The MSR Alpine Salt and Pepper Shaker is a small, two-chamber shaker for the camp kitchen: one spice at each end, each with its own flip-top lid. It weighed 10 g on our scale, it’s 7.6 cm long, and it takes almost no space. We use ours for salt and smoked paprika most of the time. I paid $21 for it.
What’s in the box
A slim grey shaker in BPA-free plastic with a divider in the middle, so the two chambers stay completely separate. Each end has a red cap with a flip-top lid over the shaker holes, and the caps unscrew for refilling. Seals under the caps keep moisture out.
What we like
- Two spices in one shaker
- Only 10 g on our scale
- Takes almost no space
- Flip-top lids at both ends
- Seals keep damp out
What we don’t
- Hard to control the flow
- Fiddly to refill
- Small caps, easy to drop
Quick Specs
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | MSR |
| Material | BPA-free plastic |
| Weight | 10 g |
| Size | 1.9 × 1.9 × 7.6 cm |
| Chambers | 2Separate |
At camp
Flip open one end and season the chicken or the eggs, flip it shut and turn it around for the other spice. Two spices in one shaker means one less thing to find in the kitchen box, and because each end has its own lid, the salt and the paprika never mix. The downside is the flow. It doesn’t pour the greatest, and through the fixed holes it’s very hard to control how much comes out: sometimes hardly anything, then too much at once. We keep it because it’s so small, not because it shakes well.
Refilling
This is the fiddly part. The cap unscrews completely, and the opening is narrow, so pouring spice in from a big jar spills easily. A small funnel or a folded piece of paper makes it easy. The caps are small, so put them somewhere safe while you fill, not in the grass. Each chamber holds a small amount, so on longer trips you’ll top it up now and then.
Weight and packing
At 10 g and 7.6 cm, it fits anywhere: a pocket, a cook pot or the mesh net of a storage box, where ours lives with the other small camp kitchen bits. The plastic body is tough enough to survive a packed food bag.
Other ways to carry spices
For more than two spices, the Boundless Voyage Titanium Canister holds a bigger amount in a tin with a screw lid, though it has no shaker holes. For a light pack, our ultralight camping gear guide has more small kit like this.
Conclusion: MSR Alpine Salt and Pepper ShakerConclusion
The MSR Alpine Salt and Pepper Shaker is a handy little unit: two sealed spice chambers in a 10 g shaker that takes almost no space, with a flip-top lid at each end so the spices never mix. But it doesn’t flow the greatest, so it’s hard to control how much comes out, refilling is fiddly and the caps are small and easy to drop. I paid $21; we keep it because it’s so small, not because it pours well.
Two sealed spice chambers in a 10 g, 7.6 cm shaker with flip-top lids at both ends.
It's hard to control how much comes out, and it's fiddly to refill.
- Hikers
- Couples
- 4WD tourers
Mostly. I paid $21, and we keep it because it takes almost no space while carrying two spices (salt and smoked paprika). It doesn't pour well, though.
