The Sea to Summit Frontier Collapsible Cup is a 400 ml cup with silicone sides and a rigid rim and base, and it folds into a flat disc. It weighed 52 g on our scale, and it folds so flat that it barely takes any space, so it stays in our kit as a backup cup for when there are more people around the fire. We have two, and I paid $20 each.
What You’re Getting
A cup with silicone sides (ours is Puffin’s Bill orange, with grey bands) and a rim and base made from a nylon and glass composite. It holds 400 ml, it’s BPA free and dishwasher safe, and it’s rated from -20 °C to +100 °C, so boiling water is fine but it isn’t made for a stove or the microwave. It comes in four colours, Puffin’s Bill, Sulphur, Aqua Sea and Bone White, won a Good Design Award Gold, and it’s the same cup that comes in Sea to Summit’s Frontier UL dinnerware set.
What we like
- Folds flat, barely takes any space
- Only 52 g on our scale
- Quite sturdy, rigid rim and base
- Measuring marks inside
- Dishwasher safe, BPA-free
What we don’t
- Less rigid than a steel mug
- 400 ml, smaller than the Detour
- Not for the stove or microwave
Quick Specs
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Sea to Summit |
| Capacity | 400 ml |
| Material | SiliconeNylon-glass composite |
| Colour options | Puffin’s BillSulphurAqua SeaBone White |
| Weight | 52 g |
| Temperature range | -20 to +100 °C |
Using it at camp
Pull the rim up and it pops into a full cup, ready for a coffee or a tea. The rigid rim keeps the shape round, so it’s comfortable to drink from, and the base sits flat on a camp table. It’s quite sturdy for a collapsible cup. It’s still less rigid than a steel mug, so with a hot drink hold it near the rim or the base rather than squeezing the middle.
The cup has measuring marks on the inside, and that’s become one of its main jobs: when we bake bread on the road, we use it to measure the flour and water. That saves packing a measuring jug, and it folds away flat when the dough is done.
Weight and packing
At 52 g on our scale it’s about as light as a camp cup gets. Folded, it’s a flat disc of rings that slips into a pocket, a pot or the side of a pack, and it nests with the Frontier bowls. It’s dishwasher safe at home and rinses clean at camp.
Collapsible cups compared
We also use the Sea to Summit Detour collapsible mug, and they’re quite different. The Detour has a stainless steel inside, so it’s much sturdier with a hot drink and holds 475 ml, but it weighs twice as much and costs more. The Frontier cup is the one for a light pack. The smaller Sea to Summit X-Cup holds 250 ml for 45 g and folds even flatter, to 1.5 cm.
This review Frontier Collapsible Cup |  Detour Collapsible Mug |  X Cup | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steel inside | No | Yes | No |
| Material | Silicone | Steel and silicone | Silicone |
| Capacity | 400 ml | 475 ml | 250 ml |
| Weight | 52 g | 100 g | 45 g |
| Price paid | $20 | $35 | $13 |
| Our score | 9.0 | 9.5 | 8.7 |
Conclusion: Sea to Summit Frontier Collapsible CupConclusion
The Sea to Summit Frontier collapsible cup is a 400 ml cup that weighed 52 g on our scale and folds into a flat disc. The rigid rim and base keep it in shape, it handles boiling water and it goes in the dishwasher. It’s less rigid than a steel mug, it holds less than the Detour and it can’t go on a stove, but as a spare cup that takes up no space it’s hard to beat. I paid $20 each.
A 400 ml collapsible cup that weighed 52 g on our scale, folds flat and has measuring marks inside.
Less rigid than a steel mug, but half the weight of the Detour.
- Campers
- Hikers
- 4WD tourers
Yes. I paid $20 each, and it lives in our kit as the spare cup because it folds so flat. If you'd rather have a sturdier, bigger mug, the Detour is worth the extra.
