Author
Michael Charboneau
Since it was first discovered back in the late eighteenth century, titanium has been hailed as a super material—even its name, a riff on the all-powerful Titans of Greek mythology, suggests incredible strength. And the name is apt. Titanium is strong, lightweight, and highly resistant to corrosion. Plus it doesn't leach flavor the way most metals do. For most of its history, pure titanium was exceedingly difficult to produce, but in recent years, the material has become more widespread and accessible. And beloved by ounce counting adventure lovers (i.e. ultralight hikers).
While Snow Peak holds a firm grip on the category in the mainstream sense, a wide range of smaller, specialty brands have emerged in their shadow, making high quality ultralight camping equipment at more accessible prices. SilverAnt is one such manufacturer. The family-owned company with its own factory in China and a leadership team spanning Czech Republic, England, Egypt, Holland, Japan, and Slovenia, offers a unique lineup of titanium outdoor gear built to handle everyday use.
While we've not yet tested the product ourselves, it's catalogue is impressive—as is the fact SilverAnt counts Garage Grown Gear as a stockist.
SilverAnt was founded by an aeronautical engineer with decades experience designing titanium aircraft components, while tinkering with outdoor gear in his spare time. In 2003, he struck out on his own and opened a factory for producing titanium parts, and in 2018, combined his passion for the outdoors with his metallurgical expertise to launch SilverAnt.
Since then, the brand has built a solid reputation for creating high-quality titanium outdoor gear. Each item is designed and produced at its factory in China with the goal of creating products that last a lifetime.
SilverAnt’s lineup includes everything from chopsticks to a foldable wood-burning stove, but a few items are particularly noteworthy. The 800ml Water Bottle and Hip Flask (funnel included!) make particularly good use of titanium’s low weight, which makes it less of a chore to carry liquids around. Better yet, unlike plastic water bottles, the metal is completely non-toxic, so you don’t have to worry about sipping on dangerous chemicals. Compared to steel alternatives, the 3 Piece Cutlery Set and 3 Piece Cookset are extremely lightweight and obvious choices for minimalist backpackers, but they’re also exceptionally durable, so they can stand up to years of use (that's not always the case with ultralight gear).
In other words, you don’t have to be a weight weenie to appreciate titanium: SilverAnt gear shows that the metal can do a lot more than just shave a few pounds off your pack.
Published 01-10-2023
