Well that's nice! - Soto Field Hopper Table

First thought to go through my feeble mind as it slid out of the box; it is encased in a pretty reasonably heavy duty fitted nylon case. Neat, pretty neat. What this means is it is not going to slice a backpack open when a person takes it on a picnic, nor is it going to emerge covered in gunk which so many VW camper bins seem to attract. Especially the nasty diesel ones. I swear I feel like I'm driving an oil well at times. OK, back to the table. It might not be a bad idea to run some 400 grit sandpaper around the edges, or give it a good feel around in a home environment first. I did not feel any sharp edges, and there were no burrs either. That being said; it's made out of extruded aluminum; and even the best of mills can leave a burr after a few hundred cycles. NO it is NOT going to slice your arm open. Might nick a pinky or something; this is just a standard warning about anything made out of metal!

Back to the sack itself. I like stuff that makes items easy to put away and store; and more so when it also happens to be of a grade that will be around for, well, honestly; unless I decide to drag this behind my camper van, it will very likely be another item my child will be camping around with in ten or so years. As it is now with him being five years old, I'm going to call it another folding toy for him to play with.

What an excuse to buy more and more camping stuff - but honey; it's for the kid! Have to see how well that works.

So, along my journey towards the overseas lands; I'm in a room with a lower desk and a higher chair. Yes I could put the desk legs on soup cans or something else equally as junior high and green; and then have the desk tip over and then have the lamp books coffee mug and all the other crud on the desk slide off. Reads like it has never happened that way before. No, no, never! Gotta get the laptop up a few inches. And I'm way too old to stack books or use some empty box. Gotta get some class going on, in an outdoor style way to boot.

So; with the need to elevate my laptop a few inches; this product did that pretty well. Spring loaded; it opens right up; and the legs do open into place too. Not in a cheap snappy way; but in a good proper way; more like a tool. Tool is a good description. The top is an extrusion that has been trimmed into a table top. It is *not* some stamped piece of barn tin. Soto being Soto; and Snow Peak being Snow Peak; this is more like a miniature version of one of the Single Action tables. That totally covers the quality aspect of it. Want to save a few bucks? Go but some $12 version; throw it away when it breaks on week #2, and then buy this one and have it last forever. Square one out of the bag; first thoughts - "Nice".

Made in Taiwan. No problems there, and yeah; take a trip to Google video or YouTube, and it doesn't look like a bad place to work at either. Neat, clean, modern enclosed CNC mills, inspection stations, again; it is the quality factor of not only the item; but the craftsmanship behind it. Links change; so I am going to pass on putting a link here.

If you need an extremely spiffy 8" x 12" x 3 1/2 inch tall table; this is it. Feels like between a half a pound and a pound; it does bulls eye the weight : strength engineering category quite well. Stamped under frame; again, just like a miniature version Snow Peak table. There is a slight bit of wobble, but not of a slop factor, a bending factor; or anything else like that. My hands are on the keyboard like they would be if it was on the desk, and my wrists are right below the keys. It is *not* going to buckle or bend at all. Now; If I decided to like; use it to lift myself up; well duh. Not going to do that with my Snow Peak Oval Table either. I'm going to go with really well on the strength factor; and y'know; it is metal. And good metal. If it does ever bend; grab those vice grips and fix it. Good material indeed.

Oh and again; not being paid to write here, not being endorsed, not being compensated, blah blah blah. Free words!

I like it. Glad I bought it. Had no clue these little tables were so darn IDK, fun? Can't wait to get one for my child to doof around with too. Why? Why not! Neat, affordable outdoor stuff is what life is about. :) Highly recommended.