Walking Equipment and Accessories

Optimus Crux Lite Solo Cook System | Review

A compact and lightweight one-person camping cook set

Why we chose it: low weight, packs down small, stove supports keep your pot extra stable, handy pouring spout.

There are a whole host of fancy backpacking stoves and cooking pots available to buy out there. For most adventures though, having a simple set up that packs away into itself is far more practical than carrying a complicated stove that runs on every type of fuel and is designed to function at 6000m in the Himalaya. With the Optimus Crux Lite Solo, you get an elegantly-simple and lightweight system. It includes a small gas burner, as well as a cook pot and frying pan that doubles as a lid. The whole lot slots together and packs down easily. It also weighs in at just 272g.

Who Is The Optimus Crux Lite Solo For?

Solo hikers, backpackers and campers will all appreciate this simple and lightweight cooking system. When you’re cooking for one while on the trail, having a 600ml pot that can fit a small gas cylinder inside is all that’s really needed and it will save valuable space in your rucksack. For those who are extra conscious about cutting weight, and are prepared to spend more cash, a lighter titanium pot might be preferred, but for most people this shouldn’t be an issue.

Materials and Construction:

The 600ml pot and lid are constructed from hard-anodised aluminium. This is cheaper than titanium whilst still remaining lightweight, tough and easy to clean. The fold out handles on the pot and frying pan lid are also both coated with a grippy rubber. This means that you don’t burn your fingers when picking them up.

The burner itself is made from stainless steel and aluminium, and the construction features just five components, which means there is much less to wear down and break during years of hard usage. The adjustable flame control has a large wire handle that is easy to operate with gloved hands (just don’t melt your gloves!)

Features

Along with the pot, frying pan lid and burner, the Optimus Crux Lite also comes with a mesh storage bag to keep everything together, as well as a smaller storage sack with enough space to store the burner and a lighter inside. The burner itself features three fold out supports, which are thankfully long enough to keep your pot nice and stable whilst cooking. The adjustable flame control on the stove allows precise control, so that you can hopefully simmer your food, rather than instantly burning it on the bottom of the pan!

Tester’s Verdict

Will Renwick, editor of Outdoors Magic

“This is a really neat little stove set that lightweight hikers and bikepackers are really going to benefit from due to its small packed size and its quick boil time. In the times I’ve used this, it’s taken around three minutes to have water boiling nicely. I’d say the wide burner has a lot to do with this, and it also helps with pot stability. Unfortunately, however, it doesn’t come with a canister stand so you do need to be a little bit careful when using this, especially in strong winds.

“The main pot, which can boil 600ml of water, is small but I’ve found it to be perfect for most dehydrated meals which normally require under 500ml. OK the frying pan is pretty small, but it’s a great size for a well-shaped fried egg and I’ve found it’s perfect for frying up some chopped chorizo – my camp cooking staple!”