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Sea to Summit X-Cup Review

Cups are cups…right? Well maybe not!

I try not to be too fussy but when it comes to a vessel for drinking my hot choccie at the end of a long day of hiking, but my cup must be just right. Call me Goldilocks if you will but there is definitely a ‘not too small, not too large, just right’ aspect to the perfect cup.

Over the years, I have experimented with a range of cups with varying degrees of success. So, when Tim asked me to test out the Sea to Summit X-Cup my first thought was the X-Cup is an interesting idea but how practical is it going to be?

The key feature of the X-Cup is that it is constructed from a ‘flexible, European standard compliant, food grade silicone’ which means that the cup is soft to hold and easily collapses for packing.

Let’s start with how the cup feels in your hand – it is indeed soft to touch and sits comfortably into a small-ish hand. The X-Cup doesn’t have a handle so there is a tendency to grip the cup a little more tightly than usual however if you’re not careful and given the silicone construction, you could squash the cup in your hand and potentially spill your drink. The problem is compounded when you’re wearing gloves because you don’t have the sensitivity of touch needed to ensure you’re not squeezing too tightly. The other issue with this cup is if the drink is really hot it becomes hard to hold and as such you get into the habit of holding the cup by the rim.

The collapsibility of the X-Cup is great – it folds flat to the size of your palm, and is easily packed and stored in that form.

The cup rim is formed by a rigid ring which keeps the X-Cup sturdy but unfortunately it’s not the nicest cup rim I’ve used on the trail. Its functional – just a bit industrial!

The Sea to Summit X-Cup is a great idea that solves the space issues created by cups but perhaps needs a bit of finessing to improve the ‘drinkability’ of the rim and the ‘squash-ability’ of the cup. Despite these aspects, I would use the X-Cup as it is a great way to save some space.

Sea to Summit X-Cup fully expanded

Measuring marks. The marks are a bit faint but with practice you will learn to recognise them

The Sea to Summit X-Cup in a large hand

The X-Cup and the X-Mug folded flat. The thumb on the left gives you an idea of size

We Like

• Unbreakable so you can squash it into your pack
• Folds flat so it doesn’t take up much room and easily slides into a small pocket in your pack
• Calibrated as a measuring cup which means you’ll get the right amount of water to rehydrate your food
• Food grade flexible silicone to protect you from bugs
• BPA free so you won’t be ingesting any nasty chemicals as you drink

We Don't Like

• Be careful you don’t grip too tightly as you can spill your drink
• The cup rim is a bit industrial and takes a bit of time getting used to
• You need to hold the rim rather than the cup when it contains boiling liquid

Best Uses

• For space saving drinking on the trail
• For smaller hands or for those who like smaller drinking vessels

Buy One

You can purchase the Sea to Summit X-Cup online from Macpac,  Snowys, Wild Earth or Wildfire Sports

Disclosure:  We may earn a small commission, at no additional expense to you, if you click through and make a purchase. Please note that our affiliations do not influence, in any way, the independence of our reviews. If we don’t like a product, you’ll hear about it from us!

Investment

AUD $15.99 RRP

Other Versions

• The Sea to Summit X-Cup is available in a range of colours including Orange, Blue, Lime and Black.
• There is also a larger Sea to Summit X-Mug
• There is also the Sea to Summit Cool Grip X-Mug and 
• The Sea to Summit Cool Grip X-Tumbler 

This image shows the Sea to Summit X-Mug on the left (480 ml) versus the Sea to Summit X-Cup on the right (250 ml)

Disclaimer

This review was done with product purchased from a retail store by Australian Hiker

Last updated

26/11/2023

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