Basket Case: What to Buy at Snow Peak, According to Our Editors

Welcome to Basket Case, wherein your trusty VICE editors scour the proverbial aisles of our favorite online retailers to bring you a smorgasbord of the absolute best things to buy. In this installment, we’re here to help you navigate Snow Peak, known for its urban-to-outdoor apparel, Japandi-inflected camping furniture, signature Takibi grill, and more. 

I wouldn’t say I’m much of a “camper” personally, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the ~*vibes~*. You’re not going to catch me spending any amount of time sleeping the night in a tent in the woods, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate gear that’s built for roughing it while I’m reclined on the couch in my city apartment (even if my ideal weekend agenda mirrors that of your nearest indoor house cat). That said, as a noted lover of Cool-Looking Stuff™, it’s hard not to be charmed by all of the interesting, rugged, and, yes, frankly cool-looking accoutrements and accessories that come with a hobby that’s effectively walking outside for hours and sleeping on the dirt. From clothing to cookware, there’s few brands that make camping feel stylish quite like Snow Peak.

Founded in 1958 by Yukio Yamai, Snow Peak’s creation parallels nicely with that of another iconic outdooring brand—Patagonia. Yamai (like Patagonia’s Yvon Chouinard) launched Snow Peak due to his own dissatisfaction with the existing selection of mountaineering gear, designing his own wares to use while climbing Mt. Tanigawa. Tapping into the factories and metalworkers in his hometown of Tsubame-Sanjo, Yamai began his brand by selling pitons and crampons (as well as clothing) to climbers; the brand would evolve when Yukio Yamai’s son—Tohru Yamai—helped Snow Peak advance into the burgeoning car-camping industry of the 1980s and 1990s. Under Tohru’s leadership, Snow Peak was able to leverage a growing sense of fatigue with city life, as Tokyo urbanites looked at time spent outdoors (and especially camping) as “a healing kind of rejuvenation.” It’s a mindset that continues to be the backbone of Snow Peak’s charm today.

That’s the thing: Don’t let “Snow Peak” (the name) fool you. The brand may have roots in mountaineering, but the Snow Peak of today is really about elegant, Japanese-made products that help people enjoy the community and freedom of relaxing in their natural surroundings—whether that’s outside around one of its signature Takibi grills or indoors in a bedroom lit by the firefly-like glow of its Hozuki lanterns.

In the spirit of sharing that love of the outdoors, we’re spotlighting Snow Peak favorites, covering everything from Japandi-adjacent outdoor furniture and stylish campsite accessories to full-on field kitchens and clothing that can seamlessly transition from a city sidewalk to a mountain trail without skipping a beat.

There’s a few different iconic Snow Peak products… and then there’s the Takibi Fire & Grill. Born during the brand’s focus on car-camping in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Takibi is a portable fire pit and grill created to give campers a safe, elevated way to build and maintain a crackling fire while visiting (at the time) relatively new Japanese campgrounds (which were often just wide-open grass fields). The line—originally spearheaded by the Pack & Carry Fireplace model—has expanded into a variety of different sets that could—depending on the size and add-ons—fit on a city apartment rooftop, or host a multi-course dinner for several people. 

For Snow Peak, however, the Takibi series is far more than just a few metal panels and a place to burn some logs. As a brand dedicated to the idea that time spent outdoors with friends and family is damn near sacred, the Takibi represents a centerpiece for all the meaningful moments that are created on memorable camping trips. When it comes to “Takibi Time,” it’s not just an entire line of cooking equipment, fashionable fire-resistant apparel, and the name of Snow Peak’s Portland, OR-based restaurant —it’s a brand philosophy.

If the Takibi Fire & Grill is a Snow Peak icon, then the Iron Grill Table (often abbreviated to just IGT) is right behind it on the pecking order. Based on the Snow Peak Layout System that originally launched in the 1980s, the IGT program is a thoughtfully crafted, mix-and-match modular table series. Thanks to its multiple design components, shoppers can effectively build their own customizable setup, with the various IGT pieces able to turn a single table into a robust, portable kitchen (with plenty of cooking surfaces and storage). While most people won’t need to go whole hog when it comes to deciding which packable table they want to bring on their next outdoor excursion, the simplified IGT models—including the Entry IGT Table and the IGT Slim—are perfect for those who want something that’s easy to pack for an afternoon at the park, or are looking for a sleek Japandi-esque table to tuck by their bed or in their living room. Best of all, if someone were to invest in an entry-level option, there’s plenty of ways to add on new functionality and attachments over time. 

It might just be the fact that we’re constantly trying, testing, and writing about products, but our team definitely has a deep love for a well-made cup of coffee. We imagine that the fine folks at Snow Peak do, too—given the brand’s multiple options (and accessories) for brewing up a bit o’ bean juice. While it’s toss up between the Field Coffee Master and Field Barista Set, for this writer’s money, the suite of accessories make the latter a better bet. With both sets featuring entirely made-in-Japan gear, the difference ultimately comes down to whether you prefer coffee by way of percolator or pour-over. The Field Barista Set—consisting of a kettle, grinder and metal cone dripper for pour-over coffee—blends stainless steel with light wood accents for a coffee-making kit that can perform over a crackling campfire, but look elegant on a city apartment kitchen countertop. (I can vouch for that last statement personally; on my first-ever trip to Tokyo, Snow Peak’s Field Barista set turned our Airbnb’s apartment kitchen into a makeshift coffee shop every morning).

If the aforementioned camping gear seems a little too over-the-top for your first-ever Snow Peak purchase, there’s nothing wrong with opting for something practical and simple (and significantly smaller) instead. The brand’s titanium drinkware—especially the Ti-Single 450—is iconic all on its own, a symbol of Snow Peak’s ability to design hard-wearing products that can survive the rigors of a campsite (including, yes, sitting over an open flame) but still look sharp while curling up at home. Made from Japanese titanium, the choice of this particular metal isn’t just due to its inherent lightweight properties; it’s also a connection to Yukio Yamai’s (and, by extension, Snow Peak’s) roots in Tsubame-Sanjo, an area known for Japanese metalworking. While there are plenty of different titanium Snow Peak products that are worth a look, the simple functionality of the Ti-Single 450—collapsible handles, 15.2-ounce capacity, weighing only 2.4-ounces—make it the perfect addition to any camp kit or kitchen cabinet. With both classic silver and colorful anodized versions, it’s never been easier to imagine yourself summiting a mountain while you brace yourself for your next Zoom meeting with your first third cup of joe.

Picture this: a mild summer night, cicadas chirping, sitting around a circle with your friends—the glow of flickering lights gently illuminating the scene as the sun fades behind the horizon. That sensation is exactly what the Hozuki lantern strives to replicate. Yes, at its core, this is just a Japanese-made battery-powered portable lamp. That said, the humble Hozuki is an excellent, portable reflection of Snow Peak’s overall philosophy, bringing people together around items that work indoors and outdoors. While the Hozuki comes complete with a hanging hook (useful for clipping inside a tent or hanging on a bedroom wall), its charm lies in the “LED Candle Mode,” which replicates the flickering of a candle in the wind (shout out Elton John). For a more compact, fairy-light effect, the Mini Hozuki lantern should fit the bill.

OK, so we’ve touched on Snow Peak’s elegantly designed, indoor/outdoor furniture and cookware, but that’s not all the brand is known for. Spearheaded by Snow Peak’s third generation—Lisa Yamai, who joined the family business in 2014 after working in the fashion industry—Snow Peak’s apparel offering is both a continuation of and departure from the brand’s previous product offerings. Inspired by Yamai’s own experiences living and working in Tokyo but commuting to the country for the weekends, Snow Peak’s clothing (speaking broadly) is built to thrive in both urban and rural environments. As Lisa Yamai explained to Gear Patrol back in 2018, “Snow Peak apparel should be seven-days-a-week, daytime-and-weekend apparel—whole-life apparel.”

A great example of this philosophy is the Takibi Apparel line. Taking its name from Snow Peak’s aforementioned Takibi Fire & Grill, the line is filled with gorpcore-meets-workwear gear that stands apart thanks to its use of fire-resistant fabrics; it’s the perfect wardrobe to wear while grilling and chilling next to one of Snow Peak’s signature Takibi pits. While there’s plenty of outerwear to pick from, we’re charmed by the workwear-adjacent Over Pant. Sure, the aramid fiber and organic cotton construction mean these will have the water- and fire-resistance that we expect from Takibi apparel, but we love the universal ease of this style’s elastic waistband, wide-leg fit, and multiple pocket layout. If you ask us, the style is perfect for campside chilling, or locking in for marathon lounge sessions at your local bar.

While the Takibi apparel collection does have plenty of weather-ready, rugged options, pieces like this Denim Utility Shirt serve as a great reminder that Snow Peak apparel can tick the boxes for function and form. Effectively a roomy denim button-up shirt, the fabric blend incorporates flame-retardant acrylic Kanekalon to ensure this shirt is just as robust around an open flame as anything else in the Takibi series. There aren’t many articles of clothing that could transition from an office meeting to a camping trip, but this roomy shirt is anything but conventional. With plenty of pockets—two on the chest and two near the waist—this is one denim shirt that’s ready for whatever you throw at it.

We’ll meet you by the Takibi grill.

The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.