Durable Stainless Steel Frying Pan for Camping

This is really an excellent camping/backpacking pan as long as your are looking for a comparatively luxury pan and are fine with the extra weight. If you are even considering a pan then you are looking for some luxury. I probably wouldn't take this with on a solo trip but if you have people to share the weight this is nice. The two metals up against each other really require watching how hot you get this thing. The aluminum bottom can warp and detach due to dissimilar metals expanding at different rates. It is worth the weakness for the luxury of heat distribution. The textured bottom makes this pretty difficult to clean if cooking over an little twig stove or some form of wood fire. The fact that it has a pour spout should really be mentioned someplace. By pour spout I mean there is a crease in the side of the pan. I thought my pan was bent until I noticed that the picture of the pan had the crease in it as well. IMO this is a selling point so I don't know why it isn't advertised. The pan comes with the handle taped to the bottom of the pan. The tape does not come off cleanly meaning you get the pleasure of cleaning the pan with adhesive remover. This is the main reason for me deducting a star. A product that I must immediately fix in some way (cleaning adhesive off with caustic chemicals counts - especially on a cooking surface) is not a five star product.

If you want a very solid fry pan for the outdoors, and you need it to be lightweight, this MSR Alpine Fry Pan is the best fry pan I have been able to find in all my years of wilderness travel--ESPECIALLY if you have plans to cook over an open fire. The stainless can take a beating and keep going, so it's rugged. However, it also has an aluminum plate sandwiched under the stainless on the bottom so that it distributes heat evenly. A titanium fry pan can't match this even heat distribution, and an aluminum pan (at least of the lightweight "backpacking" type) will almost certainly warp over time if you use a high power jet stove or cook frequently over an open fire. Nonstick coatings on most aluminum pans will also peel or flake off if used over a fire. I've seen it many times. But this little stainless fry pan just works! The pan is generously sized in diameter (7-5/8" at the flared top; 6-1/2" on the bottom), which is very nice since most lightweight fry pans are obnoxiously small. One side of the pan rim has a slight v-shaped crimp to allow liquids to be poured off smoothly and/or directed precisely into a container. The wire handle is removable but locks on very securely and handles heat well. If cooking for an extended period over an open fire, however, you can easily remove the handle while the fry pan sits on the fire. It's so easy to attach/detach that you can use it like an ultralight pot grabber instead of leaving it in place to get hot. You may also be interested to know that this pan nests perfectly around the bottom of the large MSR 1.6L Stowaway Pot. If you want a solid piece of gear for frying food, this is your best bet. Highly recommended! Note: If you're inexperienced at cooking with stainless, frying is much easier if you "season" the pan first. Heat the empty pan over medium-high heat for at least two minutes until it is good and hot. Then add a dash of your favorite cooking oil and swirl it around to coat the pan. When you see the oil smoke, remove it from the heat and let it cool completely. The oil will be drawn into the "pores" of the cooling stainless steel. Once cool, buff it with a paper towel. If done correctly, you should see a mirror-like reflection in the seasoned pan. Now the pan will be essentially "non-stick" when you cook with it, and will usually stay that way for a few uses or until you clean it with soap/detergent. Hope that tip helps you get a better cooking experience!

This is by far the best fry pan I have seen available for outdoor cooking. I love going to outdoor stores and especially checking out their selection of cookware for hiking, backpacking, and camping. Along with my wife, kids, and several of my brother-in-laws, we have accumulated a pretty good variety of mess kit-type cooking supplies, and MSR, in my opinion, has the best all-around selection. I have found success in purchasing individual components and compiling my own "mess kit", instead of purchasing a pre-assembled kit. Along with MSR's Stowaway pots, their Alpine series stainless steel cookware is great. I have had my pan for a couple of years now and have just purchased two more for my family. Along with cooking eggs and meat, I have used this pan several times to make bannock, a camp bread, over a fire, and it turns out great. The pan is about 8" in diameter and will make enough bread for 4-5 people to have with a meal. 2 cups of flour and other ingredients bake into a loaf that fits very nicely into the pan. The handle is detachable, and fits nicely into my other mess kit pots. When locked in place, it would be hard to tell the handle isn't part of the pan itself - it's very solid. One distinct advantage this pan has over others it the aluminum base that disperses heat over an even area instead of the flame being exposed to just one area of the steel. There is spout for draining oil, also. I value the durability of stainless steel over the lighter weight, smaller pans. I wouldn't consider using a different pan - even if it saved space and weight. The pan cleans up nicely by using an SOS pad. If it's real grimy from the fire, it takes some elbow grease, but can be cleaned up to be shiny again. I'd snap one of these up in a heartbeat if you're serious about cooking over a fire.