Outdoors & Fitness · Head-to-head
MSR Alpinist 2 Cook Set vs GSI Outdoors Glacier 3L Cookset
Which should you buy? Our verdict on both, pulled from our full The Best Camp Cooksets: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) comparison.
The Alpinist 2 sits where most people actually cook, light enough to carry and even enough to cook on, with the fullest specification here. The Glacier 3L is the one to own if your heat source is wood rather than a burner.
MSR Alpinist 2 Cook Set
Buy itHard-anodised aluminium at 630 grams, which is the balanced answer between titanium and steel.
- 2.4 litre hard-anodised aluminium pot, a material that spreads heat far more evenly than titanium and weighs far less than steel.
- 630 grams stated with a packed size of 7.2 by 4.8 inches, so both numbers a buyer needs are published.
- The pot lid doubles as a strainer, which removes a separate item from the kit.
- Complete two-person kit at that weight: the 2.4 litre pot, a strainer lid, a removable Talon pot handle, two DeepDish plates and two insulated mugs.
- Hard-anodised aluminium should not go directly on coals or in a fire, which rules out the classic campfire use.
- One 2.4 litre cooking pot means one-pot meals, since the plates and mugs are for eating rather than cooking.
- Heavier than titanium by around 40 percent for anyone counting grams.
GSI Outdoors Glacier 3L Cookset
Buy itStainless steel that will sit in a fire, with the weight penalty that implies.
- 18/8 stainless steel, which GSI says is tough enough for open flame and red-hot coals.
- 3 litre capacity plus a frying pan, which is a genuine two-course setup rather than a single pot.
- Strainer lids and dual bail handles, meaning safe pouring and a secure hold over a fire.
- Materials specified precisely as 18/8 stainless, silicone and recycled PET cloth rather than described as steel.
- 964 grams, more than double the titanium set, which is a lot to carry any distance.
- Stainless conducts heat poorly compared to aluminium, so it is slower to boil and burns more easily on a burner.
- Nests to 8.4 by 8.4 by 5.7 inches, a bulkier package than the smaller sets here.
Side by side
The 9 criteria below are the ones our full comparison judged every product on, narrowed to these two.
| MSR Alpinist 2 Cook Set Our pick | GSI Outdoors Glacier 3L Cookset | |
|---|---|---|
| Our verdict | Buy | Buy |
| Best for | Two people cooking on a gas burner who want food that heats evenly rather than in a ring. | Cooking over wood or coals, and anyone whose kit travels by car rather than on their back. |
| Price tier | $$ · mid-range | $$ · mid-range |
| Material | Hard-anodised aluminium | 18/8 stainless steel |
| Set weight | 630 g / 22.2 oz | 964 g |
| Capacity | 2.4 L pot, plus 2 plates and 2 mugs | 3 L pot plus frying pan |
| Packed size | 7.2 x 4.8 in | 8.4 x 8.4 x 5.7 in |
| Safe over open flame | No, burner only | Yes, flame and coals |
| Heat distribution | Best here, aluminium spreads heat | Poor, steel is slow and uneven |
| Strainer lid | Yes, lid doubles as strainer | Yes, strainer lids |
| Specification published | Weight, packed size, material, full contents | Size, dimensions, materials |
| Description language on the English store | English | English |
Which one is right for you?
Pick the MSR Alpinist 2 Cook Set if
two people cooking on a gas burner who want food that heats evenly rather than in a ring.
Know before buying: hard-anodised aluminium should not go directly on coals or in a fire, which rules out the classic campfire use.
Pick the GSI Outdoors Glacier 3L Cookset if
cooking over wood or coals, and anyone whose kit travels by car rather than on their back.
Know before buying: 964 grams, more than double the titanium set, which is a lot to carry any distance.
The bottom line
Our overall pick is the MSR Alpinist 2 Cook Set - Hard-anodised aluminium at 630 grams, which is the balanced answer between titanium and steel. Choose the GSI Outdoors Glacier 3L Cookset instead if cooking over wood or coals, and anyone whose kit travels by car rather than on their back.
Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Camp Cooksets: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).