Spork vs spoon

[John G]

I've been using the light my fire sporks, which have a spoon on one end, and a fork on the other. I've never used a spork that has a spoon bowl with mini fork tines.

I've seen several AT gear articles that say you only need a spoon. But I think they are referring to just bringing 1 utensil rather than a knife, spoon and fork.

I'm tired of breaking the light my fire spork, and am going to buy a sturdier spoon or spork. (The light my fire titanium spork is too bendy for my taste).

Is there any advantage to a spork over a spoon for common backpacking meals ? (Especially Knorr fetacini noodle dishes, Kraft Mac-n-cheese, ramen noodles, etc)

[John S.]

I only use a spoon and it should work for those foods. Break the ramen up before cooking so it does not have long noodles.

There are probably other threads on the subject.

[Jerry Adams]

I only use spoon. Sea to Summit aluminum

A fork would be good if you were eating hunks of meat, stab and hold in place while cutting with knife. I don't eat hunks of meat when backpacking, although grilling a steak at home is pretty tasty…

[Zakary Paronto]

I'm a fan of long handled spoons. I have the toaks Ti long spoon with the polished mouth piece. I really like it and the price is right, about 11$ on amazon.

[Ken Thompson]

+1

[Dale Wambaugh]

My favorite is a ti folding spoon. It fits in a 450ml mug with an esbit wing stove. Chopsticks take care of many fork functions like long noodles and might even pass for tinder in a pinch. We still use our pre-ti plastic spoons for car camping and they refuse to give up. I have sporks, but they are orphans these days.

The ti Light My Fire is good in use, but packs poorly. It is too long to fit in a pot, leaving the sharp prongs to be wrapped well in something less they attack clothing and pack fabrics.

[Jerry Adams]

I cut off the end of my STS aluminum spoon so it fit's into 900 ml pot. Also cuts a couple grams but that's not significant.

I just use my pot though. If I used bag to hydrate food, the long handle would be good.

[Jake S]

Spoon is the easy winner for gram weenie applications:

1. The little tines on the end of the spork have the ability to poke holes in a freezer bag, which you're likely eating out of, since you already have to carry your food in something, right?

2. Since you're probably eating rehydrated food, there probably aren't a lot of large chunks in your meal that would necessitate tines, because those bigger chunks take longer to dehydrate.

3. McFlurry spoon is ultimate trail weapon. Your enemies don't stand a chance.

4. McFlurry spoon is practically unbreakable and doubles as a scabbard for your tent stakes. Comes with free ice cream and candy.

[M B]

Spork is, and always has been, a useless gimmick

[Ken Thompson]

Had enough of sporks in junior high. Never again. Don't get me started on foons, lol.

[Justin Baker]

I like sporks. The fork part is long enough to work fine. I use the fork for the kind of food I cook.

[Richard May]

If I needed a fork I'd go back to the Light My Fire one with a fork and spoon at opposite ends.

I lost that one and played with the McDonald's spoon. As noted it comes with a free treat.

Then, wanting to be titanium cool, I got a Toaks spoon.

They're all great choices.

If you eat out of a bag the long handle is great and odds are you won't eat anything that a soon won't handle.

[Bob Moulder]

MSR folding spoon. 9g, compact.

I've never needed a fork. If I were eating noodles I'd carry some bamboo chopsticks from Asian take-out food. Not the birch chopsticks, which break far too easily.

I have a pair of those SnowPeak chopsticks with the lower, screw-in pieces that fit inside the titanium handles. Nice conversation piece but they're quite heavy, actually.

[Thomas Conly]

John, I thru-hiked the AT with a light my fire spork and loved it. I lost one (left it on a log after eating some peanut butter) but bought another one the next day (there happened to be an outfitter in a town). I've broken a couple since then but loved the utility of the spork. I've since bought a titanium LMF spork and haven't looked back. I'm surprised to hear you say that they're too bendy for your tastes. Mine is really ridged. I agree that a spoon is all you need 95% of the time, but I was also amazed at how spoon design can greatly impact happiness. The spoon end of a LMF spark is great, an issue which is underestimated. For the record, normal sporks (spoon with tines at the end) seem useless to me. I've used them and they're neither good spoons nor good forks.

[Sumi Wada]

I used to take one of those titanium sporks, Snowpeak I think. But now I usually take an aluminum spoon and wooden chopsticks, sometimes a spoon and fork. Depends on the food I'm taking. I often take Asian-style noodle soups and prefer chopsticks for that. On local overnights, I might take a small steak and a fork comes in handy.

I have the older Sea to Summit aluminum utensil set and the spoon+fork weighs 0.6oz together. Same weight swapping the fork with chopsticks. The ti spork weighed 0.5oz; well worth the "extra weight" for a second utensil for me.

[Mark Ries]

I've had a snowpeak spork before and after getting over losing it Im ok with losing it. I use the lexon spoons that the outdoor shops carry and they work fine for me.

[Kate Magill]

Well, I like my spork. I picked up a Brunton Ti spork years ago–the one with the carabiner/bottle opener on the end, not the folding "My Ti"–and I use it pretty much every day, I like it so much. The bowl is shiny, not brushed, which makes for a more pleasant eating experience. I like having the tines on the same end as the bowl. Good for spearing chunkier food but still getting some sauce/broth in the same bite. It's definitely my favorite utensil for curries and stews. The bottle opener is very handy, as I've never been able to make a mini-bic work as a bottle opener. If I lost this one, I'd buy another for sure. Looks like it's been rebranded as Vargo: http://www.vargooutdoors.com/titanium-eagle-spork.html#.VPx14YF4r5I

[George F]

I used to use a lexan spoon and was fine with it. On one trip it broke and shortly after I found a ti spork. For my usual dinner, noodle mix out of a pot, I find it a little easier to grab my food and like it better. I am getting to be an old dog and chopsticks would be a new trick so I don't see myself going that route though sticks and a spoon seem like a winning combination.

Kate, I really like the look of that Vargo. I don't need a clip but it does include one essential tool for a UL hiker, the ability to open a micro brew.

[Jeffs Eleven]

The Sporkers are wrong. They are trolling. They carry axes in the back country. They only eat to mock actual living creatures, the derive no nutrition from it. They live on the toxic fumes from burning plastic in their trash fires.

Long-Handled Spoons Forever!!!!

[Eric Blumensaadt]

I use only a long handled Lexan spoon and a tiny Gerber "Bear Grylls" lock blade knife. The knife is Gerber's smallest lock blade so I put a braided Triptease cord lanyard on it to prevent losing it.

On the rare occasion I bring a tiny ceramic coated "one egg" skillet I also bring a tiny Lexan plastic spatula for pancakes and omelets.

** BTW, For those of you that simply must have a more "civilized" spoon (or love titanium for its own sake) there are ti spoons out there. You know who you are… :o)
And of course the backpacking elite carry ti mugs as well, the New Age version of the Sierra Cup. Not a member of the backpacking elite? Take solace in the fact that you are "normal".
(Yes, this is yet another gentle poke at ti utensil users.)

[Charlie W]

Seriously, would a spork user please explain how they use it? You can't twirl pasta with those short triangle prongs. I don't imagine a lot of BPL members are bringing steak to cut. So what do you do with the pointy part? I'm honestly curious.

Some possibilities I thought of:

Back-scratcher
Poking your partner when they snore
Adding ventilation to your WPB rain gear
Self-defense (if you didn't bring large buck knife)
Holding a small rodent down before decapitation
Escaping a tent that was set on fire
Retro device for self-vaccination (or tattooing)

[todd]

I used mine by selling it on Gear Swap.

They suck. :)

[Ethan A.]

I relegated it to a picnic set. They look cool but are master of nothing. A spoon, whether folding one or long handled depending on cooking being done works way better. What you can spear you can scoop up.

[James Couch]

Spoon!

A little tip. The Lexan spoons that REI sells for the princely sum of $1-$2 will last you at least a lifetime and come in a soup spoon, teaspoon or a long handled version. The kicker – they are stiffer, more comfortable, and lighter than most of the ti spoons out there! For example the long spoon (heaviest of the bunch) weight .5oz versus the .6oz for the shorter way more expensive Snowpeak titanium spork!

Oh and yes, if you MUST have a spork, REI does one of those as well.

[Dean F.]

I've gone back to a simple spoon as well. A spork might be handy if you ever do "real" cooking, like if you catch and cook fish, or bake or such. Otherwise I have a hard time thinking of a common hiking food that needs a fork. Some do need knives, like cutting sausage or such.

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