Mess Kit Revisited. pt. 2

(If you haven’t read part 1 of this series, you might want to go and have a look at it as the two are connected.)

After I got the Light My Fire kit, I had one of these sent to me to try out. (It appears that it’s made by a Swedish company, Renajs, but I’ve seen it most often labelled as “ProForce.” 

The first thing I liked about it was the shape. Reminiscent of the old aluminum rectangular mess tins I got as a youngster, the shape of this makes it more packable. And it essentially contains much the same things, but also contains a spice container.

The dimensions on it are 18.7 cm (7½") by 12.7 cm (5") by 5.5 cm (2"). The weight is 320 grams (11¼ oz.)

This kit also contains a cutting board/strainer.

As with the L.M.F. kit, the base and lid can both serve as an eating vessel. The base has a little handle though.

I think the thing I like most is the Fold-A-Cup.

I have mentioned the Swedish cups before. This set contains something similar, but lower, and rounder. Same volume, but different shape. 

Measurement lines in the back. The cup will hold 300 ml.

A comparison of the original cup and the one with the mess kit. I like the original much more. Pity the original won’t fit.

The spice container.

The bottom has a cap, that when removed reveals three compartments, one large and two small.

Sugar in the main one I guess, salt and pepper in the others. Or salt in the main one, pepper and chili powder in the others. Whatever you want I guess.

The one part of the kit that I thought was really underwhelming was the knife, fork, spoon combo. I think a chintzy afterthought might be an appropriate term.

There are aspects I like to both kits. So if I felt the need to have a mess kit with me, I would combine elements from each. From the Light My Fire set I would use the Spill Free Cup and the Titanium Spork, both of which can be had separately BTW. I would use everything from the ProForce set save for the cup and the KFS combo.

The two kits are both the same depth, but the LMF is two inches wider. Or longer. With something that is triangular it’s hard to tell. The LMF is also a little heavier.

But to be honest, my whole eating set up for all my outdoor adventures is far from this elaborate. With freezer bag cooking, I eat right out of the bag with a long handled spoon, so no need for vessels to eat from. Everything is prepared ahead of time, so no need to cut anything or strain anything or add spices to anything. All I really need is a cup to drink from.

I keep this Renajs/ProForce mess kit (with a LMF spork instead of the KFS) in my bug out bag, when circumstances might not be so clear cut.