The Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Folding Bucket is a 10 litre water bucket that packs into a pouch the size of your palm. A stainless steel wire in the rim holds the mouth open, so you can dip it in a creek or a rock pool and scoop up a full load in one go. It weighed 45 g on our scale, packed, and I paid $45 for it. We mainly use it to carry cooking water to our campsite, for a pot of pasta for example, and the rest of the time it lives in the car.
What’s in the box
A light blue bucket made of Ultra-Sil 30D siliconised Cordura nylon, with a navy rim and a loop handle, packed into a light blue pouch with a mesh end and a Sea to Summit strap with a quick-release buckle. The seams are stitched and taped, so it doesn’t leak, and the fabric has a water-repellent coating without PFAS.
What we like
- 45 g, packs into your palm
- Steel rim makes scooping easy
- Holds 10 L, taped seams
- Loop handle to carry or hang
- Packing steps printed on pouch
What we don’t
- No rigid base
- Not for water above 60 °C
- Pricey at $45
Quick Specs
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Sea to Summit |
| Capacity | 10 L |
| Material | Ultra-Sil 30D siliconised Cordura nylon |
| Colour | Light blue |
| Weight | 45 gpacked |
| Size | 21 × 21 × 41.5 cm |
| Packed size | 8.7 × 6.7 × 2.2 cm |
| Features | Stainless steel wire rimTaped seams |
Scooping water with the steel rimScooping water
A soft fabric bucket tends to fold in on itself when you dip it, so you end up holding the mouth open with one hand. The Ultra-Sil has a stainless steel wire sewn into its rim that keeps the mouth round, so you hold it by the handle, tip it on its side into the water and the water runs straight in.
The loop handle is a strip of the same navy fabric, long enough to carry the full bucket at your side or to hang it from a branch or a hook at camp.
Full of water
Filled to the brim, it holds 10 litres, about 10 kg of water, and on a flat rock it stood up on its own. There’s no rigid base, though, so on uneven ground you’ll want to lean it against something or hang it up. The fabric is thin but tough, a 30D Cordura nylon, and the seams are taped so it doesn’t leak. The one thing to watch is hot water: Sea to Summit says not to use it above 60 °C, because heat can lift the seam tape, so let boiled water cool before it goes in.
Packing it away
The bucket packs back into its pouch, and the base of the pouch has four pictures showing how to fold it so it fits. It weighed 45 g on our scale in its pouch, a little more than Sea to Summit’s figure of about 40 g packed. Either way, it takes up no room: ours lives in the car, ready for the next trip, and it would disappear just as easily into a hiking pack. That’s why it’s the water bucket in our ultralight camping gear guide.
How it compares with our other bucketsBucket comparison
We’ve tested three other folding buckets. The Sea to Summit Kitchen Sink is a wide, low basin for washing up rather than carrying water. The Seymour’s 10L has a rigid plastic rim and base, so it stands up empty, and the Baiao 20L carries twice as much. The Ultra-Sil is by far the lightest and smallest packed, and the best for scooping.
This one Ultra-Sil Bucket | Bigger Baiao 20L | Basin Kitchen Sink | Sturdier Seymour's 10L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rigid base | No | No | No | Yes |
| Rim | Steel wire | Soft | Soft | Rigid plastic |
| Material | Cordura nylon | Tarpaulin | Nylon | Plastic |
| Weight | 45 g | – | 125 g | 445 g |
| Capacity | 10 L | 20 L | 10 L | 10 L |
| Price paid | $45 | $29 | $35 | $12 |
| Our score | 8.7 | 8.7 | 9.3 | 8.8 |
Conclusion: Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Folding Bucket 10LConclusion
The Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Folding Bucket is a 10 litre water bucket that packs into your palm and weighed 45 g on our scale. The steel wire in the rim keeps it open so it scoops water in one go, the taped Cordura seams don’t leak, and the loop handle carries it or hangs it up. There’s no rigid base or lid, and hot water over 60 °C is off limits, but for carrying cooking water to camp, it’s about as light and small as a bucket gets. At $45 it isn’t cheap, but ours lives in the car and gets used on most trips.
A full-size water bucket that packs into your palm.
We use it to carry cooking water to our campsite, for a pot of pasta for example, and at 45 g it lives in the car without taking up space. It has no rigid base or lid, and $45 is a lot for a bucket.
- Car campers
- 4WD tourers
- Hikers
Yes, if space matters. I paid $45, which is a lot next to a $12 plastic bucket, but it’s a 10 litre bucket in a 45 g pouch that lives in the car and scoops water easily.
