The Sea to Summit Detour Stainless Steel Collapsible Mug is a 475 ml camp mug with a stainless steel inside and a silicone outside that folds down flat. We have two, one in each colour, Laurel Wreath (green) and Beluga (charcoal), and they’re the best camp cups we’ve used: sturdy when open, big enough for a proper coffee and tiny when collapsed. We’ve used them for over a year, including on our big trip. I paid $35 each.
What You’re Getting
A mug made from 304 stainless steel and food-grade, heat-resistant silicone, BPA free, with ribbed silicone sides and a steel base. It holds 475 ml, stands 9.6 cm tall when open, collapses to just 3.1 cm and nests into Sea to Summit’s Detour collapsible bowls. The ribs on the sides are Cool-Grip fins, and it has Sea to Summit’s lifetime guarantee. It won a Good Design Award, and it comes in two colours: Laurel Wreath, a deep green, and Beluga, a dark charcoal.
What we like
- Big 475 ml capacity
- Very sturdy when open
- Collapses to 3.1 cm
- Stainless steel inside, no taste
- Nests into the Detour bowls
- Lifetime guarantee
What we don’t
- Can be hard to collapse
- No lid, drinks cool faster
- Heavier than silicone cups
Quick Specs
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Sea to Summit |
| Capacity | 475 ml |
| Material | 304 stainless steelFood-grade silicone |
| Colour options | Laurel WreathBeluga |
| Weight | 100 g |
| Size | Ø 9.8 × 9.6 cm |
| Packed size | 3.1 cm |
| Warranty | Lifetime |
Sturdy when open
This is what sets it apart from all-silicone cups. With the steel inside, it stands firm when it’s open, so you can hold a full mug of hot coffee without it squashing in your hand, and the Cool-Grip fins on the sides keep your fingers off the hot surface. It doesn’t wobble on a camp table or a rock, and the steel doesn’t hold flavours, so coffee in the morning and soup at night don’t mix. In the morning we brew drip coffee bags straight into it.
475 ml is a big mug: a large coffee, a tea with room for milk, or a whole serve of noodle soup poured straight from the pot. We eat soup from it with the Sea to Summit spork.
Small when packed
Push the rim down and it collapses to 3.1 cm, a third of its open height, so two mugs take up almost no room in the kitchen box. It also nests into a collapsed Detour bowl. The only catch is that the same stiffness that makes it sturdy can make it a bit hard to collapse sometimes: press the rim down evenly all the way round rather than pushing one side.
Collapsed, it also makes a handy little bowl for snacks at camp.
A year of use
We’ve used ours for over a year, including on our big trip, and they still look and work like new: no tears in the silicone, no dents in the steel, and the folds still click into place.
Collapsible cups compared
We also use the Sea to Summit Frontier collapsible cup. At 52 g on our scale it’s half the weight of the Detour (100 g, and Sea to Summit lists 105 g), but it’s silicone with a rigid rim, so it’s less rigid than the steel Detour, and it holds 400 ml instead of 475. We keep one as a spare cup. For a light pack, the Frontier; for a sturdy everyday camp mug, the Detour. The Sea to Summit X-Cup is smaller again: 250 ml for 45 g, and it folds to 1.5 cm.
This review Detour Collapsible Mug |  Frontier Collapsible Cup |  X Cup | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steel inside | Yes | No | No |
| Material | Steel and silicone | Silicone | Silicone |
| Capacity | 475 ml | 400 ml | 250 ml |
| Weight | 100 g | 52 g | 45 g |
| Price paid | $35 | $20 | $13 |
| Our score | 9.5 | 9.0 | 8.7 |
Conclusion: Sea to Summit Detour Stainless Steel Collapsible MugConclusion
The Sea to Summit Detour collapsible mug is the best camp mug we’ve used. It holds 475 ml, stands firm with its stainless steel inside and collapses into a low disc that nests in a Detour bowl. After more than a year, including a long trip, ours are still like new. It can be a bit hard to collapse sometimes, there’s no lid to keep a drink hot, and it’s heavier and pricier than an all-silicone cup, but with a lifetime guarantee it’s the mug we’d buy again. I paid $35 each.
A 475 ml stainless steel and silicone mug that's sturdy when open and collapses to a flat disc.
100 g on our scale and over a year of use; it can be a bit hard to collapse.
- 4WD tourers
- Campers
- Hikers
Yes. I paid $35 each and we've used them for over a year, including on a long trip. They're the best camp cups we've had.
