Not every camp meal needs a big pan. For sausages and eggs we reach for the Sea to Summit Frontier Ultralight Pan, a small 8 inch pan that weighs just 374 g. We also own the bigger Sea to Summit Detour Pan, which we mostly use for prepping dinners, but this one gets used a lot for smaller, quick dishes. It cost us $110.
What’s in the box
One 8 inch (20.7 cm) frying pan in hard-anodised aluminium alloy, with a ceramic non-stick coating inside and a stainless steel Click-Safe handle. It holds 1.5 L, and the coating is free of PTFE and PFOA.
What we like
- Great for sausages and eggs
- Ceramic non-stick coating
- Light at 374 g
- Handle comes off to pack
- Nests with the 3 L Frontier Pot
What we don’t
- Too small for a full dinner
- Doesn’t work on induction
- Handle not for open fires
Quick Specs
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Sea to Summit |
| Capacity | 1.5 L |
| Material | Hard-anodised aluminiumStainless steel handle |
| Colour | Anodised grey and sulphur |
| Weight | 374 g |
| Diameter | 20.7 cm |
| Packed size | 21.8 × 20.7 × 5.6 cm |
| Compatibility | Camp stovesNot induction |
| Features | Ceramic non-stickRemovable Click-Safe handle |
Cooking with it
This is the pan for quick meals. Sausages and eggs don’t need a large pan, so we leave the Detour in its bag and put this one on the butane stove instead. Eight or more small sausages fit in one go, with room to turn them, and it’s the right size for three fried eggs.
The sides are fairly deep for a small pan, which helps keep the fat in the pan when you’re turning things. For a full dinner for two it’s too small, and that’s when the Detour comes out.
The Click-Safe handle
The stainless steel handle clicks onto the pan, and it comes off again or reverses to pack, so the pan takes up little room. Sea to Summit’s Click-Safe handle also fits other Frontier pots, and the pan nests with the 3 L Frontier Pot.
The handle isn’t made for open fires, so keep this pan on a camp stove. It doesn’t work on induction either.
Looking after the coating
The ceramic non-stick coating is the main difference from our stainless steel Detour, which isn’t non-stick. It does mean a bit more care: wash the pan by hand, as dishwasher detergent damages the anodised finish, and go easy on the coating when you’re packing it in with other pans.
Packing
At 374 g on our scale, it’s light enough for a hiking pack, which the 880 g Detour isn’t. For car camping that matters less, so ours lives in a soft zip-up bag in the back of the car with our other Sea to Summit pots and pans, ready to go. With the handle reversed over the pan, it sits flat in the bag and doesn’t catch on anything.
Frontier Pan vs Detour Pan
We own both, and they do different jobs. The Frontier is for smaller, quick dishes like sausages and eggs, and the Detour Pan is the one we mostly use for prepping dinners.
Tested Frontier Ultralight Pan | Bigger Detour Pan | |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stick | Yes | No |
| Induction | No | Yes |
| Material | Anodised aluminium | Stainless steel |
| Handle | Removable | Folding |
| Diameter | 20.7 cm | 25 cm |
| Weight | 374 g | 880 g |
| Price paid | $110 | $100 |
| Our score | 9.3 | 9.5 |
Frontier pots and pan
The Frontier range also has three pots, with the same hard-anodised body, ceramic non-stick coating and Click-Safe handle. We haven’t tested the pots, so here’s how they compare on paper. They all come with a strainer lid, and the 3 L pot is the one the pan is designed to nest with.
| TestedFrontier UL Pan |
LightestFrontier UL 1.3 L Pot |
Mid-sizeFrontier UL 2 L Pot |
Fits panFrontier UL 3 L Pot |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strainer lid | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Packed size | 21.8 × 20.7 × 5.6 cm | 15.6 × 14.5 × 11 cm | 17.4 × 16.5 × 11.2 cm | 19.6 × 18.5 × 13.5 cm |
| Capacity | 1.5 L | 1.3 L | 2 L | 3 L |
| Weight | 374 g | 208 g | 255 g | 304 g |
| RRP | $120 | $90 | $100 | $120 |
| Shop | Check price at Amazon | Check price at Amazon | Check price at Amazon | Check price at Amazon |
Conclusion: Sea to Summit Frontier Ultralight Pan (8 Inch)Conclusion
The Sea to Summit Frontier Ultralight Pan is a great small pan for quick camp meals. We use it a lot for sausages and eggs, when the bigger Detour would be overkill. It weighs just 374 g, has a ceramic non-stick coating and a handle that comes off to pack. It’s too small for a full dinner, it doesn’t work on induction, and at $110 it isn’t cheap, but if you cook a lot of quick meals at camp, it’s an excellent pan to own.
An 8 inch hard-anodised pan with a ceramic non-stick coating and a removable handle.
Great for sausages and eggs, too small for a full dinner, and not for induction or open fires.
- Couples
- Car campers
- Hikers
Yes, if you’ll use it often. At $110 it isn’t a cheap small pan, but we use it a lot, and at 374 g it’s an easy one to take along.
