We tested the best sporks on the market according to their weight, durability, functionality, and heat resistance. Read on to see how they performed, which is best for you, and get some buying advice.
Table of Contents
Best Sporks
The best sporks are:
- Best Overall Spork: TOAKS Ultralight Titanium Spork
- Best Double-Ended Spork: UCO Titanium Spork
- Most Durable Spork: VARGO Titanium ULV
- Longest Spork: SEA TO SUMMIT Long AlphaLight Spork
- Best Folding Spork: MSR Folding Spork
- Most Versatile Spork: CRKT Eat'N Tool Outdoor Spork
- Best Budget Spork: HUMANGEAR GoBites Uno Travel Spork
The product comparison table below is sortable. Click the arrow in the heading cell to sort the models by preferred spec.
| MODEL | WEIGHT | LENGTH | MATERIAL | PRICE | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. TOAKS Ultralight Titanium Spork | 0.4 oz | 6.5 in | Titanium | $8.95 | 9/10 |
| 2. UCO Titanium Spork | 0.7 oz | 6.9 in | Titanium | $16.99 | 9/10 |
| 3. VARGO Titanium ULV | 0.4 oz | 6.5 in | Titanium | $11.95 | 9/10 |
| 4. SNOW PEAK Titanium Spork | 0.6 oz | 6.5 in | Titanium | $9.95 | 9/10 |
| 5. SEA TO SUMMIT Long AlphaLight Spork | 0.4 oz | 8.5 in | Hard Anodized Aluminum | $10.95 | 8/10 |
| 6. MSR Folding Spork | 0.4 oz | 4.5 in (folded), 8 in (extended) | Nylon | $3.95 | 8/10 |
| 7. CRKT Eat'N Tool Outdoor Spork | 1.5 oz | 4 in | Stainless Steel | $7.00 | 8/10 |
| 8. LIGHT MY FIRE Titanium Spork | 0.7 oz | 6.75 in | Titanium | $22.00 | 8/10 |
| 9. HUMANGEAR GoBites Uno Travel Spork | 0.5 oz | 6.5 in | Nylon | $3.50 | 7/10 |
Best Overall Spork
TOAKS Ultralight Titanium Spork
Price: $8.95
✅ Dual-textured design
✅ Weight
✅ Heat-resistant
❌ Could be more durable
KEY SPECS
- Weight: 0.4 oz
- Length: 6.5 in
- Material: Titanium
What sets the TOAKS Titanium Ultralight Spork apart in our book is the dual-textured design. We love that the bowl of the spork is smooth while the handle is textured. This gives the feel of eating off a standard spoon while still providing the grip of other models.
We found that the smooth bowl also cleans up easily. Holes in the spork’s handle reduce weight, and the TOAKS weighs in at 0.4 ounces. Durability is slightly worse than similar models in our experience, and it can be prone to bending.
At 6.5”, like other sporks of its length, the TOAKS won’t reach the bottom of many dehydrated meal bags.
Best Double-Ended Spork
UCO Titanium Spork
Price: $16.99
✅ Longest tines
✅ Durable
✅ Versatile
❌ Messy
KEY SPECS
- Weight: 0.7 oz
- Length: 6.9 in
- Material: Titanium
We love that the UCO Titanium Spork’s “three in one” design allows it to have a more robust fork and spoon on each end of the utensil. The third tool in the design is a serrated edge of the outside tine of the fork, giving you a bit of cutting action. But be careful to mind your mouth when eating. Being titanium gives it strength and durability, and won’t melt when cooking.
At 0.6 ounces, it’s comparable to other titanium models and is slightly longer at 7”. In our experience, if you’re switching between spoon and fork functions over the course of a meal, it can mean messy hands. It also increases the risk of ingesting something undesirable if your hands aren’t clean.
Most Durable Spork
VARGO Titanium ULV
Price: $11.95
✅ Durable
✅ Colorful design
✅ Lightweight
❌ Short tines
KEY SPECS
- Weight: 0.4 oz
- Length: 6.5 in
- Material: Titanium
At 0.4 ounces, this is one of the lightest sporks in our test. Its shape and design are similar to the Snow Peak Titanium Spork, but it achieves its lighter weight by using a thinner design.
We found that the tines are slightly shorter than others. But since they come to more of a point, it still allows you to pick up food with ease. At 6.5”, it will be tough to reach the bottom of taller freeze-dried food bags. The thinner material can make this spork feel fragile but rest assured, this durable utensil will hold up on your trip.
Longest Spork
SEA TO SUMMIT Long AlphaLight Spork
Price: $10.95
✅ Handle length
✅ Extra tines
✅ Lightweight
❌ Aluminum conducts heat
❌ Small bowl size
KEY SPECS
- Weight: 0.4 oz
- Length: 8.5 in
- Material: Hard Anodized Aluminum
At 0.42 ounces the Sea to Summit AlphaLight Long Spork is not only the longest on our list, but it’s also one of the lightest. Measuring 8.5”, this spork gets to the bottom of your meal packaging or your JetBoil without issues. We discovered that the extra length comes in handy when cooking, keeping your hand a bit further from your heat source.
This spork is made of an aluminum alloy, which is strong but can bend more than titanium. The long length can take a bit of getting used to, and its smaller spoon bowl means more bites to feed your body.
Best Folding Spork
MSR Folding Spork
Price: $3.95
✅ Compact
✅ Lightweight
❌ Heat resistance
❌ Durability
KEY SPECS
- Weight: 0.4 oz
- Length: 4.5 in (folded), 8 in (extended)
- Material: Nylon
The MSR Folding Spork is designed with space and weight in mind. It folds down to 4.5” in length, and its hollow handle gives it a feather lightweight of 0.4 ounces. We found that when extended, it sports an 8” length making it a good option for reaching the bottom of deep dehydrated food pouches.
If doing extensive amounts of cooking, be aware that the nylon construction is prone to melting. From our observations, we discovered that durability is an issue; the hinge can be a point of bending and breaking.
Most Versatile Spork
CRKT Eat'N Tool Outdoor Spork
Price: $7.00
✅ Many uses
✅ Large bowl size
❌ Heavy
❌ Hard to use
KEY SPECS
- Weight: 1.5 oz
- Length: 4 in
- Material: Stainless Steel
We admire that the CRKT Eat’N Tool blurs the line between a simple utensil and a multitool. It also functions as a bottle opener, a screwdriver, and a hex wrench. Using it to eat is a unique experience.
We found that it is designed to be held with your index finger through the spork itself, giving a better grip to shovel food into your mouth. It’s made of steel, very durable but heavy at 1.5 ounces. The stubby design makes it difficult to eat out of any type of packaging. The large bowl of spork is a plus for soups and stews.
Best Budget Spork
HUMANGEAR Gobites Uno Travel Spork
Price: $3.5
✅ Cost
✅ Most color options
❌ Awkward to use
KEY SPECS
- Weight: 0.5 oz
- Length: 6.5 in
- Material: Nylon
The humangear GoBites Uno Travel Spork holds its own against its metal competitors weighing 0.5 ounces and measuring 6.5”.
We were surprised to find that the nylon is durable and rigid, maintaining its shape without much bending. Made of temperature-resistant nylon, it will also hold up well to heat.
The biggest differentiator with the Gobites Uno is cost, about one-third that of titanium models. The double-ended design can be awkward to eat within our experience, not to mention potentially messy and unhygienic.
The Other Noteworthy Models
SNOW PEAK Titanium Spork
Price: $9.95
✅ Several color options
✅ Simple design
❌ Colored varieties may tarnish
KEY SPECS
- Weight: 0.6 oz
- Length: 6.5 in
- Material: Titanium
Sometimes it pays not to reinvent the wheel (or spork in this case). The Snow Peak Titanium Spork is a great example of that.
We appreciate that with a classic spork shape and a standard 6.5” length, it feels like you're eating with frontcountry cutlery. Made with titanium, this spork is durable enough to last a long time. And the tines are strong enough to stab chunks of food without breaking or bending.
We like that the simple design and titanium material keep this spork competitively lightweight at 0.6 ounces. One drawback for some users is the length. If you are eating out of freeze-dried meal bags, this spork will be too short for many common bag depths.
LIGHT MY FIRE Titanium Spork
Price: $22.00
✅ 3-in-1 design
✅ Heavy-duty
❌ Cost
❌ Potentially unhygienic
KEY SPECS
- Weight: 0.7 oz
- Length: 6.75 in
- Material: Titanium
At 0.7 ounces, the Light my Fire Titanium Spork weighs slightly more than most sporks in its class. However, it makes up for it by being thick, robust, and durable. This will last for ages.
The serrated outer tine cuts much better than plastic versions. We were a bit shocked at the price of this spork. Its cost is quite high, almost twice as much as other single-ended sporks. As a double-ended design, we feel that it can be slightly awkward to use, messy, and potentially unhygienic.
Key Factors To Consider When Choosing
Weight
Weight is always an important consideration, even for a small item like a spork. Most sporks weigh roughly 0.5 oz. Those on the heavier side, 1 to 2 ounces, often blur the line between spork and multitool.
Sporks on the lighter side, as light as 0.3 ounces, feature a minimal, streamlined design.
Lightest Weight Sporks:
- SEA TO SUMMIT Long AlphaLight Spork
- TOAKS Ultralight Titanium Spork
- MSR Folding Spork
- VARGO Titanium ULV
Durability
As your only eating and cooking device, your spork must be durable. Make sure it’s strong enough to hold up under pressure and repeated use. The tines should stay sharp and not bend. It shouldn’t become brittle in colder weather or melt when it gets hot.
These are important considerations when using and also for storage and transport in your pack. Metal construction, especially titanium, is generally more durable than plastic options.
Most Durable Sporks:
Functionality
To achieve full functionality, a good spork must be able to hold a decent mouthful of liquid while also being able to impale a chunk of food and deliver it to your mouth. Designing one utensil to perform two tasks is a delicate balance. Pay attention to the size of the bowl and the sharpness of the tines when choosing a spork.
It’s also important for it to be easy and comfortable to use. Ideally, it should perform as closely to frontcountry cutlery as possible, so you don’t have to relearn how to eat.
Most Functional Sporks:
Heat Resistance
Unless you plan on cold-soaking your meals, a spork must also hold up to heat. Since this is the one utensil you’re taking into the backcountry, it needs to be good for cooking as well as eating. Most materials hold up well against the heat, with plastic being the biggest exception.
If you plan on lots of cooking or sauteing best to grab a metal spork. Along with resistance to melting, it’s good to note the material's conductivity. Aluminum can heat up quickly, making the handle hot if cooking for long periods.
Most Heat Resistant Sporks:
Other Things to Consider
Length
Sporks generally range from 4” to 8.5” in length.
Longer-handled sporks allow you to get all the way to the bottom of a deeper dehydrated food pouch. For example, brands like Backpacker’s Pantry and Mountain House come packaged in 7” to 8” deep pouches.
Longer handles can also help when cooking, keeping your hand farther away from the heat while stirring and frying.
Many longer-handled sporks attempt to save weight with a smaller bowl design. This makes them less efficient in getting food into your mouth at the end of a long day.
Shorter-handled sporks often have a nicer feel for eating, as they are more similar to standard-sized cutlery. And they will be a better fit in your pack and cooking pot. However, if a spork is too short, it may be hard to hold, in addition to getting your hand messy when trying to reach the bottom of a pot or bag.
Sea to Summit Spork is great for Freeze-Dried Meals because it's longer than CRKT Eat’N Tool
Design
FOLDING VS. NON-FOLDING
Non-Folding sporks are the most common. They are one solid piece without any moving parts. Folding sporks fold in the middle have the benefit of fitting in a smaller space. This can be a great solution if you want to fit your spork into a small cookpot while not in use.
Some models also fold to shield the tines from poking delicate items in your pack. Folding options weigh about the same as non-folding options. Durability is a concern with folding sporks, as the hinge is a weak point. It can bend, break or lock up, making the spork unusable. Overall, unless you need to save space, go with a more reliable non-folding option.
Sea to Summit AlphaLight Long Spork vs. MSR Folding Spork
Bowl
LARGE ENOUGH TO PICK UP LIQUIDS
The spork’s bowl helps with scooping liquid and other soft foodstuffs.
Ensure the bowl is large enough in diameter and depth to scoop an adequate amount of food. If it’s too small in either direction, it can lead to only being able to take tiny sips of soup. A larger bowl is also nice for cooking, giving you more efficiency in stirring.
From a mouthfeel standpoint, a polished bowl feels akin to using a spoon at home. It also makes it easier to clean due to the smooth finish.
Tines
LOOK FOR SHARP TINES
The role of a spork's tines is to pick up a solid piece of food either by impaling (think stabbing a piece of meat) or by grabbing (think picking up ramen noodles).
Spork tines are shorter than a traditional fork to make room for the bowl. To make up for this, it’s important that the points on the tines are sharp enough to assist with picking up the food. Take extra care about how you transport your spork. Sharp tines can puncture or scrape against delicate materials in your pack.
Ending
SINGLE VS. DOUBLE-ENDED SPORKS
Single-ended sporks have a handle on one end and a bowl with tines on the other.
This is the classic spork shape you know and love from all your favorite fast-food joints. Single-ended sporks function similarly to cutlery you’d use at home. Having both the bowl and tines on one end can be a compromise. Make sure the bowl is deep and large enough to hold liquid and the tines are sharp enough to pick up food and grab noodles.
Double-ended sporks have a spoon on one end and a fork on the other.
Technically, they aren’t a true spork because the spoon and fork aren’t combined as one. However, they are often marketed as sporks and serve the same purpose as dual-use utensils.
A big plus of double-ended sporks is that they offer a full spoon and a fork. However, they can be awkward to use
The advertised way is to eat by holding the center, which can take time to get used to, in addition to shortening the distance between your hand and the end of the utensil. In practice, it’s more natural to use by holding the end of the spork that you aren’t eating from. This means that if you switch between the fork and spoon ends during a meal, hygiene and cleanliness are concerns.
Snow Peak Spork (left), CRKT Eat'N Tool (middle), UCO Titanium Spork (right)
Edges
SERRATED VS. NOT
Some sporks, especially double-ended sporks, come with a serrated edge on the outermost tine. This serrated edge helps with cutting and slicing. It works in a pinch to cut softer meats and cheeses but falls short of being an actual knife.
If you’re planning on doing any chopping or slicing while on the trail, be sure to pack a better blade. It also won’t be enough to replace a knife in a survival or first aid kit.
While most serrated edges aren’t super sharp, they can pose a risk of cutting your mouth if you aren’t careful while eating.
Spork Material
TITANIUM: The 'Premium' Option
Titanium is one of the most durable and strong materials on the market. It’s hard to bend, let alone break most titanium sporks. On top of that, it’s also very lightweight. It is easily cleaned, especially if it has a polished or smooth bowl. It doesn’t rust or give off a metallic taste when eating.
If you have a coated pot or pan, be extra cautious using titanium on it, as the hard material can scratch surfaces. Along the same lines, the metal pointy tines can poke your expensive fabrics. Take care of how you store it when not in use. Titanium is expensive. Luckily, for a small item like a spork, it should be within your budget.
ALUMINUM: Conducts Heat and Can Give Off a Metallic Taste
Aluminum is another very light metal and slightly cheaper than titanium. Aluminum sporks can be manufactured very thin, keeping them some of the lightest options around. But the thin material can bend if too much pressure is applied.
Aluminum conducts heat more than titanium which means the handle of the spork can become hot if using it for cooking. Some users complain about a metallic taste when using aluminum utensils. Like other metals, the tines can be sharp so make sure it is stored safely.
NYLON: A Good Bang for the Buck
Nylon sporks are often as lightweight as metal versions but at a fraction of the cost. They also clean off easily. Often these are made out of very durable and rigid nylon that holds up to bending and breaking.
However, plastic is susceptible to becoming brittle with UV exposure, so try to avoid keeping it in the sun for too long. Nylon is designed to withstand heat, but if you’re doing large amounts of cooking, a metal option will hold up longer.
LEXAN: Good for Avoiding Scratches on Cookware
Lexan is another form of plastic that is even cheaper than nylon. Often you can find Lexan sporks for under $1. And the good news is these sporks are found at most major retailers and small outdoor stores. They are more durable than disposable sporks but not as good as nylon.
If you have a coated pot or pan, Lexan is a good option to avoid scratching. Like other plastic materials, UV damage can make them brittle.
PLASTIC (Disposable): If You Have No Other Option
Free, ultralight, and found in most trail towns, it’s hard not to have a soft spot for the go-to hiker trash utensil. This material is not durable. It’s easily snapped, and the tines get bent out of shape quickly.
We can’t recommend cooking with this material either. However, if you’re in a pinch or have zero budget, it’s always an option.
Other Materials
Other common materials include metal, wood, and bamboo. Metals like stainless steel are heavy and, despite the name, can rust over time. They are not a good option for the backcountry. Wood or bamboo are eco-friendly options, but they snap easily and are harder to clean. Food can linger in the pores of the wood meaning repeat use without a thorough cleaning can be unhygienic.
Other eco-friendly materials, like bio-disposable plastics, are made for single use only and won’t hold up over time.
Bamboo Spork
650-Calorie Fuel