Sam Gravestock tucks in with his lightweight Spork.
Eating! It's one of the most basic and necessary activities we all do. When it comes to being outdoors it becomes even more important. Food provides the fuel to lift bergens, walk miles, fell trees, remain warm and pretty much everything and anything.
Most folk begin their outdoor eating experience with the traditional knife, fork and spoon combination. This however adds to the weight of your pack (admit it you want to reduce the weight of your pack don't you? I know I do and most folk that I talk to want to, unless they employ a Sherpa or only car camp).
So some go down to just carrying a spoon and relying on their sheath knife to provide a cutting element. Ever tried eating a sausage or steak with a spoon? Not the easiest thing to attempt is it?
May I suggest an alternative? The Spork! Combing a spoon with a fork on the other end with a small cutting edge on one of the fork tines the Spork allows you to have both vital eating irons in one tidy package.
Made by the clever folk at Light My Fire from strong polycarbonate plastic the weight of spork is minimal (11 grams if you really want to know) reducing the weight of your cutlery set. This allows you to feel smug that you have cut the weight of your pack by significant amounts then fill it with more shiny and exotic vital bits of kit (I am guilty of this as much as the next person).
The design of the light my fire Spork with spoon on one end and fork on the other provides you with a comfortable hand hold no matter which side you are holding.
It enables you to reach into ration packs with the fork to get the sausage/burger/meat items then with minimal effort reverse to the spoon to get the beans or other veg and sauce accompaniment.
As it is made from polycarbonate plastic the Spork needs very little cleaning to keep it hygienic thus avoiding a case of the galloping squits when in the woods or on operations (can't be fun now can it).
The Spork is big enough to reach the bottom of a metal mug so beloved by bushcraft enthusiasts and soldiers without disappearing into the mug. It also fits nicely into the corners of mess tins if you are cooking something a bit more exotic than ration packs.
For me the best thing about the Spork is it is the right size to fit nicely in a pocket so it is always easily accessible for when a mate is cooking and you want a quick sample (possibly so quick they don't notice you have sampled it).
In conclusion, the spork offers two eating items for the size and space of one and personally I think everyone who enjoys great outdoors should make sure they have one about their person.
Now excuse me, grubs up!
You can buy sporks directly from this site.
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January 2012
