The Happy Camper: What’s in Your Camp Kitchen?
I doubt there’s no other collection of gear that differs so much between campers than their kitchen kit. Some go as light as possible with titanium pots and mini single burner stoves; others insist on packing a cast iron skillet no matter how many portages are en route; and the styles and designs are endless on what camp mug should be used to drink your morning coffee from.
The following is my perfected camp kitchen set up, one that no other member of the group can debate over and definitely not beg, steal or borrow from. My camp kitchen is my domain and no one should enter while I’m preparing a meal—until the dishes have to be done, of course.
Let’s start off with camp stoves. I love a campfire like the rest of you, but I rarely cook on one, unless I’m grilling steaks or roasting marshmallows. A camp stove is quicker and cleaner. My stove history starts off with an old Coleman PEAK white gas stove. That was during my days in the high school outdoors club, when I had a mullet. But the hair style, and the stove design, quickly went out of flair.
Next was an ancient Optimus Hunter 8R I picked up at a garage sale for two bucks in my early 20s. Clearly the previous owner had no idea how valuable the stove was.
By the time I turned 30, though, I switched to a lightweight MSR white gas Dragonfly stove. I loved it, but my campmates didn’t. It was so loud that they complained they couldn’t hear the loons calling or a nuisance bear sneaking into camp. They insisted I never pack it again.
So, the next was a butane/propane Jetboil. It got the job done in record time, but I quickly realized that I wasn’t in much of a hurry while on trip.
Now I’m a somewhat convert to a Trangia alcohol stove. It’s got to be one of the most simplistic and environmentally-friendly stoves out there. No canisters, no flare ups; it’s like a fondue set out in the woods, and I like it.
Next are pots and pans. I don’t have the money for any titanium, except my fork. The titanium fork is well worth the money. I bought way too many of those cheap plastic spoon/fork combos you pick out of the sale’s bin at outdoor stores. They snap apart at the first serving of mac and cheese.
I also won’t pack in cast iron, unless I know I will catch a brook trout. There’s nothing better than frying up a trout in oil in a heated cast iron skillet. Most of the time, however, I’m good with a stainless steel billy pot for boiling and a high sided non-stick sauté pan.
Dollar Store kitchen tongs are essential. You’ll use them more than you think. So is a hand-carved flipper. It’s a personal piece of gear that doesn’t work as well as a store-bought item but what memories you’ll have when flipping morning flapjacks.
Dishwashing choices are off the chart when it comes to backcountry campers. Uneducated or unethical people will go down to the lake or stream, and wash and rinse the food scraps off their pots and pans right there, the same place they’ll gather their water for drinking. Yuck!
I bring one of those collapsible sinks, wash everything well away from camp, discharge the grey water in a dug-out hole and use something like Dr. Bronner’s soap, or better yet this new product I picked up from Adventure Ready Outdoors that consists of a small (biodegradable) mini tablet that dissolves in water. They’re awesome.
I then rinse everything with scalding hot water and hang them up to dry in a breathable bag—and I never use a scrubber from home. It’s a bacterial experiment waiting to happen, and will definitely make you sick by Day 4 of your trip. I clip a fresh cedar or spruce branch and use that as my daily scrub brush.
What do I store it all in? Well, as an Ontario canoeist, I’m religious about using a canoe barrel to store my food and most camp kitchen items. I have storage compartments for everything because barrels are nice but you can never find anything in them unless you have colour coded storage bags.
I’ve also went back to using a wannigan for some backcountry trips. I used to loathe these square wooden boxes carried by a single tump when I guided for Wanatiptie Outfitters in Temagami. They were carried by a tump, and it really hurt! But Recreational Barrel Works revolutionized all that with their new harness strap for wannigans. I got one and absolutely love it.
The final camp kitchen item to discuss is the camp mug. It’s the top personal item, packed away in each person’s kit. Stainless steel is traditional but it’s hot on the lips during a morning coffee. Kelly Kettle makes a perfect silicone lip guard, though. I’m also a firm believer that a late-night whisky tastes better out of a stainless steel cup than anything else.
There’s countless insulated types which work far better but have less charm. My preference is a Kupilka cup, made from environmentally friendly biomaterial that keeps hot temperatures at bay for grasping and sipping your morning java fix.
Kitchen Set List:
- one medium and one small cooking pot with lids and non-stick frying pan (to avoid expensive cooking sets purchase all three separately at a department store and simply remove handles)
- Outback Oven
- plastic travel mug
- metal plate (plastic Frisbee can also be used as a plate, bowl and toy for the beach)
- hard plastic spoon and metal fork
- metal spatula
- aluminum foil
- camp stove with extra fuel container and funnel
- waterproof matches in waterproof container plus a butane lighter
- scouring pad and sponge mixture
- tea-towel
- pair of garden gloves for grabbing cooking pot off the fire
- lightweight saw
- water bottle
- water purification gadget
- spices, jam, peanut butter, coffee, sugar, maple syrup, honey, margarine, etc… (various size, shape and style of plastic containers)
- meals packed in separate containers and in one large food bag
