This is a plastic egg container. It is harder and more secure than the egg container you get at the store. It fits any normal sized chicken egg and can hold up to 12 eggs.

How it works
It is a clamshell type design. It is secured together with four pieces of plastic strapping on one side and a cheap clip on the other. In addition you have a small handle on the side the opens up. The entire unit is plastic and molded as one whole piece.
The egg rests on 4 flexible plastic prongs. These prongs secure the egg a little more and allow you to use different sizes of chicken eggs. The eggs do jiggle around a little but not much.

My experience
I have used two of these units, both were 12 egg versions. Other than color, they are virtually identical. I bought the first 12 egg version about 7 years ago and only used it once a year. For the most part I just used the container I got at the store because of space issues. The unit does not collapse and if you do not need it to store eggs then it becomes a space liability. The first 12 egg version lasted about 4 seasons and ended up breaking at the plastic straps making it useless. I ended up buying another 12 egg version because it was ideal for overnight trips, but for longer trips I will just use the egg carton itself because it is disposable.
I have owned the second 12 egg version for 3 years. I has also been used once a year for short camping trips. No problems with the second one yet.

Have I ever had an egg break from normal usage?
Nope, not yet.

The test, of course
I grabbed an egg and proceeded to drop it from 3 feet. The first time I dropped it I noticed that the energy from the fall was evenly dispersed on the entire side of the container. It did not flip or do anything erratic. The egg was intact. The second time I dropped it from 3 feet, the container landed at a slight angle. It proceeded to flip over and land on the other side. The egg was broken.
This result should be obvious. This container is designed so you can stack other things on top of it in an ice chest. It is not designed to protect eggs from drops and falls.

How much weight will it support?
Not much. I put pressure on it, I am guessing about 50 pounds of my body weight and it completely buckled. So it really should go on the top or middle of an ice chest without anything heavy on top of it..

What size egg will it hold
The ideal size appears to be a large. The maximum capacity is a tad less than 3 inches long. But any size chicken egg will fit because of the half-inch plastic prongs. It is not designed for quail, turkey or anything out of the norm.

Durability
Like many of Coleman’s products, this is a disposable camping item. It will not last very many seasons. I give it 2-4 years on average. As I mentioned, the plastic straps holding the back together broke within 4 seasons. Other than that, nothing else has broke.

The reason I don’t get much use out of it
I find that I don’t have a problem with broken eggs anyways so I do not use this container often. If I do bring this type of container camping it is because my wife wanted to bring it along or we are only going on an overnight trip. On longer trips it becomes more of a liability because of space issues.

Would I recommend it for backpacking?
Absolutely. With as much shaking as the backpack does this is an ideal solution for bringing eggs into the mountains. But only if you have the space in your pack. The package these eggs come in is just not strong enough to withstand much pressure.
Your alternative, if you are concerned about weight and space, is to buy the pre-made packages that just require hot water. They are more expensive but far more convenient. But I would also recommend the six egg version over this one for backpacking or the liquid egg product you find in the small milk style carton.

Dimensions and weight
Weight: 5 ounces
Dimensions: 7 x 7.75 x 3 inches

Why the rating and recommendation
I gave it a 2 because the durability is not there, but I still recommend it if you need the piece of mind, you are not careful about how you pack an ice chest, or you backpack and you MUST have fresh eggs.

Summary
This is a simple and cheap container for 12 eggs. It is more secure than the store bought container, but only by a little bit. It is ideal for people that are concerned about eggs breaking in an ice chest or for camping situations where a little more protection is required. But the durability is not there; so do not expect this product to last for a long time.

Other cooking accessories for camping.
Coughlans salt and pepper shaker.
Coleman cutting board.
Pioneerware enamel mug


Recommended: Yes