As a camper I’m always looking to minimize the amount of things I’m bringing with me by maximizing their function. The Morsel Spork is one of those great multi-functional pieces of gear that packs a lot of usefulness in a package less than an ounce. Best of all, I found out something that I didn’t know I needed – a scraper.
Morsel Spork is available in a slew of colors and in two different sizes. I’ve tested both the mini and the XL. The mini, which isn’t that mini at all, is 7.5 inches and weighs .6 ounces. The XL is 10.5 inches and weighs .85 ounces. On the fork side, there is a pretty good cutting edge that I use to not scratch up non-stick cookware. On the spoon end, there is a rubbery scraper edge.
Testing Environment
I’ve carried and used both versions of the Morsel Spork over several months from winter into summer. They’ve dished out trail lunches on day hikes, stirred in cocoa, helped me gobble up meals while backpacking and saved me from using disposable silverware while out with the Scouts. Though I was the primary user, my son used the product nearly as much as I did. From my experience, I’ve used well over a dozen different types of sporks for backpacking from MSR, UST, Sea to Summit, GSI, KFC and others.
Performance and Use
Luckily, this spork didn’t fail me on my hikes or I might have starved or been forced to eat peanut butter with a stick. I used the spork in three ways: preparation, eating and cleaning. The Spork, especially the XL, worked well as a meal prep spoon. Whether I was stirring a freeze dried pouch meal or cooking on my camp griddle it worked well as a non-scratching tool. For eating, it was comfortable to hold from either end as I slurped up soup with the spoon or twirled noodles with the fork. I could eat with the XL but my son preferred the mini as it fit his hand better. The spoon did a nice job of scooping and holding liquid broth and I didn’t notice the scraper part while eating. The scraper though may be the best part as it was great for cleanup.
Why You Need a Scraper
I didn’t realize I needed a food scraper until I tried the one on the Morsel Spork. Though I try to lick my dishes clean, my tongue is only so long and doesn’t quite reach into the crevices. Plus, do you really want to lick the bowl clean when your stomach just couldn’t take anymore Cajun salmon inferno. The scraper is more eco-friendly than paper towels and I found myself using it to conduct initial cleaning of dishes while backpacking and car camping.
Winter Performance
Remember when Flick from A Christmas Story got his tongue stuck to the flagpole; much the same happens with metal utensils in winter. Having a durable plastic utensil beats having to warm it up in your hiking partner’s arm pit for a minute. The plastic is mouth friendly and doesn’t get brittle in the cold. I kept in the freezer for a few days to test that out.
Overall Morsel Spork Impression
All in all I was pleased with the performance, construction and design of the Morsel Spork. Though the XL did an excellent job in digging to the bottom of freeze dried backpacking meals, I probably reached for the mini more often. I found that the mini fit a little better in my eating pouch as it was a bit shorter too.
Compared to other sporks that I’ve used, the Morsel Spork is better as an all in one tool. The spoon part is actually useful so you can slurp stews and soup while the fork is tough enough to stab and gippy enough for noodles. Of course the downfall to a opposite ended eating tool is that it is hard to switch from spoon to fork without covering your hand in food. That said, most backpacking meals are one-pot and similarly textured items. If you need both a fork and a spoon at the same time, carry two sporks. The weight is minuscule and if you lose one, you’ll still be able to eat your meals.
Morsel Spork Rating: 2 Sporks Up!
Disclosure
I appreciate Morsel Spork sending me the mini and XL sporks to test and review. Also, as an affiliate of that company, I earn a commission when you make a purchase from the banner ads.
