Ultralight Folding Forks

Every backpacker has a favorite utensil--the most popular seeming to be Lexan or titanium sporks. I have my share of artillery when it comes to backcountry cutlery. Let me see…Snow Peak titanium spork, GSI Foon, Light my Fire spork, Taco Bell Spork, Dairy Queen long-handled spoon, BPL Firelite folding titanium spork, and REI Lexan spoon (just to name a few). Many appear to be wedded to their utensil of choice in a nearly religious devotion, yet somehow, will eagerly stray from their faith to test out new designs (I suppose that’s why they call us “gear heads”). Well, today, my friend Catzia sent me a care package which included a handful of folding plastic forks that led me to the temptation to sin against my beloved BPL folding titanium spork.



At 0.1 oz. and 3 ½" closed, these folding forks will fit inside even the smallest cook sets without even noticing their presence. Here’s a short video showing how they fold and unfold:

Food-product supply companies sell these folding forks all over the Internet (along with spoon, spork and knife versions) but you usually have to buy them in extremely large quantities (think hundreds or thousands). So, if you’re interested, you might consider getting some friends to go in on a group purchase and divide them up. They’re pretty nice but you should be sure to consider them disposable. That hinge is simply a thin piece of bent plastic that won’t last too long (but they’d be perfect for overnighters or short trips). Also, they’re not heat resistant like Lexan so they could melt if you’re using them in boiling water or to cook with.

I’ll probably stick with my folding titanium spork for now. These folding forks are not for everyone, but certainly worth a mention and someone out there might just find that these are exactly what they’ve been looking for.

Here's one source. If anyone finds a better one that sells in small quantities, please let me know!