You forgot to mention the handle turned around, has serrated edges to use as tongues for cooking! These also fit into the slot on the lids for burn free removal!
I beg to correct you on your tongs comment. When he introduced the pot pliers with spring then Ernie showed the tongs and he picked up utensil cover with tongs.
The "pull" tabs can also be used as levers :-) That lifts the whole lid off nicely and there's no issue with the steam! Also, on the in-side of the lids doubles as a stand for gas cartridges (2 sizes)
@@Eidolon1andOnly Ooh great info, that makes the kit even better. I could see how you can lift the lid with your finger and thumb as another commenter explained but I can see how the tong side of the pot grabber would also work great👍
That's something I hadn't considered. I was wondering if the pull tab is actually supposed to be used like a handle out the side? That would probably be dependent on how tight the lid fits. Seems awkward from most camp pots but does look more like you could use it to lift the lid straight off by letting it use the weight of the lid like a cantilever.
@@Eidolon1andOnly I always just used the front of the pot grabber. You can lift the pot off the stove and then just grab pull lid off by the tab. Never burned me.
Two thoughts; use the back of the pot grabber as tongs (works great, I have this kit) to pick up or flip meat cooking in the pot. And also if you grab the lid pull while it’s flipped out, use it like a cantilever for the lid. Index finger across the bottom of the pull ring, thumb on top, lift lid straight up. Works for me every time
@ John Jensen. I love Lukes vids but I was thinking exactly what you explained that the pot lid tabs are designed on the edge like that for the exact reason not to burn yourself with steam because no part of your arm is over the pot at all if you use the lid tabs the way they were designed as youve explained. I actually think the lid design although not like the usual center tab or pull or knob is actually a safer design.
@@duncdunc76 Agreed, I think it’s just that Luke has become so used to the standard center pull ring. The Japanese are famous for thinking outside the box design wise.
Never been camping in my life yet I cannot stop watching your videos, wouldn't even know where to start with gear. Absolutely wonderful channel to watch though, keep up the great work!
Oh man, get out there! Wish I could take you out there! It's easy and fun. Start at a State Park. You'll have a nice bath and shower, a nice bbq to cook on, and electricity w/ water! Just bring some charcoal for the grill. You don't need to spend a lot of money. Get yourself a good, reasonably price tent (there are lots of reasonally priced/decent tents out there). Take your Revere ware! You don't have to buy camping pots and pans. Just camp a year or two with what you have, then you'll know what you want or need to buy! Wish I could take you and your family out!
I agree with everything you said about this kit. I just wanted to add that the 'pot grabber' handle can also be used the other way around as a small pair of tongs - they are shaped for the purpose.
Been waiting on this. I've had one for a while myself. You can lift the lid straight off if you let the lifter fall to the outside of the pot. Also, the raised bumps on the inside of the lid are for your gas canister in case the ground is uneven. It gives the stove a more stable platform.
I don’t know if the price is the same when it’s exported. But 70 dollars is close to what a complete trangia set goes for in the Nordic’s. And then you get a frying pan/lid in metal, a burner, tongs, two pots, a pretty effective and sturdy base (great for winds, and getting the heat to warm up from all sides of the pan). And it’s basically the same system, the product in the video clearly had trangia as it’s main inspiration. I really like the idea of the isolating cozy though. The combo of the small pot with the cozy is perfect for a one person setup. Can go right of the stove and eaten straight out of it, and it will keep warm. Could see myself using that a fair bit. But not for a bigger pan than the one they designed it for in the video. But I’m guessing the cozy has a limited life span. A couple of years max. Not decades. Everything in a trangia kit do last for 60+ plus years. Here in the Nordic’s you see people use sets from the 50s, 60s and 70s as often as you see ones that are younger than 20 years. There are pros and cons with trangia. But if you want this style of collapsable cooking set, that fit incredibly neatly inside itself. I think trangia is way better value. It’s basically the same price, and it will last you so much longer.
I have no idea what model mine is. Not even sure if they had different models back then (more than the small and the large, mine is the large). It was bought by my father in the 50ies, but I've retrofitted it with a gas burner and ss inside/aluminum outside pots in the early 90ies. Including the burner it clocks in at 1345 grams. With the original configuration it still works, but the pans are not in good shape. Aluminum insides (or non stick) isn't really a good idea in the long run.
Clearly, from looking at the teeth on the pot grabber handle, the spring is because the pot grabber doubles as tongs. Which is pretty cool. And the tab on the lid is to the side so you can use it as a cutting board. Looks nice, but I have a set for solo, and for a couple people already.
Yes it states that in the instructions. My daughters asked for them for their 21st and 18th birthdays. The microfibre bag for the pot grabber is intended to also be a cloth. I also wonder if you can twist to get the lid off rather than open as shown - they wouldn't work as well as chopping boards with the handle in the middle. They're also supposed to be stands for gas canisters to stop them tilting over so much.
The lid handle is off centred so the lid can be used as a chopping board (pro) the pot grabber could be used to steady the pot whilst removing the lid. Or use pot grabber to remove the lid
Oh wow an already made cozy!! That's so neat. I know a lot of people make their own. I am a newbie and thought that was the only way really. This is awesome. Thanks for sharing
I have this cook set and haven’t had any issues from it. I got it for a 6 night trip in the boundary waters really enjoy the scale ability of the kit. Awesome review.
Very similar to my very first backpacking pot set I bought like 20 years ago, made by MSR. The MSR set didn't have the extra insulated bag and disc for the smaller pot, but it had same size big pot and nested small pot. One lid that worked with both, and a similar pot grabber. So big, bulky, and heavy though. I would only use it for car camping or cooking for multiple people now.
WOW! That looks like a really nice winter cook set for two that will keep you food warm for a while in sub-zero weather. I don't winter camp often, but might if I buy this. Thanks for the excellent review!
I'd love to set you a challenge to put together a cheap but effective and efficient outdoors set up but only using stuff you find in goodwill/charity shops, just to show that you don't need to buy all the best/most expensive stuff and that you can get it done with general everyday throw away gear from the lowest of budget options.
I have a soto windmaster and it's great up in cold Sweden. Being a Swede I really like Trangia and I did not really see the benefit of that kit over a stormkök 25 (but it might be expensive in the US). However what I am using with my windmaster is Campingset 124-T. It is awesome, you can use it over fire and with gas, it is light and has all the basic things you need.
Ya your right and im glad you acknowledge that sometimes you can get a better deal with no name thats a fact really yes i no some times you get junk as well but its always important to do research on what your buying and get feed back from the actual buyer on what your purchasing
As some people have pointed out, you can use the pot grabber to pick up the lid. Also, if you flip the tab to the outside, grab it with your thumb while make a fist and then tilt the lid so that the opposite side lifts up first, you won't burn yourself.
I have the soto thermostack combo and love it. For the two lid pulls on the navigator, I'd just stick some aluminum tape in the center of the lid as a pull. I do that on all my homemade reflectix koozies.
The minor cons do not seem to outweigh the overall usefulness of the kit as a whole, I have been watching several of your Soto reviews looks like a great overall line.
I viewed your video on the Soto stove last night and I ordered it last night. It was waiting for me when I came home from work today. It seems like a very well made stove. I have been using the super light, super cheap BRS. This is much nicer but not as light. The Soto is a very nice stove but the BRS is just crazy light. I must add the Soto is a much smoother flame and the pot supports are very stable.
I have the Soto Amicus and Windmaster stoves. The Windmaster is the quietest, most fuel efficient and wind resistant canister stove I have ever had. One con for the Windmaster is the removable pot stand, if you lose it in the field the stove is useless. The Amicus has permanently attached pot stands and Is smaller than the Windmaster, but is more noisy and slightly less wind resistant. Both are good stoves.
Really like my SOTO gear, in fact I think it was one of the Outdoor gear reviews of the cassette stove that got me into SOTO but I never did buy the cassette stove, have many others though. Should be noted the lid when upside down can be used as a gas canister base/stove steady it has raised tabs in two concentric rings, they're designed to keep the gas canister from moving around.
His video on the SOTO cassette burner picqued my interest... I was going to order that one, but decided on the ST-310. I don't think I will need high enough to worry about using butane only, but I might later down the road need to get a stove designed for isobutane/propane mixture for higher altitudes. May I ask which stoves you went with?
@@colejustesen My post was a year ago and since then I did in fact purchase the cassette stove, the design is unique and I couldn’t resist it, it’s not the fastest stove by any means but it’s stylish and I enjoy using it although not that often. I’m a SOTOHolic 😀 I’m afraid and have over time built up quite a collection. For car camping I use two ST 301, lovely large burner head great for proper cooking as long as it’s not too cold. Love the ST 310 especially when combined with one of the N-project mini tables. The stoves I use all the time currently are the Stormbreaker mainly with gas(it uses the gas inverted so in liquid form,good for cold weather) but can be used with white gas. The other stove I use regularly is the Amicus, fits inside the small HE pot from Widesea with a small gas canister, I use this set up for work when outside and there isn’t any proper welfare provided. The good thing about the Butane gas is it’s quite a bit cheaper here in the UK than say Coleman gas.
@@SnowyAspenHills I am coming to find that there are more stoves from SOTO available that they don't list on their site. The ST-301 does look great for car camping! I was trying to get a grip on the different fuel sources and where they would be most appropriate. I might need something for single digits, and the Stormbreaker might be that option... When you say gas, are you referring to the stumpy canisters of isobutane/propane mixtures? Thanks!
@@SnowyAspenHills I purchased a StormBreaker after you mentioned it. I went and looked at videos and it looks amazing! So I will have two stoves now 😁 Thanks again for telling me what you use!
@@colejustesen Good choice, will work in any situation. One of posts seems to have disappeared, I did answer your question on gas, well I thought I had.
If you're going to have a kit that large in your bag, you may as well just spend a tiny bit more on a Trangia 27 cookset and get the versatility of having an alcohol stove or even Trangia gas stove built into the base and windscreen, that way, you get the two pots, a kettle and a frying pan all in one neat package...
For the lid tabs, try holding it with the ends of your index and thumb while pushing the lid with your other fingers. Like an "ok" hand gesture where the pivot rotation is at your wrist, similar to pull tabs on canned food. Lift while rotating and pulling away from the pot. That, or try to use the claw on the lid at the handle hole.
Hey Luke.. this reminds me a lil of my old "96" Dana Designed/MSR cook set, that i use in the kitchen still.. Interesting. Thanks for the info video! God Bless...
Instead of pulling the tab up, pull it up a little then drag back towards you. You will never get hot steam on you, nor will the bottom go into the pan contents.
The flame diameter will tend to burn on any foods being cooked. I suggest a couple of lids from tin cans, one large, one small. Courtesy of Half Vast Flying.
Looking at the placement of the pot grabber notch and position of the lid tab for lifting the lid away, I believe they're meant to be used at the same time, allowing you to hold the pot with one hand via the grabber while pulling the lid lsightly up and directly away from the grabber. This action would prevent the lid from dipping into the contents of the pot while allowing the steam to primarily vent via the opposite side where the grabber is. May be a touch on the inconvenient side, but far better than scalded fingers.
I think from watching the video, the pull tabs are not for lifting but appear to be a handle. If you fold them out and hold them as a handle the weight of the lid will make it act as a handle and you would be able to lift it straight up. Just an idea. The kit looks great. You make some great videos. Keep up the great work.
Soto makes quality cook ware! Love the cozy brilliant! I thought about buying the windmaster and thermostack set. I have always used the pocket rocket 1 and 2 mini stoves and kit. I also like the pocket rocket deluxe! Still with either stove i would buy the thermostack set it too comes with a cozy. This navigator set is very nice though. Wish i had the room for something like this. Navigator has the best pot grabber i have seen. Very nice! Good stuff Luke as always! Hike on!!
I don't have the Soto cookset, however, I do have & use the Soto Windmaster Stove which I bought in preference to the Pocket Rocket Deluxe because it is 29% more fuel efficient. Enter the following search term "Fuel Efficiency of Windmaster vs Pocket Rocket Deluxe" if you are interested in the article. Soto was the FIRST to design "regulators" for their stoves; all other regulators are "copies" of the Soto "regulator". I find it interesting that Soto hasn't come out with their copy of the Jetboil Flux ring technology. I bought a "copy" of the Fluxring pot & found there was no measurable difference between boil times of pots with or without a so-called "Flux Ring" which surprised me.
Luke, I think you might’ve missed two pretty cool features. On the bottom of the covers you could use them as a gas stabilizer for your canister and the pot grabber could also be used as tongs. That part is pretty cool.
I do love my Windmaster stove and my small 1L New River Pot with it’s see-through lid. I just wish it was made off titanium, as I’m moving away from using aluminum pots. Bought myself a great Ti pot made by Evernew Mountain Titanium Cookware. It’s the 1L Pasta Pot, as it has drain holes in the Ti lid. Love it even more than my Soto
Looks good, Luke. Have you tried using the pot grabber to lift the lid instead? Maybe you can pinch it at the notch instead of using that notch to grab the pot itself. Still, I agree with your assessment on the design of that tab.
The metal in Soto's gear is very good quality. Even a ZRF Analysis will confirm that u r getting something good for ur money !!!!! I have SEVERAL Soto Items & I am not disappointed 😀👍🏽
Luke use the pot grabber with the pot grabbing in towards the center of the lid you can see the serrations between the two arms of the pot grabber those are to grab the little lifter on the lid and then the center of your pot lid will actually press up against the lid grabber and that'll keep it flat so it does not do that I believe that's what those serrations are meant for. Try it out let me know if it works out for you
There are two things I would like to point out in your video. The first one is that the pot gripper is spring loaded so that you can use the other end as tongs (edit: it’s already in the comments). The second one is about the pull tab. I believe it is not in the center because the lid can be used as a cutting board.
I have the WindMaster stove and its awesome! I also have their pour-over coffee maker and it, too, is awesome! I really kind of want their lantern you were talking about. Soto as a company, I really like. I'll def be buying more products from them. I'm very curious about this system, thanks for the review. Might be next on the list!
If that concerned about getting burned when removing the lid(s), use a stick long enough through the tab and resting on opposite side of lid which will keep lid fairly level. After all, all the camping in your backpacking video are in the woods so a stick that works should not be a problem. Or even try to use the pot grabber to catch the tab (That is what the Japanese were probably thinking).
With it's mesh bag, that superficially looks similar to my much cheaper Adventure Ridge cook set from Aldi but the Soto is lighter all up, though mine is 4pc (pan, 2 pots and a kettle) 8876g all up, so I don't know how they compare like for like, possibly no much in it . I use my set with a camper trailer though we tend mostly to just fry on a hotplate over a 2 burner gas stove & only occasionally use any pots except for coffee and washing up. I like that the Soto comes with it's own cosy, a nice touch. Been watching a few of your videos in lockdown. For hiking, I tend to just take 1 pot and a windshield/stand for a twig fire or sometimes a spirit stove for nostalgia. Plenty of dry twigs here in Australia (usually).
I just watched your video and it looks like you have a real problem with the pull tabs on the lid i did notice on the pot grabber there is teeth on the handle side so i was wondering if you tried to use the pot grabber as a handle for lifting off the lid. I am surprised you did not include this find in your video. After all you were definitely testing this out for a year. Or you could just lift the lid off the pot how you did in 3:58 Just put more leverage on the handle and you will not burn your hand.
"Pulls", "tabs" or whatever are not there to lift the lid from. Turn the pot handle/gripper/lifter and use it as a clip (like clip for BBQ), grab the lid from the "notch" and use previously mentioned "tab" to help yourself lifting the lid off without burning your fingers. Also I think these "tabs" designed to help keeping the lid in place with another hand while you use the lid as a strainer.
I have the sea to summit alpha pot. I almost got this set when I saw that you had it. I do like it, but can never understand why companies suck at making lids!!! Toaks, Soto, S2S, MSR. I have auditioned them all.
One thing of note that you haven't mentioned yet, (I'm around 6 minutes into the video) is that the Pot grabber has serrations on the back end, combined with the internal spring makes them a useful set of cooking tongs as well as a pot grabber.
I've found that rather than buying a cook "set" just buy the individual pieces that you use and like best at home and buy good pieces. Only drawback is that they may not "nest" to each other.
Have you ever watched any of Hiram Cook's UA-cam Video's? Hiram has More "Stove" video's than many would want to count. Hiram complained about not having a handle for the lid in this one video. I suggested drilling a hole that would match the diameter of the center portion of one of the Detachable "Double Key Rings". With a "Tight Fitting" hole you can add the one half of the key ring before cooking to give yourself the Lifter you want and remove it while the pots are being stored.
I take your valid point on the lid lifting tabs, but if they were in the centre it would render the cutting board more difficult to use maybe? Nice set & great review though.
Have you thought about using the pull-tab on the lid to put off to the side rather than looked it up? Sort of like lift the tab up lift the lid about a half an inch then pull it off to the side before lifting It Off
Use the pot grabber to remove the lid. Lift slightly and drag it across the top of the pan so the lip of the pan stops the lid from dropping into the pan. Just like dealing a card from a deck.
Hi, many thanks for the videos enjoying them very much. There were points to make but reading through your comments from other viewers they have been covered.. . Canistsr location/stand on underside of Lid/strainer/chopping board, different ways to remove lid. Handle/tongs. In uk there has been concern over aluminium for cooking in. These pots don't look like raw aliminium. But no mention are they Hard anodised? which is very good I hear, and would make them an acceptable buy for me. Take care.
I would use the pot grabber on the pot where there is a notch in the lid and pull the tab towards me. I would think the lid would pivot by the grabber and the hand would be safe from steam.
I have the thermostack and navigator set & I like them both.. 1 complaint would be the pot grabber for the thermostack needs to be the same as the pot grabber for the navigator set.
Luke I see you have a new set designer great table Top . nice out fit but my old old Colman will never wear out at 78 I think I'm through buying cooking out fits. My one and only since I was a kid . stay safe happy trails.
That's a really nice set Luke. I'm always ok with spending the money for quality equipment. BTW I agree about the lid pull, center would be much better...take care..
I really like this set. I have no problem spending the extra money on a Japanese product over any cheap Chinese product any day.
Yesss!!!!👍🏾
I work on Japanese cars for a living. It has made me a fan of anything Japanese made. It's always quality and well thought out.
@Mr Brian no such thing as Australian cheap product. We have no manufacturing industry here. 😆
Don't buy Chinese, support the Uyghurs.
@@Phlegm_Thrower all we have here are copious amounts of coffee shops, gay barbers and nail salons. All useless products.
You forgot to mention the handle turned around, has serrated edges to use as tongues for cooking! These also fit into the slot on the lids for burn free removal!
👅👅👅 = 🍳
I think you mean "tongs"......although tongues would be fun
Exactly this. I was thinking about it the whole video and he never mentioned.
I beg to correct you on your tongs comment. When he introduced the pot pliers with spring then Ernie showed the tongs and he picked up utensil cover with tongs.
I was wondering if the tongs/pot handle was the appropriate width to do this exact thing. Thanks for clarifying!👍
The "pull" tabs can also be used as levers :-) That lifts the whole lid off nicely and there's no issue with the steam!
Also, on the in-side of the lids doubles as a stand for gas cartridges (2 sizes)
What do you mean by using them as levers? Like pull it at 90 degrees to tilt the lid off?
no ... flip the tab so it lies flat off the side of the lid and leverage the lid from there.
@@James.Walston They're not 'pull tabs,' they're 'push levers.' Push down on them to lift the opposite side and the steam escapes away from your hand.
@@himebokkuri Exactly what I was going to say. The only problem with this is that the tabs are a bits short to do it comfortably.
@@jhill4874 Yeah, it's a bit fiddly but it does still work fine for me.
FYI, the pull tab is on the side and not the middle of the lid so that you can use the lid as a cutting board.
makes total sense in that regard
The rear of the pot grabber can also be used as tongs ad removing the lid.
@@Eidolon1andOnly Ooh great info, that makes the kit even better. I could see how you can lift the lid with your finger and thumb as another commenter explained but I can see how the tong side of the pot grabber would also work great👍
That's something I hadn't considered. I was wondering if the pull tab is actually supposed to be used like a handle out the side? That would probably be dependent on how tight the lid fits. Seems awkward from most camp pots but does look more like you could use it to lift the lid straight off by letting it use the weight of the lid like a cantilever.
@@Eidolon1andOnly I always just used the front of the pot grabber. You can lift the pot off the stove and then just grab pull lid off by the tab. Never burned me.
Two thoughts; use the back of the pot grabber as tongs (works great, I have this kit) to pick up or flip meat cooking in the pot. And also if you grab the lid pull while it’s flipped out, use it like a cantilever for the lid. Index finger across the bottom of the pull ring, thumb on top, lift lid straight up. Works for me every time
@ John Jensen. I love Lukes vids but I was thinking exactly what you explained that the pot lid tabs are designed on the edge like that for the exact reason not to burn yourself with steam because no part of your arm is over the pot at all if you use the lid tabs the way they were designed as youve explained. I actually think the lid design although not like the usual center tab or pull or knob is actually a safer design.
@@duncdunc76 Agreed, I think it’s just that Luke has become so used to the standard center pull ring. The Japanese are famous for thinking outside the box design wise.
Plus the lid ring tucks on top of the lid so doesn't get hot from the flames then you can remove the pot from the heat and lift the lid
@@keithsyers5833 Exactly right
Appreciating the metric conversions for the rest of the world, thanks Luke.
Japanese trangia, without the alcohol stove, teapot and windshield.
I have some Soto stuff, but I'll stick with my tried and proven Swedish kit.
Yeah same. Trangia are tried and true.
I think Soto has some of, if not THE, best thought out cook sets. Their Helix pour over coffee kit is also pretty genius.
The rear of the pot grabber can be used as tongs!?
Good catch !
That's what I was thinking.
That’s what I was thinking too, but wasn’t sure how tight the lid fit. I still see this unit as a win!
Yes but the tab would still be better in the center.
Thank you!! That explains the spring
Never been camping in my life yet I cannot stop watching your videos, wouldn't even know where to start with gear. Absolutely wonderful channel to watch though, keep up the great work!
back in the day everything was Coleman.
Oh man, get out there! Wish I could take you out there! It's easy and fun.
Start at a State Park. You'll have a nice bath and shower, a nice bbq to cook on, and electricity w/ water!
Just bring some charcoal for the grill. You don't need to spend a lot of money.
Get yourself a good, reasonably price tent (there are lots of reasonally priced/decent tents out there).
Take your Revere ware! You don't have to buy camping pots and pans.
Just camp a year or two with what you have, then you'll know what you want or need to buy!
Wish I could take you and your family out!
I agree with everything you said about this kit. I just wanted to add that the 'pot grabber' handle can also be used the other way around as a small pair of tongs - they are shaped for the purpose.
Been waiting on this. I've had one for a while myself.
You can lift the lid straight off if you let the lifter fall to the outside of the pot. Also, the raised bumps on the inside of the lid are for your gas canister in case the ground is uneven. It gives the stove a more stable platform.
Yes, in a similar way to how you're supposed to use the British Army rectangular mess tins, when you pour towards you and the handle doesn't flop.
The trangia 27 storm cooker leaves that for dead. No manufacturing company has ever come close to beating the trangia.
I don’t know if the price is the same when it’s exported.
But 70 dollars is close to what a complete trangia set goes for in the Nordic’s.
And then you get a frying pan/lid in metal, a burner, tongs, two pots, a pretty effective and sturdy base (great for winds, and getting the heat to warm up from all sides of the pan).
And it’s basically the same system, the product in the video clearly had trangia as it’s main inspiration.
I really like the idea of the isolating cozy though.
The combo of the small pot with the cozy is perfect for a one person setup.
Can go right of the stove and eaten straight out of it, and it will keep warm.
Could see myself using that a fair bit.
But not for a bigger pan than the one they designed it for in the video.
But I’m guessing the cozy has a limited life span.
A couple of years max.
Not decades.
Everything in a trangia kit do last for 60+ plus years.
Here in the Nordic’s you see people use sets from the 50s, 60s and 70s as often as you see ones that are younger than 20 years.
There are pros and cons with trangia.
But if you want this style of collapsable cooking set, that fit incredibly neatly inside itself.
I think trangia is way better value.
It’s basically the same price, and it will last you so much longer.
I have no idea what model mine is. Not even sure if they had different models back then (more than the small and the large, mine is the large).
It was bought by my father in the 50ies, but I've retrofitted it with a gas burner and ss inside/aluminum outside pots in the early 90ies. Including the burner it clocks in at 1345 grams.
With the original configuration it still works, but the pans are not in good shape. Aluminum insides (or non stick) isn't really a good idea in the long run.
Clearly, from looking at the teeth on the pot grabber handle, the spring is because the pot grabber doubles as tongs. Which is pretty cool.
And the tab on the lid is to the side so you can use it as a cutting board.
Looks nice, but I have a set for solo, and for a couple people already.
That's exactly what I was going to say.
Yes it states that in the instructions. My daughters asked for them for their 21st and 18th birthdays. The microfibre bag for the pot grabber is intended to also be a cloth.
I also wonder if you can twist to get the lid off rather than open as shown - they wouldn't work as well as chopping boards with the handle in the middle. They're also supposed to be stands for gas canisters to stop them tilting over so much.
Judging by the teeth on the pot grabber, and the fact that it has a spring, I'm guessing it can be used as tongs.
Was just going to say this.
Hey Doc you are absolutely correct about heat in deep South. I'm from Central Alabama and fully agree. The Soto kit looks like a winner
The lid handle is off centred so the lid can be used as a chopping board (pro) the pot grabber could be used to steady the pot whilst removing the lid. Or use pot grabber to remove the lid
Oh wow an already made cozy!! That's so neat. I know a lot of people make their own. I am a newbie and thought that was the only way really. This is awesome. Thanks for sharing
That’s cute. I have a Camping T-fal set that is almost identical. I bought it 23 years ago.
I have this cook set and haven’t had any issues from it. I got it for a 6 night trip in the boundary waters really enjoy the scale ability of the kit. Awesome review.
Very similar to my very first backpacking pot set I bought like 20 years ago, made by MSR. The MSR set didn't have the extra insulated bag and disc for the smaller pot, but it had same size big pot and nested small pot. One lid that worked with both, and a similar pot grabber. So big, bulky, and heavy though. I would only use it for car camping or cooking for multiple people now.
I'm thinking about the lids with the handles on the end, if you lift up just a little and slide it back, you may not get burnt.
Can't believe this is the first time seeing your channel !!!! Subscribed !!
Im not a camper or a hiker. I don't even go outside often but I keep watching these kind of videos x😂
I have both Soto Navigator and Windmaster and very happy with both. Highly recommended!
The pot grabber can remove the lid as well. Also notice the hand side of the pot grabber are tongs.
WOW! That looks like a really nice winter cook set for two that will keep you food warm for a while in sub-zero weather. I don't winter camp often, but might if I buy this. Thanks for the excellent review!
Although I'm not a fan of cooking with aluminum , this looks to be a good quality set. Thanks for your review Luke, much appreciated.
I prefer stainless steel myself.
I'd love to set you a challenge to put together a cheap but effective and efficient outdoors set up but only using stuff you find in goodwill/charity shops, just to show that you don't need to buy all the best/most expensive stuff and that you can get it done with general everyday throw away gear from the lowest of budget options.
I think Luke specializes in expensive! But great idea.
Have a soto windmaster and after seeing one of your reviews bought a soto st 310. Both are excellent!
Just spitballing here but...pull the lid sideways. Slide it off, then lift.
I have a soto windmaster and it's great up in cold Sweden. Being a Swede I really like Trangia and I did not really see the benefit of that kit over a stormkök 25 (but it might be expensive in the US). However what I am using with my windmaster is Campingset 124-T. It is awesome, you can use it over fire and with gas, it is light and has all the basic things you need.
Ya your right and im glad you acknowledge that sometimes you can get a better deal with no name thats a fact really yes i no some times you get junk as well but its always important to do research on what your buying and get feed back from the actual buyer on what your purchasing
As some people have pointed out, you can use the pot grabber to pick up the lid. Also, if you flip the tab to the outside, grab it with your thumb while make a fist and then tilt the lid so that the opposite side lifts up first, you won't burn yourself.
perfect for 1-2, which is what im looking for. This set plus my cast iron and stainless steel pan will do me solid
I have the soto thermostack combo and love it. For the two lid pulls on the navigator, I'd just stick some aluminum tape in the center of the lid as a pull. I do that on all my homemade reflectix koozies.
The minor cons do not seem to outweigh the overall usefulness of the kit as a whole, I have been watching several of your Soto reviews looks like a great overall line.
Use the grabber to hold the pot with the tab away from you and pull it up towards you the lid will protect your fingers, I have one and love it
I viewed your video on the Soto stove last night and I ordered it last night. It was waiting for me when I came home from work today. It seems like a very well made stove. I have been using the super light, super cheap BRS. This is much nicer but not as light. The Soto is a very nice stove but the BRS is just crazy light. I must add the Soto is a much smoother flame and the pot supports are very stable.
looks and sounds awesome agree with the pull tab , it should be in the center .
The heat cosy is a great addition to the set...especially in the colder seasons.
I found out early this spring how much heat you can lose in cold weather. Had a few meals not fully rehydrated.
I have the Soto Amicus and Windmaster stoves. The Windmaster is the quietest, most fuel efficient and wind resistant canister stove I have ever had. One con for the Windmaster is the removable pot stand, if you lose it in the field the stove is useless. The Amicus has permanently attached pot stands and Is smaller than the Windmaster, but is more noisy and slightly less wind resistant. Both are good stoves.
Really like my SOTO gear, in fact I think it was one of the Outdoor gear reviews of the cassette stove that got me into SOTO but I never did buy the cassette stove, have many others though.
Should be noted the lid when upside down can be used as a gas canister base/stove steady it has raised tabs in two concentric rings, they're designed to keep the gas canister from moving around.
His video on the SOTO cassette burner picqued my interest... I was going to order that one, but decided on the ST-310. I don't think I will need high enough to worry about using butane only, but I might later down the road need to get a stove designed for isobutane/propane mixture for higher altitudes. May I ask which stoves you went with?
@@colejustesen My post was a year ago and since then I did in fact purchase the cassette stove, the design is unique and I couldn’t resist it, it’s not the fastest stove by any means but it’s stylish and I enjoy using it although not that often.
I’m a SOTOHolic 😀 I’m afraid and have over time built up quite a collection.
For car camping I use two ST 301, lovely large burner head great for proper cooking as long as it’s not too cold.
Love the ST 310 especially when combined with one of the N-project mini tables.
The stoves I use all the time currently are the Stormbreaker mainly with gas(it uses the gas inverted so in liquid form,good for cold weather) but can be used with white gas.
The other stove I use regularly is the Amicus, fits inside the small HE pot from Widesea with a small gas canister, I use this set up for work when outside and there isn’t any proper welfare provided.
The good thing about the Butane gas is it’s quite a bit cheaper here in the UK than say Coleman gas.
@@SnowyAspenHills I am coming to find that there are more stoves from SOTO available that they don't list on their site. The ST-301 does look great for car camping! I was trying to get a grip on the different fuel sources and where they would be most appropriate. I might need something for single digits, and the Stormbreaker might be that option... When you say gas, are you referring to the stumpy canisters of isobutane/propane mixtures? Thanks!
@@SnowyAspenHills I purchased a StormBreaker after you mentioned it. I went and looked at videos and it looks amazing! So I will have two stoves now 😁 Thanks again for telling me what you use!
@@colejustesen Good choice, will work in any situation. One of posts seems to have disappeared, I did answer your question on gas, well I thought I had.
If you're going to have a kit that large in your bag, you may as well just spend a tiny bit more on a Trangia 27 cookset and get the versatility of having an alcohol stove or even Trangia gas stove built into the base and windscreen, that way, you get the two pots, a kettle and a frying pan all in one neat package...
For the lid tabs, try holding it with the ends of your index and thumb while pushing the lid with your other fingers.
Like an "ok" hand gesture where the pivot rotation is at your wrist, similar to pull tabs on canned food. Lift while rotating and pulling away from the pot.
That, or try to use the claw on the lid at the handle hole.
Hey Luke.. this reminds me a lil of my old "96" Dana Designed/MSR cook set, that i use in the kitchen still.. Interesting. Thanks for the info video! God Bless...
That’s a pretty cool set, thank you for the review.
Instead of pulling the tab up, pull it up a little then drag back towards you. You will never get hot steam on you, nor will the bottom go into the pan contents.
The flame diameter will tend to burn on any foods being cooked. I suggest a couple of lids from tin cans, one large, one small.
Courtesy of Half Vast Flying.
Looking at the placement of the pot grabber notch and position of the lid tab for lifting the lid away, I believe they're meant to be used at the same time, allowing you to hold the pot with one hand via the grabber while pulling the lid lsightly up and directly away from the grabber. This action would prevent the lid from dipping into the contents of the pot while allowing the steam to primarily vent via the opposite side where the grabber is. May be a touch on the inconvenient side, but far better than scalded fingers.
Try using the pot grabber in reverse for the lids. That's why they look like tongs to grab the lid. The spring helps for this feature too.
looks like the pot grabber could be used as a pair of tongs too maybe
I think from watching the video, the pull tabs are not for lifting but appear to be a handle. If you fold them out and hold them as a handle the weight of the lid will make it act as a handle and you would be able to lift it straight up. Just an idea. The kit looks great. You make some great videos. Keep up the great work.
Soto makes quality cook ware! Love the cozy brilliant! I thought about buying the windmaster and thermostack set. I have always used the pocket rocket 1 and 2 mini stoves and kit. I also like the pocket rocket deluxe! Still with either stove i would buy the thermostack set it too comes with a cozy. This navigator set is very nice though. Wish i had the room for something like this. Navigator has the best pot grabber i have seen. Very nice! Good stuff Luke as always! Hike on!!
I don't have the Soto cookset, however, I do have & use the Soto Windmaster Stove which I bought in preference to the Pocket Rocket Deluxe because it is 29% more fuel efficient. Enter the following search term "Fuel Efficiency of Windmaster vs Pocket Rocket Deluxe" if you are interested in the article.
Soto was the FIRST to design "regulators" for their stoves; all other regulators are "copies" of the Soto "regulator".
I find it interesting that Soto hasn't come out with their copy of the Jetboil Flux ring technology. I bought a "copy" of the Fluxring pot & found there was no measurable difference between boil times of pots with or without a so-called "Flux Ring" which surprised me.
Tab has to be on the side of the lid, so lid can be used as a cutting board. However yup hot on the fingers >>>if you don’t use the pot grabber
Try pulling downwards and lift back for the handles on the lids so steam flows out the other end.👍🏻
Luke, I think you might’ve missed two pretty cool features. On the bottom of the covers you could use them as a gas stabilizer for your canister and the pot grabber could also be used as tongs. That part is pretty cool.
I do love my Windmaster stove and my small 1L New River Pot with it’s see-through lid. I just wish it was made off titanium, as I’m moving away from using aluminum pots. Bought myself a great Ti pot made by Evernew Mountain Titanium Cookware. It’s the 1L Pasta Pot, as it has drain holes in the Ti lid. Love it even more than my Soto
Looks like a really nice set. I would have bought that when I was backpacking long ago. The MSR Pocket Rocket was the champ then.
My old Boy Scout cook set had a frying pan, a pot with lid, a plate and a cup. Served well, never needed more.
Just ordered this set for about $57 on Amazon. Black Friday deal!!!!
Hi from Syracuse NY brother and thank you for sharing your thoughts and adventures brother and family
Looks good, Luke. Have you tried using the pot grabber to lift the lid instead? Maybe you can pinch it at the notch instead of using that notch to grab the pot itself. Still, I agree with your assessment on the design of that tab.
The metal in Soto's gear is very good quality. Even a ZRF Analysis will confirm that u r getting something good for ur money !!!!!
I have SEVERAL Soto
Items & I am not disappointed 😀👍🏽
No stove and no windscreen in the kit?
I Think I will stick with my Trangias.
I have this stove (SOD-310 Wind Master), just one word: perfact.
Luke use the pot grabber with the pot grabbing in towards the center of the lid you can see the serrations between the two arms of the pot grabber those are to grab the little lifter on the lid and then the center of your pot lid will actually press up against the lid grabber and that'll keep it flat so it does not do that I believe that's what those serrations are meant for. Try it out let me know if it works out for you
There are two things I would like to point out in your video. The first one is that the pot gripper is spring loaded so that you can use the other end as tongs (edit: it’s already in the comments). The second one is about the pull tab. I believe it is not in the center because the lid can be used as a cutting board.
Even with the pull tab in the center, couldn't you just use the underside as the cutting board?
I have the WindMaster stove and its awesome!
I also have their pour-over coffee maker and it, too, is awesome! I really kind of want their lantern you were talking about.
Soto as a company, I really like. I'll def be buying more products from them.
I'm very curious about this system, thanks for the review. Might be next on the list!
If that concerned about getting burned when removing the lid(s), use a stick long enough through the tab and resting on opposite side of lid which will keep lid fairly level. After all, all the camping in your backpacking video are in the woods so a stick that works should not be a problem. Or even try to use the pot grabber to catch the tab (That is what the Japanese were probably thinking).
I Like the review. I wonder if you use the pot grabber on the lid tab, will that help?
With it's mesh bag, that superficially looks similar to my much cheaper Adventure Ridge cook set from Aldi but the Soto is lighter all up, though mine is 4pc (pan, 2 pots and a kettle) 8876g all up, so I don't know how they compare like for like, possibly no much in it . I use my set with a camper trailer though we tend mostly to just fry on a hotplate over a 2 burner gas stove & only occasionally use any pots except for coffee and washing up. I like that the Soto comes with it's own cosy, a nice touch. Been watching a few of your videos in lockdown.
For hiking, I tend to just take 1 pot and a windshield/stand for a twig fire or sometimes a spirit stove for nostalgia. Plenty of dry twigs here in Australia (usually).
If they put the tab in the center of the lid Luke it wouldn't double as a cutting board?
I just watched your video and it looks like you have a real problem with the pull tabs on the lid i did notice on the pot grabber there is teeth on the handle side so i was wondering if you tried to use the pot grabber as a handle for lifting off the lid. I am surprised you did not include this find in your video. After all you were definitely testing this out for a year. Or you could just lift the lid off the pot how you did in 3:58 Just put more leverage on the handle and you will not burn your hand.
I think the reason why the lid's pull tab is on the side is so you can use the lid as a cutting board, or else the pull tab will be in the way.
"Pulls", "tabs" or whatever are not there to lift the lid from. Turn the pot handle/gripper/lifter and use it as a clip (like clip for BBQ), grab the lid from the "notch" and use previously mentioned "tab" to help yourself lifting the lid off without burning your fingers. Also I think these "tabs" designed to help keeping the lid in place with another hand while you use the lid as a strainer.
For me the issue is aluminium not very well for good at higher temperatures. I preferred stainless steel.
I own a multi-driver from HOTO, and precision tweezers from KOTTO ... may as well buy this cook set from SOTO to complete the set!
I have the sea to summit alpha pot. I almost got this set when I saw that you had it. I do like it, but can never understand why companies suck at making lids!!! Toaks, Soto, S2S, MSR. I have auditioned them all.
One thing of note that you haven't mentioned yet, (I'm around 6 minutes into the video) is that the Pot grabber has serrations on the back end, combined with the internal spring makes them a useful set of cooking tongs as well as a pot grabber.
Finally! Can't wait to see the full review (I say at the beginning of the video)
I've found that rather than buying a cook "set" just buy the individual pieces that you use and like best at home and buy good pieces. Only drawback is that they may not "nest" to each other.
Sounds like a solid kit. Quality over anything isn't a bad think...
I mostly go out by myself and a standard mess kit is all I ever use , that's all I need.
Have you ever watched any of Hiram Cook's UA-cam Video's? Hiram has More "Stove" video's than many would want to count. Hiram complained about not having a handle for the lid in this one video. I suggested drilling a hole that would match the diameter of the center portion of one of the Detachable "Double Key Rings". With a "Tight Fitting" hole you can add the one half of the key ring before cooking to give yourself the Lifter you want and remove it while the pots are being stored.
other people already mentioned what you've missed mentioning. the holes in the lid are use as strainers. I don't have any problems with my cookset.
I take your valid point on the lid lifting tabs, but if they were in the centre it would render the cutting board more difficult to use maybe?
Nice set & great review though.
Have you thought about using the pull-tab on the lid to put off to the side rather than looked it up? Sort of like lift the tab up lift the lid about a half an inch then pull it off to the side before lifting It Off
Very informative thanks. Love my Soto stove. ✌️👊
Next time I’m out there cooking for 10 I’ll give this a shot! 🤣
Use the pot grabber to remove the lid. Lift slightly and drag it across the top of the pan so the lip of the pan stops the lid from dropping into the pan. Just like dealing a card from a deck.
Hi, many thanks for the videos enjoying them very much.
There were points to make but reading through your comments from other viewers they have been covered.. . Canistsr location/stand on underside of Lid/strainer/chopping board, different ways to remove lid. Handle/tongs.
In uk there has been concern over aluminium for cooking in. These pots don't look like raw aliminium.
But no mention are they Hard anodised? which is very good I hear, and would make them an acceptable buy for me.
Take care.
I would use the pot grabber on the pot where there is a notch in the lid and pull the tab towards me. I would think the lid would pivot by the grabber and the hand would be safe from steam.
I have the thermostack and navigator set & I like them both..
1 complaint would be the pot grabber for the thermostack needs to be the same as the pot grabber for the navigator set.
Luke I see you have a new set designer great table Top . nice out fit but my old old Colman will never wear out at 78 I think I'm through buying cooking out fits. My one and only since I was a kid . stay safe happy trails.
lid pulltabs maybe is not in the center because you can use it as cutting board? Soto customer support is excellent. As always thanks for the review!
That's a really nice set Luke. I'm always ok with spending the money for quality equipment. BTW I agree about the lid pull, center would be much better...take care..
I think the reason the pot grabber is spring loaded is so you can use the other end to lift the lids off. Thanks for the review.
But doesn’t the trangia 25 or 27 do the same but cheaper. Gas or fuel