Primus Litech Frying Pan - Initial Review

 

Most of us consider that a billy is essential for cooking in the outdoors. The billy of choice is invariably a Zebra billy of some description, although I prefer the Tracpac billy.

Over the last year, I've also used a frying pan as I do like my bacon, eggs and beans in the morning. A frying pan is nearly as versatile as a billy. Although of course you can't hang it over a fire, it's great for heating up preprepared food and shallow cooking. The shallow pan tends to heat up food quicker and you can even boil up water at a push. Of course for frying with a little oil it's unbeatable.

 

I've been using the small frying pan out of a Trangia cookset. It helps to have a non-stick version; in fact I'd say it's essential. The only disadvantage is that the Trangia version is a little small even for one person.

I've seen a few people using a frying pan with a folding handle and after a few enquiries discovered that it's called a Primus Litech Frying Pan. After parting with £15 to Blacktoe (cheapest online by and average of £ 4-5 in UK and an excellent service) I received it the other day and took it out on a day's excursion last weekend.

 

 

The first thing that impressed me was the weight. It weighs just 268 grms. The non-stick seems robust enough and I've heard that it doesn't wear off even after heavy use over a number of years. The size is 165mm (base) x 220mm (top) which is certainly a little more generous than the Trangia frying pan. It takes up little room in the rucksack if you pack it vertically at the back of the pack. The depth is 50mm. Perhaps this is a little overkill and half that depth would have done me to be honest, but I can guess it would be a bonus for the more liquid based meals.

The best design feature is the fact that the handle folds under the base of the frying pan as opposed to over the top. This allows you to pack items in the dead space of the frying pan before packing it away in the rucksack. I've put a small bag containing spoon, alcohol gel, pepper, olive oil, sauce and a pot gripper in this dead space. The provided netting bag, which could double as a foraging bag, will keep everything together.

To fold out the handle, you squeeze it together where it fixes onto the locating holes. For additional safety, you can lock the handle in position - another nice feature.

Of course, this is a bit of a luxury item if you use it in conjunction with other cooking kit; but it is good addition in my opinion. Nevertheless think of this - if you're using a crusader cup for boiling up water, you might not even need to take your billy with you. This might save a bit of weight and will certainly save some space.

Pablo.