GSI Halulite Ketalist Review

By Steve Sherpa

MFP Retail Price – $34.95
Total Weight – 11.1oz
Materials used – Proprietary, Hard Anodized Alloy, Clear Polypropylene
Kit – 1.0 L Kettle, 14 fl. oz. insulated cup, 14 fl. oz. bowl, Sip-It top, Telescoping Foon, Stuff Sack.

When it was time to update my cook set, I took a plunge on something different after many many years of the standard deep cook pot.

The PROS

What stood out to me was the profile of this pot. While wider, it wasn’t taller than the standard cook set. Always looking to maximize volume in my pack, lower profile peices of gear appeal to me, so that was one selling point. Also, as I thought about it, I asked “what else besides boiling water and making ramen noodles, do I want to do with this?” The kettle allows for more options to cook in the pot because the heat is more widely distributed – coupled with an adjustable flame stove, you can make many types of meals in it. One example, is a dehydrated cobler which requires time to simmer and even rise a bit.

What also makes the pot unique is of course its tiny spout. Pouring water out is a breeze, as is draining water from noodles if you dont want to do a ramen soup. I would recommend taking the lid off when you pour because as you pour and tip the kettle more, the lid will come off (either hold it on by the coated handle or just take it off)

The pot handle design is extreme useful as well – you can build a tripod over a fire and hang the pot to cook. Placing the pot on coals works as well too – you just need to ensure you do not melt the coated handles of the pot. Soot, of course, is always an issue when you flame cook, but because of the alloy, it wipes right off.

The other accessories – plastic ware cup and bowl (same dimensions, one has a lid and coozy) and a telescoping foon, are mostly useful. The foon is a nice concept, but because I am very hard on gear, I sort of just tossed it. While others commented on the bowl and cup as “extra weight” – to me it is trivial and I actually like the cup with the coozy – it keeps liquids warm, keeps you from scolding your hands an the lid makes sipping easy. Both bowls also have measurement lines on the inside – though can be hard to see sometimes.

Storage is very easy – a 4 oz. fuel can can easily fit into the modular set up (with the lid off and at the bottom of the pot and all cinched up in the mesh/nylon bag.

A little extra info on that storage bag – it ca hold some water for a bit of time. With all of the other containers, I cant see a situation why you would need the storage bag to do so, but still is nice to know you have some extra collection units with you.

The Cons

One thing I learned quickly – dont try to make bacon in this. I was lucky I didn’t destroy it when I did. It took quite a bit of elbow grease and reheating, scrubbing, rinse and repeat. It is not a skillet so it is not coated with a non-stick surface). A friend of mine also tried making cinnamon buns in it, same thing happened, and it destroyed her kettle. Make sure if you do cook in this, ensure your ingredients do not stick and use oils as needed.

The coated handles are wonderful of course so you dont burn yourself, but if you do decide to use this on flames/coals – ensure you dont have those coated parts near high heat. It WILL melt. I’ve seen some people peel it off and wrap electrical/duct tape around – or any tape that has a high heat tolerance. My recommendation is simple move some hot coals away from the higher heat areas of a fire and cook on it.

I mentioned the foon – It is small and a bit flimsy. The collapsible concept is good, but again, for someone like me who both likes to eat out of freezer bags and cook bags, the size matters. As well, my roughness with gear would eventually break that foon.

If you are a super gram weening – you can ditch all of the other accessories. In fact, the Ketalist kettle is sold by itself at a reduced price.

Summary:

I have had my ketalist for about 2 years now. As I have mentioned, I am very hard on gear. For $34, I have beat this thing up and it still looks good and there is no warping of the materials, even the plastic. I’ve had this hanging over flames, on chemical tab stove, on fuel stove. I’ve boiled water up to making cobbler in it. Boiling a whole pot of water will give me a meal and a couple of hot drinks in the 1 liter pot. It’s low profile design really helps decrease its volume consumption in the pack and its weight is trivial.

For the price, you get a full camp kitchen, without the higher costs of titanium yet it seems just as strong and light. I highly recommend this product to be your next cook set.

You can find it here: GSI Halulite Ketalist 

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