Frontier Ultralight Collapsible Kettle

The Sea to Summit Frontier Ultralight Collapsible Kettle is a 1.1 L camp kettle with food-grade silicone walls on a hard-anodised aluminium base. It weighs 201 g and folds down to 15 x 15 x 4.3 cm, small enough for a pack lid or pannier. The wide rim means it also works as a small cook pot for one.

Who it's for

Bushwalkers, bikepackers and paddlers who want a real pour-spout kettle for the morning brew without giving up the space a rigid pot takes. Pull it out at a frosty campsite on the Main Range, boil up, then squash it flat and it disappears back into the pack. It suits one or two people: enough water for a pair of hot drinks, or one person's dinner.

Capacity and what it cooks

At 1.1 L it holds roughly four standard cups of water. Because the rim is wide, the Frontier kettle doubles as a pot for pasta, rice, porridge, soup, curry or couscous. On rice and couscous, switch the stove off a few minutes early and let the stored heat finish the job. Keep it for water-based cooking: frying, sauteing or reheating dry food can overheat the base where it joins the silicone. Tomato sauces and saffron may tint the silicone.

Materials and heat

The base and lid are hard-anodised aluminium, which spreads the flame evenly across the bottom so there are no scorching hot spots. The folding walls are EU food-grade silicone, and the whole kettle is BPA-free and non-PFAS. By weight it is 53% silicone, 38% aluminium and 9% glass-reinforced nylon. The Frontier camp kitchen range took Gold at the 2023 Australian Good Design Awards.

Use it on a camp stove and keep the flame inside the printed ring on the base so the silicone stays clear of direct heat. It is not for campfires or induction cooktops.

Packing and nesting

Open, the kettle stands 15 x 15 x 14.5 cm. Pushed down, it closes to 15 x 15 x 4.3 cm, about the height of a stack of four coasters, and weighs 201 g. The lid stays on when folded, so it travels as one flat disc.

Handles and safety

Two glass-reinforced nylon handles fold up over the lid for a steady, controlled pour, and the lid has a silicone grip you can lift without a cloth. On a wide two-burner stove, stand both handles upright and keep the flame within the ring so the handles and walls stay cool.

Cleaning

Wash it by hand. Dishwasher detergent attacks the anodised base and lid. A rinse with warm water and a soft sponge at camp, then letting it dry open before you fold it, keeps it in good order.