MSR Alpine Stowaway 1.1L Backpacking CookPot Review

Bottom Line

The MSR Alpine Stowaway 1.1L cookpot offers superior durability and heat dispersion at a hard-to-beat price. CleverHiker gear analysts and editors could feed an army with our collection of Stowaways, but we’ll be honest, they are usually used in car camping scenarios. Still, they work great with a variety of stove setups, can handle more involved meal plans, and they last forever.

The stainless steel pot presents a stark contrast of strengths and weaknesses. It is far from ultralight and takes up a significant amount of pack space. Thus, it’s best used with a group that will divvy up shared items.

On the upside, cooking on stainless steel feels a lot like cooking in a real kitchen. It heats up slowly and evenly, offering much more control than titanium or aluminum. Although it can be stubborn to clean depending on what was cooked in it, there is no fragile non-stick coating to damage. It’s also nice that on your last backcountry meal, you can just lock the lid, stuff it in the pack, and bring it home to clean in the kitchen sink.

Speaking of durability, the Stowaway can easily stand up to years of cooking directly on a fire or abuse from clumsy backpackers. It’s even sturdy enough to use for self-defense if you so choose.

Although the Stowaway lacks some common cooking features, it is by far the most durable one in our guide to the best backpacking cookpots.

How We Tested

Our comprehensive testing of the Alpine Stowaway pot spanned multiple real-world scenarios. We evaluated its non-stick properties through egg-cooking trials and measured boil efficiency with 500 mL of water. Field testing in the Rocky Mountains allowed us to evaluate performance across various conditions and stove setups. 

Cooking Performance

The MSR Alpine Stowaway is great for minimalist base camp cooking. Stainless steel heats up much slower than other cookset materials such as titanium or aluminum. Although this results in a slower boiling time, it significantly reduces the burn risk.

The stainless steel is also relatively thick and distributes heat more evenly. This even heat distribution makes for evenly cooked food, and the thickness of the steel retains heat for longer. The large pot diameter further distributes heat evenly and makes cooking easier. These attributes together mean that heat is easier to control overall.

Since stainless steel is widely used in home and commercial kitchens, the Alpine Stowaway is fairly similar to what most people are used to cooking on. This makes it ideal for beginner backcountry chefs or those who like a little more control for in-depth base camp cooking.

The downside of stainless steel is that it’s not the easiest to clean, so it’s a good idea to pair it with some steel wool.

Weight & Packability

Weight and packability are not the Alpine Stowaway’s strong suits. The tradeoff to stainless steel’s relatively superior cooking ability is its added weight. 

The Alpine Stowaway 1.1L is one of the heaviest pots that we tested, with an overall packed weight of 14.7 ounces and a capacity-to-weight ratio of 107mL per ounce. At nearly a pound, this pot will add a significant amount of weight to your pack, so it’s best used with a couple or a group that divvies up shared items.

The 1.1 version of this pot will take up a significant amount of real estate in your pack as well. The overall packed volume of about 147 cubic inches is large even for a one-liter pot, and the large diameter eliminates the ability to pack it in a side pocket. The short, squat shape of the pot only accommodates a 4-ounce fuel canister, albeit with plenty of extra space for a backpacking stove. 

The folding handle and latch hold the lid securely in place, but it’s a good idea to bring along a cleaning cloth to reduce rattling from the extra interior space.

Usability

The simplicity of the pot lacks fancy bells and whistles, but it cuts down on cost and offers straightforward functionality. The stainless steel cooking surface, although semi-non-stick, lacks a non-stick coating and can be a workout to clean.

The handle is sturdy and able to hold a lot of pot weight, and it stays cool when cooking. It also folds up and latches to hold the lid and the pot’s contents in place. Although the latch is secure, we found it can get stuck and be a little awkward to work with.

The minimal pot lid doesn’t have any drain holes, a pour spout, or a pressure release. While the simplicity might be a downfall for people who enjoy more involved cooking, it makes for secure storage of leftovers. The lid also features a small handle, but it tends to get hot.

Because the base of the pot is so large, with a diameter of about 6 ¼ inches, it is best used with larger backpacking stoves. Ultralight stoves lack sufficient stability, which can lead to spillage or worse.

Durability

Another strength of stainless steel, along with its excellent heat control, is its superior durability. The thick stainless steel is unlikely to warp or bend even after years of use over high heat. You could even cook directly on hot coals with this pot, which is not something we would recommend for thin titanium or aluminium. 

The handle and latch are the most noticeable weak points on the Alpine Stowaway simply because they are the only moving parts, but even those components are very robust. 

The Alpine Stowaway is the perfect pot for anyone who is rough on their gear or enjoys cooking over a fire. It’s so heavy-duty that you could even use it for self-defense.

Should You Buy the MSR Alpine Stowaway cookPot?

For anyone who appreciates functional simplicity, at-home cookability, cozy over-the-fire cooking, or a killer budget buy, the Alpine Stowaway 1.1L is a no-brainer that will last a lifetime of wild meals. 

What it lacks in features, it makes up for with excellent cooking performance. Although it takes a while to boil water, the thick stainless steel heats up slowly and evenly, just like your pans at home. It’s great for beginner backcountry chefs or anyone who enjoys sautéing fresh food in the backcountry.

Although it’s definitely not ultralight, the folding handle and latch hold everything securely, eliminating the need for a stuff sack. In a group setting where gear weight can be distributed across multiple packs, the 14.7-ounce weight isn’t too heavy for a durable, home-style cooking surface.

The Alpine Stowaway might be the perfect pot if you’re a bushcrafter who loves cooking directly on the fire or someone who usually car camps but occasionally wants to backpack shorter trips.

What Other Backpacking Cookware Should You Consider?

In our full guide to backpacking cookware, we’ve tested cooksets for every backpacking style.

MSR Fusion Ceramic 2-Pot Set Review: This cookset offers the best cooking performance of any cookware on our list with its use of lightweight, ceramic-coated aluminum pots. Although it’s a little heavier than the Stowaway 1L, it includes two large pots. 

Stanley Adventure Nesting Two Cup Cookset Review: This is another ultra-durable stainless steel cookset. It is tall and narrow as opposed to short and wide, which lends itself more towards soups and hot drinks than cooking, but it’s lighter and comes with two cups.

Evernew Titanium Pasta Pot 1L Review: The Pasta Pot is the best balance between an ultralight cookset and handy features. It doesn’t cook food as evenly as stainless, but it has a wide base and a sturdy handle.