Price: $99.95

Weight: 1.76 lbs (798 g)

Components: 2.5L pot w/strainer lid; 1.5L pot; 2 plates; two 10.2 fl. oz. mugs w/sip-it lids; pot lifter

Materials: Hard-anodized aluminum, polypropylene, HDPE

Cooking Surface: Hard-anodized aluminum

Packed Size: 7.7″ x 7.7″ x 5″

Boil Time: 3:55

Best Use: Backpacking, Camping

What We Like: Solid cooking performance, Durable, Nests well

What We Don’t: Slightly heavy for backpacking

One of the main appeals of MSR products is that they are built to last; the company has a driving belief that “functionality, simplicity and reliability are the governing elements of enduring design.” This is well illustrated by well-built, rugged products like the Alpine 2-Pot Set, made from durable stainless steel. However, if you’re looking for a set that provides a bit more versatility in the cooking department, the MSR Quick 2 System Cook Set, also called just the Quick 2, may be right up your alley. This $99.95 eight-piece set includes more than just a pair of pots and a lid; rather, it boasts a 2.5L and 1.5L pot with a strainer lid and pot lifter, along with two deep-dish plates and two 10.2 fl. oz. mugs with sip-it lids. With this wide range of cooking accessories and decent weight and packability, the Quick 2 can smoothly transition from camping to backpacking.

Compare to Similar Products

See Our Best Camp Cookware Review HERE!

Cooking & Cleaning

The primary material for the pots in the Quick 2 set is hard-anodized aluminum; the 1.5L pot is nonstick while the 2.5L pot is uncoated. Both pots perform admirably at cooking; the aluminum is excellent at transferring heat and produces no hot spots. Many users may even find that these pots are comparable to the cookware they find in their kitchen. We would recommend the 1.5L pot for cooking food like eggs that may have a tendency to stick, while the 2.5L pot will be best for boiling water or cooking pasta. The lid’s integrated strainer proves especially helpful for the latter activity, and even features a metal lip to make the process even easier. Boil time for two cups of water was roughly 3 minutes 55 seconds, which is close to the average amongst the sets we reviewed.

The Quick 2’s solid cooking performance also aids in its ease of cleanup; because it cooks food evenly, there should be no burnt food on the bottom unless the camp chef overcooks dinner. The two DeepDish™ plates are made of polypropylene and can be wiped out with ease.

Weight & Packability

All of the items in the Quick 2 set can easily nest inside the 2.5L pot. To do this you’ll first store one of the plates, then the 1.5L pot with both cups inside, followed by the second plate, stored upside down. The final step will be to lock down the pot lid using the Talon handle. Although there is a bit of space inside the cups to store a couple small additional items, you won’t be able to store any fuel canisters unless you opt to leave the cups at home. The packed dimensions for the Quick 2 is 7.7″ x 7.7″ x 5″ (same as the MSR Ceramic 2-Pot Set), while the total weight is 1.76 lbs (793 g), which is quite a bit heavier than the 1 lb. Ceramic set but also light enough to qualify for backpacking.

Durability

As previously mentioned, the Quick 2 utilizes hard-anodized aluminum for the pots and brushed aluminum for the pot lid. This material is not as bombproof as stainless steel but still much more so than standard aluminum—both in the cooking and durability department, hard-anodized aluminum is very much the “middle of the road” choice. It should be more than capable of accompanying you on several camping trips without suffering dents or scratches, so long as you are not too rough with it.

Features

The Quick 2 is quite versatile as a cookware set. Along with its pots and lid, you’ll have two BPA-free plates that are deep enough to function as bowls, along with two insulated polypropylene mugs featuring sip-it lids made from HDPE (high-density polyethylene). The only supplemental accessories you should need are sporks and a stove system.

MSR’s Talon™ pot handle is an interesting inclusion that has both strengths and weaknesses. We did find it somewhat inconvenient to have only one handle for both pots, which can make things complicated if you’re attempting to cook with both pots at once, but this is a fairly standard sacrifice for backpacking cook sets. The handle uses a locking button system and exterior brackets to attach to the pots, which was much easier to operate during cooking than the pot grabbers used on the MSR Alpine 2-Pot Set (these will not stay attached to the pot unless actively held in place). However, the pot grabbers are much easier to transfer from one pot to another, so while cooking with one pot was better with the Talon, cooking with two was made easier with the pot grabber.

The Bottom Line

With respect to price vs. performance, the MSR Quick 2 System Cook Set is not a small investment but also boasts quite a bit of value. We felt that opting for hard-anodized aluminum was an excellent choice. Although it’s not a top performer on cooking, durability, or lightweight construction, it’s quite capable with respect to cooking, reasonably rugged, and lightweight enough to function for both camping and backpacking, with a price that’s comparable to its abilities. The Quick 2 is a jack of all trades but a master of none, which can often be the best choice when it comes to camping gear.

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