Who knows why Snow Peak discontinued the 3 piece cutlery set with knife??

[Adam Klags]

I am super curious why Snow Peak discontinued their 3 piece cutlery set with the knife and replaced it with a spoon and fork set… without the knife… thoroughly confused.

There must be a reason, hopefully someone can help me figure this out?

Side note – in search of a used set if anyone wants to sell one :)

[Ken Thompson]

TSA?

[bradmacmt]

Why were they good and worthy of mourning their loss?

[J R]

Does “why” matter?

Call Snow Peak?

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

Who needs all that? You already have a knife, even if it’s just a classic Swiss army knife. Most food I bring can be eaten with a spoon. Forks and knives not needed. Sporks suck because you can’t scrape the inside of your pot or eating container with it and the tines are useless as a fork anyway, plus if all your food is essentially mush you don’t need any tines. All you need is a spoon. But if you really want a flatware knife, why not bring a plastic knife?

[bradmacmt]

Does “why” matter?

As with all things, asking “why” is how we learn…

[Adam Klags]

LOL Dianne, thanks for the advice but I’ve been a member here for ages and am well aware of all of that.

You don’t know what I need or want or why… I didn’t write a novel on the reasons because I didn’t think it was necessary, but may as well do it now.

1) Who needs all that? I didn’t post about your needs or the average needs of an UL backpacker for their kit, I posted a question asking if people knew why it was discontinued. Not asking if I “need it.” I obviously “want” a set and it doesn’t really matter why I want it… at least for the sake of this discussion.
2) I already have a knife… yes I do have a knife, but any UL backpacker knows that a multi tool or knife is much heavier than a small razor or one of many other options… BUT… gasp… what if I am not even using this for my UL kit for backpacking? Hmm…. Or god forgbid what if I want to spread some PB with a knife or have one anyway… what if I want it for my car camping kit?
3)Most food you bring can be eaten with a spoon… yes most food YOU bring… that’s a big difference… YOU vs the original poster, me… maybe I want one? Maybe not. Does it even pertain to my post?
4) Our opinions of sporks differ but again, you don’t even know if I carry that or if I actually do carry just a long spoon right? ;)
5) Why not bring a plastic knife? Because plastic is a disgusting material and joke of a solution compared to other options….. and if I used plastic for every throw away item like the average human I’d be creating a lot more trash… and the LAST reason I’d ever do that is something petty like saving a few grams or dollars. I am not into plastic. Screw plastic unless absolutely necessary. And yes there are obviously some cases where it is.

Now I know you meant well and I hope my response isn’t harsh but just wanted to point out that next time you want to educate someone who has def been doing this for a long time, consider just answering the question or something maybe? :)

Have a good one.

[Adam Klags]

Ken, are there new TSA rules I may have missed? I have not only carried this on the plane before, but they were recently discontinued, had been made for ages up until some time last year or so apparently….

[Adam Klags]

Brad, you nailed it. I am very interested in the “why” its frankly the only reason I posted. This is the first site I figured where I might find someone who actually knew the answer… lots of useful info collectors on here :)

[bradmacmt]

Brad, you nailed it. I am very interested in the “why” its frankly the only reason I posted. This is the first site I figured where I might find someone who actually knew the answer… lots of useful info collectors on here :)

I’ve got too many spoons to count. Indeed, like you I only use a spoon. All I’ve carried since 1975. My favorite all-time is the Snow Peak Ti Folding Spoon… it too is discontinued, but thankfully I’ve got one. It’s not “plastic” (trying to eliminate all that from my life), it’s long for bag-feeding, but folds short.

I guess if something is useful or makes sense it will be discontinued!

 

 

[bradmacmt]

Here’s a sampling of my collection… Snowpeak Folding Spoon in the middle…

 

[Pedestrian]

FWIW Snowpeak also discontinued the aluminum multi compact cookset.

Now it’s only available in Ti for $95! The aluminum version was around $30…..

I can guess why they did that…….margins are higher on Ti?

Note: Amazon has a listing from a seller in Japan for the Al set for around $58…..with a $19 shipping fee.

 

 

[bradmacmt]

FWIW Snowpeak also discontinued the aluminum multi compact cookset.

Most of us who are conscious about we cook in have moved away from aluminum to Ti or SS. I suspect that’s what we’re seeing with SnowPeak…

[Brad Rogers]

I assume that you’re worried about aluminum due to alzhiemers (sp) concerns, and I understand that.  I use a ti pot, but still use an anodized aluminum spoon.  My completely unscientific and layman’s opinion is that unless you get out a lot, it probably doesn’t matter that much.  I might get to backpack 10-15 days a year.  I definitely wouldn’t eat out of of aluminum on a daily basis, but for occasional backpacking trips I figure it won’t do much harm.

My guess is they quit selling them as there were lots of cheaper options out there and they didn’t sell well.

 

[Pedestrian]

“Most of us who are conscious about we cook in have moved away from aluminum to Ti”

Really? Who’s “most of us”?

For the science and ongoing research….this is a good starting point?

 

 

[David Thomas]

Diane, you don’t know why I asked (on BPL!) why my grandmother’s 12-place sterling silver flatware set is no longer available and if you give a ultralight backpacking answer, I’ll go ballistic on you.   And I’m an old white man who’s been doing this forever so I don’t try to educate me or offer a different viewpoint.

Sarcasm off (for now).   Sporks do truly and objective suck.  They’re worse spoons than a real spoon and vastly worse forks that two pointy sticks found along the trail.  One can butcher and skin out a bear with a Victorinox Classic blade (or a razor blade or a Hapalon blade sans handle); I have trouble imagining doing that with the Snow Peak knife.

I keep full-blown knife / fork / spoon in the glove box of my car.  Because I do 700-mile roundtrips to my toxic waste sites and it’s far easier to eat a salad or stab string beans from a tin can on a road trip with dinner table utensils than with the take-out food options.  And the 6 added ounces means less to me in a 3000-pound car than when it’s on my back.

[David Thomas]

TSA usually doesn’t notice a Classic SAK (80% of the time).  1/5 times, they seize it.  Fair enough, because I buy them 10 at a time from TSA seizure lots.

I usually just snag a metal fork from the elite lounge when I’m already inside security, but when I’ve forgotten about it, they haven’t seized it.

Best guess: a rounded-tip short metal knife would pass through most of the time.  Especially if you’re a white a family with picnic supplies along.  EVERYTHING is subject to the individual inspector’s and their supervisor’s concerns and making a fuss only makes it worse.

[bradmacmt]

Really? Who’s “most of us”?

 

Seems reading comprehension isn’t your forte. As I said, “most of us who ARE conscious what we cook in…” Apparently you’re not one of the “us” in the subject.

[BlackHatGuy]

Might it have something to do with the aluminum tariffs?

[J R]

Seems reading comprehension isn’t your forte.

What is with the snippy attitude?

[bradmacmt]

What is with the snippy attitude?

Why are you a busy body?

[AK Granola]

Wow, this thread sounds like every other social media horror out there with all the crankiness, instead of sounding like regular Backpacking Light. Y’all need some time outdoors. Toss the cutlery altogether and go for a hike.

And golly, don’t go beating up Diane for offering some suggestions. I’ve gotten plenty of good ideas from that lady. Including the achilles boot, BTW, that has done wonders for me, thanks Diane. But that’s another thread (I think that was Diane who suggested it).

A simple wooden spoon has been all I’ve needed for a long time now. Anything you eat with a fork can be eaten with your fingers. Long ago and far away I was in a jungle in Indonesia when someone handed me a banana leaf with rice and fish inside. No utensils. It all got eaten, because i was hungry.

[Pedestrian]

“Seems reading comprehension isn’t your forte. As I said, “most of us who ARE conscious what we cook in…” Apparently you’re not one of the “us” in the subject.”

I’m definitely not one of “us” usually…..and I HAVE been lectured more than once about my “reading comprehension” by those who could barely read beyond the 6th grade level…..but whatever….

It might help you to actually educate yourself about the science (I know this is usually a foreign concept) of aluminum. I know…social media……but please do read this. That is, if YOUR reading comprehension allows……

I can’t believe this rather innocuous seeming thread has gotten this chaffy and snippy…..my apologies for my part…

 

 

[Nick Gatel]

All of Snow Peak’s gear isn’t marketed for backpacking. A lot of campers buy Snow Peak equipment.

We have a camper that has a full set of cutlery. Salad forks and soup spoons, regular spoons, forks, and knives. We have steak knives, a full set of cook’s knives, assorted spatulas, tongs, mixing wisps, pizza stone, pizza cutters, cast iron Dutch Oven, cast iron skillet and griddle, a Weber Baby Q grill, a three burner outdoor stove, coffee and tea cups, wine and margarita glasses, and even a blender for making margaritas (thank you solar panels).

On most backpacking trips I take a single long handled spoon and a SAK.

I suspect the Snow Peak knife was discontinued due to low demand.

[AK Granola]

Nick has more stuff in his camper than I own in my house. Not that I’d turn down a solar power-made margarita! We do have a pie iron, mostly for nostalgia for when my kids were little and we made peach pies on the fire.

The aluminum article is interesting. It’s a nice summary of studies, but not written in very objective language for a journal. The author is clearly frustrated. I haven’t worried about aluminum for years; I think the evidence was in long ago. These myths of harm from various substances – aluminum, vaccines, Deet, fluoridated water, 5g – outlast any common sense or evidence. People still believe giardia comes from beavers, just because we have a saying to reinforce the idea, “beaver fever.” We are superstitious and it’s hard to break away from the myths; it’s as if the Enlightenment never occurred and despite the fact that we daily use a thousand items that could not have existed without science, we distrust science as a method of discovering knowledge. I recently read an interesting article in the Chronicle of Higher Ed about why we are this way and how it can be advantageous at times to believe things that are clearly not real, some kind of illusory control over our circumstances. I hadn’t really considered there might be an upside to it. Still not sure there is.

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