GSI Minimalist Backpacking Pot

The GSI Minimalist Backpacking Pot lacks one of the features I admire most about GSI Outdoors pots—a sturdy handle. Instead of a handle, it comes with a silicone pot gripper.

I initially thought that having no handle might make the pot hard to handle, but read on…

With no handle to get in the way, the pot slides easily into the thin, neoprene pot cozy when you take the pot off the stove.

The insulating cozy allows you to “handle” the pot with one hand, whether you’re sipping a hot drink, pouring boiled water into a freeze-dried meal, or eating a meal right out of the pot.

The GSI Minimalist kit includes a .6 liter hard anodized pot, pot lid, pot gripper, neoprene cozy, and a folding “foon” eating utensil.

Photo: The GSI Minimalist kit includes a .6 liter hard anodized pot, pot lid, pot gripper, neoprene cozy, and a folding spoon.

In this review of the GSI Minimalist Backpacking Pot, I evaluate the pros and cons of the pot’s features, and demonstrate how to cook backpacking meals with it… in the pot, in a freezer bag, or using the cold-soak method.

The Pot

Capacity

The pot lives up to its minimalist billing with 600 ml (20 oz) of capacity. Volume markings are stamped into the pot, so you can measure the amount of water needed to rehydrate a meal without carrying a separate measuring cup or bottle.

Photo: Volume measurements stamped into the GSI Minimalist Backpacking Pot.

In practice, you should only fill the pot to a maximum of 500 ml (17 oz), which is about an inch from the top of the pot. A portion of the lid dips a ½-inch into the pot, leaving just a ½-inch of space if you fill the pot to the 500 ml level. That’s not a lot of spare room to work with. The pot must be watched closely when the water starts to boil, or the contents may boil over.

Can you cook a meal in a GSI Minimalist pot?

Yes, you can!

Seasoned Rice & Vegetables rehydrated and cooked in a GSI Minimalist pot.

Photo: Fried Rice & Vegetables rehydrated and cooked in a GSI Minimalist pot. The recipe called for 1 cup of dried food and 1⅓ cups of water. Displayed on plate to show meal quantity.

Size

As a complete kit with the pot inserted into the cozy and the lid in place, the GSI Minimalist is five inches tall and four inches wide.

GSI Minimalist packed with a fuel canister, GSI canister stove, foon, and pot gripper.

Photo: Kudos to GSI Outdoors designers for giving this pot just enough height and width to pack a 110 gram ISOPRO fuel canister, a GSI canister stove, the folding foon, and the pot gripper inside for transport.

Weight

As all components of the GSI Minimalist kit are essential for its optimal performance, the total weight carried is 181 grams (6.4 oz).

With a full ISOPRO fuel canister and GSI canister stove packed inside, the weight of all the cooking tools comes in at 470 grams (16.6 oz).

Material

Halulite: GSI’s brand of hard anodized aluminum without a nonstick coating.

Nonstick coatings get scratched up over time. Many campers avoid nonstick materials for health concerns. A nonstick coating is not needed for boiling water or rehydrating dehydrated meals.

The pot is very sturdy, an advantage over thinner titanium pots, although similar-sized titanium pots have the advantage of weighing less.

Time to boil: Hard anodized aluminum conducts heat fast and evenly. In timed tests, I consistently brought 500 ml (17 oz) of cool water to a boil in 2½ minutes without turning the GSI canister stove up to full blast.

The Lid

The GSI Minimalist pot lid is made of sturdy BPA-free plastic with a removable silicone gasket around the edge.

When cooking, place the lid on the pot with the sippy opening facing down. This is because you can’t grip the lid with the pot gripper if the sippy opening is facing up.

Once you’ve removed the pot from the stove and inserted it into the cozy, you can place the lid back on with the sippy side facing up.

(l) GSI Minimalist lid in cooking position. (r) Lid position after taking the pot off the stove.

Photos: (l) GSI Minimalist lid in cooking position. Remove sticker before using. (r) Lid position after taking the pot off the stove. Do not pour boiled water out of the pot with the lid on.

In addition to the sippy slot, there are two tiny holes for steam to come out—alerting you that the water is close to the boiling point.

Cooking with the lid on delivers fast boiling times using less fuel than cooking with an uncovered pot.

The Insulating Pot Cozy

The GSI Minimalist is one of the few backpacking pots that comes with an integrated pot cozy. The cozy is made of thin neoprene material. Slide the pot into it when you take the pot off the stove.

With the cozy in place, a dehydrated meal will stay hot as it continues to rehydrate.

The Pot Gripper

The pot gripper is made of flexible silicone. Although it’s heat-resistant, you don’t have all day to hang on to the extremely hot pot in close proximity to boiled water. If you boil a full pot of water, the gripper will come in contact with the hot water.

Think seconds, and practice your moves with cold water to get the hang of it. Place two fingers in the cavity of the gripper and your thumb behind the thin part. Handle the pot as described below.

Boiling Water with a GSI Minimalist Pot

Steps:

1. Measure amount of water needed using the volume markings inside the pot.

2. Place pot on stove with the sippy side of the lid facing down.

3. Light stove. Try turning the flame adjuster valve just a quarter-turn. There is no need to run the stove at full blast in moderate weather.

4. Look for steam coming out of the holes in the lid after about 2½ minutes.

5. When the water reaches a boil, turn off the stove.

6. Grasp the lid with the pot gripper and remove it.

Warning: You cannot grip the lid and pot at the same time.

Photos: Grasp and remove lid with pot gripper first, and then grasp the pot to remove it from stove.

7. Grasp the pot with the pot gripper and slide the pot into the pot cozy.

Sliding the pot into the cozy after removing the pot from the stove.

Photo above: Sliding the hot pot into the cozy after removing the pot from the stove.

Photo: The pot inside the cozy is small enough to grasp with one hand to pour boiled water.

8. Hold the pot with one hand and pour hot water into a freezer bag dehydrated meal or store-bought freeze-dried meal.

Warning: You cannot pour water from the pot with the lid on. Water will come out the sippy slot, but it will also come out from under the lid. Trust me, I tried it.

Cooking Dehydrated Meals in a GSI Minimalist Pot

This section shows how to cook a dehydrated meal directly in the pot, and how to rehydrate a “meal-in-a-bag” using hot or cold water.

Cooking in the Pot

Add dried food to the pot after the water is boiled.

Photo: Add dehydrated food to the pot after the water is boiled.

A modest-sized dehydrated meal takes up most of the pot’s capacity, so a boilover can happen within a second of the water hitting a boil. You don’t want your meal flowing out like a volcano. The best method for cooking directly in the pot is to boil the water first, as described previously.

Steps for Cooking in Pot:

1. Bring water to boil, then turn off stove.

2. Transfer pot to cozy.

3. Add dehydrated food, and place lid on pot.

4. Wait 25–30 minutes. Eat right out of the pot.

Photo: Backpacking Fried Rice cooked in the GSI Minimalist Pot.

Freezer Bag Cooking

The GSI Minimalist pot and integrated cozy are perfect for freezer bag cooking. Not only does the pot stay clean, the meal stays hot in the pot while it rehydrates, and the pot supports the bag while you eat the meal.

Dehydrated fried rice and vegetables in a 1-liter freezer bag.

Photo: Dehydrated fried rice & vegetables in 1-liter freezer bag.

Steps for Freezer Bag Cooking:

1. Pack meal in a 1-liter freezer bag or Mylar bag.

2. Boil water as previously described and slide pot into cozy.

3. Carefully pour water into bag containing the dried meal.

After pouring boiled water into the bag with the food, transfer bag to pot and close it.

Photos: After pouring boiled water into the bag with the food, transfer the bag to the pot and close it.

4. Place bag inside pot, close bag, and put lid on pot.

5. Wait 25–30 minutes.

6. Open bag and stretch over pot edges to form bowl. Enjoy!

Photo: A tasty meal-in-a-bag utilizing the GSI Outdoors Minimalist backpacking pot.

Recipe: Backpacking Fried Rice.

Cold Soaking Meals

You can’t cold soak dehydrated meals directly in the pot because the lid does not seal and the water will spill out.

Instead, use the freezer bag method to rehydrate the meal without leakage. The insulating cozy around the pot will help keep the meal cold while you hike.

Cold-soaking a rice salad with a freezer bag and pot.

Photos: Cold-soaking rice salad with a freezer bag and pot.

Steps for Cold Soaking Meals:

1. Add cold water to bag containing dried food.

2. Place bag in pot, zip closed, and place lid on pot.

3. Stow pot in upright position inside backpack and hike on.

4. For most cold-soak meals, wait two hours for full rehydration.

Photo: Rehydrated cold-soak salad with pot serving as the bowl.

Recipe: Peach Salsa Rice Salad.

Extra Cup Option

The GSI Minimalist pot with integrated cozy is only four inches wide. You may have a cup (not included) that the pot will slip into for transport.

(l) GSI Minimalist pot stowed inside a GSI 14-oz cup with insulating sleeve (not included). (r) Hot beverage in pot after using boiled water to prepare oatmeal in cup.

Photos: (l) GSI Minimalist pot stowed inside a GSI 14-oz cup with insulating sleeve (not included). (r) Hot beverage enjoyed in pot after using boiled water to prepare quick-cook oatmeal in cup.

In my case, I also own a GSI Outdoors Halulite MicroDualist pot (1.4 liter capacity for two people). That kit includes a set of bowls and cups, so I can borrow one cup when hiking solo.

Pros & Cons

Pros

The GSI Minimalist backpacking pot with integrated cozy is a compact kit for solo backpackers. The stowed footprint is only 5 inches by 4 inches.

A 110 gram ISOPRO fuel canister, a GSI canister stove, and a lighter will fit inside the pot during transport, along with the included pot gripper and foon.

Two cups of water can be boiled in 2½ minutes, which is all you need to rehydrate most meals.

The pot excels at cooking meals-in-a-bag.

The insulated pot doubles as a hot beverage mug with sippy lid.

Sturdy, hard anodized aluminum construction—this pot is crush proof, unless an elephant steps on it.

Cons

Hard anodized aluminum weighs more than titanium. Ultralight backpackers can save 3–4 ounces on a similar-sized titanium pot without an integrated cozy.

The GSI Minimalist is not suitable for cooking elaborate meals or boiling lots of water.

Handling the pot with the silicone pot gripper takes a little practice, but the basic move is to take the pot off the stove and slide it into the cozy.

The lid may come off during transport, but that can be prevented if you stretch a nylon stocking over it.

Conclusion

The GSI Halulite Minimalist Pot, with its integrated pot cozy, quickly boils half-a-liter of water, which is enough to rehydrate a meal in the bag it was packed in. After adding water to the bag, the meal can be insulated inside the pot until rehydration is complete. The bag can then be opened and stretched over the edges of the pot, turning it into a bowl for eating, with no cleanup.

After the meal, the insulated pot with lid fits comfortably in the solo backpacker’s hand for sipping a hot beverage. All cooking components: fuel canister, stove, pot gripper, and folding spoon, stow inside the pot, taking up just 4" (w) by 5" (h) of pack space.

Just big enough may be just right for the solo backpacker.