On an extended backcountry trip, food takes on a special importance. Sure, you can subsist on dehydrated meals, energy bars, and Spam Singles, but you don’t have to. All you need is a little planning and a handy-dandy kitchen set, like the Alpine Deluxe from MSR.
MSR knows backcountry cooking, from their category-defining stoves to their cookware selection. It just stands to reason they would give us a way to get the food into and out of the cook system, and the Alpine Deluxe has pretty much everything you need to do that.
It starts with a bright red hard case that zips open to reveal a zippered compartment on each side. There’s also a nylon strap holding a folding cutting board that opens to 7.5×10.5 inches. Remember to cut on the logo side so you don’t slice the hinge! In the two compartments are a folding ladle, spatula, and grater/strainer, plus a nice little Santoku-style knife in a sheath.
Other included accessories are a double-sided salt/pepper shaker, bottle opener/corkscrew, and two 3oz squeeze bottles. For cleanup there’s a PackTowel dish towel and scraper brush. The whole package weights 1lb 10oz dry, and the case has room for more odds and ends like utensils and such. Combine the Alpine Deluxe with a good stove and cookset, take the time to do a little pre-trip meal prep and you’ll be living large on your next backcountry trip.