer handles work good for some freezer bag meals. Personally, I roll the bag inwards as I work my way down, so short spoons have never been a problem.

Currently, I am using a folding Titanium spork I bought on Amazon for $11. The reason I like it is because it will fit nicely in my Titan Kettle when folded. The Brunton branded ones have a polished spoon and are not textured like other titanium utensils. More like the ones you have at home. I tried the lexan folders and they were not sturdy enough for me.

Does Ti spork set off the metal detector?

I used to use a lexan fork, but now use a Ti spoon. I liked the fork, but I did melt the tips once reaching for food in the fire (my bad). The Ti spoon was just $5 from BPL, so price was not really a factor. And it has a multipurpose use as an opener for my bear canister. Also, I have seen a lot of broken spoon-fork combo things recently, so I am a little wary of those.

GSI lexan. Cheap, light, and better on non stick coatings if it comes into contact.