Jason Merrill 
Most of the year I am perfectly content going non-cook. However, in the colder months (cold for AZ anyway) I find I enjoy a hot meal at the end of the day and warm drinks before bed and in the morning. I have tried a variety of cozies ranging from DIY reflectix, neoprene, CCF foam and simply wrapping my meal in a bandana. The DIY dedicated cozies worked just fine but didn’t seem worth the bother to carry. The bandana wrap method got me by just fine, save a few premature cold mugs of coffee and the occasional crunchy bits in my rehydrated meal.
I don’t go too crazy with stuff sacks, but I do always carry my cook kit in a stuff sack. I use esbit and the stuff sack is necessary to keep the esbit residue from getting all over everything else in my pack. So when I saw the Gossamer Gear Warm Sack, I thought it was a great piece of gear for me, killing two birds with one stone. I’ve used it in the fall and winter for a couple years now and have to say… I like it.
My primary cook kit uses a 550ml pot and the Warm Sack fits this perfectly. Over all height of the Warm Sack is 7.5” but the insulation only covers the lower 3.25”. The Warm Sack does have a large extension collar beyond the insulation so the Sack will accommodate a taller pot such as a Fosters or Heineken can. Diameter wise, my 550 pot maxes out the Warm Sack. GG lists the diameter of the Sack as 4”, so if your pot is wider than that, this isn’t going to work for you. But I’m telling you, the fit with the 550 is so perfect it’s like the Warm Sack was specifically made for it.
I’ve written about the 550ml pot from LiteTrail previously on this blog but I will just reiterate what a great solo size mug/pot this is. Comfortable to drink from and will easily hold a two serving freezer bag meal. Add in the GG Warm Sak and you have a really nice, simple, low bulk eating/drinking solution.
So when it’s time to cook, simply heat up some water in your 550, pour the water in to your freezer bag meal, seal the bag and put it inside the pot. Once in the pot, slip the pot back in the Warm Sack, pull up the extension collar, cinch closed and wait. Easy.
Two things I did with my Warm Sack was first, replace the cinch cord and cord lock with a lighter alternative and second, cut out and place a small section of Lightload towel in the bottom of the sack to protect the insulation from esbit goo. Gossamer Gear lists the Warm sack as weighing 17.5 grams. After my “mods”, mine weighs 16 grams. Not too shabby for a double duty stuff sack/cozie.
In closing, I have to say this is a great little piece of gear. Simple, effective, light weight and affordable. Certainly not necessary for me in the warmer months but when I want hot food and drink, the Warm Sack comes with me every time. I bet if Gossamer Gear offered these in a couple more sizes and made out of cuben fiber, they would fly out the door.
Check out the Gossamer Gear Warm Sack page for more details.
About the Author
