The Best Gear For Cooking On The Campsite

More and more people have been choosing camping for their summer vacay plans, and I can’t say I blame them—have you seen the prices of Airbnb lately?! Sleeping outside is free, or at least cheap, if you want a designated campground with modern luxuries like toilets and running water and all that. We could all use a break from our screens to bask in the sun and get down and dirty with mother nature from time to time.

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As an avid camper, I’ll admit that I love cooking at camp. For some, it’s the most frustrating part of camping, but those who hate breaking out the stove outdoors just aren’t working with the right gear. I’ve been cooking outside for many years, and even lived outside for four straight years (don’t ask). The point being, I had no choice but to figure out what worked and what didn’t in my camp kitchen. Here’s the stuff that’ll make it easy to whip up camping snacks without breaking the bank. 

Stanley Boil-and-Brew French Press

As a coffee fanatic, this is my favorite piece of camp gear, bar none. The Stanley Boil-and-Brew French press lets you brew fresh coffee in the same vessel that you boil water in, meaning no kettle to lug around. Ditch the press insert and use the carafe to boil water for your dehydrated meals or tea or to heat up canned foods. You can even drink your coffee directly from it and skip a mug altogether (guilty). The best part: It’s light enough to take backpacking.

Coleman Stove

Some camping gearheads might tell you you need a $500+ dollar stove, but I live and die by the humble Coleman stove—in fact, mine has been going strong for over a decade. There are a few different models, but even a cheap, 10,000 BTU stove with two burners is suitable for most types of camp cooking. They’re compatible with tiny one-pound propane tanks or you can fix an adapter to them to work with a 20-pound tank if you’re going to be doing a lot of cooking on the campsite.

Stainless Steel Mess Kit

No camp kitchen is complete without a proper mess kit. Trust me—don’t cheap out on a plastic kit. Opt for slightly pricier (but still pretty cheap) stainless steel if you want to get many years of use from your kit. Make sure it includes a plate, bowl (preferably with a lid), mug, and decent-quality utensils that hook together so you don’t lose them. Pro tip: look for a metal mess kit at yard or estate sales, or—better yet—military surplus stores.

RTIC Cooler

Cooler quality matters. A lot. I’ve purchased and then rehomed so many coolers over the years until I finally bit the bullet and shelled out the dough for RTIC. These coolers are made for overlanding and backcountry camping, so they’ll keep your favorite camping drinks and fresh ingredients cold for days, perfect when you can’t make it back into town to re-up on ice every day. Pre-chill it and keep it in the shade and some models can hold ice for an entire week, plus many are ultra-lightweight.

Cast-Iron Dutch Oven

A cast-iron Dutch oven is a must for cooking outside thanks to its durability. Set it and forget it directly in the fire pit to make your special secret-ingredient chili or plop the Dutchie on your Coleman stove and go to town on some easy one-pot meals. This is the kind of all-purpose outdoor gear that will give you decades of memories—just, please, don’t try to take it into the backcountry in your backpack. This is a car-camping-only piece of gear, ok?