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You are here: Home / Gear Reviews / Flash Gear Reviews / Tritensil Review

Tritensil Review

by Roger Caffin on July 22, 2018 Flash Gear Reviews

The concept of the Tritensil® came about from over twenty five years of first hand wildland firefighting and military experience. The weight and volume limitations of these two communities extends to almost every other outdoor adventure. When you have to carry all of your gear, there is an old saying that ounces equal pounds and pounds equal pain. By combining a scalloped knife into the spoon handle, the Tritensil provides the full capabilities of a fork, spoon and knife in a two piece set. Whether the main course is soup or steak and yes, this knife will cut steak, the Tritensil will have you covered.

The Patented interlocking handle design provides a nesting configuration for compact storage without the need of special clips, bands or cases. Not only are the fork tines and knife protected from damage while nesting but the storage configuration keeps the two Tritensil pieces snuggly secured to each other minimizing the chance of loss and unwanted noise. The interlocking design also allows the Tritensil to be configured into an extended Spork almost doubling the overall useable length for those times you may find yourself eating out of a pouch. Learn more at https://www.tritensil.com/

TritensilR2

How the bits clip together.

Features and Specifications

The Tritensil is made from a proprietary BPA, BPS and BPF Free, RoHS Compliant, FDA Food Grade Polymer making it lightweight.

Standard:

  • 20 g (0.7oz)
  • MSRP: USD $9

Mini:

  • 8.5 g (0.3oz)
  • MSRP: USD $7

Colours red, blue, orange, pink, purple and ‘tactical green’ which is almost grey.

Someone mentioned these in a BPL Forum thread and they looked interesting, so I contacted the company to see if they were interested in a product review. They were, so I suggested they send me a couple of sets. They sent me a box full!

What to do? Clearly, the best path would be to farm most of the sets out to other known BPL members, to get their comments as well, so I did. The call went out to Australian members as the cost of postage back to the USA would have been too high. So we will start with my comments, then go on to comments from others.

TritensilR1

Photo: Tritensil.

Commentary by Roger Caffin

It’s a knife/fork/spoon set done in hard plastic. There is a fork with a medium-length handle, and a spoon with a knife for a handle. The set comes neatly packaged together. You need to read the instructions to be able to separate the two bits – they come apart with a definite click. The interesting thing is that you can reassemble the two bits to make a long spoon or fork: good for getting to the bottom of deep pots and bags.

In fact there are two versions: a standard size and a mini size. Most of our comments are about the standard size bits as most of us thought the mini size was too small. It will be clear when the comments apply to the mini size.

The spoon size and shape are OK. The bowl has a good shape and size for holding stew and soup, and does not have spork slots (tines) which make the bowl less practical for anything liquid. The knife handle on the spoon is a bit strange. As mentioned, you can clip the fork onto it to make long handle. That does mean you have either a spoon or a fork – and possibly a slightly messy hand when the other end dribbles downwards. Well, yes, a bit um: lick fork clean first. Without the fork extension the spoon handle is a bit short, but still usable.

The fork was more difficult to test as I don’t normally carry one. Perhaps think of it as a freebie part of the extended spoon handle. That said, the tines are very strong and wedge-ended for penetration. Not sure any of our bushwalking food would need that. I tested the tines at home on the hard biscuit crust of a quiche my wife made: they went through the crust with no problems.

One reason the tines are so strong is that they are bigger/fatter than metal tines. I found that trying to pick up a lump of cooked potato or pumpkin tended to split the lump rather than pick it up. Oh well – back to the spoon.

I have little faith in knives made of anything other than steel: in general they don’t work. However, while this knife looks blunt, the serrated edge was strong and did cut quite a few things like wholemeal bread, hard cheese and dry sausage (aka salami). It did better than I expected.

However, the asymmetric nature of the edge means the blade tends to shear off sideways at an angle. I found I could compensate for this after a while by seriously angling the blade from the start. That just feels a bit strange. Also, the blade is a bit narrow in my opinion, so that spreading butter and jam is more difficult than with a wider blade. Ah yes – clean the spoon end thoroughly before trying to use the knife end.

Commentary by Franco Darioli

TritensilR3

Franco’s range of cutlery, by Franco Darioli. Going from the left we have an Opinal folding knife, a BPL long Ti spoon, a SnowPeak spoon, a Powerport spork (same factory as LightMyFire?), a LightMyFire spork, GSI fork and spoon, an unbranded wooden spoon (ex kitchen?), a bambu spoon (‘bambu’ is the brand) a Sea to Summit spoon, and finally the Tritensil bits.

Having spotted the Tritensils a couple of years ago , I was surprised that there could be a new twist to the Spork/Foon type of eating utensils. That is because over the years I have tried many different versions (I still have some), eventually opting for the long Ti spoon and the Opinel knife (about 50 g combined, feel free to faint now) because they work for me. Most of all I prefer the feel of the wooden spoons but they are not long enough to reach the bottom of my Caldera Cone caddy or the 700ml pot without rubbing against the side. The same applies to the other spork/foon combos. This one, the Tritensil looked promising.

When assembled and used as a spoon it is as long as the BPL Ti version. The fork bit does not interfere with the handling. The knife works for hard cheese and slicing salami but not as well, for me, as my Opinel. However, unlike with my knife, the Tritensil bits leave no taste that I can detect. I deliberately tried tomato based meals as well as curry. The feel in the mouth is good too, better than Ti, at least until Ti warms up.

It is the best version of this type of eating utensils I have tried so far, but I am used to the long spoon/Opinel combo (my only knife) and I have an my emotional attachment to the Opinel (I had one as a kid).

Commentary by Gordon Bedford

TritensilR4 1

Photo: Gordon Bedford.

What can one say about a knife, fork and spoon set? I have used a spoon and a lightweight folding steel knife as standard equipment for years. The spoon is a white plastic polymer material, Lexan I think. I have never bothered with a fork except when car camping. Then along comes the Tritensil knife fork and spoon set.

I liked the colour orange, easy to distinguish from other objects and not lose in the grass. There are other colours available.

I was skeptical of the design at first. Will I cut myself on the knife when holding the spoon? My hands are dirty. Hold it as a spoon and the knife gets dirty. Hold it as a knife and the spoon gets dirty.

I quickly got the knack of clipping and unclipping the two utensils. How long before wear and tear would prevent that, only long term use would tell.

The spoon functioned like a spoon. I didn’t find anything different about it. Holding the knife end felt strange at first but I soon became accustomed though it never felt smooth and easy to manipulate.

I used it in the bush on walking trips twice for a total of three nights. I only took the knife/spoon. The knife has a serrated edge and functioned surprisingly well. I used it to cut cheese and apple.

At home I found the knife cut bread and even roast lamb. Nevertheless it is not designed to cut a big loaf of bread. It was not great at spreading. How long the serrated edge would stay sharp, time will tell. I suppose it could be sharpened with a small round file.

I tested the fork at home. It has an inch ruler along one edge. It is not really a stabbing fork but worked fine on softer foods. It worked reasonably well with noodles. However the wide rectangular design meant it was not as easy to manipulate as a normal table fork.

The knife is inferior to a steel knife. I would still carry my light weight Deejo knife: it is sharper and can be used for a wider range of tasks. It is also easier to keep clean. I have no intention of carrying a fork.

There is a mini set with teaspoon type dimensions. I didn’t review these. My conclusion is that I will not replace my usual spoon and knife with the Tritensil set. However if you like to include a fork to eat with, then it could be worth a try.

Commentary by Simone Zmood

TritensilR5

Photo: Simone Zmood.

Overall, we thought the cutlery felt solid and each piece was comfortable to hold. We liked the way the spoon/knife (spife or knoon – what is it called?) and fork clipped together securely and they were easy to separate.  Before I provide any more comments, I should give some background on our eating style to provide context for my comments below. When going on multi-night trips we usually have breakfast in a bag at camp or on the track after we have walked for a while, a non-cooked lunch (or all-day scroggin/trail mix), and one-pot meals for dinner so we normally only take a spoon or a spork. Having a piece of cutlery that is long enough to stir the food in the pot without burning fingers is also important to us. Since we did not manage to try this cutlery on an extended trip, I will describe our thoughts on their utility for breakfast and conjecture somewhat for the other eating scenarios.

My husband used the full-sized spoon to eat breakfast out of a zip-lock bag (above). He did notice the serrated edge of the knife whilst he held the spoon but felt it wasn’t a major issue. I used the mini spoon and it wasn’t long enough to easily eat out of a bag without getting food on my fingers but was fine when eating out of a small container. My hands are smaller than hubbie’s so the mini spoon was fine but I also noticed the serrated edge of the knife whilst using it. Since neither of us were cut by the knife, I suspect this is something I would get used to. The shape and depth of the spoon was comfortable to eat from, and the small one still held a decent amount of food.

We often carry fresh food for the first dinner or fresh fruit and veggies for the first few days, so I tested the small knife on a crunchy persimmon (above). My fingers got a bit juicy and I think it would be easier to cut with the bigger knife. Whilst the knife cut well, I still think my little Spyderco Ladybug knife cuts better (and the latter is dual purpose having been used to carve a replacement paddle on an overly exciting packrafting trip). Since the knife is part of the spoon, it would come along on a trip for no extra weight. We didn’t use the fork but it looked solid.

I liked the way the spoon and fork could reverse-clip together to create a spoon with an extended handle. Whilst we didn’t test it, the full-size extended set up would be long enough for our couple cook pot and the short cutlery set would work for my solo kit.

Where To Buy

  • https://www.tritensil.com/

Disclosure

The manufacturer provided complimentary samples of the products in this review with no obligation required to publish a review. Some links in this review may be affiliate links: if you click on a link and place an order with one of our affiliate merchant partners, Backpacking Light receives a small commission on the sale, at no extra cost to you. These commissions help support our website and create new content – and we’re grateful for your support.

lightweight cooking system, tritensil

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Comments

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  • Jul 22, 2018 at 6:48 am #3547888
    Roger Caffin
    Moderator

    @rcaffin

    Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe

    Companion forum thread to: Tritensil Review

    This Tritensil Review features a knife/fork/spoon set done in hard plastic. You can reassemble to make a long-handled spoon or fork.

    Jul 22, 2018 at 1:11 pm #3547904
    Ken Thompson
    BPL Member

    @here

    Locale: Right there

    3 years ago…

    https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/tritensil-a-better-spork/

    Jul 22, 2018 at 2:31 pm #3547909
    MJ H
    BPL Member

    @mjh

    Seems like a potential answer to wanting a spoon that fits in my pot but is long enough to reach the bottom of the pouch.

    Jul 22, 2018 at 3:50 pm #3547921
    Kevin B
    BPL Member

    @newmexikev

    Locale: Western New Mexico, USA

    Maybe i missed it in the reviews, but what is the extended length and/or did any of the pics show the utensil in its most extended set-up mode?

    Also, nice use of BPL members for crowd-sourced reviews! (even with the embedded hemispheric bias;)

    Jul 22, 2018 at 5:16 pm #3547936
    Shelley C
    BPL Member

    @schacon

    <h1 data-ui=”product-information-title”><span style=”font-family: Helvetica;”>humangear GoBites Duo Fork and Spoon Set</span></h1>
    https://www.rei.com/product/108030/humangear-gobites-duo-fork-and-spoon-set

    Just bought this and seems basically same without knife (I think better as agree with above comments).  Weighs 22g.  Spoon bowl could be deeper but still good.  Fork nests well so won’t catch on gear/pack.  Can cut food with tapered side of fork like would at home with regular fork.  Long handle when clipped together (and overlaps less so overall length clipped together is longer I bet).  I think they should make “sturdy enough” by making handle thinner to cut 1/3 of weight so I would replace my long titanium spoon but only my opinion

    Jul 22, 2018 at 7:31 pm #3547951
    Jeff B
    BPL Member

    @jkb58d

    I would like to thank Mr. Caffin and the BPL members who tested the Tritensil for their thorough and honest reviews.

    While I could go on for some time discussing the concepts that went into designing the Tritensil, I will just say that the original intent was to provide the end user with the full capabilities of a Fork, Spoon and Knife in a light weight/durable, minimalist design.

    While Stainless and Ti models are planned, we started by searching for the most eco-friendly polymer material we could find.  After sending most of our competitors models to an independent laboratory, we were surprised to find that many of them were not made from food grade materials, as were claimed.  While I can not name specific brands for obvious litigious reasons, I can personally guarantee that our material exceeds all FDA and EPA food grade requirements. Our Proprietary material is also RoHS Compliant and 100% Free of: BPA, BPS and BPF, Natural Rubber Latex, Synthetic Latex, Heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium, lead, chromium, PBB, PBDE, PVC, Phthalates and Phthalate Esters (DEHP, DIBP, DBP, BBP, DINP, DIBP, DIDP, DNOP, DMP, DNPP), Halogenated organic chemicals (HOC’s), Carcinogens and Reproductive Toxin according to “California Prop 65”, Materials on SVHC list (Substances of very High concern) According to REACH 01/12/2017.

    We are also excited to announce that we have recently developed a new capability which does not currently exist in the industry.  Once final approval has been given from the appropriate regulatory agencies, I will make the official announcement here at BPL!

    V/R

    Jeff Busboom
    President, JMBC LLC

    Attached is a more comprehensive spec sheet:

    Jul 22, 2018 at 7:35 pm #3547952
    Roger Caffin
    Moderator

    @rcaffin

    Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe

    Variable length. The Tritensil can extend up to 10.5″ when clipped together, or you can have it shorter.

    And unlike the traditional spork, the spoon DOES work with liquids.

    Cheers

    Aug 7, 2018 at 12:54 pm #3550327
    Adam Kilpatrick
    BPL Member

    @oysters

    Locale: South Australia

    Very interesting.

    I have a range of Ti things from over the years. My “best” spoon is a BPL Titanium Long handled spoon. Comes in at 9.97grams. I think from memory this was the “light” version, I have a heavier version that is 12.45g. For comparison, the Sea To Summit one I have is 14.95g…so quite a difference. Because they are all basically the same design, with ridge down the handle, they are all more than strong enough. The “heavy” BPL spoon I once used as a second tyre level on a bike tour…its end is slightly bent haha.

    These three spoons are 8.5 inches long… it would be interesting if Tritensil could come up with a version that forgoes the fork (could be optional?) the beats 9.97grams. The advantage being that with the split handle it could go much more easily in smaller pots. 8.5 inches fits in basically nothing that any ultralight or lightweight hiker would carry.

    8.5 inches is plenty long enough to get into most bag type meals. Could probably lose half an inch on that without missing it, maybe. I think the real niche here is for tall pot users. In this scenario, one needs a spoon that is a couple of inches longer than the height of the pot, in order to eat from the bottom corners (and stir effectively while cooking to help avoid burning food). A one piece spoon is thus longer than the pot. Yes, it could go in on an angle, but pythagoras is usually not that kind… as an example with the BOT 700 pot, the hypotenuse would only allow (maximum…would be less than this with the spoon’s 3D shape) 1.8 inches of length above the pot depth… so marginal (you not only need additional length to grip with, but also additional length to be able to use the spoon on a bit of an angle to get underneath food/liquid). Storing spoons in the pot on an angle also reduces usable inside space for other items to be packed nicely. A tritensal type spoon with or without knife/fork but with a handle that could be easily cut down to the perfect size for the user, could be quite good. Then people could customize their own lengths. Plastic is pretty easy to hacksaw :-)

    Aug 7, 2018 at 1:00 pm #3550329
    Adam Kilpatrick
    BPL Member

    @oysters

    Locale: South Australia

    Looking at the Mini….I could probably cut off all of the knife section, then cut off the fork head. This would probably achieve a spoon like I describe above for BOT 700 users, that would come in somewhere around maybe 7 grams, and would be less than 4 inches each piece, allowing them to fit vertically inside the bot, while also giving hopefully over 6 inches in diggable length. Assuming that the connection is strong enough???

    Aug 7, 2018 at 5:11 pm #3550361
    Kevin Babione
    BPL Member

    @kbabione

    Locale: Pennsylvania

    My twins have been using the Tritensil for a couple of years now every day in their school lunches.  I’ve not seen any noticeable change in the “lock” functionality that clips them together.  I think that as long as you trimmed the spoon right where the knife begins to maximize the connecting surface area you’d be fine.  For eating the connection works really well, but don’t expect it to hold if you’re trying to scrape the burnt stuff off the bottom of your pot.

    You’re not out much if it doesn’t work out…

    Aug 7, 2018 at 5:49 pm #3550368
    Jeff B
    BPL Member

    @jkb58d

    Adam, if you removed the knife and fork you would end up with approximately 6in of useable length for the spoon. The connectivity is based on friction between the two pieces and does not lock up per se.  The friction is more than sufficient for normal spoon use but as Kevin mentioned, will slip slightly if used for scraping and such. That being said, we have tested the interconnectivity of the two pieces and have not noticed any change in friction in over 3k assembly procedures.  The only reason we did not push past that number was because my fingers were sore. 😊

    Aug 7, 2018 at 7:08 pm #3550393
    David Thomas
    BPL Member

    @davidinkenai

    Locale: North Woods. Far North.

    10.5″ is a nice long spoon – great for freezer-bag and Mountain House meals in a pouch.

    IMO, forks are kind of pointless (hah, hah) while backpacking.  I rarely bring a salad along.  If you do Ramen noodles, I can see the reason to bring a fork.

    I’m impressed by the reviews of the knife’s cutting abilities – salami and cheese and bread – I wouldn’t expect that much performance from a plastic knife.  If I was trekking in Europe and getting traditional foods from locals – uncut salami, blocks of cheese, unsliced bread – then that would be a benefit and getting the plastic Tritensil through TSA, etc, must be easier than with a metal knife.  But I shop at Walmart for backpacking food and pre-sliced salami and cheese is always an option that makes meals on the trail easier and less dirt-encrusted.  If I need a knife, it’s for filleting fish or gutting a caribou and then I’m bringing a 17-gram Little Vicky paring knife.

    The Tritensil seems like a nice option for some people and the price is reasonable.  I’ll stick with a $1, 11-gram, 8-inch, bamboo spoon for getting into pouches of FD food, Pasta Sides, and instant mashed potatoes.  Stronger, cheaper, lighter, and easier to clean.  Write-up at: https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/104912/

    Aug 7, 2018 at 8:47 pm #3550419
    Jeff B
    BPL Member

    @jkb58d

    David, thank you for your observations. I would like to add that the Tritensil knife will actually cut steak as well as salami!

    While you may not always need a fully functional fork, spoon or knife, one of the interesting things that we have discovered is that many of our customers are carrying their Tritensils daily whether to school or work and not just on their outdoor adventures.

    One of the benefits is that they no longer need to use inferior disposable plastic utensils that end up in our landfills or waterways. It turns out that the Tritensil makes a great eating utensil anytime you find yourself on the go away from home.

    Attached are some photos that a few of our customers have shared with us.

    Aug 7, 2018 at 10:15 pm #3550437
    Roger Caffin
    Moderator

    @rcaffin

    Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe

    My current use for the Tritensils is to make a really long spoon to scrape the last of the home-made yoghurt out of tall Nalge bottle without getting it all over my fingers. So far I have not found any spoons quite as long as the combo.

    Well, yes, I could carve a long bamboo one but I think I would prefer a non-absorbent surface for yoghurt. Ours is a live culture which my wife makes every few days.

    Cheers

    Apr 26, 2019 at 6:39 am #3590483
    Roger Caffin
    Moderator

    @rcaffin

    Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe

    Tritensil Silver

    The Tritensil cutlery set has evolved a new version: Tritensil Silver, both full size and mini. To quote from the brochure:

    The new Full and Mini-sized Tritensil Silver models are the first outdoor eating utensils to contain Agion Antimicrobial Technology, which provides a continuous and long-lasting release of Silver ions (Ag+) to control the growth of odor causing bacteria.

    However, the fine print on the card in the packet adds:

    This product does not protect users against disease causing organisms. Always clean thoroughly after use.

    The cutlery is exactly the same as the previously reviewed stuff (both full size and mini) except for the ‘silver’ (ghost grey) colour. The prices for the Silver versions are a little higher: US$10 and US$12 per set.

    The basic design works fine, as previously noted. However, I am left unsure about the value of the silver treatment. You will still need to do the washing up after use, but we do this after dinner every night anyhow. We have never noticed any odor from the original cutlery – or for that matter from our other Lexan cutlery either.

    Cheers

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