Everything tastes better when you鈥檙e camping鈥攖hat鈥檚 just a fact. Unless, of course, you char the pancakes over an overenthusiastic stove, or the milk curdles in a cut-rate cooler, or you impale yourself on some flimsy, dull excuse for knives, cutting your trip short (not to mention your precious fingers). You get the picture鈥攈azards abound.

Luckily, our fearless team of 13 testers put 50 pieces of camp kitchen gear on the chopping block to bring you the seven best accessories we could find.

Updated March 2025: We’ve added three new picks to complete your camp kitchen setup. Other product and price info have also been updated.聽

At a Glance

• How We Test
• Meet Our Testers

VSSL Java G25 Coffee Grinder

Weight: 15.2 ounces

Pros and Cons
鈯� Durable
鈯� Well designed
鈯� Kitchen-ready aesthetic
鈯� Precise, adjustable grind
鈯� Small capacity
鈯� Heavy

VSSL鈥檚 sleek and adaptable Java G25 Coffee Grinder is another piece of gear that鈥檚 equally at home on a granite countertop and a granite outcrop. Crafted from aircraft-grade, adventure-ready aluminum with stainless steel grinding componentry, the G25 is as rugged as it gets. 鈥淪uper well-built,鈥� reported a Seattle coffee lover and longtime gear tester.

VSSL trimmed the G25鈥檚 diameter down last year by two millimeters so it can be stashed inside the company鈥檚 ($75) and the ($50), and increased the catch capacity to 30 grams. Still, testers reported that the heft (15.2 ounces) means the G25 isn鈥檛 coming on backpacking trips. Instead, it鈥檚 best suited for car campers and coffee enthusiasts who want to achieve a barista-quality grind both at home and on the road.

Whether you鈥檙e using a French press or a Moka Pot, the G25 has you covered with 50 grind settings. A combo of high-carbon stainless steel conical burrs, dual ball bearings, and an expandable handle that increases leverage deliver a precise and even grind every time. 鈥淭he grind quality is incredible and super adjustable,鈥� commented our Seattle tester, who primarily uses the G25 for pour-overs.

Our category manager relied on the G25 daily during a month-long van trip in the Pacific Northwest, pairing it with an AeroPress. He loved everything from the multitude of grind settings and easy-to-open push tab to the hand feel, heft, and mechanical smoothness of the componentry. His biggest compliment? He鈥檚 used it nearly every day at home since the trip.

Just one ding: This is really a single-serving grinder. If you need more capacity, peep the double-cup ($220).

Camp Chef Mesa Aluminum Table

Weight: 22 lbs

Pros and Cons
鈯� Straightforward setup
鈯� Generous surface area
鈯� Adjustable height
鈯� Not the most packable
鈯� Tallest setting is a little unsteady
鈯� Legs are tricky to adjust

We鈥檝e tested a number of camp tables over the years and the Camp Chef Mesa is our current favorite thanks to its portability and practicality. A durable, collapsible, easy-to-clean roll-top aluminum table with four height settings, the Mesa is ideal for campers who love cooking and sharing elaborate meals outdoors.

The Mesa features a two-piece design, with folding legs that pop up in seconds and a roll-top piece that quickly unfurls and snaps on top. One tester ignored instructions (setting up camp furniture shouldn鈥檛 feel like an Ikea nightmare) and had no problems erecting the table solo. Packing it require some forethought, though, as the four-foot side won鈥檛 fit longways in some trunks.

The matte-finished aluminum slats are easy to clean and create a spacious 27.5-inch by 47.25-inch eating or cooking surface. Our favorite element is the four height settings of the legs. The lower option (27 inches) is best suited for loungy camp chairs and is by far the sturdiest. Our 155-pound category manager laid across the Mesa without issue despite Camp Chef鈥檚 100-pound weight limit recommendation.

At the highest setting (39 inches), the Mesa is a little more wobbly but still stable enough to whip up involved camp recipes. The two highest settings (39 and 35 inches) work best for cooking and give chefs the option to choose what works best given campsite topography. (For reference, the standard countertop height in the US is 36 inches). If you hate bending over to cook or cooking while seated, the Mesa is the move. We also loved that the table seats four comfortably and six more cozily.

If we have to nitpick, adjusting leg height can be tricky once the table is already set up. For quicker adjustments, tweak the height during setup.

(Photo: Courtesy RovR)

RovR ChillR 16oz Tumbler 4-Pack

Pros and Cons
鈯� No metallic taste
鈯� Durable exterior
鈯� Stackable set of four
鈯� No insulation

RovR is most famous for its ($399) that look as if their tires were sourced from a monster truck rally. But the brand鈥檚 drink ware ought to be on your radar, too. The ChillR 16oz Tumbler鈥攁 single-walled, ceramic-coated, dishwasher-safe pint glass that comes in a stackable set of four鈥攊s a great addition to any camp box.

Whether you鈥檙e pouring coffee for the crew after a night of camping, hydrating after mountain biking, or doling out microbrews from a growler around the campfire, the ChillR鈥檚 ceramic interior provides a clean, crisp taste. There鈥檚 none of the metallic finish that so often plagues steel vessels. The coating proved easy to clean, too, whether we were hand washing the cups at camp with diluted, biodegradable soap or tossing them in the dishwasher at home.

Apart from the taste (or lack thereof), what we love most about the RovR ChillR is that it does what most camping cups cannot: it fits into your daily life at home. The ChillR鈥檚 durable enough for camp use, yet the muted, powder-coated exterior looks sharp in any van, RV, or home kitchen. Stackability is another bonus for campers with limited trunk or cupboard space. Be warned, though鈥攖his isn鈥檛 a double-walled camp mug and doesn鈥檛 insulate like one.

Aeropress XL Coffee Press

Weight: 1 lb

Pros and Cons
鈯� Easy to use and clean
鈯� Double the capacity of the original Aeropress
鈯� Filter cap doesn鈥檛 fit many mugs

The Aeropress XL incorporates the same plunging tech as the backcountry barista-approved original version, but with double the capacity鈥攁 volume boost that allows car-camping couples to streamline their mornings by fixing one batch of brew instead of two. 鈥淢y partner and I efficiently enjoyed excellent-quality coffee together every morning while camping thanks to the XL,鈥� reported Chris Cloyd, a June Lake-based hut keeper, ultra-runner, and coffee addict (with a 鈥淒eath Before Decaf鈥� tattoo to prove it). For anyone intimidated by the looks of this gizmo, Cloyd describes the XL as 鈥渆asy to use, and easier to clean.鈥�

Testers reported that the XL filter cap does impede the press from being used directly with many mugs, making it important not to lose the included plastic carafe. If you鈥檙e rolling solo, try the more compact, single-serving .

Radius Outfitters Large Kitchen Organizer

Weight: 3 lbs

Pros and Cons
鈯� Extremely tough and well-made
鈯� Makes on-the-road organization easy
鈯� Pricey

When professional chef-slash-vanlifer Cody Buccholz got his paws on the Radius Outfitters Kitchen Organizer, he ditched his knife roll鈥攁 massive statement for any culinary pro. 鈥淚鈥檝e bragged about how efficient, protected, and organized my tool roll is now to every chef I鈥檝e gotten to cook for since I started testing it,鈥� said Buccholz after a California-to-Colorado road trip.

Three levels of sleeves accommodate 12-inch utensils, two zippered compartments house 15-inch tools (grill masters, slot your spatulas and tongs here), while a cutting board pocket, two additional transparent pockets for smaller essentials, and an integrated bottle opener get the party started. Crafted from a 1680D Cordura exterior and lined with a glossy, easy-to-clean PVC Tarpaulin, the Kitchen Organizer is 鈥渢ough, well-designed, and built for life on the road鈥搄ust like everything else we鈥檝e tested from Radius so far,鈥� commented test director Drew Zieff. Also available in a smaller version.

Sea to Summit Detour Stainless-Steel Kitchen Knife

Weight: 5.2 oz

Pros and Cons
鈯� Weighty, reliable handle
鈯� Apt size for working in tight quarters
鈯� Affordable
鈯� Possibly too small if you鈥檙e cooking for a crowd

Sea to Summit鈥檚 new, comprehensive Detour line of mostly collapsible car-camping cookware has two main ingredients: stainless steel and hard nylon.

Testers offered mixed reviews of some of the company’s products: the collapsible pots are impressively compact, but the silicone siding wasn鈥檛 ideal for even heat transfer. But there were no mixed reviews on the Detour Kitchen Knife, a compact, dexterous, multi-purpose knife with a razor-sharp, five-inch stainless steel blade.

鈥淚鈥檓 working in a small space with a tiny cutting board and this small, sharp knife was perfect,鈥� commented Buccholz, who used the Detour kit to whip up his favorites on a road trip, among them butter chicken, green curry, and tortilla soup. 鈥淚 love the way this knife felt in my hand鈥攊t鈥檚 heavy and strong, and the shape of the handle felt secure in my palm.鈥�

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Coleman Cascade 3-In-1 Stove

To cover all of your camp chef bases, pack the Cascade 3-In-1 Stove when you hit the road. This camp-cooking package comes with the Cascade stove and two pieces of cast-iron cookware, so you can grill and griddle in addition to boiling, frying, and saut茅ing meals. Independent dials allow you to control the heat coming out of each burner, and rotary ignition means instant, match-free burner lighting. Plus, the cast iron pan supports lift out for quick cooktop cleanup.

Oyster Tempo Cooler

Weight: 12 lbs 6 oz
Dimensions: W 20.1 x D 11.8 x H 12.6″
Volume: 23L
Capacity: 36 355ml Cans & 2 Ice Packs

Pros and Cons
鈯� Double-walled, vacuum-sealed design is thermally efficient
鈯� No ice required
鈯� Lid opens from both sides and is completely removable
鈯� Hefty price tag
鈯� One size only
鈯� No drain for rinsing or melted ice
鈯� Dents easily

The Oyster Tempo鈥檚 selling points are solid, and they better be鈥攖he sleek cooler is pricier than rotomolded options many campers already consider exorbitant. While status quo coolers call for a hefty ice-to-drink ratio, the aluminum Tempo skips ice completely. Instead, it pairs two flat, purpose-built ice packs with a thermally efficient double-walled design similar to that of your favorite water bottle.

The result gives campers more packable volume (a 23-liter Oyster with ice packs keeps 36 cans cold, while a 24-liter rotomolded cooler with ice only handles 18 cans), takes up less trunk space, and still keeps contents frostier longer than the competition.

When test director Drew Zieff arrived home after a three-day trip and emptied the Tempo, he noted that his leftover beers 鈥渟till felt as though they鈥檇 been plucked from a glacial stream.鈥� Another tester dug the sexy profile and compact build. 鈥淚t takes up less space than our rotomolded cooler, which made trunk management easier,鈥� he reported. When asked if he鈥檇 recommend the product to a friend, however, Cloyd joked, 鈥淒epends on their tax bracket.鈥�

MiiR 12-oz Camp Cup

Pros and Cons
鈯� Nostalgic look gives off camp vibes
鈯� Push-tab lid is road-trip-friendly
鈯� 12 ounces ain鈥檛 always enough

Were it a cocktail, MiiR鈥檚 Camp Cup would be equal parts contemporary and classic. The double-walled, vacuum-insulated, stainless steel mug sports an intuitive push-tab lid鈥攅verything a modern cup collector covets鈥攂ut it鈥檚 available in bright, speckled hues that salute the enamel mugs of yesteryear.

One tester packed the green-speckled Camp Cup for camping trip in the Umatilla and Gifford-Pinchot National Forests and loved both form and function from first sip. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 burn your mouth鈥攖hat鈥檚 the one thing I hate about real enamel mugs,鈥� she reported. 鈥淎nd then by the time the cup has cooled, that hot drink is also cold.鈥�

The MiiR version offers campers the best of both worlds: it鈥檚 a clear stylistic homage to those cute, spatterware relics, but modern insulation minimize chances of a seared upper lip or, worse, a lukewarm drink.

Ignik FireCan Deluxe Portable Propane Fire Pit and Grill

Weight: 13.8 lbs

Pros and Cons
鈯� Dual-purpose fire pit and grill combo
鈯� Quick-and-easy fires no matter where you roam
鈯� Extremely compact
鈯� You may want to purchase a new 5-lb propane tank
鈯� Cooking for groups is challenging
鈯� Oven mitts aren鈥檛 a bad idea

Fire ban? Meet the FireCan Deluxe鈥擨gnik鈥檚 durable, shoebox-sized, propane-powered firepit and grill combo.* 鈥淚t鈥檚 a safer solution to campfires,鈥� commented one tester, a part-time vanlifer and Colorado-based digital nomad who loved having a warm and contained fire no matter where she parked. Having a powerful propane grill or a firepit at this size is a win for any car camper鈥攈aving both is the dream.

Grilling is simple: just attach a propane tank via the included Quick Connect hose to the marked grill input, light it with a long lighter, and drop in the grill attachment. It gets hot鈥攆ast. Another tester was blistering peppers within minutes.

Just a few drawbacks: removing the grill and adjusting the lid can be finicky, so one tester recommended bringing oven mitts. Also, three or four salmon filets max out the grill, so feeding a bigger group necessitates cooking in shifts. For the most part, though, FireCan feedback was warmer than its 38,000-BTU output. You may also want to get a smaller 5-pound tank鈥�20-lbs tanks are overkill for a quick camping trip.

*In certain conditions, such as high winds or severe drought, all open flames may be banned. When in doubt, check in with local rangers, forest service, fire departments, etc.

Gerber Compleat Cutting-Board Kit

Weight: 4 lbs 4 oz
Dimensions: 9.6鈥� x 15.6鈥� (Bamboo cutting board), 8.9鈥� x 14.3鈥� (polypropylene cutting board), 6鈥� blade (Chef鈥檚 Knife), 3.25鈥� blade (paring knife)

Pros and Cons
鈯� Self-contained cutting board kit
鈯� Comes with kitchen essentials
鈯� Storage space for you to add your favorite tools
鈯� Cutting board lid can get dirty on the road

Nothing excites car campers like space-saving gear, and that鈥檚 exactly what Gerber鈥檚 new Compleat Cutting Board Kit is. Approximately the size of a casserole dish, the six-piece set features a striking bamboo cutting board that doubles as a lid, another polypropylene cutting board, two sharp, ergonomically handled knives (a 3.25-inch paring knife and a six-inch chef鈥檚 knife), and a two-piece set with nifty storage space for additional kitchen tools.

For category manager Drew Zieff, the set was a brilliant addition to the kitchen of his custom-built 2006 Chevy Express, replacing cutting boards that used to flop off the counter whenever he hit a pothole. Overall, the Gerber piece is a game-changer鈥攊t sits self-contained under the stove, no storage bin required.

Field Company No. 8 Cast Iron Skillet

Weight: 4.5 lbs
顿颈尘别苍蝉颈辞苍蝉:听10.3″ x 16.3″ x 2″

Pros and Cons
鈯� Durable
鈯� Versatile
鈯� Cooking surface improves with time and seasoning
鈯� Lighter-weight than other cast irons
鈯� Not non-stick, even when well-seasoned
鈯� Requires more care than other pans

There鈥檚 something magical about cast iron. What other cookware ages like fine wine and looks as good on a French range as it does over a campfire grate? Case in point: Field Company鈥檚 utilitarian No. 8 Cast Iron Skillet. This machined-smooth, 10.25-inch-diameter skillet is as durable as it is versatile, and it鈥檚 become our go-to pan over the last few years. From whipping up vegetable stir-fries in the van, to cooking fresh-caught trout over the campfire, to searing ribeyes at home, the skillet just does it all.

Field Company crafts its skillets from recycled iron here in the USA, using traditional sand-casting techniques. (Essentially, molds are made from a master pattern using a wet, untreated sand mixture, then molten metal is poured into the mold. The resulting casting is cleaned, thinned, and smoothed by machine before it鈥檚 pre-seasoned and prepped for your stove.) Field Company aims for a relatively lightweight construction, centering heft at the base of the pan for searing prowess and then thinning it out toward the sloped rim.

The 4.5-pound pan is about a pound lighter than standard cast-iron skillets. Testers also appreciated the ergonomic handle, which is convex and curved to fit comfortably in the hand. Thanks to the light weight and good grip, it was easy enough to pull one-handed from campfire to boulder. Still, cast iron isn鈥檛 ideal for the faint of wrist鈥攅specially when the skillet is loaded with a juicy, coiled tenderloin or packed with venison medallions. The handle can also get hot, so a ($29, sold separately) isn’t a bad idea.

The durability and versatility of cast iron is a major draw. Most testers were grateful to have a pan that could handle a high-powered two-burner camp stove and campfire cooking alike. And thanks to coils on the bottom, it can handle an electric range at home, too.

The biggest downside to the No. 8 is the same downside that befalls all cast-iron skillets: maintenance can be finicky. You shouldn’t use soap on the pan, and you may have to oil it regularly if you want to keep its seasoning鈥攊.e., cast iron’s natural, stick-resistant coating鈥攊ntact. The No. 8 skillet does come pre-seasoned with three coats of grapeseed oil, which we found plenty non-stick for most camping foods. Still we’d recommend cooking on it for a few weeks before you jump into something trickier, like fried eggs.

Gerber Compleat 16-Piece Cook Set

Weight: 10 lb
顿颈尘别苍蝉颈辞苍蝉:听10″ x 2.5″ (saut茅 pan), 10″ x 5″ (stock pot), 6.7鈥� x 2.6鈥� (bowls), 8.7鈥� x 1鈥� (plates), 8.8鈥� x 7.1鈥�(mixing bowl)

Pros and Cons
鈯� Space-saving nesting design
鈯� Enough plates and bowls to feed 8
鈯� Generously sized pot and pan
鈯� High-quality stainless steel
鈯� Squeezing the kit back into its storage bag isn鈥檛 easy

Gerber鈥檚 Compleat 16-piece Cook Set is the Russian nesting doll of camp cookware. The stars of the show are the 2.6-quart saut茅 pan and 5.6-quart stock pot. Both are crafted from stainless steel with a substantial, three-ply base construction, which distributes heat better than most purpose-built camping pots and pans.

It鈥檚 easy enough to clean, too: even after we charred a chicken stir fry past the point of no return, distracted by the sunset on an Oregon surf trip, we were able to clean it with a pot scraper and a little biodegradable soap. Plus, the 2.5-inch rim of the saut茅 pan and five-inch-deep pot provide so much culinary real estate that cooking for four is no problem, and cooking for eight is possible with a little forethought.

When it comes time to dish up, the set also includes polypropylene dinnerware. You get four lipped plates that can handle chilis and stews, four bowls so deep they can double as helmets, and a large mixing bowl. The set also comes with a silicone-wrapped handle for the saut茅 pan that pops off for storage, a pair of perforated lids, and a nifty silicone heat pad.

If you鈥檙e doing the math, we鈥檝e only touched on 15 pieces. The 16th is the cherry on top鈥攁 dual-handled carrying case. This cinch-closure storage bag is about the size of a small bear canister, and it fits the rest of this gear鈥攕o long as it鈥檚 neatly stacked. If you鈥檙e packing components willy-nilly, however, zipping the bag shut can be difficult鈥攐ur testers’ biggest gripe. Do it right, though, and you’ll be rewarded with serious space savings.

New West KnifeWorks Tactical Outdoor Chef

Weight: 7.7 oz
顿颈尘别苍蝉颈辞苍蝉:听12.1″ x 1.9″

Pros and Cons
鈯� Full tang provides durability
鈯� Sharp, high-quality steel
鈯� Versatile for a wide range of camp uses
鈯� Expensive
鈯� Sharpening serrated blades is tricky

New West Knifeworks鈥檚 Tactical Outdoor Chef may be pricey, but it’s one of the few chef’s knives we’ve found that you don’t have to baby. Over a summer of testing, it was capable of handling all the tasks we’d expect of a chef’s knife, as well as all the tasks we’d typically leave to a full-tang bushcraft blade. It’s durable, well-made, endlessly useful, and, to be quite honest, rad as hell.

As the name promises, the TOC is a mash-up of tactical military blades and every culinary artist鈥檚 go-to brush: the chef鈥檚 knife. Designed with the help of a Navy Seal, the TOC sports a razor-sharp, 6 鈪�-inch blade that riffs off the classic, curved shape of the bowie knife, a weapon typically reserved for stabbing bad guys. We stuck to stabbing fungi during testing, and the TOC made quick work of Operation Shiitake.

Jokes aside, we loved cooking with the TOC, whether we were slicing garlic with the pointed tip or chopping chicken with the belly of the blade. The asymmetrically serrated section, however, is what made our test team fall head over heels for this knife as a utilitarian camping companion. 鈥淭his is a very weird use case, but I needed to shave off a millimeter or two from this one spot on my warped van bumper because it was catching the trunk door,鈥� reported one tester. 鈥淭hat serrated section carved off sliver after sliver of hard plastic bumper鈥攕omething I never would鈥檝e thought to do with any other chef鈥檚 knife.鈥�

Whether you鈥檙e shaving bumpers or trimming pork tenderloins, the resilient, stain-resistant, American-made steel is ultra-sharp and resists dulling. The full-tang construction is balanced in-hand and beefy enough to tackle tasks like splitting squash or chopping rope. And while the ergonomically contoured handle looks like wood grain from afar, it鈥檚 actually a composite of G10 fiberglass and rubber, a combo we found confidence-inspiring while working with fresh fish, poultry, and other slippery proteins.

Yes, it’s expensive. But from blade to butt to the handsome leather sheath it comes in, you get what you pay for.

Miir New Standard Carafe

Weight: 1.8 lb
顿颈尘别苍蝉颈辞苍蝉:听6″ x 6″ x 10.5″

Pros and Cons
鈯� Sleek design
鈯� Two-piece construction makes for easy cleaning
鈯� Big enough to serve four
鈯� Included lid isn鈥檛 leakproof

Ever wished you could bring your Chemex camping without constantly fearing for the glass gizmo鈥檚 well-being? Miir鈥檚 got the answer with its indestructible and ingeniously designed New Standard Carafe.

The coffee contraption is crafted from double-wall, vacuum-insulated stainless steel, which is both ultra-durable and ensures your brew stays piping hot for hours. On chilly fall mornings in the Sierra, we were able to enjoy what hobbits affectionately call second breakfast, finishing off still-warm java up to two hours after brewing. The New Standard Carafe is easy to use and compatible with most carafe coffee filters. Our coffee-savvy testers found it did the job well鈥攁nd that the resulting pour-overs were crisp and smooth.

Testers in the Sierra loved that the carafe held a generous 33 ounces of brewed coffee. That was enough to caffeinate our group of four runners and climbers during a trip near Tahoe’s Donner Summit: each person got an eight-ounce pour to greet a sunrise over Frog Lake.

Our favorite feature, though, is the brilliant two-piece design. The top half of the carafe unscrews from the bottom, facilitating easy cleaning at home or on the road. One major con: the Carafe’s included lid isn’t leakproof. If you want your brew to be portable, you鈥檒l have to shell out for MiiR鈥檚 additional ($10). But we found the add-on worth it: simply screw the lid to the bottom section of the carafe to eliminate chances of spillage while driving to the trailhead or hiking up short spurs to watch the sun rise.

How We Test

• Number Of Testers: 13
• Pieces Of Gear Tested: 50
• Miles Road Tripped: Approximately 9,779
• Longest Stint On The Road: 3 months
• Forearms Singed: 2
• Cups Of Coffee Consumed: Enough to live, not enough to die. We’ll go with high triple digits.
• Van Bumpers Shaved: 1

Our testers run the gamut, from car campers who care more about efficiently shoveling down calories than fixing ornate meals, to gourmet chefs whipping up five-star cuisine in teeny van kitchens and over bonfires on the beach. This diverse team road-tripped, car camped, boondocked, and vanned all over the American West for months, cheffing up meals and taking notes all the while. Upon return to civilization, they filled out review forms for each camp kitchen item, ranking aspects like durability and practicality on quantitative scales. Then, they dove deeper into qualitative questions. For instance:

• What recipes did you whip up with this gear and where?
• Did this piece of gear make your life on the road easier or harder? Better or worse? How so?
• Would you use this product at home, too, or strictly at camp? Why or why not?

Last but not least, our lead tester and category manager, Drew Zieff, analyzed as much gear as possible himself, sifted through the review forms, then compiled the reviews.

Meet Our Testers

Drew Zieff

is a Tahoe-based freelancer who writes for Backcountry Magazine, REI, Gear Junkie, and Forbes, among others. A regular 国产吃瓜黑料 contributor, he heads 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 winter snowboard gear coverage and summer car camping accessories and kitchen reviews. His appreciation for cooking can be traced back to his formative years in high school, when he inexplicably began to experience red eyes, a dry mouth, and a sudden, overwhelming passion for the Cooking Channel. In 2018, he and his partner turned a plumbing van into their dream adventure mobile鈥攁 speedbump-filled odyssey. After a couple of years of vanlife, during which he took the lead on camp cookery, the couple put roots down in Tahoe. They still take as many van trips as possible and love to whip up elaborate meals in BLM pull-offs and Walmart parking lots.

Amanda Monthei

is a , public information officer on wildfires, and the host of the podcast. A former wildland firefighter herself, she applies her knowledge gleaned from the front lines to educate the public. She鈥檚 written about wildfires and natural disasters for 国产吃瓜黑料 as well as NBC, The Atlantic, and The Washington Post. She鈥檚 also an avid angler, surfer, and skier, and pens stories on a range of outdoor subjects. Whether traveling for business or pleasure, she鈥檚 used to camping for extended stints in her 2000 Tundra, whipping up meals on backroads shoulders and backwoods campgrounds, and reviewing car camping accessories for 国产吃瓜黑料 along the way. Monthei tested camp mugs, pots, and more while road tripping throughout the Pacific Northwest this past summer and fall.

Cody Buccholz

is a professional chef who enjoys surfing, snowboarding, and adventuring in his 2008 high-top Sprinter with his pup, Jefecito. When he鈥檚 not slinging gourmet grub, you can often find Buccholz posted up in a beach or trailhead parking lot, whipping up savory meals for new and old friends. He tested a small mountain of gear for this article while on a long, detour-filled road trip from California to Colorado, and brings a discerning, professional perspective to our camp kitchen gear testing.

The post 14 Camp-Kitchen Essentials to Elevate Your Outdoor Cooking appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

A faint whiff of cumin and cracked black pepper serenades my nostrils, reminiscent of the Indian spice markets I once visited in my mid-twenties. Only, I鈥檓 not in South Asia, or even the back storeroom of a hip Thai restaurant; I鈥檓 in my hometown of Boulder, Colorado, touring the massive factory where Backpacker鈥檚 Pantry meals are made.

My host for the morning is Soraya Smith, the company鈥檚 president and recipe-development chef. Smith, who had always been involved on the recipe side of American Outdoor Products (the parent organization of Backpacker鈥檚 Pantry) took over as president after her husband, Rodney, died in a tragic ski accident in 2020. She鈥檚 been the face of the family-owned corporation ever since.

鈥淚鈥檓 from a foodie family,鈥� explained Smith. 鈥淢y mom is Spanish-Italian, and my father is from Iran, so we鈥檙e very multicultural. I also went to Culinary School of the Rockies before stepping into this role.鈥�

I鈥檝e always been curious about how backpacking meals are made. After all, getting to enjoy a steamy bowl of risotto or curry after merely boiling a pot of water is as close to real magic as you can get in the backcountry. So, I asked Smith to give me an insider鈥檚 look at how some of my are made.

Our first stop was the test kitchen, where Smith pulled different dry ingredients together to experiment with new recipe ideas. To be totally honest, the various plastic bags she grabbed out of a large bin looked more like the Parmesan cheese packets you鈥檇 get for free with your pizza delivery than high-quality foodstuffs. But therein contained the secrets to my favorite post-hike meals: proprietary flavorings and mixes, which Backpacker鈥檚 Pantry makes with freeze-dried ingredients.

As we entered the factory鈥檚 enormous storeroom, I asked Smith for a refresher: What exactly聽颈蝉听freeze drying?

Freeze-drying technology was used extensively by NASA during the space boom of the 1960s. Since freeze-dried food retains more than 90 percent of its original nutrients, it鈥檚 the best way to keep astronauts stocked with nutritious food. Better yet, without going bad.

When an ingredient is freeze-dried, it鈥檚 brought to an inhospitable -60掳F, then back above freezing multiple times while inside a vacuum chamber. That way, only the ingredient鈥檚 water content is removed. 鈥淪ome companies make a large sheet of, say, lasagna, cook it, and then dehydrate it,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淲e, on the other hand, mix each of our freeze-dried ingredients into the bag, so that when you add that boiling water, most of them are getting cooked for the first time. It鈥檚 fresher, and I think it has a better texture.鈥�

Smith and I strolled past huge palettes of rice noodles, sourced from Thailand, and pasta, sourced from Belgium, but Smith explained that the company does its best to source most ingredients domestically.

Once workers grab individual ingredients from the palettes in the store room, they go to the dedicated mixing room, where seasonings and starches are stirred together in large tubs. The room looks like a sterile, high-tech scene out of Willy Wonka.

Here, Smith points out that the brand adheres to a strict allergen separation system. For instance, a recipe with gluten won鈥檛 get run through the machines on the same day as a gluten-free recipe to protect customers with . Ditto for dairy products. (Workers clean the machines thoroughly at the end of each day by passing them through a chrome-covered, bedroom-sized industrial dishwasher.)

After mixing, the meals are mechanically portioned out by category鈥攕auce, starch, meat, and vegetable鈥攖hen sealed by hand. Workers sample the meals throughout the day, preparing a baggie to taste-test at the beginning, middle, and end of each run. The goal is to ensure the flavors remain consistent throughout. Forks and counter space are set aside in the test kitchen for this specific purpose. If something doesn鈥檛 taste right, they ditch the batch and correct it.

The Backpacker鈥檚 Pantry factory produces thousands of meals each day. Once the day鈥檚 meals get sealed, boxed, and quality checked, they head into a gigantic storeroom, which then ships the products to big retailers, like REI, as well as directly to consumers.

As I closed the huge warehouse doors behind me and concluded my tour, I was surprised to feel tremendously better about all that just-add-water food I鈥檇 been eating. The ingredients were both fresher than I鈥檇 imagined and more rigorously quality-checked. Ninety percent of their original nutrients, huh? Heck, maybe I鈥檒l toss a couple under my desk to eat in the office.

4 Tips for Sprucing Up that Backpacker鈥檚 Pantry Meal

Freeze-dried meals can be a life-saver in the backcountry, but even the staunchest creatures of habit sometimes tire of their favorite flavors. If you鈥檙e not big on , here are a few things you can do to and keep mealtime feeling fresh.

• Mix two meals together. 鈥淥ne of the most popular ways that people modify our meals is to mix together our Wild West Chili & Beans with the Three Cheese Mac & Cheese,鈥� says Smith. When you combine the two meals, you have a protein-packed vegetarian entr茅e that鈥檚 big enough to share.
• Add more veggies. One of my favorite ways to up the fiber and nutrition content of a pre-packaged camping meal is to pack extra veggies into the pouch so that they all rehydrate together. These days, there are loads of options available, but my favorite is from Harmony House.
• BYO Sriracha. If you鈥檙e a spice fiend, toss a couple of lightweight into your bear canister before setting off. (To my dismay, I learned Backpacker鈥檚 Pantry Pad Thai no longer comes with a Sriracha powder pouch.)
• Don鈥檛 forget the fat. 鈥淔atty things, like avocados, don鈥檛 freeze-dry well,鈥� explained Smith. Packing to add to bagged meals is a good practice for adding extra calories during thru-hikes. Another of my favorite ways to add fat to meals: Bring a hunk of dry, aged cheese (like Parmesan) and shave pieces into a pasta dish with your pocket knife or multitool.

The post This Is How Your Backpacking Meals Are Really Made appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Spend enough time eating hiking food, and you might start gagging at the very thought of a peanut-butter tortilla roll-up. But whether or not you鈥檝e hit that devastating milestone, rest assured: You don鈥檛 need to restrict yourself to beans and PB on the trail. With a little creativity, you can make a variety of flavorful camp meals with just a few cheap ingredients.

These four hiker-approved hot meals cost $3 or less per person. We鈥檝e broken down the costs per single serving, but at these rates, it鈥檚 easy to double (or even quadruple) the recipes without blowing your budget.

Spicy Mac Mash

This elevated take on the ramen bomb is cheesy, easy, and vegetarian-friendly. Cost: About $1.75 per serving.

滨苍驳谤别诲颈别苍迟蝉:听

• Annie鈥檚 White Cheddar Shells Mac and Cheese ($0.75 per serving)
• 1 box of instant mashed potatoes ($0.75 per serving)
• 1 tsp. olive oil ($0.15 per serving)
• Hot sauce, to taste ($0.10 per serving)

In camp: Boil water and cook pasta. Drain water, but leave a little behind to mix in instant mashed potatoes and the cheese powder for a thick, creamy, filling sauce. Fluff together with a fork. Top with olive oil and hot sauce.

Sausage Wraps

Wolf these down for a dose of protein and melted goodness. The ingredients below come in larger servings, meaning you can feed the whole camp. Cost: About $2 per serving.

Ingredients

• Your choice of pre-cooked sausage ($1.25 per serving)
• Tortilla or wrap ($0.30 per serving)
• Shredded cheese ($0.30 per serving)
• Pinch of pepper and salt
• Eggs (use powdered or dehydrated eggs, or ) ($0.25 per serving)
• Hot sauce, to taste ($0.10 per serving)

In camp: Heat sausage over a fire or stove. Once warm, place it in a tortilla or wrap and top with shredded cheese to get a melty effect. Add seasoning and scrambled eggs.

Backcountry Nachos

Treat yourself to something crisp and hearty out there with this crave-worthy recipe. Cost: About $2.75 per serving.

Ingredients:

• Tortilla chips ($0.40 per serving)
• Small can of nacho cheese, or shredded cheese ($0.50 per serving)
• Black beans, transferred to zip top-bag ($0.42 per serving)
• Tomato ($0.50 per serving)
• Avocado ($1 per serving)
• Jalapeno ($0.10 per serving)
• Cilantro, wrapped in damp paper towel in a zip-top bag ($1 per bunch)
• Salsa (optional)

In camp: Chop the jalapeno, cilantro, avocado, and tomato. Warm up your beans and cheese or stove. Layer your bowl or plate with a handful of chips鈥攁s many as you can fit. Pile on the toppings. Go back for seconds.

Packed Couscous Bowls

Salty, savory, and scrumptious after a long day, these couscous bowls are both easy to make in camp and worthy of your dining table at home. Cost: About $3 per serving.

滨苍驳谤别诲颈别苍迟蝉:听

• Dried couscous ($0.65 per serving)
• Bagged sun dried tomatoes ($0.40 per serving)
• Olives, transferred to zip-top bag ( $0.23 per serving)
• Broccoli (store in a zip-top bag and eat on day one or two, or buy freeze-dried) ($0.50 per serving)
• Chicken or tuna packets ($0.75 per serving)

In camp: Boil water and cook your couscous over a campfire or stove. While it鈥檚 still steamy, mix in tomatoes, olives, broccoli, and your choice of protein.

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Even if you hate getting out of bed, you have to admit that mornings are the best part of camping. Waking up slowly, rising with the sun, taking time to watch the world warm up over your first (and second) cup of coffee鈥攖here鈥檚 nothing quite like it. And as any fan of the slow morning knows, the best way to really draw out those golden hours is by extending breakfast as long as possible. In other words, turning it into brunch.

Brunch is an especially useful tool to have in your back pocket if you鈥檙e taking a first-timer on their first backpacking or camping trip. We鈥檝e found that the best way to woo a partner, sway a dubious family member on the outdoors, or impress a group of friends is to wake up a little early and surprise them with an elaborate breakfast.

Want to do it right? Here are five ways to get the most out of your next camp morning and throw the best backcountry brunch of your life.

1. Set the scene

If you鈥檝e ever been to a boozy brunch, baby shower, or other similarly festive mid-morning event, you know that presentation is half the battle. This is especially true if you鈥檙e trying to impress people. Lay out a tablecloth, pop up the camp chairs, and break out your best camping enamelware. If you want to dress up a little, go for it: An apron is always a nice touch.

2. Get the equipment

You don鈥檛 need special gear to throw a memorable brunch, but a few key tools can take things to the next level. If you鈥檙e car-camping, a foldable aluminum camp table and a few high-quality camp chairs can make a major difference in diner comfort. A Dutch oven will let you make cornbread, crustless quiche, and other delicacies; meanwhile a pie iron opens the door to and grilled breakfast sandwiches.

If you鈥檙e backpacking, you鈥檙e more limited. However, cooking on a remote canister stove or white-gas stove can give you more control over cooking temperature鈥攊deal for making pancakes and other low- to medium-heat baked goods. Also make sure you have the essentials: a good nonstick pan, plenty of fuel, utensils, a sharp knife, and a small cutting board.

3. Flip a flawless pancake

There are few people who don鈥檛 like waking up to a hot stack of pancakes. Unfortunately, there are also few people who can actually cook them in the backcountry without charring both sides and covering themselves in batter. The secret? This method:

1. Use a thick, aluminum, nonstick pan. Titanium and other lightweight backpacking pans tend to heat unevenly, burning pancakes in the middle and leaving the edges raw. Don鈥檛 be afraid to pack in your real kitchen pan for a special occasion.
2. Add oil such that it just barely covers the bottom of the pan.
3. Turn up the stove to medium-low heat and wait for the oil to heat properly before you add batter. You鈥檒l know it鈥檚 ready when the oil 鈥渟himmers,鈥� or sparkles with little bubbles. Another good way to test heat is by flicking water at the pan off the tips of your fingers. If they sizzle and evaporate right away, you鈥檙e good to go.
4. Add batter in small dollops with a spoon. Now, be patient. Flipping a pancake too soon can cause it to stick and break. You know they鈥檙e ready to flip when bubbles rise through the batter and burst, usually after two or three minutes.
5. Flip and cook for an additional two or three minutes. Cover with a small towel to keep warm until your diners arise.

Practice at home first. Once you鈥檝e mastered the technique, try these recipes:

4. Venture into French toast

Pancakes feeling a little too tried-and-true? French toast takes it up a notch. Try making by sandwiching nutella, peanut butter, or jam between two slices of bread (we prefer day-old Challah bread). Or, serve up our with fresh, sliced strawberries and whipped cream. Pro tip: If you don鈥檛 have a cooler on hand, opt for a can of coconut whipped topping, which lasts longer without refrigeration than your traditional dairy-based whip.

5. Cook over a campfire

If you鈥檙e camping in an area where fires are both permitted, you can really pull out all the stops. adds rich, smoky flavor and crispness to everything from baked goods to bacon. (Plus, it also looks really impressive.) Some ideas:

• Wrap sausages, onions, peppers, and breakfast potatoes in foil packets and bake over hot coals.
• Cook bacon and eggs with the .
• Tuck chopped apples, butter, and cinnamon into a foil packet, bake in hot coals, then spoon over pancakes or oatmeal.
• Make these in a cast-iron skillet or in a covered Dutch oven.

6. Mix a mimosa

Orange juice isn鈥檛 shelf-stable鈥攂ut you know what is? SunnyD. And Tang. We prefer the former, but you do you. Pick up a small bottle of SunnyD from the shelf-stable juices section of the grocery store and a can of champagne or sparkling white wine from your local liquor store (yep, wine comes in cans now). The best ratio is equal parts juice and bubbly. Pour into mugs and serve.

7. Brew a perfect cup of coffee

There are a dozen ways you could brew java, but if you鈥檙e trying to impress a cranky riser, cowboy coffee isn鈥檛 one of them. Elevate your morning joe by bringing fresh grounds in a zip-top bag or using a to prepare the beans in camp. The humble pourover is among the lowest-maintenance brew methods, but it can be hard to get right. We recommend a traditional French press for big groups and the highly easy-to-clean backpacker-friendly for small ones.

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This hearty combo tastes even better in the woods than it does in the diner. Whip it up over a campfire, and you鈥檒l not only impress your buddies鈥搚ou鈥檒l have a no-pot meal with zero cleanup (eat right out of the bag!). The paper won鈥檛 ignite if you make sure it鈥檚 wet before cooking鈥揾ere, bacon grease does the trick鈥揵ut it might smoke a bit. Try it with these two techniques: one for the trailhead, one for the trail.

Car Camping

滨苍驳谤别诲颈别苍迟蝉:听 4 thick bacon slices, 2 eggs, 1 brown paper lunch bag

• At home, pack eggs and bacon in a cooler.
• In camp, cook one serving per bag. Place the bacon inside the bag, wiping the insides generously with grease (the more you coat the bag, the better). Crack eggs on top of the bacon. Fold the bag down several times, then poke a three-foot stick (green pine won鈥檛 burn) through it so that the bag hangs at one end.
• Holding the stick鈥檚 other end, suspend the bag over hot coals (not flames), heating all sides evenly until done (seven to 10 minutes).

Backpacking

Ingredients: 4 frozen bacon slices, 2 eggs, 1 brown paper lunch bag

• At home, crack eggs into a bowl and beat. Pour into a Lexan bottle or zip-top bag and freeze. Wrap the bottle or bag with foil, then place in your pack with the bacon. Both will thaw in time for breakfast the next day.
• Cook over your campfire, using the method described above.

Tip: If you鈥檙e in an area where fires are banned but charcoal grills are permitted, these techniques work over those too.

Adapted from , by Richard Wiese ($19, Harper Collins).

Originally published in 2009; updated in January 2022

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The internet is . Most of the time I do a pretty good job of ignoring it, but when I stumbled upon a string of bizarre camp cooking tips, I became fascinated. Why are people eating leaves? Why are they filling empty beer cans with popcorn kernels? These hacks couldn鈥檛 possibly work鈥攃ould they? After watching a number of viral videos, I decided to try a few of the more popular camp cooking hacks for myself.

I started the day with a bag of groceries, a , and an inordinate amount of hope. I ended it with two burned fingers, one burned tongue, and a lump of charcoal that had once been a pie crust. Here鈥檚 what worked鈥攁nd what absolutely didn鈥檛.

Cook an Egg on the Bottom of a Beer Can

Rating: 2/10聽

On the internet, this trick looked pretty sleek: Cut a door into the side of an empty can, turn it upside down, build a fire inside with sticks and leaves, and cook an egg in the divot on the bottom. In real life, it didn鈥檛 work so well. For one thing, the tiny basin in the bottom of a beer can is not, in fact, big enough to hold an average egg. Despite using the utmost care in applying my egg to the back of the can, about half of it dribbled off the side and into my fire, putting it out. Restarting the fire was not easy. A beer can鈥攅ven one with a window cut into the side鈥攄oes not permit sufficient oxygen flow to keep a fire going on its own. To preserve the flames, I had to spend a lot of time poking at it with a stick. Eight times out of ten, this poking caused my top-heavy cook system to topple over. And two times out of ten, I burned myself trying to set it upright again.

But burning the prints off your fingers isn鈥檛 the only risk you鈥檒l endure while attempting this hack. Many beer cans are lined with an and then covered with artificial inks and dyes. Setting these on fire鈥攁nd then eating an egg you鈥檝e thoroughly smoked in the toxins鈥攑robably isn鈥檛 the best for your health.

Cook Bacon on a Rock

Rating: 5/10

The internet seems fond of doing things in the worst way possible. For this trick, you first need to find a perfectly flat, smooth, clean rock on which to cook your breakfast. That鈥檚 pretty difficult to achieve in practice, especially once you learn that river rocks are off-limits (water trapped in the fissures can expand when heated, causing the rock to explode). After a half-hour of searching, I found a suitable rock, brushed it off the best I could, set it over my coals, and laid three strips of bacon over top. The bacon did indeed cook to a reasonable consistency, though I spent the rest of the morning picking bits of dirt and sand out of my teeth. In theory, it鈥檚 a cool bit of bushcraft; in practice, whatever time you gain by lightening your pack, you鈥檒l lose that and more to searching for rocks. My recommendation: If you鈥檙e going to carry bacon, you might as well carry a pan too.

Batter a Leaf, Cook It on a Rock, and Eat It

Rating: 3/10

I don鈥檛 know why anyone would want to cover a leaf in Bisquick and eat it, but . So, I tried it. Because trees have no leaves in Colorado in early March鈥攁nd I personally am loath to eat pine needles for breakfast鈥擨 used a piece of chard. I liberally covered the leaf in batter, then cooked each side on a hot rock for about three minutes. The result was a sort of crisp, beige chip, which looked nasty but actually tasted quite good. Still, I will not be doing this again any time soon; the next time I find myself with nothing but Bisquick and a hot rock, I鈥檓 just making pancakes.

Cook Scrambled Eggs in a Bell Pepper

Rating: 9/10

Finally: The walls and top of the bell pepper provided enough insulation to keep my eggs from burning or drying out. The result was a fluffy, two-egg scramble鈥攏o kitchenware required.

I started by whisking two eggs inside a hollowed-out pepper before replacing the pepper鈥檚 top to serve as a lid. I then placed the bundle in a nest of hot coals and set a large coal atop the lid to ensure even heating. By the end, the pepper itself was carbonized, having selflessly given its life to my pursuit of a mediocre camp quiche. But the eggs were perfectly adequate.

If you were determined to eat your pepper, you could theoretically wrap it in aluminum foil to protect it from charring. However, that makes it tough to peek under the lid to periodically check for doneness.

Bake an Apple Pie in a Tin Can

Rating: 5/10

This was . If I were to do this again鈥攚hich I most certainly won鈥檛鈥擨 would start with a larger can. Second, I鈥檇 warm up my pie crust before shaping it. My great-grandmother may roll over in her grave at that suggestion (traditionally, you want your crust as cold as possible before baking), but warming the dough is really the only way to get it malleable enough to squish into a can without tearing to bits. I used a store-bought crust and a premade apple pie filling, because I am a heathen. If you are the more enterprising sort, you are welcome to make your own.

I let my pie cook for about 15 minutes buried in coals. Judging by the unrecognizable black mass I ended up with, I鈥檇 say this was too many minutes. Ten would probably be better, depending on the temperature of your coals. However, despite my best efforts, I still ended up with a pie that had a mostly edible interior, and the crust was clearly cooked all the way through.

Overall, I would say this sort of worked. If you鈥檙e desperate for campfire pie, though, you鈥檙e better off keeping it simple: Make an apple turnover, wrap it in tinfoil, and bake it in coals like a normal person.

Make Popcorn in a Beer Can

Rating: 2/10

If you鈥檝e decided to carry beer into the backcountry, manifesting an empty can is very easy. So is stuffing kernels through the tiny hole in your vacated drinking vessel. However, as I watched the can鈥檚 label melt and disfigure in the flames, I couldn鈥檛 help but wonder about my future cancer risk. And , I discovered an even more terrible problem: Popped corn is too big to fit through the exit. To access my hard-earned snack, I had to split the can open with my giant survival knife.

The good news is that I finally have a use case for carrying around a 14-ounce knife. The bad news is that I don鈥檛 often trust myself to use it to cut metal after consuming a beer on an empty stomach. And even when I did (somehow managing to keep all 10 fingers attached), I discovered my popcorn badly burned. .

The post 鈥嬧�媁e Tested 6 Viral Camp-Cooking Hacks. Only One of Them Worked. appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

We鈥檝e all been there. You relax into your camp chair to eat the boxed mac 鈥檔鈥� cheese you made over a camp stove when the aroma of a delicious home-cooked meal comes wafting across the campground. And it hits you: the unmistakable feeling of camp kitchen envy. But this doesn鈥檛 have to be your narrative. With a few tips and tricks鈥攁nd the right gear鈥攜ou鈥檒l be whipping up tasty camp dishes for family and friends in no time. Keep reading to learn how to make your camp kitchen and the meals you prepare the talk of the campground.

Step 1: Plan Ahead

There seems to be an unwritten rule that camp cooking is basic and starchy (think: spaghetti or packaged ramen). But taking your camp kitchen up a notch is all about thinking outside the box. To do that, you鈥檒l need a plan. Don鈥檛 make the mistake of trying to organize your meals when you hit the grocery store on your way out of town. With a little planning and prep work, you can turn many of your favorite recipes into easy camp meals. Shop in advance of your trip so you don鈥檛 miss anything, especially the easy-to-forget items like spices, dressings, and sauces.Then, before you pack the cooler, prep anything you can ahead of time. Marinade meat, chop veggies, and portion out spices. You鈥檒l thank yourself later when it comes time to start cooking. Plus, prep work simplifies the packing process, so you aren鈥檛 toting excess food or large containers of ingredients you only need a small amount of for your dish.

Step 2: Streamline Your Cookware

Gone are the days of raiding your kitchen cabinets for pots, knives, spatulas, and cutting boards before a camping trip, only to have a hodgepodge of cookware rattling around in your vehicle. Having cookware specifically designed for camp cooking goes a long way. The full-size 16-piece from Gerber Gear has everything you need to prep, cook, and serve tasty home-cooked meals at camp without compromising your cooking experience. The set comes with a stock pot, saut茅 pan, lids with strainer holes, a mixing bowl, food bowls and plates, and more. And the best part? Every piece neatly nests together and packs into the included bag for compact carrying on the road and easy storage at home.

Get details on the full set below.

Step 3: Master the Setup

The best camp kitchens are a blend of functionality and fun vibes. When you get to camp, set up your kitchen as a focal point of the campsite, using a picnic table or your own camp table as a space to get organized, prep, chop, and cook. Don鈥檛 have a table? Go tailgate-style or find a flat rock to serve as a cooking space. Save space for serving and setting up a wash station for dishes after dinner. And don鈥檛 skip the decorative touches. Comfortable seating, solar lanterns, and string lights add to the ambiance and make your camp kitchen feel homey.

Step 4: Start Cooking

When you have hungry campers waiting for dinner, you need to make sure your cooking process is dialed. The six-piece makes it easy to tackle the prepwork you couldn鈥檛 do ahead of time, with two dual-sided cutting boards, a paring knife, a six-inch chef knife, and storage trays. Recruit a sous chef or two鈥攖he has an additional paring knife, plus a six-inch serrated knife and eight-inch chef knife, so everyone can pitch in. Start with a crowd-pleaser and serve some appetizers on the ComplEAT bamboo cutting board. Use the polypropylene cutting board to finish prepping and to avoid cross-contamination. Then, fire up the camp stove, and you鈥檒l have the main course ready in no time. After cleaning up, stow knives in the cutting board set鈥檚 storage bin. The cutting boards nest together to create a latching lid that keeps everything safely secured until the next meal.

Step 5: Rinse and Repeat

Gerber鈥檚 easy-to-clean ComplEAT cookware makes washing up a cinch, so your kitchen will be ready for round two in the morning. Whip up a breakfast feast on the nonstick . This versatile, heavy-duty cooktop can be used over an open fire or a two-burner camp stove just like a cast-iron skillet. But unlike a skillet, the griddle is lightweight and easy to clean. A square design and tall sidewalls offer maximum cooking space and keep food contained to minimize mess. The removable silicone-coated handle helps avoid accidental burns and is easy to store when you鈥檙e ready to pack up.

Founded in 1939 and based in Portland, Oregon, is an outdoor brand dedicated to creating problem-solving tools that allow you to adventure with confidence. With expertise, longevity, and a storied history that few in the industry can match, Gerber is equipped with a deep understanding of how to create gear that consumers want and need.聽 Gerber鈥檚 commitment to quality is steadfast, and all products are backed by the Gerber Guarantee, a limited lifetime warranty.

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In her , The Survivalist, Jessie Krebs writes about staying alive in dangerous backcountry scenarios. Krebs is a former Air Force S.E.R.E (survival, evasion, resistance, and escape) instructor and owner of .

Many aspiring campers have romantic visions of Then, they try it. The result is often bread with a gooey middle, crunchy rice, charcoal in the pancakes, ash in the cocoa, burnt eggs鈥攈eck, burnt everything. Open-fire cooking isn鈥檛 advanced mathematics, but it is certainly different from cooking at home, especially if you鈥檙e someone with a talent for 鈥渂urning water.鈥� Here are some pointers to get you started.

Flame is the enemy. Its temperature is well above 鈥渉igh鈥� on a typical stove, and trying to get a pot at just the right height above it is tricky, since a fire fluctuates dramatically depending on when and how you add wood. A thick bed of coals, on the other hand, gives even heat that lasts for an hour or more. Coals are much more forgiving to a burgeoning fire chef. My strategy is to , burn some wrist-diameter or larger fuel for an hour or so, and then split it into a bed of coals on one side and a small fire on the other. I use the fire itself mostly for light, to create more coals for later, or to keep water warm.

For survival purposes, boiling is the best of all cooking methods. It鈥檚 pretty difficult to screw up or burn, the food鈥檚 nutrients are reasonably well-retained, and you get some hydration along with your meal. Baking tends to be your next best bet; roasting or grilling over a fire means losing a lot of calorie-rich oil as it drips away. If boiling isn鈥檛 feasible or you鈥檙e not in survival mode and want to use another method (boiling pancake batter sounds decidedly unappetizing), there are some other options. When cooking over a campfire, always be sure to mind local burn bans, and

Boiling over a fire

This requires a container of some kind. There are using hot rocks, but a pot comes in very handy. A lid is also helpful to keep inedibles out, hold a steady boil, and keep the inside of the pot moist for easier clean-up. I usually get the water boiling over a flame and then lower things to a simmer by suspending the pot an inch or so above the coals. Add in your ingredients, spices, and more water as needed.

To cook rice, quinoa, pasta, or other grains, get the water boiling as indicated above, then add your starch. Give it a good stir and get it all back to boiling. Then, simmer over coals for two-thirds of the recommended cooking time. Take it off the heat and let it sit, covered and preferably insulated, for the remaining time. The main mistakes folks make with cooking rice in particular is putting in the rice before the water is boiling, keeping the pot over direct flame, and leaving it on the fire for the full recommended cooking time.

Cooking in a Dutch oven over a fire

I鈥檝e made yummy cookies, cakes, lasagna, naan, and more in Dutch ovens. The key to success: Maintain even heat by putting coals on the lid and allowing airflow underneath. Whenever you place a pot directly on coals, you snuff them out. This is why many Dutch ovens have feet to keep them elevated. If your dutch oven doesn鈥檛 have feet, hang it or improvise another method to raise it half an inch to an inch above the coals. If your oven is near the fire, rotate it every 5 to 10 minutes so one side doesn鈥檛 burn.

Baking with fire

My mom and I used to make 鈥渉obo meals鈥� in a fire on the beach when I was a kid. This consisted of at least 2 layers of aluminum foil filled with sliced veggies, meat, spices, and a healthy dollop of butter. We rolled the edges up tight, stabbed the bundle a couple times to let steam escape, and tossed the whole thing into the fire for 30 to 40 minutes. The results were haphazard, sometimes with food half-cooked on one side and burned on the other.

If I鈥檇 only known then鈥�. We were doing well until we threw it in the fire. Instead, hollow out a spot in the soil in the middle of the fire about twice the size of the bundle and scrape in some of the hot coals and ash. Place the food in the hole on top of the coals and ash, cover with more coals and ash, and even some hot sand or dirt. Then, build the fire back up on top of it. In 20 to 30 minutes, uncover the foil bundle, flip it over, and re-cover. Wait another 15 to 20 minutes and dinner is served. The insulation of the ash and gentle heat of the coals is conducive to baking. I bake potatoes this way, but skip the aluminum foil. I clean the potatoes well, and then bury them as-is in the dirt or sand an inch or so below the hot fire bed. Then flip them after a half-hour and take them out after a total of an hour or so. Just brush off the ash, sand, and dirt and dig in.

Roasting and grilling over a fire

While visiting with the , hunter-gatherers in Tanzania, I鈥檝e seen fire used as a primary method for roasting meat. They sharpen some green sticks, weave meat onto it, and then stab the other end in the ground at an angle so the meat roasts just above the coals or a little further from direct flame. As flame licks food, it can deposit a black layer of soot that really isn鈥檛 appetizing, so it鈥檚 important to maintain distance.

As a S.E.R.E. instructor, I was fond of freaking out students using a roasting technique with one of their few precious tiny steaks they were given for a six-day trip in the woods. I鈥檇 throw a steak directly onto coals scraped out from , eliciting gasps of horror. After about three minutes, I鈥檇 flip it over and then pull it off the coals after a total of about five minutes. The outside would be perfectly seared, keeping the juices inside and giving the meat a delicious smoky flavor.

Frying over a fire

This is the most similar to cooking at home of any of the methods, though the fire still tends to lend an extra smoky flavor that is really nice. I prep all of my and veggies before I head to the woods to make things easier. If you鈥檙e car camping or don鈥檛 mind packing heavy, a wok is ideal for use over an open fire as it balances easily. Add the items that you want cooked the longest first. I usually start with oil, onion, and whatever meat I鈥檓 using, if any, followed a few minutes later by veggies and spices. Stir frequently with a long utensil, keep leather gloves or hotpads handy, keep the handle turned away from any open flames, and adjust the location of the wok and heat of the coals or fire as needed. For pancakes, a griddle or large frying pan will work best; use just the coals to cook over, adjusting your height to get just the right, steady heat for the perfect flapjacks.

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I love camping with my family, but if I鈥檓 being totally honest, it stresses me out. I used to think the stress came from a lack of planning, too much gear, or just generalized anxiety, but have begun to realize it has much more to do with my鈥攁nd many Americans鈥欌�攁pproach to being outside.

These thoughts were refined during a recent Zoom call with Yui Uchida, chief brand officer for the Japanese outdoor gear company Snow Peak, who explained that most Japanese campers have developed a much simpler relationship with the outdoors.

鈥淢ost basically, we鈥檝e realized that the Japanese view of nature is quite different from many other modern views,鈥� Uchida told me. 鈥淔or us, nature is something we want to be harmonious with and in existence with, and for many other people nature is instead something that needs to be conquered or challenged. This is fundamental to how we then choose to spend our time outside.鈥�

Uchida said that for many people in the United States, the top activities for campers often include hiking, fishing, mountain biking, trail running, or other sports where there鈥檚 a place to go and an objective to complete鈥擨 include myself in this group. For many of Snow Peak’s Japanese customers, however, the top activities are things like cooking, star gazing, and forest bathing, which is just sitting in the forest and taking in the sounds, sights, and smells.

Uchida鈥檚 perspective immediately appealed to me, and I have vowed to do things differently this camping season. I want to slow down and appreciate simply being outside. Maybe it鈥檚 age (I鈥檓 currently 43), or just being fed up with what camping has become, but I鈥檝e turned a page and want to redefine what camping means.

Snow Peak has long preached a more meditative approach to sleeping under the stars鈥攊t鈥檚 not some marketing gimmick they recently dreamt up. Managed for years by Tohru Yamai, a Japanese businessman who felt overwhelmed by the pace of modern life even back in the 1980s, the brand has always promoted camping as a slow pursuit and, in turn, designs a wide variety of gear to create maximum relaxation.

When you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This supports our mission to get more people active and outside.聽Learn more.

Their most well-known product that represents this approach is the . Made from stainless steel, it鈥檚 a packable charcoal grill that鈥檚 purposely designed to be the opposite of the classic Coleman. Instead of firing up immediately like a propane burner, the Takibi takes time to get ready, and then grilling takes some attention. In other words, the grill is not just there to make food, but instead creates an experience.

鈥淐ooking on the Takibi often becomes one of the most memorable experiences of any trip because you can create restaurant quality meals, and because it forces us to enjoy the experience of cooking,鈥� says Michael Andersen, the senior brand manager of Snow Peak USA.

Michael鈥檚 quote reminded me of a passage in 聽the best-selling book by Oliver Burkeman that talks about how many Westerners have come to fixate on time and productivity. Many people, he points out, are unable to fix anything, like a household appliance, because they have no patience and cannot enjoy the process of figuring things out.

For me, camp cooking is like fixing a leaky faucet, in that I see both only as a problem to be solved and want to get through the process as quickly as possible. But quick and good don鈥檛 seem to coexist in either circumstance. So instead of racing to finish dinner on my two-burner grill, the idea of firing up charcoal and then spending the time to get a perfectly cooked hamburger this summer seems like the fix I need.

Another example of Snow Peak鈥檚 different approach comes in its broad lineup of . For us Westerners, tarps are either places to hide from the rain, or they鈥檝e become popular as lightweight sleeping shelters for people who want to move fast and light. But for Snow Peak they mean something entirely different.

Their tarps are places where people cook, relax, and take in their surroundings. As a result, the tarps are designed with high roofs and broad footprints that promote gathering and enjoying each other鈥檚 company.

鈥淚n Japan people spend a lot of time in smaller spaces, so we know how to maximize these smaller spaces, like a tarp, through shape and design,鈥� Uchida said.

Unlike the tarps we鈥檙e used to seeing here in the States, which are either used as flat roofs or maybe in an A-frame, all the Snow Peak tarps have a unique geometric shape, which Uchida said is very much a deliberate design.

鈥淔rom outside, the tents and tarps are meant to harmoniously blend with the environment,鈥� he said. 鈥淎ll the lines are there for protection but are also meant to look like an extension of the surrounding natural elements.鈥�

This intentionality of design extends to other Snow Peak products. For me, a camp tent is just a place to sleep or hide from the elements, but all of Snow Peak’s are designed for lounging, hanging out, and moving slowly. Many have big vestibules where you can relax in a chair, and most have big enough footprints that you can insert cots and tables inside to create an eating space, or quiet spot to take in your morning coffee.

Noah Reis, the chief operating officer of Snow Peak USA, brought it all together when he told me that for a long time now Snow Peak has watched as the world pushes farther and farther toward efficiency. The brand has no problem with people who love ultralight backpacking, but that鈥檚 not the game they鈥檙e playing. They know the power of being outside and will always create gear in their own unique way.

鈥淎s the world gets faster and faster, we鈥檙e losing a sense of belonging,鈥� Reis said. 鈥淏ut we know that the outdoors and camping will always be the perfect antidote that brings us back together.鈥�

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I made my first backpacking stove in my college girlfriend鈥檚 backyard with a hole punch and a can of Fancy Feast. After emptying the cat food in the trash (she didn鈥檛 have a cat, and I was a dirtbag but not like that) and removing the label, I marked two alternating lines of holes on the can and punched them out. We inaugurated the stove that night at a primitive campsite in , boiling up hot cocoa while we watched the city lights twinkle on one side of the hills and listened to the waves lap at the shore on the other.

Years later, I found that stove in a box in my closet while I was getting ready to move house. I spent a minute turning it over, thinking about the miles I had logged with it, in California and New Mexico and Colorado, the coffee brewed and the meals cooked under a clear desert sky. Then, I threw it in the recycling. I鈥檝e never bothered making another.

Alcohol-burning stoves used to be de rigueur for ultralighters, and making your own鈥攚hether out of a Coke or cat food can鈥攚as a rite of passage. While it鈥檚 not clear when hikers started making their own, lightweight alcohol-fueled stoves have been around for well over 100 years, with Swedish manufacturer Trangia beginning to build theirs in 1925. But now, they鈥檝e become a tool on the margins, mostly found in the packs of and die-hard old-schoolers. With tech making them obsolete and a warming and drying world making them hazardous, it鈥檚 time to bid a fond farewell to the alcohol stove.

Alcohol burners may have been easy to make, but they weren鈥檛 what you鈥檇 call easy to use. My design, the 鈥淪uper Cat,鈥� was probably the simplest: You poured in some alcohol, touched a match to it, and put your pot on top. But it took some getting used to. I singed a few arm hairs lighting mine up or adjusting the tinfoil windscreens I used with it, and the lack of simmer control meant it was pretty much only good for boiling water. (Some more complicated models let you adjust the flame, though not as easily as a canister or liquid-fuel burner.) If you put in more than the exact amount of fuel you needed, extinguishing the flame was tricky; I usually snuffed it out with my empty pot, being careful not to burn myself. Where the learning curve on most modern stoves is gentle, I melted a puffy and spilled burning fuel in a couple of fire rings before I got the hang of the cat food can.

Is it any wonder, then, that modern backpackers are mostly giving them up? Lightweight canister stoves like the come in at less than 2 ounces, sip fuel, and turn off with the twist of a valve; direct-from-manufacturer versions . It鈥檚 the same trend that ultralight gear as a whole has charted over the past few decades: Where going light used to mean sewing a quilt and tarp yourself, today there鈥檚 a laundry list of manufacturers big and small using modern materials to create more reliable, durable, and easy-to-use lightweight gear than most people could ever craft at home. What鈥檚 more, the most extreme ultralighters have largely cottoned on to the fact that no stove will ever be as light as, well, no stove, and have chosen to cold-soak instead of mess around with alcohol burners.

Then there are the fire restrictions. As climate change drives temperatures higher and causes wildfires to burn faster, hotter, and , forests and even entire states are commonly spending months under fire bans. While those bans usually allow camping stoves, they consider alcohol stoves to be open flames and generally prohibit their use. Even if you still prefer your Coke can stove to your Pocket Rocket, you need to either find a backup or potentially give up on being able to eat cooked food in the backcountry during the summer and fall.

Alcohol stoves aren鈥檛 completely extinct. Some companies like and are still turning out commercial versions of my old Fancy Feast stove, and there鈥檚 something to be said for having a lightweight device that can burn anything when you鈥檙e flying somewhere camping fuel is hard to find. But for most backpackers, especially in North America, carrying one is like making a tarp out of Tyvek: something that you do because you want to prove you can or because you鈥檙e too stubborn to change. If you鈥檙e still rocking your old spirit burner, I salute you, and please check for fire bans before you light up. If you鈥檙e not? Don鈥檛 bother.

Counterpoint: Long Live the Alcohol Stove

Not so fast. I won鈥檛 be giving up my alcohol stove any time soon. I鈥檓 quite fond of it. It鈥檚 a that weighs 10 ounces and includes the burner, pot, windscreen, and plastic, lidded, insulated container that doubles as a bowl and cup. True, there are faster, easier cookers out there. But sometimes that鈥檚 not the point.

Sometimes I want to lean against a log and listen to the wind in the leaves instead of a roaring canister stove on high. Sometimes I want to wait patiently and gratefully for my water to bubble (about 8 minutes is all), especially when a delicious meal will follow. ( is my absolute favorite.) Sometimes I don鈥檛 want to lug around multiple fuel canisters and figure out how to recycle them after my trip. Sometimes I just want to go old school鈥搒imple, ultralight, and uncomplicated. And when I do, I鈥檒l keep going back to my trusty alcohol stove. 鈥擪ristin Hostetter, Head of Sustainability and Contributing Editor

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