Decathlon Trek 500 Cook Set and MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe: A Compact Backpacking Cooking Pair

Introduction

A backpacking cooking setup only earns its place in a pack if it stays small, light, and simple to use at the end of a long day. The Decathlon Trek 500 cook set and the MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe are a good example of that idea: a two-person stainless steel pot that swallows most of the rest of the kit, paired with a compact canister stove that screws straight onto a fuel canister.

This article looks at what each piece brings, where the trade-offs sit, and how the two work together when you want a hot meal on the trail.

What Makes a Backpacking Cooking Setup Work

Packed size comes first. A pot measuring roughly 14 cm by 14 cm that holds a stove, a 100 g canister, two bowls and two sporks inside it does far more for a pack than a larger set that has to be carried separately.

Weight and material matter next. The Trek 500 set weighs 405 g and is made from 304 grade stainless steel, the same grade used in catering kitchens. That choice favours durability and even heating over a specialist ultralight approach, and it keeps the cost low.

The last piece is how the kit behaves when conditions are not ideal: a lid that strains, handles that fold away, and a stove that lights without fuss.

Stainless steel also cleans up more forgivingly than thinner materials, which matters once a pot has been used for a tomato-based sauce.

Decathlon Trek 500 Cook Set: Compact Cookware for Two

The Trek 500 is a two-person cook set built around a 1.6 litre pot, which gives a practical cooking volume of around 1.3 litres. That is enough for a shared pasta dish or a rehydrated meal for two, and it keeps the whole set down to 405 g.

Details include pop-out handles that fold flat against the pot, a lid with a built-in strainer, and a measuring scale inside the pot. The set ships with a storage bag, two bowls and two sporks, so two people can eat without adding anything else to the pack.

At £22.99 it sits firmly in budget territory, and the 304 grade stainless steel construction explains why it feels more substantial than the price suggests.

MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe: A Refined Canister Stove

The Pocket Rocket Deluxe is a canister stove that screws directly onto a fuel canister. It folds down small enough to store inside the pot, which is how the whole kit travels: stove, 100 g canister, two bowls and two sporks nested together.

Two features stand out. The first is the built-in igniter, which removes the need to carry a separate lighter for lighting the stove. The second is the pot support ring, which gives a wider and more stable platform for a full pot than a bare three-arm design.

It costs noticeably more than the standard Pocket Rocket, so the decision comes down to whether the igniter and the support ring are worth the difference to you.

Build quality is what you would expect at this level, with metal components that feel solid rather than delicate.

Cooking a Real Meal on the Trail

A two-person set like this handles fresh pasta well. Bring the water to a boil, add the pasta, return it to a boil and simmer for around three minutes, which is all fresh pasta needs.

Draining is straightforward thanks to the straining lid, and the wide pot makes it easy to stir a sauce through afterwards. Keep stirring once the sauce goes in, because a tomato-based sauce will catch on the base if it sits still.

The result is a proper hot meal rather than a compromise, which is the point of carrying cookware at all.

Weight, Packed Size, and Value

At 405 g for the pot, lid, bag, two bowls and two sporks, the Trek 500 is light enough for three-season backpacking without tipping into specialist ultralight pricing. Its 14 cm by 14 cm footprint takes up roughly the space of a large mug in the pack.

The stove adds very little bulk because it nests inside, and a 100 g canister slots in alongside the bowls and sporks. That combination keeps the cooking kit to a single item in the pack rather than a collection of loose parts.

Value is where the set is hardest to argue with. £22.99 for catering grade stainless steel, two bowls and two sporks is a low entry point for anyone building a first backpacking kitchen.

Packing and Storing the Kit

Packing is a matter of stacking rather than organising. The stove goes in first, the canister and bowls follow, and the sporks fill the gaps. The lid sits on top and the whole assembly drops into the supplied bag.

That nesting habit is worth keeping even when the pot is only half full, because it stops small items from migrating to the bottom of a rucksack.

Buying Advice: Which Piece to Add First

If you already own a stove, the Trek 500 cook set is the more obvious first purchase. It solves the cookware side of the equation for two people, includes bowls and sporks, and costs little enough that it works as a starter set or a spare.

If you already own cookware but no stove, the Pocket Rocket Deluxe is the piece to consider. The built-in igniter and the pot support ring make it a more comfortable stove to live with than a basic canister burner, provided the higher price over the standard Pocket Rocket is acceptable.

Buying both together makes sense for anyone starting from nothing, since the two are built around the same nesting idea: a small pot that carries the stove, fuel and tableware inside it.

Conclusion

The Trek 500 cook set and the Pocket Rocket Deluxe do different jobs and do them without adding bulk to a pack. The cook set covers two people in stainless steel for £22.99, and the stove brings fuss-free lighting and a stable pot platform in a package small enough to store inside it. Together they make a compact, affordable backpacking kitchen that is easy to recommend for two-person trips.