Review of Fozzils Snap and Fold Backpacking Bowls

These things are brilliantly designed. Honestly.

Fozzils snap and fold — in origami-like fashion — from a completely flat, packable sheet into an earth-friendly plate or bowl.

When flat, I can use Fozzils as a cutting board and prep station, which in my opinion is particularly helpful in the outdoors.

Then Fozzils transform back into a bowl that holds soup, trail slop, or other dehydrated meals, with no worries because this BPA-free piece of gear can handle up to 212° F.

Having dinnerware that packs down flat, and slides into my pack right along my back makes life so much easier. The material Fozzils is made with is flexible, so there aren’t any hard or lumpy places in my pack, digging in against my body.

Also, because Fozzils fit right back into place in my pack, I don’t have to search through everything stuffed into my bag at meal time — when my hiker hunger is in charge and I have zero control over my rational brain.

They’re also easy as heck to clean. I rinse mine with some water and dry them with a microfiber towel. The way these Snapfold™ products are designed makes eating on trail simple, allowing me to focus on the more important stuff, like where my next water is or how many people might already be camping at my intended stopping point.

Shaving weight off my cooking system has helped me a lot over time. My current setup is an MSR PocketRocket® 2 Stove (2.6 oz) with a Toaks 750 ml Pot (3.6 oz w/ lid).

I boil water in my Toaks pot, and drink coffee out of it, but because I am so particular about the way my coffee tastes, I don’t like to make my dehydrated meals in my pot. By adding a Fozzils Snapfold™ Bowl (1.4 oz), I have a separate option to use for making my meals. Using this system, I don’t risk my morning coffee tasting like instant mashed potatoes and tuna.

Being plus-sized, lightening my load is essential. The lighter my pack, the easier it is to haul my bodyweight along the dirt trail. Every ounce counts. It can be a long process, and often cost-prohibitive for many folks, myself included. My advice is to save money while you patiently do some research. Read trusted hiker blogs, and tons of gear reviews to help you make your decisions. If you have any backpacker friends, some of them may even be nice enough to let you borrow some of their less expensive gear to try out on trail.

I would have no problem letting a friend try out my Snapfold™ Bowl — I know it's durable enough to come back in one piece, and affordable enough to replace if it gets lost.

While Fozzils dinnerware is phenomenal for backpacking, it also has many other applications, making this piece of gear as useful in the frontcountry as backcountry. Beyond backpacking, here are some of the other ways I find myself using these dishes ...

RV and Vanlife: My husband and I are not only avid hikers and backpackers. We also live full-time in a rather small RV, which is an upgrade from our previous time as vanlifers. Our RV doesn’t have a whole lot of storage, so we use these Fozzils Snapfold™ Plates and Bowls on a daily basis.

As a durable alternative to disposables: We have taken them to potlucks where many other people were using paper and styrofoam plates. Pulling them out and snapping them together always seems to interest those around us. The common question is “where can I get some of those?!” This dinnerware easily paves the way to a more sustainable lifestyle in all the different places we break bread together.

For outdoorsy doggies: The bowl is perfect to give my dogs a little drink when we’re out in dog-friendly areas. Not all lakes and streams are safe for dogs to drink out of, so this has given me some peace of mind when helping them re-hydrate.

For car camping: I recently added a Snapfold™ Bowl XL to my car camping kit. It has been an awesome way to make larger, shareable meals with friends. It also works really well as a dishwashing station. I love throwing a tasty salad together in it — with fresh greens, beets, some crumbled goat cheese, sliced apples tossed with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It is a beautiful way to consume healthy fiber!

Pros of Fozzils Backpacking Bowls

• Affordable 
• Lightweight
• Creative topo map design looks COOL
• Easy measuring lines for cooking and soaking
• Non-stick, easy-to-clean surface
• Durable as heck
• Packs flat
• Helps eliminate one-time use waste!
  

Cons

• So sool, someone might steal it ; )
  

Specs

• Snapfold™ Plate Weight: 1.4 oz
• Snapfold™ Plate Flat Dimensions: 10.3 x 10.3 inch

• Snapfold™ Bowl Weight: 1.4 oz
• Snapfold™ Bowl Dimensions: 9 x 10 inch

• Snapfold™ Bowl XL Weight: 4.2 oz
• Snapfold™ Bowl XL Flat Dimensions: 14.9 x 16.6 inch

Price

• A 2-pack of Snapfold™ Bowlz:  $11.95
• Snapfold™ Solo Pack (Cup, Plate, Bowl): $17.50
• Snapfold™ Bowl XL:  $11.95

Bottom Line

I honestly couldn’t come up with any cons. These products are really well-designed. Fozzils dishes were born in the brain of an outdoorsy human just like the rest of us; someone out in the woods with a bulky bag, and a lot of time to think. The result is innovative, lightweight and affordable backpacking bowls and dishes, which are also incredibly useful in everyday life. 

Snapfold™ Bowlz by Fozzils

SHOP

Ace Curtis is a plus-sized outdoor enthusiast. She enjoys hiking in Northern California and taking photos of many tree-covered hillsides. She was born and raised in Mt Shasta, CA at the base of a 14,163’ mountain. She is currently working with her husband on creating an off-grid lifestyle on 2.5 acres just a few miles from where she started life, 36 years ago.