Sea To Summit Frontier Ultralight Collapsible 1L Pot Cook Set – Reviewed & Tested

Obsessive ultralight hiker Jess tested the Sea to Summit Collapsible Frontier One Litre Pot Cook Set to see if it’s a good buy or just cleverly-designed dead weight.

Sea to Summit is a trusted name in hiking gear that has been producing collapsible cookware for years. The new Frontier One Pot Set promises ultralight performance, smart design, and compact packing, all in a sleek, nested system that eliminates wasted space in your pack and keeps everything in one place. I was keen to find out if it was worth the price and if it could solve a few of my camp cooking frustrations. 

Pot, cup and spork within!

Why am I the right person to review this?

I’m an avid hiker who, due to health constraints, is now reliant on ultralight gear to ensure I can physically carry what I need to venture outdoors in the places I love. I’ve hiked all over the world, from short day trips to 125km multi-day epics. I’ve had bowls crack, stoves break in the middle of a trip, and some extremely creative cook-ups using whatever was on hand.  

After years of wrangling light but bulky metal pots and cutlery that’s too long to nest inside it, I decided it was time to try a solution that used the limited space inside my pack more efficiently. I wanted one lightweight, compact cook set that I could pack as a default for any trip, without having to play Tetris every time or dig endlessly for a lost spork. The Frontier cook set from Sea To Summit claimed to solve my exact problem.

Having only used a collapsible drink bottle previously (which I turfed out of frustration because trying to drink out of it was like holding a feral cat), I was curious to see if the hype around collapsibility was warranted. 

Quick Specs

• Packed Dimensions: 151mm x 142mm x 53mm
• Weight: 259g (3-piece set) 197.8g (pot only)
• Material: Hard-anodised aluminium alloy base, collapsible silicone sides
• Capacity: 1L pot
• RRP: $149.99

Two patents pending and the pot radius matches Sea to Summit spoons? Mwah

Performance

Over a mid-week microadventure and a few wintery day trips with a bougie hot lunch, I used this set for everything from boiling water for dehydrated meals to making an instant ramen/dried peas-soup combo (it tastes better than it sounds!). The Frontier pot handled it all far better than I was expecting from something that folds like a concertina.

The base heats evenly thanks to the hard-anodised aluminium base, and while you’re not going to get a perfect sear on your mushrooms, you can cook actual meals if you’re patient. I’ve used it in both calm and windy conditions atop my lightweight SOTO Amicus stove. The length of the handle does mean the pot is prone to tipping, so close supervision is recommended if it’s a bit windy. The handle stays cool to the touch, so if it gets blustery, it’s perfectly comfortable (if a bit annoying) to hold the handle while the water boils if needed.

In windy conditions or when it’s full of essential snacks, you might prefer to hold the handle

Read more: 13 Best Gas Hiking Stoves For Backpacking in Australia

The collapsible silicone held up admirably to high temps. Just don’t let the flame lick up the side, or you’ll risk warping or scorching. It’s a good pot, not a fire cauldron. 

Cleanup of this set is relatively easy, and a quick rinse and wipe does the trick provided you do that relatively soon post-cooking. You do need to pay attention to ensuring nothing gets stuck in the creases of the sides of the pot and cup, and trying to scrub stubborn food off flexible sides takes more time than I expected. 

I wasn’t expecting to have much to say about the cup – it’s a cup, and provided it holds liquid and collapses as promised, surely that’s a winner? Well, as it turns out, it needs to do a little bit more than that. While this was a perfectly fine cup for cold liquids, if you want to make a hot choccie or coffee, you need to be careful to hold the reinforced bit halfway up, or the top.

Somehow got this pic out of focus but you get the idea. The blue silicon bits are squishy and get hot

Wearing gloves or only half filling it so you can hold onto the top of the cup instead works. Not a deal breaker for me as a non-coffee drinker, but if you’re planning on this cup holding your morning brew it’s worth considering how you like to hold your cup (it’s the little things).

Read more: Our Favourite Camping Cups & Coffee Mugs (check out the Sea to Summit Detour if you’re after a sturdier collapsible mug).

Design

This is where the Frontier Ultralight Pot Set really shines. Everything packs down into one slim disc just over 25mm high. The pot’s rigid base gives it structure, while the silicone sides collapse really easily. The included cup and ultra-short spork nestle inside with enough room that you can throw it together quickly without needing to figure out the right angle or force it.

I’m in two minds about the spork. On one hand, it’s great being able to store it inside the pot and the short handle satisfyingly shaves off a few extra grams, which I love. On the other, it’s way too short to utilise if I’m cooking dehydrated meals on the trail. These are meals made in the bag, with only boiling water added. With a long-handled spoon/fork/spork you can eat directly from the bag and allow your pot to air dry – a great dinner option when you can’t be bothered to clean up after a long day. I almost always take dehydrated meals with me so this is definitely a negative but it’s easily rectified by taking a longer spoon as well.

The pot is designed such that it doubles as a bowl, and the curve-to-flat transition of the base makes it feel sturdy despite being so flexible. At 1L capacity, it’s the perfect size to accommodate just about everything a solo hiker or a duo happy to prepare one meal at a time needs. The lid also has handy drainage holes so if you’re like me and discard the water from two-minute noodles, the process just got a lot less risky!

The lid also has a little silicone grip tab in the middle, which allows you to lift the lid without burning your fingers. But uniquely, if you flip it over, the underside also has a silicon tab that allows you to ‘hang’ the lid against the side of the pot so you’re not putting a wet pot lid in the dirt. 

My frustration with this pot set is the handle. While an excellent feature in theory, it’s just too darn finicky and stiff to take on and off with ease. I’ve been hoping it’d loosen up with use, but every time I try to remove it so I can ‘unlock’ the pot, it’s a frustrating multiple-minute process trying to get the angle and pressure just right.

The pot handle cleverly locks the lid closed

Effectively, you need to press on a toggle, then lift the handle straight up to remove it. This releases the pot lid, allowing you to use the pot as a bowl or to reattach the handle in the opposite direction to use as a pot for cooking. But no matter how often I repeat that process, it only seems to work one in every fifteen or so attempts. Very annoying.

But I found it a bit fiddly

Sustainability

Sea to Summit tends to do better than average when it comes to sustainability. The hard-anodised aluminium is PFOA-free, the silicone is BPA-free and food-grade, and their gear is made to last rather than be replaced after a season.

Read more: How PFCs in Outdoor Gear are Harming the Planet

There’s no flashy B Corp status or carbon offsets here, but they do have published environmental goals and recyclable packaging. They’re also a 1% for the Planet member and support a range of non-profits. They also offer spare parts for many products, which gives this cook set a longer potential life than some cheaper options.

Still, there’s room to improve. Product-level transparency and detail would make it easier to choose more consciously.

It’s good to see some solid environmental initiatives from Sea to Summit as the planet cooks

Price

At RRP $149.99 AUD, the Frontier One Pot Set sits on the higher end of the non-stove cook set spectrum. But for what you get – collapsibility, quality build, and smart design – it’s arguably fair value.

You’ll still need to pair it with a stove and fuel at the very least, so this isn’t an all-in-one deal. But if you’re building a modular cook setup or want flexibility for both solo and minimalist partner hikes, the Frontier set punches above its weight.

Look out for it during sales at Anaconda or Wild Earth – and remember, this is a long-haul piece of gear.

Final Thoughts

The Sea to Summit Frontier Ultralight Collapsible One Pot Cook Set is a slim, smartly-designed system that prioritises space and simplicity without completely sacrificing functionality. It’s best for hikers who value organisation and compactness, and want to streamline their kit.

While it’s not for gourmet chefs or ultralight purists using razor-thin Toaks pots, it strikes an impressive middle ground. It folds flat with everything you need inside, water heats quickly, and provided you clean it quickly, it’s easy to keep it looking schmick too.

Instructions on the pot are great if you lend your gear

FAQs

Is the Frontier ultralight cookset dishwasher safe?

No. The pot and lid both have anodised aluminium, and the soap in dishwashers will damage it. Handwash only.

What capacity is the Frontier ultralight pot?

The pot is 1L capacity. 

Is this only suitable for one person?

You can get away with using this pot set for two people. You’ll need to either eat two half meals at the same time or cook and eat one at a time rather than eating together. But for the weight savings, that’s a small price to pay.