This Cheap Item is a Must have for Backpacking

The night before I backpacked the Trans-Catalina Trail (see posts on that here), my friend Brandon that I was backpacking it with came over to finalize our packing. As we were going through the shared items we’d need, he asked “Do you have a long spoon?”

I gave him a quizzical look, confused as to why we’d need a “long spoon.” When I asked him “What do you mean?” and “Why?” he returned the look, apparently confused about my confusion, and understandably so. Experienced backpackers know that a long spoon is worth the weight – and weight is something backpackers don’t take on easily.

Why Bring a Long Spoon For Backpacking

You want to bring a long spoon (or spork) backpacking so that your hands don’t get food all over them when you use your spoon to stir and eat your meals, especially dehydrated backpacking meals.

Pre-made backpacking meals generally come in a pouch that you just add hot water to and stir. Often, to save on the weight of a plate you just eat them right out of the bag. With a regular spoon, you have to stick your hand with the spoon into the pouch to stir it or serve yourself the food at the bottom. With a long spoon, or spork, you can keep those hands from getting any dirtier.

Similar concept if you’re cooking something in a pot while backpacking. With a table setting sized spoon, you’ll have to virtually stick your hand into the hot pot to stir it, and if you’re eating right from the pot (which I recommend for backpacking) to eat it.

In addition to their main purpose, a few crafty You-Tubers have also pointed out that a long spoon can also double as a measuring device when paired with a sharpie (watch the video here).

Work-around: If you don’t have a long spoon, or forget to pack yours, after your backpacking meal is cooked, use a pocket knife to cut it off in the middle.

Buying a Long Spoon for Backpacking

Ok, you may have just learned about long backpacking spoons, but it is such a passion item for backpackers that there are countless videos, articles, and online forums dedicated to discussing which long spoon is best.

If you love analyzing all your purchases, by all means, Google “best backpacking long handle spoon” and dig into the details. If you’re more like me and not so worried for such an inexpensive purchase ($15 and under) simply look for a spoon that is at least 8″ in length, can withstand heat, and meets any other personal preferences (for example, having a spork end.)

The following are a few long handled spoons that come highly recommended:

Want to see what else is out there? Click on your favorite retailer to browse their backpacking spoons: REI, Amazon, Moosejaw.

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