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GSI Outdoors Halulite Minimalist Cookset Review

GSI Outdoors Halulite Minimalist Cookset (stove not included)
GSI Outdoors Halulite Minimalist Cookset (stove not included)

GSI Outdoor’s Halulite Minimalist Cookset integrates everything you need for rehydrating cook-in-the-pouch, freezer-bag meals. or making hot drinks in an impressively small footprint. Consisting of a 0.6 liter anodized aluminum pot, sip lid, insulation sleeve, pot grippers, and telescoping “foon,” the Minimalist weighs a miserly 6.3 ounces and is entirely self-contained when packed, taking up very little space in your backpack. In fact, it’s so well-engineered it can also swallow the alcohol stove and windshield shown above or a small gas canister and stove!

Rehydrating a No-Cook Meal
Rehydrating a Meal in the Pot

At 0.6 liters (approx 2.5 cups), the Minimalist pot is designed for boiling water and making hot drinks, but not actually cooking anything. With a width of 3 and 3/4 inches, it’s best used with alcohol, canister, or solid fuel (ESBIT) stoves that have a narrow flame pattern that hits the center of the pot. This is doubly important because the Minimalist has a plastic lid which will melt if flames shoot up the pot’s sides.

Remove the insulation sleeve (cozy) before placing on a flame
Remove the insulation sleeve (cozy) before placing on a flame

Before you can boil water using the Minimalist, you want to slip the its foam insulation sleeve or cozy off, so it’s doesn’t catch fire. There’s a small hole on the bottom of the cozy that you can slip your finger into to pull it off. Being the same color as the pot, it’s very easy to set the cozy on fire accidentally. I know this from experience!

Flip the lid upside down when cooking
Flip the lid upside down when cooking

You will want to use the plastic lid when cooking because it’s one of the most effective ways to reduce the amount of stove fuel needed to boil water. When cooking, be sure to flip the top lid upside down so it rests loosely in the top of the pot so it is easy to remove when the water boils. You should only screw the lid on when drinking hot liquids so they don’t spill. There’s a sipping hole in the top so you can use the pot like an insulated mug for your morning coffee, in addition to boiling water with it.

Pot Gripper
Pot Grippers

The Minimalist cookset comes with a pot gripper to remove your hot pot full of boiling water from the stove. I personally prefer pot handles because they’re difficult to lose and they’re easier to pour boiling water with. When boiling water with the Minimalist, you need to lift the pot with the pot grippers and fit it into the insulation sleeve first, before you can safely pick it up and pour it into a meal pouch or freezer bag containing dehydrated food. If by chance you lose the pot grippers (which is probable if you use the cookset frequently), you can still pick up the pot with a wash cloth or by wrapping your shirt sleeve around your fingers for insulation.

Finally, the Minimalist cookset comes with a telescoping plastic “foon” (basically a spork) which fits into the pot when not in use. It’s easy to accidentally pull the handle off the spoon part, but also easy to reassemble. I’ve already lost mine, but I prefer carrying a $1 REI plastic spoon for eating anyway. You can probably hang onto your foon if you are very careful, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if you lost it either.

Likes

  • Compact, lightweight and self-contained
  • Large enough to hold gas canister and stove
  • Dual use pot and drinking mug

Dislikes

  • Pot does not have liquid volume measurements etched in the side
  • Pot grippers are easily lost
  • Telescoping “foon” is flimsy and also easily lost

Recommendation

The GSI Outdoor Halulite Minimalist 1 Person Cookset is a very well designed single person cook system that contains everything you need for boiling water for “cooking” dehydrated camping meals, including a pot, insulation sleeve, screw-on lid, telescoping lid and pot grippers. The pot and lid are perfectly sized to carry a small gas canister and stove or alcohol stove, pot stand, and windscreen, making it very convenient to transport your entire cook system in a well-organized, ultralight-style manner.

At a mere 6.3 ounces in weight, I consider the GSI Minimalist to be an excellent value if you’re looking for an affordable one-person cook set, particularly for occasional use on short weekend trips where it’s possible to get by with eating dehydrated meals for a few days. However, for week-long, multi-week, or thru-hikes, you’ll probably want to upgrade to a larger capacity pot that’s big enough to boil food or simmer with and that has integrated pot handles for safer handling of hot liquids.

Disclaimer: Philip Werner received a sample Minimalist Cookset from GSI Outdoors for this review. 

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18 comments

  1. I’ve had this pot 3 years now and works well for me. Still using it and it’s great other than foon asyou’ve said. Nice to see someone else getting on with it.

  2. I have had on of these for a while also and really like it. I use it with a super cat alcohol stove. I keep a small cup with measuring marks inside along with the stove and lighter. The pot gripper has a magnet so you can stick it to a fuel canister.

    I also have the Micro Dualist set for when I am hiking with a partner. This is another great setup.

    The sticker under the lid is supposed to be removed before use I believe. I have always been impressed with the Minimalist Cooksets functionality.

  3. I’ve had this pot for a couple of years, and no complaints here.

  4. My go-to set is the Pinnacle Soloist. I agree whole heartedly with the handle being more convenient hence why I opted for the Soloist over this kit.

    Another pro to the soloist is that measurements are marked on the bowl that comes with the Soloist(no watered down grub.)

    I think the telescopic spork or what ever it is referred as is nothing short of junk and a waste. Mine broke after it’s first use and I have since returned to using my Sea to Summit ti folding spork which isn’t perfect Imo but 1000× more durable.

    Nice review.

  5. Dennis A. Cooley

    As I said on my FB post – great little cookpot. I agree about the spoon, essentially useless. The little rubber thingy fell off, rendering it totally useless.

  6. I like GSI cooksets; generally well thought out pieces of kit. But, like many have mentioned, the foon is the only downside. Its a little short to eat mashed potatoes out of a freezer bag with while keeping fingers tater free and I hate the way the grooves catch and hold onto food. Easily remedied with a cheap, long-handled spoon.

  7. I have this set, and it’s the only thing I take when I’m cooking for just me. Thoughts: ditch the spoon and the pot holder completely. They’re both worthless, although I’m still using the little koozy, which is useful for removing the pot from your stove, too. If you like to cook anything more elaborate than dehydrated meals, this isn’t the cook set for you. And yes, you’ll be guessing at how much water you need unless you sharpie or etch volume amounts on the side yourself.

  8. A friend uses this kit and substituted the $4 MSR folding spoon for the foon – much better made and still packs inside.

  9. I don’t know, just seems like too many parts for me. I’ll stick with my Snowpeak set with a Ti spoon. I need the handle and if I need an insulated pad to grab the pot with I’ll use my Bandanna, It looks pretty though.

  10. I have been using this kit for four years now and love it. I agree ,the spoon is useless. I use a long handled sea to summit spoon. I have no reason NOT to keep using this set up. It’s light, very durable and affordable. Peace

  11. I just now noticed that you did a review on this cookset a while ago, I actually have owned this set since about October 2013! I went into REI one day looking for the most inexpensive lightweight and compact ultralight cookset they had. I almost got the Snowpeak Titanium but this was half the price and it included a lid and an insulated sleeve. It seemed like a great deal, and it was. I use it with an alcohol stove I made. Everything fits nicely inside the pot.

  12. I have been using the Soloist for years. Many of the same traits as the one you reviewed here but has a handle which for me is a necessity.

    The telescoping foon/sport thingamabobber is garbage and I replaced mine with a Sea to Summit Ti folding model.

    I was in contact with GSI a bit back and did not hesitate to tell them it was garbage.

    I am a straight shooter so…

    Anywho I also told them if the sport wasn’t included it would not have swayed my purchase in the least and as flimsy as it is they would be better off not including it.

    It was the only negative I could pull from the set.

    I can put a cannister, a Pocket Rocket (not in the provided MSR case) and my spork in the pot with the bowl with the lid on it and handle securing it.

    I also have no problem toting my various white gas soles in it.

    Then again no cannister of fuel so that is a no brainer.

    Solid all around set that I have logged many mile with.

    I am sure there will be many more mile to come.

  13. I’ve been using the Halulite Minimalist for a few years now including longer 7+ day solo PCT section hikes. I mostly use it to heat water for use in rehydrating foods or making hot drinks (gotta have coffee in the morning). I’ve coupled it with a Snowpeak LItemax canister stove although I’ve also used it with homemade alcohol stoves too (they worked fine). The Litemax stove, canister, potholder and a homemade windscreen all fit inside the cup.

    A couple “features” not mentioned in the review: 1) the potholder has a magnet molded in it that clings to the bottom of fuel canisters reducing the chance of loss (not to mention it’s bright orange – kinda hard to miss); and 2) the foam insulation sleeve doubles as a freezer bag cozy for those who do freezer bag cooking thus eliminating the need for an added cozy in warmer weather.

    I’ve looked but I haven’t found a better, lighter solution for myself.

  14. Excellent Review
    I use it with my Etekcity UL stove. It fits perfectly with the fuel canister and at $10 you really cant go wrong with that :)

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