Folding cups, bowls really work

After 15 years as a gear-reviewer, I've learned never to underestimate the ability of people to come up with new ways to do simple things.

Consider cups and bowls. It's already possible to find ridiculously lightweight and compact cups and bowls. Go to any supermarket and pick up a set of Ziploc's new resealable, disposable bowls. These are ultralight, and cheap. Yet they can be crushed in an over-full pack, and that could render them useless.

That's not possible with the new Orikaso folding cup, bowl and dish. What might appear excessive engineering for simple utensils is actually a well-thought-out design.

The Orikaso products use basic origami principles in a practical application. The available cup, bowl and deep-dish plate start out as perfectly flat sheets of semi-rigid plastic. By folding along the creases in each sheet, you form a fully functional piece of dinnerware.

During field tests, we found that the products work perfectly, with nary a leak or break after repeated use (i.e. repeated folding and unfolding). The bowl proved the most useful while the plate was a seldom-used extra. The bowl — available in two sizes — was used for each meal, holding gooey oatmeal for breakfast, hot soup for lunch and sloppy stew for dinner. The plastic did get soft when loaded with boiling liquids, but it never failed.

Also, at cleanup time, it was easy to unfold the bowl and simply wipe the flat surface.

The cup, which even sports a handle, holds approximately 15 ounces and is marked to use as a measuring cup, too. The thin plastic walls allowed liquids to cool very quickly, so for most outings, I still preferred to carry my old rugged, insulated plastic mug. But for use in a pinch, or on an ultra-light outing, this 1.5-ounce cup would be welcome. Indeed, total combined weight of the cup, large bowl and plate is a mere 4.5 ounces! (The plate seems unnecessary, though it does serve as a nice cutting board when left flat.)

The suggested retail price of the Orikaso bowl is $3.75, the cup is $4.50 and the plate/dish is $5.50. Get all three together as the Solo Set for $15. For more information, see www.orikaso.com

— Dan A. Nelson, special to The Seattle Times

For the purpose of review, gear manufacturers lend products to the Times' freelance reviewer, who returns products after a typical use of 4-6 weeks. There is no payment from manufacturers and they have no control over the content of reviews. Dan A. Nelson of Puyallup is a regular contributor to Backpacker magazine, and an author of outdoor guides with The Mountaineers Books. Contact him with gear-related questions at gearguy@adventuresnw.net