MSR Trail Mini Solo Backpacking Cookset Review

Bottom Line

After putting the MSR Trail Mini Solo through its paces on miles of trail and many nights in the backcountry cooking different meals, it earned a spot as one of our all-time favorite cooksets. Its balance of weight, cooking performance, practical features, and durability make it an ideal choice for any backpacker. 

The hard-anodized aluminum is highly scratch- and heat-resistant and has better cooking performance than its titanium counterparts. It takes a minute to heat up, but it does so more evenly, so you can feel confident about not burning your food. It’s not very non-stick and can be a bit stubborn to clean, but that’s par for the course for many backpacking pots.

We love the extra features included with the Trail Mini Solo, like the plastic measuring cup, lid with drain holes, pot lifter, and additional insulated pot grip. Each feature contributes to the overall versatility and ease of use of this cook set.MSR packs a ton of value into this very affordable kit, but if optimum cost savings is what you’re after, take a look at our full list of our favorite backpacking cooksets.

How We Tested

We evaluated this cookset’s metrics with thorough, quantitative tests – from boil time to non-stickiness to heat distribution. In addition to the “sciency stuff”, we bring you results based on real-life backpacking from the high peaks of the Rocky Mountains to the arid environment of the high desert.

Cooking Performance

The thick aluminum pot gives the MSR Trail Mini Solo slightly better cooking performance than titanium pots. One consideration is that this pot heats up more slowly than others we tested. This isn’t necessary if you only need to boil water, and it will burn a little more fuel. However, this can also be a benefit; the pot disperses heat more evenly, making it less prone to creating hot spots and burning food.

Our ‘egg test’ of scrambling an egg in each pot with a pat of butter reveals a lot about the pot’s performance. The egg left behind in the pot was distributed evenly, with no localized areas of burning. Egg yolk readily stuck to the bottom and was a bit stubborn and difficult to clean. Pretty standard for backcountry pots and easily solved with…more butter. Part of the ultralight, calorie-dense meal plan!

The anodized aluminum pales in comparison to the non-stick properties of ceramic or teflon, so it’s best to cook soupy meals or keep a close eye on your meal so you can lift the pot off the direct flames.

Weight & Packability

MSR beautifully balances cooking performance with weight and packability with the Trail Mini Solo. The kit has a total weight of 7.4 ounces or a minimum weight of 5.5 ounces for just the pot and stuff sack. The 750 mL pot has a capacity-to-weight ratio of about 184 mL per ounce, which is average amongst the cookware we tested. 

The wider pot diameter makes for excellent packability for longer trips. It easily accommodates a 4-ounce fuel canister with room for MSR’s PocketRocket 2 stove, a lighter, and the included pot lifter. The pot neatly nests into the plastic cup. Altogether packed into the included mesh stuff sack with a drawstring enclosure, the kit takes up a very reasonable 80 cubic inches. When packed full, the components fit snugly together with minimal rattle.

Usability

The MSR Trail Mini Solo is one of the most highly featured ultralight cooksets in our guide to the best backpacking cooksets. It comes standard with a ton of features, including a lid with drain holes and a pour spout, pot lifter, insulated pot grip, polypropylene bowl/measuring cup, and a stuff sack. 

The separate aluminum pot lifter stays cool and provides a firm grip while cooking, while the insulated rubber sleeve ensures the pot is user-friendly for drinking and eating. 

The plastic pot lid features a rubber handle and plenty of sizable drain holes for straining. We particularly like having a see-through lid to monitor our cooking progress. The lid also features a larger pour spout, which also doubles as the entry for the pot lifter, so the two aren’t compatible together, which doesn’t really make sense. The pot itself only includes a 0.5L marking, but the polypropylene cup is sufficiently marked with metric and imperial graduations. All of the plastic components are hot- and cold-safe.

Although some of the features are slightly redundant, like the pot lifter and pot grip, they make for extremely versatile ease-of-use.

Durability

The pot itself, made from hard-anodized aluminum to increase heat and scratch resistance, is exceptionally durable. Although aluminum is more susceptible to the elements than other metals, the thickness alone increases its longevity and makes it less prone to warping. Unlike some thin titanium pots, we weren’t able to flex the Trail Mini Solo with our bare hands.

Although we haven’t had any failures to speak of yet, the components most likely to break are the polypropylene lid and cup and the aluminum pot lifter. The cup is made from a thin, flexible plastic that would be easy to crack under moderate pressure. 

The lid is slightly more robust, but it’s still plastic, which is inherently vulnerable to cracking. The aluminum pot lifter is held together with a single pin and could potentially fail if subjected to severe abuse, but you’d really have to biff it on the trail and at that point you’ve probably worried about other broken trail tools, like your bones.

The stuff sack is made from a simple mesh, a material commonly used in other cook sets. However, we appreciate the reinforced bottom to increase its abrasion resistance.

Should You Buy the MSR Trail Mini Solo?

The MSR Trail Mini Solo is an excellent choice for a wide range of backpacking skills and styles. From the seasoned ultralight thru-hiker to the novice backpacker, its ease of use is both practical and welcoming.

The aluminum pot, with its slow and even heat distribution, provides a slightly enhanced cooking performance for the ultralighter who likes to cook a meal slightly more sophisticated than boiling water. Practical features like a measuring cup, drain holes, and an insulated pot grip further enhance its range of use so that you’re never left improvising. 

MSR impressively packs all of these features into an ultralight weight just over 7 ounces. In addition, they thoughtfully designed each component to next together while leaving plenty of extra space for fuel, a stove, and other cooking essentials. 

Apart from the fragile plastic cup, the Trail Mini Solo doesn’t suffer many downfalls, making it one of the highest quality and best valued cook sets available.

Got a backpacking buddy? This also comes in the Duo for a larger capacity.

What Other Backpacking Cookware Should You Consider?

If the MSR Trail Mini Solo doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, check out our full guide to backpacking cookware for a wide variety of options.

Toaks Titanium 750mL Review: The Toaks 750mL is as simple and ultralight as it gets with a weight of just over 4 ounces. It’s the same size as the Trail Mini Solo and even has a few drain holes on the titanium lid.

SOTO Thermostack Combo Review: For folks who like cooking in aluminum, the Thermostack Combo is an excellent, uniquely featured option. Instead of a separate measuring cup, it includes a pot cozy and double-wall insulated mug – perfect for winter camping.

Snow Peak Titanium Mini Solo Review: This set is fully titanium with a separate measuring cup like the Trail Mini Solo, but you can cook on it as well.

GSI Outdoors Halulite Boiler Review: The Halulite Boiler is another hard-anodized aluminum pot with a more minimal feature set but a larger cooking capacity and unparalleled durability.